Multidisciplinary team meetings in palliative care: an ethnographic study

OBJECTIVES: Multidisciplinary team meetings are a regular feature in the provision of palliative care, involving a range of professionals. Yet, their purpose and best format are not necessarily well understood or documented. This article describes how hospital and community-based palliative care multidisciplinary team meetings operate to elucidate some of their main values and offer an opportunity to share examples of good practice. METHODS: Ethnographic observations of over 70 multidisciplinary team meetings between May 2018 and January 2020 in hospital and community palliative care settings in intercity London. These observations were part of a larger study examining palliative care processes. Fieldnotes were thematically analysed. RESULTS: This article analyses how the meetings operated in terms of their setup, participants and general order of business. Meetings provided a space where patients, families and professionals could be cared for through regular discussions of service provision. CONCLUSIONS: Meetings served a variety of functions. Alongside discussing the more technical, clinical and practical aspects that are formally recognised aspects of the meetings, an additional core value was enabling affectual aspects of dealing with people who are dying to be acknowledged and processed collectively. Insight into how the meetings are structured and operate offer input for future practice

Multidisciplinary Team Meetings as Care in Practice: an ethnography of hospital and community palliative care in the UK

Background: Palliative care often involves the use of Multidisciplinary Team Meetings (MDTs), aimed at improving quality and continuity of care. Key to these meeting is the communication about complex cases; yet within the meetings, specific problems may go unresolved and categorical decisions may not be made. Therefore, what are the MDTs for and what do they do? Aims: We take the MDTs of two palliative care teams within the same UK NHS (National Health Service) Trust covering acute and community settings as an ethnographic object, to explore what kind of work is done within them and with what effects. We seek to better understand if and how these meetings and teamwork provide care for patients at the end of life. Methods: This paper draws on the analysis of over 60 MDTs, observed as part of a larger ethnographic study about forms of care within palliative care. This research, spanning 17 months since May 2018, consisted of shadowing of staff members, and interviews with staff members and patients. Fieldnotes of the meetings were written up during or after the meeting. Emerging themes were identified through coding and memo-ing the material in NVivo 12, informed by practice theory. Results: The primary practice takes the shape of ‘feeling one’s way’ together through: complex cases; individual and the team members’ needs to continue performing under mounting work and resource pressures; anticipations of future demands of measuring the work the team provides. While acknowledged and appreciated by all team members as a central part of their daily work, this MDT work is not readily captured as a visible form of patient care, both from patient and carer perspectives, nor from resource planning measures that determine the staff levels. Discussion: We argue that there is a need to appreciate and articulate this work as care for different and shifting set of recipients: the patient, the individual team members, the team process, and the meeting itself

Исследование каталитической активности металлических порошков, полученных электроимпусными методами, в синтезе Фишера Тропша

В работе представлены результаты исследования каталитической активности металлических порошков ВК6 используемых в роли катализатора в синтезе Фишера-Тропша. Испытания были проведены на лабораторной установке, разработанной и изготовленной ЗАО «Катакон», г.Новосибирск. Для получения тонкодисперсных порошков использовался метод электроискрового диспергирования в жидкой среде. Для изучения физико-химических свойств полученных порошков использовались: определение величины удельной поверхности частиц порошков по методу БЭТ, методы растровой и сканирующей электронной микроскопии, а также рентгенофазового анализа.The research effort presents the results of a studing catalytic activity of metal powders VK6 used as catalyst in the synthesis of Fischer-Tropsch. Tests were conducted on a laboratory installation, which was designed and manufactured by CJSC "Caticon", Novosibirsk. The method of electrospark dispersion in liquid medium was applied during obtaining a fine powder. To study the physico-chemical properties of the obtained powders were used for determination of the specific surface of particles of powders by BET method, methods of raster and scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray phase analysis

Effectiveness of inpatient versus outpatient complex treatment programs in depressive disorders: a quasi-experimental study under naturalistic conditions.

Driessen M, Schulz P, Jander S, et al. Effectiveness of inpatient versus outpatient complex treatment programs in depressive disorders: a quasi-experimental study under naturalistic conditions. BMC psychiatry. 2019;19(1): 380.BACKGROUND: Due to long waiting periods for outpatient psychotherapy and the high resource requirements of inpatient treatment, there is a need for alternative treatment programs for patients with depressive disorders. Thus, we investigated the effectiveness of the "Bielefeld Outpatient Intensive Treatment Program of Depression" (BID) in comparison with a typical inpatient treatment program by using a prospective quasi-experimental observational study. We assumed (i) that both complex programs are effective in pre-post analyses after 6 weeks and (ii) that inpatient treatment is more effective compared with the outpatient program.; METHODS: Four hundred patients with depressive psychopathology - a majority with depressive episodes (ICD-10 F3X) - took part in the BID and 193 in the inpatient program. Different self- (i.e., BDI) and expert measures (i.e., MADRS) of psychopathology at baseline (t1) and 6 weeks later (t2) were applied to examine treatment effects.; RESULTS: Treatment effects were high in separate analyses of both groups with Cohen's d ranging from 1.10 to 1.76., while ANOVA comparative analyses did not reveal any significant differences between both treatment settings nor did a set of independent covariates analyzed here. Response rates of BDI (p=.002) and MADRS (p=.001) were higher in the outpatient group. Results indicate BID not to be inferior compared to an inpatient program, although diverging pathways to treatment, higher rates of clinical recurrent depressive disorders and severe episodes as well as lower rates of employment and partnership in the inpatient treatment group have to be considered.; CONCLUSION: Outpatient intensive treatment programs may represent a solution for patients needing more than a treatment session once per week but less than a complex inpatient or day clinic program

Effectiveness of supported housing versus residential care in severe mental illness: a multicenter, quasi-experimental study

Purpose Up to now there are only few studies and no RCT comparing efficacy or effectiveness of supported housing (SH) versus residential care (RC) in severe mental illness (SMI) without homelessness. Here we present an observational followup study in SMI subjects, who entered SH or RC, to compare clinical and functional outcomes 2 years later. Methods In this prospective study in more than 30 locations throughout a German federal state, we included SMI subjects, who entered SH (n= 153) or RC (n = 104). About one quarter suffered from each substance use, psychotic, affective, or other disorders. To avoid sampling bias, we used the propensity score matching method to establish a quasi-experimental design. Outcome measures were social functioning (SFS), the number of psychiatric hospitalisations, psychopathology (SCL-9-K), and quality of life (MANSA). Apart from descriptive methods we analysed primarily using repeated-measures ANOVAS. Results Our analyses revealed significant effects of time for all outcomes in both study groups. However, there were not any group differences of outcome measures, i.e., not any significant effects of group or interactional effects of group x time. Moreover, these results hold true for intent-to-treat and per-protocol sample analyses. Conclusion The results show, that SH and RC for non-homeless people with SMI achieve the same clinical and psychosocial outcomes across a 2-year period. Taking into account the users’ preferences, the present findings should give reason to ensure the availability of affordable housing and to support the expansion of upported housing approache

Serum anticholinergic activity and cerebral cholinergic dysfunction: An EEG study in frail elderly with and without delirium

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Delirium increases morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs especially in the elderly. Serum anticholinergic activity (SAA) is a suggested biomarker for anticholinergic burden and delirium risk, but the association with cerebral cholinergic function remains unclear. To clarify this relationship, we prospectively assessed the correlation of SAA with quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) power, delirium occurrence, functional and cognitive measures in a cross-sectional sample of acutely hospitalized elderly (> 80 y) with high dementia and delirium prevalence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>61 consecutively admitted patients over 80 years underwent an extensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluation. SAA was determined by using radio receptor assay as developed by Tune, and standard as well as quantitative EEGs were obtained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>15 patients had dementia with additional delirium (DD) according to expert consensus using DSM-IV criteria, 31 suffered from dementia without delirium (D), 15 were cognitively unimpaired (CU). SAA was clearly detectable in all patients but one (mean 10.9 ± 7.1 pmol/ml), but was not associated with expert-panel approved delirium diagnosis or cognitive functions. Delirium-associated EEG abnormalities included occipital slowing, peak power and alpha decrease, delta and theta power increase and slow wave ratio increase during active delirious states. EEG measures correlated significantly with cognitive performance and delirium severity, but not with SAA levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In elderly with acute disease, EEG parameters reliable indicate delirium, but SAA does not seem to reflect cerebral cholinergic function as measured by EEG and is not related to delirium diagnosis.</p

Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) compared to enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) for suicidal patients in an inpatient setting: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Santel M, Beblo T, Neuner F, et al. Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) compared to enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) for suicidal patients in an inpatient setting: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1): 183.Background The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) is a therapeutic framework that has been shown to reduce suicidal ideation and overall symptom distress. CAMS has not been previously evaluated in a standard acute inpatient mental health care setting with only short treatment times for suicidal patients. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT) we are investigating whether CAMS is more effective than Enhanced-Treatment as Usual (E-TAU) in reducing suicidal thoughts as primary outcome variable. We are also investigating depressive symptoms, general symptom relief, and the quality of the therapeutic alliance as secondary outcomes. Methods/Design This RCT is designed as a single-center, two-armed, parallel group observer-blinded clinical effectiveness investigation. We are recruiting and randomizing 60 participants with different diagnoses, who are admitted as inpatients because of acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors into the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ev. Hospital Bethel in Bielefeld, Germany. The duration of treatment will vary depending on patients’ needs and clinical assessments ranging between 10 and 40 days. Patients are assessed four times, at admission, discharge, 1 month, and 5 months post-discharge. The primary outcome measure is the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Other outcome measures are administered as assessment timepoints including severity of psychiatric symptoms, depression, reasons for living, and therapeutic relationship. Discussion This effectiveness study is being conducted on an acute ward in a psychiatric clinic where patients have multiple problems and diagnoses. Treatment is somewhat limited, and therapists have a large caseloads. The results of this study can thus be generalizable to a typical inpatient psychiatric hospital settings

The 11q Terminal Deletion Disorder Jacobsen Syndrome is a Syndromic Primary Immunodeficiency

Background: Jacobsen syndrome (JS) is a rare contiguous gene syndrome caused by partial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 11. Clinical features include physical and mental growth retardation, facial dysmorphism, thrombocytopenia, impaired platelet function and pancytopenia. In case reports, recurrent infections and impaired immune cell function compatible with immunodeficiency were described. However, Jacobsen syndrome has not been recognized as an established syndromic primary immunodeficiency. Goal: To evaluate the presence of immunodeficiency in a series of 6 patients with JS. Methods: Medical history of 6 patients with JS was evaluated for recurrent infections. IgG, IgA, IgM and specific antibodies against S. pneumoniae were measured. Response to immunization with a polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax) was measured and B and T lymphocyte subset analyses were performed using flowcytometry. Results: Five out of 6 patients suffered from recurrent infections. These patients had low IgG levels and impaired response to S. pneumoniae polysaccharide vaccination. Moreover, we also found a significant decrease in the absolute number of memory B cells, suggesting a defective germinal center function. In a number of patients, low numbers of T lymphocytes and NK cells were found. Conclusions: Most patients with JS suffer from combined immunodeficiency in the presence of recurrent infections. Therefore, we consider JS a syndromic primary immunodeficiency. Early detection of immunodeficiency may reduce the frequency and severity of infections. All JS patients should therefore undergo immunological evaluation. Future studies in a larger cohort of patients will more precisely define the pathophysiology of the immunodeficiency in JS

Impact of therapist change after initial contact and traumatic burden on dropout in a naturalistic sample of inpatients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy

Steuwe C, Berg M, Driessen M, Beblo T. Impact of therapist change after initial contact and traumatic burden on dropout in a naturalistic sample of inpatients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation. 2017;4(14): 14.Background This study focused on the predictors of therapy dropout in a naturalistic sample of patients with borderline pathology receiving dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in an inpatient setting. We assumed that the change of the therapist between DBT-briefing and start of DBT-treatment as well as comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and childhood trauma history were associated with elevated dropout. Methods Eighty-nine participants with borderline pathology (≥ 3 borderline personality disorder criteria) receiving an inpatient DBT program completed a quality assurance questionnaire set assessing demographic information and pretreatment psychopathology during the days of their inpatient stay. Beyond that, changes of therapists were documented. The predictor analyses were investigated with generalized estimating equations. Results The dropout rate was 24.7%. A change of therapist between DBT-briefing and treatment as well as high childhood emotional abuse was associated with premature termination of treatment. Higher values of physical neglect during childhood were associated with a protective effect on treatment dropout. Surprisingly, this was also true for comorbid PTSD. Conclusions This study supports the importance of therapy process variables as predictors of therapy dropout in borderline pathology. A change of therapist between DBT-briefing and treatment was associated with an increased vulnerability for dropping out of treatment and should therefore be avoided if possible. Against our hypotheses, a comorbid PTSD was even protective with regard to DBT dropout. Therefore, this severely suffering patient group should not be rejected from treatment assuming them to be too unstable for psychotherapy. However, results need to be replicated. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03018639, retrospectively registered on January 9, 2017

Advanced SERS sensor based on capillarity-assisted preconcentration through gold nanoparticles-decorated porous nanorods

A preconcentrating surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for the analysis of liquid-soaked tissue, tiny liquid droplets and thin liquid films without the necessity to collect the analyte is reported. The SERS sensor is based on a blockcopolymer membrane containing a spongy-continuous pore system. The sensor's upper side is an array of porous nanorods having tips functionalized with Au nanoparticles. Capillarity in combination with directional evaporation drives the analyte solution in contact with the flat yet nanoporous underside of the SERS sensor through the continuous nanopore system toward the nanorod tips where non-volatile components of the analyte solution precipitate at the Au nanoparticles. The nanorod architecture increases the sensor surface in the detection volume and facilitates analyte preconcentration driven by directional solvent evaporation. The model analyte 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) can be detected in a 1 x 10-3 m solution about 300 ms after the sensor is brought into contact with the solution. Moreover, a sensitivity of 0.1 ppm for the detection of the dissolved model analyte is achieved