Computer- and telephone-delivered interventions on patient outcomes and resource utilization in patients with orthopaedic conditions:a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Abstract Background: As the number of patients with orthopaedic conditions has risen continuously, hospital-based healthcare resources have become limited. Delivery of additional services is needed to adapt to this trend. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the current literature of computer- and telephone-delivered interventions on patient outcomes and resource utilization in patients with orthopaedic conditions. Methods: The systematic review was conducted in January 2019. The standardized checklist for randomized controlled trials was used to assess the quality of the relevant studies. A meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity in the included studies, and a narrative synthesis was conducted to draw informative conclusions relevant to current research, policy, and practice. Results: A total of 1,173 articles were retrieved. Six randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, providing evidence from 434 individuals across four countries. Two studies reported findings of computer-delivered interventions and four reported findings of telephone-delivered interventions. The patients who received both computer- and telephone-delivered interventions showed improvements in patient outcomes that were similar or better to those of patients receiving conventional care. This was without any increase in adverse events or costs. Conclusion: Computer- and telephone-delivered interventions are promising and safe alternatives to conventional care. This review, however, identifies a gap in evidence of high-quality studies exploring the effects of computer- and telephone-delivered interventions on patient outcomes and resource utilization. In future, these interventions should be evaluated from the perspective of intervention content, self-management, and patient empowerment. In addition, they should consider the whole care journey and the development of the newest technological innovations. Additionally, future surgery studies should take into account the personalized needs of special, high-risk patient groups and focus on patient-centric care to reduce postdischarge health problems and resource utilization in this population

Healthcare professionals’ proposed eHealth needs in elective primary fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty journey:a qualitative interview study

Abstract Aims and objectives: This study examined the lived experience of healthcare professionals providing care for patients with total hip and knee arthroplasty. The aim of this study is to understand healthcare professionals’ proposed eHealth needs in elective primary fast‐track hip and knee arthroplasty journey. Background: There is little evidence in nursing literature to indicate how to develop new eHealth services to support surgical care journeys. Evidence is particularly lacking regarding the development of eHealth solutions. Design: This was a qualitative interview study. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with four surgeons, two anaesthesiologists, ten nurses, and four physiotherapists in a single joint replacement centre during autumn 2018. The data were analysed using an inductive content analysis method. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used. The COREQ checklist for qualitative studies was followed. Results: Our research addressed the gap in evidence by focusing on the four main parts of the patient journey in the selected context. Analysis of the data revealed nine main categories for the proposed eHealth needs: eligibility criteria, referrals, meeting the Health Care Guarantee, patient flow, post‐discharge care, patient counselling, communication, transparency of the journey, and receiving feedback. In addition, the requirements and further development needs for eHealth solutions were generally identified. Conclusions: From the point of view of healthcare professionals, eHealth solutions have huge potential in supporting the elective primary fast‐track hip and knee arthroplasty journey. However, it is important to acknowledge that these needs may be very different depending on the technological and organisational environment in question. Relevance to clinical practice: More effective use of information and communication technologies is needed for organisational optimisation resulting in a streamlined pathway, better access to healthcare services, improved outcomes, and an improved patient experience. These results can be used in the development of new eHealth solutions to support surgical care journeys and patient education

Healthcare professionals’ perceived problems in fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty:results of a qualitative interview study

Abstract Background: Fast-track and outpatient arthroplasty methodologies combine evidence-based clinical features with organizational optimization resulting in a streamlined pathway from admission to discharge and beyond. This qualitative study explored perceived problems of healthcare professionals during fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four surgeons, two anesthesiologists, ten nurses, and four physiotherapists. An inductive content analysis was used to analyze the data. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used. Results: Analysis of the data revealed eight main categories of problems: patient selection, referrals, meeting the Health Care Guarantee, patient flow, homecare, patient counseling, transparency of the journey, and receiving feedback. In addition, problems related to information flows and communication, responsibilities between different stakeholders, and existing information systems were identified. Conclusions: The study revealed that healthcare professionals perceived several problems during the fast-track journey that reduce its effectiveness and make it more difficult to meet the Health Care Guarantee. Problems could be alleviated by changing internal and external organizational practices, as well as by developing new information and communication technologies that would provide up-to-date communication channels for healthcare professionals and patients. In addition, new collaboration mechanisms should be developed in order to solve the problems that occur across different organizations

Patients’ satisfaction and experiences during elective primary fast‐track total hip and knee arthroplasty journey:a qualitative study

Abstract Aims and objectives: To explore how satisfied patients are with the process of treatment and care, and to identify the experiences that patients perceive during elective primary fast‐track total hip and knee arthroplasty journey. Background: Greater satisfaction with care has predicted better quality of recovery, and patient experience has been positively associated with patient safety and clinical effectiveness. However, little is still known about how patients experience their treatment and care. Design: A qualitative interview study. Methods: The study was conducted among 20 patients in a single joint replacement centre during 2018. Patient satisfaction was measured using a numerical rating scale. Patients’ experiences were identified through qualitative semi‐structured interviews which were analysed using an inductive content analysis method. The COREQ checklist was used (Supplementary File 1). Results: The mean numerical rating scale score for overall satisfaction was 9.0 (SD 1.1) on a scale from 0 to 10. The patients’ experiences were grouped under eight main categories that were derived from the qualitative data in the analysis: 1) patient selection, 2) meeting the Health Care Guarantee, 3) patient flow, 4) post‐discharge care, 5) patient counselling, 6) transparency of the journey, 7) communication and 8) feedback. Conclusions: The findings suggest that patients are highly satisfied after an elective primary fast‐track total hip and knee arthroplasty. However, closer analysis of the patients’ experiences reveals challenges and suggestions on how they could be solved, often involving digital technologies. Relevance to clinical practice: As the number of total joint arthroplasties grows, patients and their families need to take ever greater responsibility, for their own care from advance preparation to rehabilitation. The findings of the study can be used to organise work, improving patient‐clinical communication, fostering engagement, and improving patient centredness. In addition, the results pinpoint the issues on how the patient experience could be improved

Vibrational spectroscopy and its future applications in microbiology

Abstract Vibrational spectroscopic techniques, namely Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, are based on the study of molecular vibrations, and they are complementary techniques to each other. This review provides an overview of the vibrational spectroscopic techniques applied in microbiology during the past decade. In addition, future applications of the elaborated spectroscopic techniques will be highlighted. The results of this review show that both FTIR and Raman spectroscopy are promising alternatives to conventional diagnostic approaches because they provide label-free and noninvasive bacterial detection, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing in a single step. Cost-effective, accurate, and rapid tests are needed in order to improve diagnostics and patient care, to decrease the use of unnecessary antimicrobial agents, to prevent resistant microbials, and to decrease the overall burden of outbreaks. Prior to that, however, the presented approaches need to be validated in a clinical workflow against the conventional diagnostic approaches