The impact of a fast track area on quality and effectiveness outcomes: A Middle Eastern emergency department perspective

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a ubiquitous problem with serious public health implications. The fast track area is a novel method which aims to reduce waiting time, patient dissatisfaction and morbidity. |The study objective was to determine the impact of a fast track area (FTA) on both effectiveness measures (i.e. waiting times [WT] and length of stay [LOS]) and quality measures (i.e. LWBS rates and mortality rates) in non-urgent patients. The secondary objective was to assess if a FTA negatively impacted on urgent patients entering the ED.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study took place in a 500 bed, urban, tertiary care hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This was a quasi-experimental, which examined the impact of a FTA on a pre-intervention control group (January 2005) (n = 4,779) versus a post-intervention study group (January 2006) (n = 5,706).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean WTs of Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) 4 patients decreased by 22 min (95% CI 21 min to 24 min, <it>P </it>< 0.001). Similarly, mean WTs of CTAS 5 patients decreased by 28 min (95% CI 19 min to 37 min, <it>P </it>< 0.001) post FTA. The mean WTs of urgent patients (CTAS 2/3) were also significantly reduced after the FTA was opened (<it>P </it>< 0.001). The LWBS rate was reduced from 4.7% to 0.7% (95% CI 3.37 to 4.64; <it>P </it>< 0.001). Opening a FTA had no significant impact on mortality rates (<it>P </it>= 0.88).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The FTA improved ED effectiveness (WTs and LOS) and quality measures (LWBS rates) whereas mortality rate remained unchanged.</p

Hospital nurse staffing models and patient and staff-related outcomes

Background Nurse staffing interventions have been introduced across countries in recent years in response to changing patient requirements, developments in patient care, and shortages of qualified nursing staff. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staffing levels, nursing shifts or nurses’ work patterns. Nurse staffing has been closely linked to patient outcomes, organisational outcomes such as costs, and staff-related outcomes. Objectives Our aim was to explore the effect of hospital nurse staffing models on patient and staff-related outcomes. Search methods We searched the following databases from inception through to May 2009: Cochrane/EPOC resources (DARE, CENTRAL, the EPOC Specialised Register), PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, CAB Health, Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute database, the British Library, international theses databases, as well as generic search engines. Selection criteria Randomised control trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series analyses of interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models. Participants were patients and nursing staff working in hospital settings. We included any objective measure of patient or staff-related outcome. Data collection and analysis Seven reviewers working in pairs independently extracted data from each potentially relevant study and assessed risk of bias. Main results We identified 6,202 studies that were potentially relevant to our review. Following detailed examination of each study, we included 15 studies in the review. Despite the number of studies conducted on this topic, the quality of evidence overall was very limited. We found no evidence that the addition of specialist nurses to nursing staff reduces patient death rates, attendance at the emergency department, or readmission rates, but it is likely to result in shorter patient hospital stays, and reductions in pressure ulcers. The evidence in relation to the impact of replacing Registered Nurses with unqualified nursing assistants on patient outcomes is very limited. However, it is suggested that specialist support staff, such as dietary assistants, may have an important impact on patient outcomes. Self-scheduling and primary nursing may reduce staff turnover. The introduction of team midwifery (versus standard care) may reduce medical procedures in labour and result in a shorter length of stay without compromising maternal or perinatal safety. We found no eligible studies of educational interventions, grade mix interventions, or staffing levels and therefore we are unable to draw conclusions in relation to these interventions. Authors’ conclusions The findings suggest interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may improve some patient outcomes, particularly the addition of specialist nursing and specialist support roles to the nursing workforce. Interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may also improve staff-related outcomes, particularly the introduction of primary nursing and self scheduling. However, these findings should be treated with extreme caution due to the limited evidence available from the research conducted to date

Muscle strength and functional ability in recreational female golfers and less active non-golfers over the age of 80 Years

Muscle strength and functional ability decline with age. Physical activity can slow the decline but whether recreational golf is associated with slower decline is unknown. This cross-sectional, observational study aimed to examine the feasibility of testing muscle strength and functional ability in older female golfers and non-golfers in community settings. Thirty-one females over aged 80, living independently (golfers n = 21, mean age 83, standard deviation (±) 2.1 years); non-golfers, n = 10 (80.8 ± 1.03 years) were studied. Maximal isometric contractions of handgrip and quadriceps were tested on the dominant side. Functional ability was assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and health-related quality of life using the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Grip strength, normalised to body mass, was greater in golfers (0.33 ± 0.06 kgF/kg) than non-golfers (0.29 ± 0.06), however, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.051). Quadriceps strength did not differ (golfers 2.78 ± 0.74 N/kg; non-golfers 2.69 ± 0.83; p = 0.774). TUG times were significantly faster (p = 0.027) in golfers (10.4 ± 1.9 s) than non-golfers (12.6 ± 3.21 s; within sarcopenic category). Quality of life was significantly higher in golfers for the physical categories (Physical Function p < 0.001; Physical p = 0.033; Bodily pain p = 0.028; Vitality p = 0.047) but psychosocial categories did not differ. These findings indicated that the assessment techniques were feasible in both groups and sensitive enough to detect some differences between groups. The indication that golf was associated with better physical function than non-golfers in females over 80 needs to be examined by prospective randomised controlled trials to determine whether golf can help to achieve the recommended guidelines for strengthening exercise to protect against sarcopenia

How blogs support the transfer of knowledge into practice in the field of dementia palliative care: a survey of facilitators and barriers

BACKGROUND: Blogging can help to maximise the impact of one’s work in academia and beyond by making research findings accessible for multiple knowledge users, such as healthcare professionals and the public, as well as other researchers. As part of the knowledge exchange and dissemination activities of the Model for Dementia Palliative Care Project, this study explored stakeholders’ views of blogs as a means to translate research findings. METHODS: A web-based survey was developed, piloted, and revised. It was distributed electronically via key dementia and palliative care organisations websites, newsletters, social media platforms, and within the staff mailing lists of five Universities in Ireland. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. RESULTS: Complete responses were received from 128 participants. The majority of respondents were healthcare researchers (n = 53), followed by healthcare providers (n = 46). The preferred methods of reviewing research findings were scientific papers, websites and news articles. Respondents read healthcare blogs “sometimes” (39.1%), with < 19% reading them “often” or “very often”. Receiving an email notification might increase the likelihood of reading a new blog post for 83% of respondents. Barriers to engaging with blogs included lack of time, preference for other media, lack of awareness regarding available blogs, and concerns about the credibility and source of information. An appropriate length and the author of the blog were key features that encouraged engagement with a blog. CONCLUSIONS: Despite respondents choosing a scientific paper as their preferred method to consume research findings, many indicated an openness to reading blogs on their area of interest. Creating concise, relevant, and credible blogs, and suitably promoting them, could increase the impact and reach of healthcare research, such as in the emerging field of dementia palliative care, and thus promote translation of research findings into practice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-01001-7

A scoping review of the evidence for community-based dementia palliative care services and their related service activities

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is identified internationally as a priority for efficacious dementia care. Research into “effective models” of palliative care for people with dementia has been recommended by several European countries. To build an effective service-delivery model we must gain an understanding of existing models used in similar settings. The study aim is to identify core components of extant models of palliative care for people with dementia, and their families, who are living at home in the community. METHODS: A scoping review was employed. The search strategy was devised to identify all peer-reviewed research papers relating to the above aim. This process was iterative, and the search strategy was refined as evidence emerged and was reviewed. All types of study designs and both quantitative and qualitative studies of non-pharmacological interventions were considered for inclusion. RESULTS: The search identified 2,754 unique citations, of which 18 papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Although a palliative care approach is recommended from early in the disease process, most evidence involves end-of-life care or advanced dementia and pertains to residential care. The majority of the research reviewed focused on the effects of advance care planning, and end-of-life care; specialist palliative care input, and/or generalist palliative care provided by dementia services to enable people to remain at home and to reduce costs of care. Community staff training in palliative care appeared to improve engagement with Specialist Palliative Care teams. Integration of dementia and palliative care services was found to improve care received for people with dementia and their carers. CONCLUSIONS: While the evidence for integration of dementia and palliative care services is promising, further high-quality research is necessary particularly to identify the key components of palliative care for people living with dementia. This is imperative to enable people with dementia to inform their own care, to stay living at home for as long as possible, and, where appropriate, to die at home. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00922-7

Hospital nurse-staffing models and patient- and staff-related outcomes

Background: Nurses comprise the largest component of the health workforce worldwide and numerous models of workforce allocation and profile have been implemented. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staff‐allocation models, staffing levels, nursing shifts, or nurses’ work patterns. This is the first update of our review published in 2011. Objectives: The purpose of this review was to explore the effect of hospital nurse‐staffing models on patient and staff‐related outcomes in the hospital setting, specifically to identify which staffing model(s) are associated with: 1) better outcomes for patients, 2) better staff‐related outcomes, and, 3) the impact of staffing model(s) on cost outcomes. Search methods: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, two other databases and two trials registers were searched on 22 March 2018 together with reference checking, citation searching and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. Selection criteria: We included randomised trials, non‐randomised trials, controlled before‐after studies and interrupted‐time‐series or repeated‐measures studies of interventions relating to hospital nurse‐staffing models. Participants were patients and nursing staff working in hospital settings. We included any objective reported measure of patient‐, staff‐related, or economic outcome. The most important outcomes included in this review were: nursing‐staff turnover, patient mortality, patient readmissions, patient attendances at the emergency department (ED), length of stay, patients with pressure ulcers, and costs. Data collection and analysis: We worked independently in pairs to extract data from each potentially relevant study and to assess risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence. Main results: We included 19 studies, 17 of which were included in the analysis and eight of which we identified for this update. We identified four types of interventions relating to hospital nurse‐staffing models: introduction of advanced or specialist nurses to the nursing workforce; introduction of nursing assistive personnel to the hospital workforce; primary nursing; and staffing models. The studies were conducted in the USA, the Netherlands, UK, Australia, and Canada and included patients with cancer, asthma, diabetes and chronic illness, on medical, acute care, intensive care and long‐stay psychiatric units. The risk of bias across studies was high, with limitations mainly related to blinding of patients and personnel, allocation concealment, sequence generation, and blinding of outcome assessment. The addition of advanced or specialist nurses to hospital nurse staffing may lead to little or no difference in patient mortality (3 studies, 1358 participants). It is uncertain whether this intervention reduces patient readmissions (7 studies, 2995 participants), patient attendances at the ED (6 studies, 2274 participants), length of stay (3 studies, 907 participants), number of patients with pressure ulcers (1 study, 753 participants), or costs (3 studies, 617 participants), as we assessed the evidence for these outcomes as being of very low certainty. It is uncertain whether adding nursing assistive personnel to the hospital workforce reduces costs (1 study, 6769 participants), as we assessed the evidence for this outcome to be of very low certainty. It is uncertain whether primary nursing (3 studies, > 464 participants) or staffing models (1 study, 647 participants) reduces nursing‐staff turnover, or if primary nursing (2 studies, > 138 participants) reduces costs, as we assessed the evidence for these outcomes to be of very low certainty. Authors' conclusions: The findings of this review should be treated with caution due to the limited amount and quality of the published research that was included. We have most confidence in our finding that the introduction of advanced or specialist nurses may lead to little or no difference in one patient outcome (i.e. mortality) with greater uncertainty about other patient outcomes (i.e. readmissions, ED attendance, length of stay and pressure ulcer rates). The evidence is of insufficient certainty to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of other types of interventions, including new nurse‐staffing models and introduction of nursing assistive personnel, on patient, staff and cost outcomes. Although it has been seven years since the original review was published, the certainty of the evidence about hospital nurse staffing still remains very low

Verbal learning impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder: BDI v BDII

AbstractObjectivesCognitive impairment is known to occur in bipolar disorder (BD), even in euthymic patients, with largest effect sizes often seen in Verbal Learning and Memory Tasks (VLT). However, comparisons between BD Type-I and Type-II have produced inconsistent results partly due to low sample sizes.MethodsThis study compared the performance of 183 BDI with 96 BDII out-patients on an adapted version of the Rey Verbal Learning Task. Gender, age, years of education, mood scores and age at onset were all used as covariates. Current medication and a variety of illness variables were also investigated for potential effects on VLT performance.ResultsBDI patients were significantly impaired relative to BDII patients on all five VLT outcome measures after controlling for the other variables [Effect Sizes=.13–.17]. The impairments seem to be unrelated to drug treatment and largely unrelated to illness variables, although age of onset affected performance on three outcome measures and number of episodes of mood elevation affected performance on one.LimitationsThis study used historical healthy controls. Analysis of potential drug effects was limited by insufficient participants not being drug free. Cross-sectional nature of the study limited the analysis of the potential effect of illness variables.ConclusionsThis study replicates earlier findings of increased verbal learning impairment in BDI patients relative to BDII in a substantially larger sample. Such performance cannot be wholly explained by medication effects or illness variables. Thus, the cognitive impairment is likely to reflect a phenotypic difference between bipolar sub-types

Evaluation: Programme to Support Palliative and Hospice Care in the Republic of Ireland, Final Report

Investment in end-of-life care has made Ireland a world leader in advancing palliative and hospice care but regional inequities persist, according to an evaluation by Professor Mary McCarron and colleagues at Trinity College Dublin.This evaluation examined The Atlantic Philanthropies' End of Life programme -- which aimed to improve the care and quality of life for patients dying from an incurable illness and to ensure they and their families received excellent end-of-life care and services. From its first grant in 2004 through its final grant in 2010, Atlantic invested 25 million in the programme