The nurse educator role in the acute care setting in Australia: Important but poorly described

Objective The purpose of this paper is to describe the nurse educator role in the acute care setting in Australia. Method A literature review using Ganong's (1987) method of analysis was undertaken. Computerised databases were searched for articles published in English between 2000 and 2008 using the key words: 'education', 'nursing', 'nurse-educator', 'teaching methods', 'clinical', 'outcomes health care' and 'Australia'. Information was summarised to identify issues impacting on the nurse educator role using a standardised data extraction tool. Results The search strategies generated 152 articles and reports. The review identified that the nurse educator role is fundamental in supporting clinical practice and integral to developing a skilled and competent health workforce. Conclusion Confusion in nursing roles and role ambiguity contribute to the challenges for nurse educators in acute care. The absence of a national, standardised approach to role description and scope of practice in Australia may adversely impact role enactment. Further discussion and debate of the nurse educator role in Australia is warranted

Intrinsic cardiac ganglia and acetylcholine are important in the mechanism of ischaemic preconditioning

This study aimed to investigate the role of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system in the mechanism of classical myocardial ischaemic preconditioning (IPC). Isolated perfused rat hearts were subjected to 35-min regional ischaemia and 60-min reperfusion. IPC was induced as three cycles of 5-min global ischaemia-reperfusion, and provided significant reduction in infarct size (IS/AAR = 14 ± 2% vs control IS/AAR = 48 ± 3%, p < 0.05). Treatment with the ganglionic antagonist, hexamethonium (50 μM), blocked IPC protection (IS/AAR = 37 ± 7%, p < 0.05 vs IPC). Moreover, the muscarinic antagonist, atropine (100 nM), also abrogated IPC-mediated protection (IS/AAR = 40 ± 3%, p < 0.05 vs IPC). This indicates that intrinsic cardiac ganglia remain intact in the Langendorff preparation and are important in the mechanism of IPC. In a second group of experiments, coronary effluent collected following IPC, from ex vivo perfused rat hearts, provided significant cardioprotection when perfused through a naïve isolated rat heart prior to induction of regional ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) (IS/ARR = 19 ± 2, p < 0.05 vs control effluent). This protection was also abrogated by treating the naïve heart with hexamethonium, indicating the humoral trigger of IPC induces protection via an intrinsic neuronal mechanism (IS/AAR = 46 ± 5%, p < 0.05 vs IPC effluent). In addition, a large release in ACh was observed in coronary effluent was observed following IPC (IPCeff = 0.36 ± 0.03 μM vs C eff = 0.04 ± 0.04 μM, n = 4, p < 0.001). Interestingly, however, IPC effluent was not able to significantly protect isolated cardiomyocytes from simulated ischaemia-reperfusion injury (cell death = 45 ± 6%, p = 0.09 vs control effluent). In conclusion, IPC involves activation of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system, leading to release of ACh in the ventricles and induction of protection via activation of muscarinic receptors

Dying in the margins: Understanding palliative care and socioeconomic deprivation in the developed world

Context: Individuals from low socioeconomic (SE) groups have less resources and poorer health outcomes. Understanding the nature of access to appropriate end-of-life care services for this group is important. Objectives: To evaluate the literature in the developed world for barriers to access for low SE groups. Methods: Electronic databases searched in the review included MEDLINE (1996-2010), CINAHL (1996-2010), PsychINFO (2000-2010), Cochrane Library (2010), and EMBASE (1996-2010). Publications were searched for key terms "socioeconomic disadvantage," "socioeconomic," "poverty," "poor" paired with "end-of-life care," "palliative care," "dying," and "terminal Illness." Articles were analyzed using existing descriptions for dimensions of access to health services, which include availability, affordability, acceptability, and geographical access. Results: A total of 67 articles were identified for the literature review. Literature describing end-of-life care and low SE status was limited. Findings from the review were summarized under the headings for dimensions of access. Conclusion: Low SE groups experience barriers to access in palliative care services. Identification and evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing this disparity is required. © 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Seeing through the Effects of Crustal Assimilation to Assess the Source Composition beneath the Southern Lesser Antilles Arc

Assessing the impact of crustal assimilation on the composition of oceanic arc lavas is important if source composition is to be correctly interpreted. This is particularly the case in the Lesser Antilles where lavas encompass a very large range in radiogenic isotope compositions. Here we present new 176Hf/177Hf and trace element data for a suite of samples from St Lucia in the southern Lesser Antilles arc where assimilation of sediments located within the arc crust has been shown to influence significantly Sr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions. We show that a high rate of assimilation (r = 0·8) of sediment is responsible for the co-variation of Th/Th*, La/Sm, 87Sr/86Sr, 206/207/208Pb/204Pb, 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf towards extreme ‘continental’ compositions. Lavas that escaped sediment assimilation have a typical oceanic arc signature and provide the best indication of mantle source characteristics beneath St Lucia. They display similar Ba/Th, La/Sm and Nd isotopic compositions to lavas further north in the arc, but with slightly more radiogenic Sr and Pb. Addition of less than 2% of local bulk subducting sediment, or less than 3·5% of sediment partial melt or fluid, to the mantle wedge can explain these compositions; these estimates are similar to those previously proposed for the northern arc. After correction for the effects of sediment assimilation, the St Lucia lavas have only slightly more radiogenic Pb and Sr isotope signatures compared with the northern islands; this can be attributed to differences in the isotopic composition of the local subducting sediment rather than to greater sediment input, as has been previously proposed. Comparison of St Lucia with the other southern Lesser Antilles islands suggests that similar mantle source compositions exist beneath Martinique, St Vincent and perhaps Bequia, whereas a more ‘continental’ source might characterize Ile de Caille, Kick ’em Jenny and Grenada

The UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre: the UK’s centre for facilitating the usage of human samples for medical research

The UKCRC Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre was established to improve access to and utilisation of UK human tissue samples for medical research. The key output of the Centre is the creation of the UK’s first pan-disease Tissue Directory (https://directory.biobankinguk.org/). Any researcher can search the Directory based on a series of simple key words including disease classification, age, sex, sample type, preservation details, quality indicators and datasets available. The Directory as of April 2017 contains 100 Bioresources. Researchers seeking fresh samples can also search for facilities that offer bespoke collection services. Future work of the Centre will be to explore greater standardisation of biobanking activities across the UK and to facilitate an inter-connected research infrastructure related to the use of human biosamples

Minimal detectable change for mobility and patient-reported tools in people with osteoarthritis awaiting arthroplasty

Background: Thoughtful use of assessment tools to monitor disease requires an understanding of clinimetric properties. These properties are often under-reported and, thus, potentially overlooked in the clinic. This study aimed to determine the minimal detectable change (MDC) and coefficient of variation per cent (CV%) for tools commonly used to assess the symptomatic and functional severity of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Methods. We performed a test-retest study on 136 people awaiting knee or hip arthroplasty at one of two hospitals. The MDC95 (the range over which the difference [change] for 95% of patients is expected to lie) and the coefficient of variation per cent (CV%) for the visual analogue scale (VAS) for joint pain, the six-minute walk test (6MWT), the timed up-and-go (TUG) test, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) subscales were calculated. Results: Knee cohort (n = 75) - The MDC 95 and CV% values were as follows: VAS 2.8 cm, 15%; 6MWT 79 m, 8%; TUG +/-36.7%, 13%; KOOS pain 20.2, 19%; KOOS symptoms 24.1, 22%; KOOS activities of daily living 20.8, 17%; KOOS quality of life 26.6, 44. Hip cohort (n = 61) - The MDC95 and CV% values were as follows: VAS 3.3 cm, 17%; 6MWT 81.5 m, 9%; TUG +/-44.6%, 16%; HOOS pain 21.6, 22%; HOOS symptoms 22.7, 19%; HOOS activities of daily living 17.7, 17%; HOOS quality of life 24.4, 43%. Conclusions: Distinguishing real change from error is difficult in people with severe osteoarthritis. The 6MWT demonstrates the smallest measurement error amongst a range of tools commonly used to assess disease severity, thus, has the capacity to detect the smallest real change above measurement error in everyday clinical practice. © 2014 Naylor et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Combining Donor and Recipient Age With Preoperative MELD and UKELD Scores for Predicting Survival After Liver Transplantation

Objectives: The end-stage liver disease scoring systems MELD, UKELD, and D-MELD (donor age × MELD) have had mediocre results for survival assessment after orthotopic liver transplant. Here, we introduced new indices based on preoperative MELD and UKELD scores and assessed their predictive ability on survival posttransplant. Materials and Methods: We included 1017 deceased donor orthotopic liver transplants that were performed between 2008 (the year UKELD was introduced) and 2019. Donor and recipient characteristics, liver disease scores, transplant characteristics, and outcomes were collected for analyses. D-MELD, D-UKELD (donor age × UKELD), DR-MELD [(donor age + recipient age) × MELD], and DR-UKELD [(donor age + recipient age) × UKELD] were calculated. Results: No score had predictive value for graft survival. For patient survival, DR-MELD and DR-UKELD provided the best results but with low accuracy. The highest accuracy was observed at 1 year posttransplant (areas under the curve of 0.598 [95% CI, 0.529-0.667] and 0.609 [95% CI, 0.549-0.67] for DR-MELD and DR-UKELD). Addition of donor and recipient age significantly improved the predictive abilities of MELD and UKELD for patient survival, but addition of donor age alone did not. For 1-year mortality (using receiver operating characteristic curves), optimal cut-off points were DR-MELD >2345 and DR-UKELD >5908. Recipients with DR-MELD >2345 (P 5908 (P = .002) had worse patient survival within the first year, but only DR-MELD >2345 remained significant after multiva­riable analysis (P = .007). Conclusions: DR-MELD and DR-UKELD scores provided the best, albeit mediocre, predictive ability among the 6 tested models, especially at 1 year after posttransplant, although only for patient but not for graft survival. A DR-MELD >2345 was considered to be an additional independent risk factor for worse recipient survival within the first postoperative year

Discussing prognosis and end-of-life care in the final year of life: A randomized controlled trial of a nurse-led ommunication support programme for patients and caregivers

Introduction: Timely communication about lifeexpectancy and end-of-life care is crucial forensuring good patient quality-of-life at the end of lifeand a good quality of death. This article describes theprotocol for a multisite randomised controlled trial of anurse-led communication support programme tofacilitate patients' and caregivers' efforts tocommunicate about these issues with theirhealthcare team.Methods and analysis: This NHMRC-sponsored trialis being conducted at medical oncology clinics locatedat/affiliated with major teaching hospitals in Sydney,Australia. Patients with advanced, incurable cancer andlife expectancy of less than 12 months will participatetogether with their primary informal caregiver wherepossible. Guided by the self-determination theory ofhealth-behaviour change, the communication supportprogramme pairs a purpose-designed Question PromptList (QPL-an evidence-based list of questionspatients/caregivers can ask clinicians) with nurse-ledexploration of QPL content, communication challenges,patient values and concerns and the value of earlydiscussion of end-of-life issues. Oncologists are alsocued to endorse patient and caregiver question askingand use of the QPL. Behavioural and self-report datawill be collected from patients/caregivers approximatelyquarterly for up to 2.5 years or until patient death, afterwhich patient medical records will be examined.Analyses will examine the impact of the intervention onpatients' and caregivers' participation in medicalconsultations, their self-efficacy in medical encounters,quality-of-life, end-of-life care receipt and quality-ofdeathindicators.Ethics and dissemination: Approvals have beengranted by the human ethics review committee ofRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital and governance officersat each participating site. Results will be reported inpeer-reviewed publications and conferencepresentations.Trial registration number: Australian New ZealandClinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000724077

Remote ischaemic conditioning reduces infarct size in animal in vivo models of ischaemia-reperfusion injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS: The potential of remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) to ameliorate myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains controversial. We aimed to analyse the pre-clinical evidence base to ascertain the overall effect and variability of RIC in animal in vivo models of myocardial IRI. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the impact of different study protocols on the protective utility of RIC in animal models and identify gaps in our understanding of this promising therapeutic strategy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our primary outcome measure was the difference in mean infarct size between RIC and control groups in in vivo models of myocardial IRI. A systematic review returned 31 reports, from which we made 22 controlled comparisons of remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPreC) and 21 of remote ischaemic perconditioning and postconditioning (RIPerC/RIPostC) in a pooled random-effects meta-analysis. In total, our analysis includes data from 280 control animals and 373 animals subject to RIC. Overall, RIPreC reduced infarct size as a percentage of area at risk by 22.8% (95% CI 18.8-26.9%), when compared with untreated controls (P < 0.001). Similarly, RIPerC/RIPostC reduced infarct size by 22.2% (95% CI 17.1-25.3%; P < 0.001). Interestingly, we observed significant heterogeneity in effect size (T2 = 92.9% and I2 = 99.4%; P < 0.001) that could not be explained by any of the experimental variables analysed by meta-regression. However, few reports have systematically characterized RIC protocols, and few of the included in vivo studies satisfactorily met study quality requirements, particularly with respect to blinding and randomization. CONCLUSIONS: RIC significantly reduces infarct size in in vivo models of myocardial IRI. Heterogeneity between studies could not be explained by the experimental variables tested, but studies are limited in number and lack consistency in quality and study design. There is therefore a clear need for more well-performed in vivo studies with particular emphasis on detailed characterization of RIC protocols and investigating the potential impact of gender. Finally, more studies investigating the potential benefit of RIC in larger species are required before translation to humans

Acute hospital-based services used by adults during the last year of life in New South Wales, Australia: A population-based retrospective cohort study

© 2015 Goldsbury et al. Background: There is limited information about health care utilisation at the end of life for people in Australia. We describe acute hospital-based services utilisation during the last year of life for all adults (aged 18+ years) who died in a 12-month period in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW). Methods: Linked administrative health data were analysed for all adults who died in NSW in 2007 (the most recent year for which cause of death information was available for linkage for this study). The data comprised linked death records (2007), hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) presentations (2006-2007) and cancer registrations (1994-2007). Measures of hospital-based service utilisation during the last year of life included: number and length of hospital episodes, ED presentations, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), palliative-related admissions and place of death. Factors associated with these measures were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Of the 45,749 adult decedents, 82 % were admitted to hospital during their last year of life: 24 % had >3 care episodes (median 2); 35 % stayed a total of >30 days in hospital (median 17); 42 % were admitted to 2 or more different hospitals. Twelve percent of decedents spent time in an ICU with median 3 days. In the metropolitan area, 80 % of decedents presented to an ED and 18 % had >3 presentations. Overall 55 % died in a hospital or inpatient hospice. Although we could not quantify the extent and type of palliative care, 24 % had mention of "palliative care" in their records. The very elderly and those dying from diseases of the circulatory system or living in the least disadvantaged areas generally had lower hospital service use. Conclusions: These population-wide health data collections give a highly informative description of NSWhospital-based end-of-life service utilisation. Use of hospital-based services during the last year of life was common, with substantial variation across sociodemographic groups, especially defined by age, cause of death and socioeconomic classification of the decedents' place of residence. Further research is now needed to identify the contributors to these findings. Gaps in data collection were identified - particularly for palliative care and patient-reported outcomes. Addressing these gaps should facilitate improved monitoring and assessment of service use and care