30,034 research outputs found

    Patient-reported outcomes measures and patient preferences for minimally invasive glaucoma surgical devices.

    Get PDF
    BackgroundMany therapeutic options are available to glaucoma patients. One recent therapeutic option is minimally invasive glaucoma surgical (MIGS) devices. It is unclear how patients view different treatments and which patient-reported outcomes would be most relevant in patients with mild to moderate glaucoma. We developed a questionnaire for patients eligible for MIGS devices and a patient preference study to examine the value patients place on certain outcomes associated with glaucoma and its therapies.ObjectivesTo summarize the progress to date.MethodsQuestionnaire development: We drafted the questionnaire items based on input from one physician and four patient focus groups, and a review of the literature. We tested item clarity with six cognitive interviews. These items were further refined. Patient preference study: We identified important benefit and risk outcomes qualitatively using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with patients who were eligible for MIGS devices. We then prioritized these outcomes quantitatively using best-worst scaling methods.ResultsQuestionnaire testing: Three concepts were deemed relevant for the questionnaire: functional limitations, symptoms, and psychosocial factors. We will evaluate the reliability and validity of the 52-item draft questionnaire in an upcoming field test. Patient preference study: We identified 13 outcomes that participants perceived as important. Outcomes with the largest relative importance weights were "adequate IOP control" and "drive a car during the day."ConclusionsPatients have the potential to steer clinical research towards outcomes that are important to them. Incorporating patients' perspectives into the MIGS device development and evaluation process may expedite innovation and availability of these devices

    Improving quality of life in cancer patients through higher participation and health literacy: study protocol for evaluating the oncological social care project (OSCAR)

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Cancer patients experience psychological and social distress due to their medical treatment and social issues. However, continuous and specialized social support is still lacking. In Germany, a group of company health insurance funds has developed an approach to support cancer patients with monthly structured interviews conducted by specially trained Social Care Nurses. The nurses will identify patient needs in order to provide help with medical, personal, and social matters. One aim of the scientific evaluation is to analyze the effect of the consultations on various patient-reported outcomes, especially quality of life. The evaluation concept will be described in this study protocol. METHODS/DESIGN: The evaluation is a non-randomized, controlled, multi-center intervention study with a mixed-method design. It consists of three research modules which include primary data from questionnaires, and claims data from the health insurance funds. In Module 1, cancer patients will be recruited to form an intervention group (OSCAR, n = 150) and a control group (n = 200) in four study centers for a period of 1 year. One baseline and three follow-up questionnaires will be conducted to survey the patient-reported outcomes. Relevant secondary outcomes are health literacy, participation, and physician-patient communication. In Module 2, claims data will be used to analyze cost effects and thereby assess effectivity and hospitalization. Module 3 will involve a qualitative analysis of project diaries kept by the Social Care Nurses. The diaries will record the nurses' practical experiences and the benefits of deploying OSCAR across the German healthcare system. DISCUSSION: OSCAR is an innovative way of providing cancer patients with continuous support to improve their quality of life. The evaluation concept aims to assess the effects of the monthly consultations by the Social Care Nurses on the patients, and will use a mixed-method design. The results are important for assessing the transferability of OSCAR to the healthcare system as a whole. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00013640 ). Registered 29 December 2017

    Implementation of a Patient Satisfaction Survey in a Federally Qualified Health Center

    Get PDF
    Safety net FQHCs are typically challenged with initiating and sustaining standardized measurement of patient satisfaction. Baseline survey data establishing how patients rate their satisfaction at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) Urgent Care Center (UCC), a public safety net federally qualified health center, located in San Francisco, California is needed. Implementing an existing patient satisfaction survey instrument using a standardized method, with volunteer survey administrators, made this study unique and resulted in a higher rate of survey participation that any other method previously attempted. Survey results determine whether patients\u27 needs and expectations were being met, adding value and allowing for comparison of performance internally over time. Standardizing and using the same measuremen

    An extended approach for service innovation study: an empirical research

    Get PDF
    Initially, service sector was defined as complementary to manufacturing sector. This situation has changed in recent times; services growth has resulted in a dominance of employment and economic activity in most developed nations and is becoming a key process for the competitiveness of their industrial sectors. New services related to commodities have become a strategy to differentiate their value proposition (Robinson et al., 2002). The service sector's importance is evident when evaluating its share in the gross domestic product. According to the World Bank (2011), in 2009, 74.8% of GDP in the euro area and 77.5% in United States were attributed to services. Globalization and use of information and communication technology has accelerated dissemination of knowledge and increasing customer expectations about services available worldwide. Innovation becomes essential to ensure that service organizations respond with appropriate products and services for each market segment. Customized and placed on time-tomarket new services require a more developed innovation process. Service innovation and new service development process are cited as one of the priorities for academic research in the following years (Karniouchina et al., 2005) This paper has the following objectives: -To present a model for the analysis of innovation process through the service value network, -To verify its applicability through an empirical research, and -To identify the path and mode of innovation for a group of studied organizations and to compare it with previous studies

    Population Health Solutions for Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients.

    Get PDF
    In December 2017, the National Academy of Neuropsychology convened an interorganizational Summit on Population Health Solutions for Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients in Denver, Colorado. The Summit brought together representatives of a broad range of stakeholders invested in the care of older adults to focus on the topic of cognitive health and aging. Summit participants speciïŹcally examined questions of who should be screened for cognitive impairment and how they should be screened in medical settings. This is important in the context of an acute illness given that the presence of cognitive impairment can have signiïŹcant implications for care and for the management of concomitant diseases as well as pose a major risk factor for dementia. Participants arrived at general principles to guide future screening approaches in medical populations and identiïŹed knowledge gaps to direct future research. Key learning points of the summit included: recognizing the importance of educating patients and healthcare providers about the value of assessing current and baseline cognition;emphasizing that any screening tool must be appropriately normalized and validated in the population in which it is used to obtain accurate information, including considerations of language, cultural factors, and education; andrecognizing the great potential, with appropriate caveats, of electronic health records to augment cognitive screening and tracking of changes in cognitive health over time

    Caring Science Education: The Essence of Professional Practice for the Registered Nurse

    Get PDF
    Problem: Hospitals have moved from caring, healing environments to business or economic models of caring institutions that focus on census instead of on patients and on technology instead of on touch or human connection (Watson, 2006). Context: As nurse leaders, we have an obligation to create an environment of authentic, professional, human caring practices within our organizations. Caring science empowers nurses to balance the art and science of clinical judgment by engaging and collaborating with the patient and their family, focusing on the needs of the whole person, honoring the unique perception of health and healing, and engaging them to make decisions that nurture their wellbeing (Foss-Durant, McDermott, Kinney, & Triner, 2015). Integration of a theory-based professional practice, such as caring science, facilitates the connection between the nurse, patient, family, and members of the healthcare team by engaging in authentic, human caring relationships. Intervention: This DNP project intervention focused on connecting the dots of the multiple initiatives for the staff at the bedside through caring science as the foundation for professional practice, utilizing the caritas coaches within the organization to co-create, design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized experiential Caring Science/Heart Science learning series for the professional nurses within this organization. Measures: Assessing and evaluating the impact of the Caring Science/Heart Science education program was evaluated using the Caring Factor Survey – Care Provider Version (CFS-CPV) and the organization’s custom HCAPHS question, Nurses treated me with loving kindness

    From laboratory bench to benchmark: technology transfer in laboratory medicine

    Get PDF
    Background: Life Sciences research, enhancing the occurrence of innovation, is able to impact clinical decision-making, both at diagnosis and therapy. Indeed, starting from the knowledge of specific needs and of technical-scientific demands, researchers can conceive and experiment innovative solutions. Despite these strengths, transferring research to the market in Life Sciences shows considerable criticalities. The aim of this paper is to provide concrete evidences on the processes of technology transfer based on the exploitation of the results obtained by KronosDNAsrl, an academic spin-off focused on reproductive medicine. Methods: Different tools were used to evaluate the technical feasibility (validation of the results obtained with the prototype) and to manage the technology transfer process of One4TwoÂź. Results: The different analyses we carried out showed the feasibility of the proposed solution. As a result, the One4TwoÂź prototype has been developed and validated. Conclusions: Here, we provide a strength of evidences on how knowledge obtained by translational research on "bench" can be used to be transferred to the market on "benchmark" enabling innovation in Laboratory Medicine. In addition, the model described for One4TwoÂź can be easily transferred to other products
    • 

    corecore