Quality in practice: integrating routine collection of patient language data into hospital practice

Quality problem Timely identification of patients' language needs can facilitate the provision of language-appropriate services and contribute to quality of care, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Initial assessment At the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland, timely organization of interpreter services was hindered by the lack of systematic patient language data collection. Choice of solution We explored the feasibility and acceptability of a procedure for collecting patient language data at the first point of contact, prior to its hospital-wide implementation. Implementation During a one-week period, receptionists and triage nurses in eight clinical services tested a new procedure for collecting patient language data. Patients were asked to identify their primary language and other languages they would be comfortable speaking with their doctor. Staff noted patients' answers on a paper form and provided informal feedback on their experience with the procedure. Evaluation Registration staff encountered few difficulties collecting patient language data and thought that the two questions could easily be incorporated into existing administrative routines. Following the pilot test, two language fields with scroll-down language menus were added to the electronic patient file, and the subsequent filling-in of these fields has been rapid and hospital wide. Lessons learned Our experience suggests that routine collection of patient language data at first point of contact is both feasible and acceptable and that involving staff in a pilot project may facilitate hospital-wide implementation. Future efforts should focus on exploring the sensitivity and specificity of the proposed questions, as well as the impact of data collection on interpreter us

An Evaluation of SmokeFree for Kansas Kids: An Intervention to Promote Tobacco Cessation in Pediatric Clinics

Introduction. Smokefree for Kansas Kids is a program designedto train pediatric clinic staff to assess for tobaccoexposure and provide brief smoking cessation interventionsto caregivers and patients. The purpose of this studywas to evaluate the impact of this program and improvefuture tobacco intervention efforts in pediatric clinics. Methods. Eighty-six pediatric physicians and staff attendedat least one of three training sessions. A randomsample of pediatric medical records was selected pre-intervention(n = 49) and post-intervention (n = 150). Electronicmedical records were reviewed to assess for documentationof tobacco use intervention implemented in the clinic. Results. Of the 199 pediatric clinic visits reviewed, 197 metthe study criteria. All but one visit documented an assessmentof tobacco exposure. Among children exposed to tobacco (n= 42), providers were more likely to discuss tobacco use withcaregivers post-intervention (35.7%) compared to pre-intervention(7.1%; p < 0.05). One in five caregivers in the postinterventiongroup were advised to quit (21.4%) compared tothe pre-intervention group (7.1%). In the post-interventiongroup, 14.3% were referred to the state quitline compared tono referrals in the pre-intervention group. The difference inrates for providing advice and referral between pre-interventionand post-intervention were not statistically significant. Conclusions. Implementation of the Smoke Free for Kansas Kidsintervention was associated with modest improvements in clinictobacco intervention efforts, but many patients still failed toreceive optimal assessments or interventions. Additional effortsmay be needed to enhance this program. KS J Med 2017;10(1):7-11

The relevance of clinical ethnography: reflections on 10 years of a cultural consultation service

Abstract Background Training health professionals in culturally sensitive medical interviewing has been widely promoted as a strategy for improving intercultural communication and for helping clinicians to consider patients’ social and cultural contexts and improve patient outcomes. Clinical ethnography encourages clinicians to explore the patient’s explanatory model of illness, recourse to traditional and alternative healing practices, healthcare expectations and social context, and to use this information to negotiate a mutually acceptable treatment plan. However, while clinical ethnographic interviewing skills can be successfully taught and learned, the “real-world” context of medical practice may impose barriers to such patient-centered interviewing. Creating opportunities for role modeling and critical reflection may help overcome some of these barriers, and contribute to improved intercultural communication in healthcare. We report and reflect on a retrospective analysis of 10 years experience with a “cultural consultation service” (CCS) whose aim is to provide direct support to clinicians who encounter intercultural difficulties and to model the usefulness of clinical ethnographic interviewing for patient care. Methods We analyzed 236 cultural consultation requests in order to identify key patient, provider and consultation characteristics, as well as the cross cultural communication challenges that motivate health care professionals to request a cultural consultation. In addition, we interviewed 51 clinicians about their experience and satisfaction with the CCS. Results Requests for cultural consultations tended to involve patient care situations with complex social, cultural and medical issues. All patients had a migration background, two-thirds spoke French less than fluently. In over half the cases, patients had a high degree of social vulnerability, compromising illness management. Effective communication was hindered by language barriers and undetected or underestimated patient/provider differences in health-related knowledge and beliefs. Clinicians were highly satisfied with the CCS, and appreciated both the opportunity to observe how clinical ethnographic interviewing is done and the increased knowledge they gained of their patients’ context and perspective. Conclusions A cultural consultation service such as ours can contribute to institutional cultural competence by drawing attention to the challenges of caring for diverse patient populations, identifying the training needs of clinicians and gaps in resource provision, and providing hands-on experience with clinical ethnographic interviewing

Learning to use electronic health records: can we stay patient-centered? A pre-post intervention study with family medicine residents

Abstract Background The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is now widely used in clinical encounters. Because its use can negatively impact the physician-patient relationship, several recommendations on the “patient-centered” use of the EHR have been published. However, the impact of training to improve EHR use during clinical encounters is not well known. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of training on residents’ EHR-related communication skills and explore whether they varied according to the content of the consultation. Methods We conducted a pre-post intervention study at the Primary Care Division of the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland. Residents were invited to attend a 3-month training course that included 2 large group sessions and 2–4 individualized coaching sessions based on videotaped encounters. Outcomes were: 1) residents’ perceptions regarding the use of EHR, measured through a self-administered questionnaire and 2) objective use of the EHR during the first 10 min of patient encounters. Changes in practice were measured pre and post intervention using the Roter interaction analysis system (RIAS) and EHR specific items. Results Seventeen out of 27 residents took part in the study. Participants used EHR in about 30% of consultations. After training, they were less likely to consider EHR to be a barrier to the physician-patient relationship, and felt more comfortable using the EHR. After training, participants increased the use of signposting when using the EHR (pre: 0.77, SD 1.69; post: 1.80, SD3.35; p 0.035) and decreased EHR use when psychosocial issues appeared (pre: 24.5% and post: 9.76%, p < 0.001). Conclusions This study suggests that training can improve residents’ EHR-related communication skills, especially in situations where patients bring up sensitive psychosocial issues. Future research should focus on patients’ perceptions of the relevance and usefulness of such skills

Important sources of difficulty working with migrant patients in 2013 as compared to 2010 (at 4 or 5 on a scale from 1 to 5).

<p>*Adjusted by professional category, hospital department, function (senior doctor or nurse, vs. staff nurse or resident), and Swiss versus other citizenship.</p><p>Important sources of difficulty working with migrant patients in 2013 as compared to 2010 (at 4 or 5 on a scale from 1 to 5).</p

Respondent characteristics (after correction).

<p>Respondent characteristics (after correction).</p

The relevance of clinical ethnography: reflections on 10 years of a cultural consultation service

Abstract Background Training health professionals in culturally sensitive medical interviewing has been widely promoted as a strategy for improving intercultural communication and for helping clinicians to consider patients’ social and cultural contexts and improve patient outcomes. Clinical ethnography encourages clinicians to explore the patient’s explanatory model of illness, recourse to traditional and alternative healing practices, healthcare expectations and social context, and to use this information to negotiate a mutually acceptable treatment plan. However, while clinical ethnographic interviewing skills can be successfully taught and learned, the “real-world” context of medical practice may impose barriers to such patient-centered interviewing. Creating opportunities for role modeling and critical reflection may help overcome some of these barriers, and contribute to improved intercultural communication in healthcare. We report and reflect on a retrospective analysis of 10 years experience with a “cultural consultation service” (CCS) whose aim is to provide direct support to clinicians who encounter intercultural difficulties and to model the usefulness of clinical ethnographic interviewing for patient care. Methods We analyzed 236 cultural consultation requests in order to identify key patient, provider and consultation characteristics, as well as the cross cultural communication challenges that motivate health care professionals to request a cultural consultation. In addition, we interviewed 51 clinicians about their experience and satisfaction with the CCS. Results Requests for cultural consultations tended to involve patient care situations with complex social, cultural and medical issues. All patients had a migration background, two-thirds spoke French less than fluently. In over half the cases, patients had a high degree of social vulnerability, compromising illness management. Effective communication was hindered by language barriers and undetected or underestimated patient/provider differences in health-related knowledge and beliefs. Clinicians were highly satisfied with the CCS, and appreciated both the opportunity to observe how clinical ethnographic interviewing is done and the increased knowledge they gained of their patients’ context and perspective. Conclusions A cultural consultation service such as ours can contribute to institutional cultural competence by drawing attention to the challenges of caring for diverse patient populations, identifying the training needs of clinicians and gaps in resource provision, and providing hands-on experience with clinical ethnographic interviewing