‘Care Co-ordinator In My Pocket’. A Feasibility study of Mobile-Assessment and Therapy for Psychosis (TechCare).

Objectives: The research aimed to examine the acceptability and feasibility of a mobile phone Application (App) based intervention ‘TechCare’, for individuals with psychosis in the North West of England. The main objectives were to determine whether appropriate individuals could be identified and recruited to the study and whether the TechCare App would be an acceptable intervention for individuals with psychosis. Methods: This was a mixed methods feasibility study, consisting of a test-run and feasibility evaluation of the TechCare App intervention. Setting: Early Intervention Services for psychosis, within an NHS Trusts in the North West of England. Participants: Sixteen participants (Test-run n=4, feasibility study n=12) aged between 18-65, recruited from the East, Central and North Lancashire Early Intervention Service (EIS). Intervention: A 6-week intervention, with the TechCare App assessing participants’ symptoms and responses in real-time and providing a personalised guided self-help based psychological intervention based on the principles of CBT. Results: A total of 83.33% (n=10) of participants completed the 6-week feasibility study, with 70% of completers achieving the set compliance threshold of ≥33% engagement with the TechCare App system. Analysis of the qualitative data suggested that participants held the view that the TechCare was both an acceptable and feasible means of delivering interventions in real-time. Conclusion: Innovative digital clinical technologies such as the TechCare App may have the potential to increase access to psychological interventions, reduce health inequality, and promote self-management with a real-time intervention, through enabling access to mental health resources in a stigma-free, evidence-based, and time-independent manner. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0243961

Depression and quality of life in hospitalised patients with congestive heart failure (CHF): A cross-sectional study from Karachi, Pakistan:Abstracts of the 24rd European Congress of Psychiatry

IntroductionThere is strong association between depression and mortality rates among patients with CHF. Despite the massive burden of cardiac disease as well as that of depression in Pakistan, there is limited data regarding the prevalence of depression in patients suffering from CHF. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of depression in patients with CHF and to compare the health related quality of life of depressed and non-depressed patients with CHF.MethodsA total of 1009 patients diagnosed with CHF were recruited from different public hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Depression was assessed at baseline using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and health related quality of life was assessed using Euro Qol (EQ-5D).ResultsOf the 1009 participants recruited to the study, 66.4% (n = 670) met the threshold for depression using the BDI measure. Of the depressed patients, 66.7% (n = 447) were male. Preliminary results indicate that participants who were depressed at baseline had poorer health related quality of life on EQ-5D measures as compared to those who were non-depressed (mean EQ-5D descriptive score 10.45 in depressed patients vs 7.37 in non-depressed patients and mean EQ-5D visual scale score 35.09 in depressed patients vs 52.19 in non-depressed patients).ConclusionConsidering the high prevalence of depression and its serious negative impact on quality of life of patients suffering from chronic physical illness, it is important to design and test culturally adapted psychosocial interventions to reduce depression and improve quality of life for these patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.</jats:sec

Omitting Routine Radiography of Traumatic Ankle Fractures After Initial 2-Week Follow-up Does Not Affect Outcomes The WARRIOR Trial: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The clinical consequences of routine follow-up radiographs for patients with ankle fracture are unclear, and their usefulness is disputed. The purpose of the present study was to determine if routine radiographs made at weeks 6 and 12 can be omitted without compromising clinical outcomes. Methods: This multicenter randomized controlled trial with a noninferiority design included 246 patients with an ankle fracture, 153 (62%) of whom received operative treatment. At 6 and 12 weeks of follow-up, patients in the routine-care group (n = 128) received routine radiographs whereas patients in the reduced-imaging group (n = 118) did not. The primary outcome was the Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS). Secondary outcomes were the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) foot and ankle questionnaire, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured with the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L) and Short Form-36 (SF-36), complications, pain, health perception, self-perceived recovery, the number of radiographs, and the indications for radiographs to be made. The outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks of follow-up. Data were analyzed with use of mixed models. Results: Reduced imaging was noninferior compared with routine care in terms of OMAS scores (difference [beta], -0.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], -6.2 to 4.4). AAOS scores, HRQoL, pain, health perception, and self-perceived recovery did not differ between groups. Patients in the reduced-imaging group received a median of 4 radiographs, whereas those in the routine-care group received a median of 5 radiographs (p < 0.05). The rates of complications were similar (27.1% [32 of 118] in the reduced-imaging group, compared with 22.7% [29 of 128] in the routine-care group, p = 0.42). The types of complications were also similar. Conclusions: Implementation of a reduced-imaging protocol following an ankle fracture has no measurable negative effects on functional outcome, pain, and complication rates during the first year of follow-up. The number of follow-up radiographs can be reduced by implementing this protocol.Trauma Surger

Critical care usage after major gastrointestinal and liver surgery: a prospective, multicentre observational study

Background Patient selection for critical care admission must balance patient safety with optimal resource allocation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between critical care admission, and postoperative mortality after abdominal surgery. Methods This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients enrolled in the DISCOVER study from UK and Republic of Ireland undergoing major gastrointestinal and liver surgery between October and December 2014. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore associations between critical care admission (planned and unplanned) and mortality, and inter-centre variation in critical care admission after emergency laparotomy. Results Of 4529 patients included, 37.8% (n=1713) underwent planned critical care admissions from theatre. Some 3.1% (n=86/2816) admitted to ward-level care subsequently underwent unplanned critical care admission. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.9% (n=133/4519), and the risk-adjusted association between 30-day mortality and critical care admission was higher in unplanned [odds ratio (OR): 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.51–19.97) than planned admissions (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43–3.85). Some 26.7% of patients (n=1210/4529) underwent emergency laparotomies. After adjustment, 49.3% (95% CI: 46.8–51.9%, P<0.001) were predicted to have planned critical care admissions, with 7% (n=10/145) of centres outside the 95% CI. Conclusions After risk adjustment, no 30-day survival benefit was identified for either planned or unplanned postoperative admissions to critical care within this cohort. This likely represents appropriate admission of the highest-risk patients. Planned admissions in selected, intermediate-risk patients may present a strategy to mitigate the risk of unplanned admission. Substantial inter-centre variation exists in planned critical care admissions after emergency laparotomies