236 research outputs found
The SUMAMOS EXCELENCIA Project
Aim: The gap between research and clinical practice leads to inconsistent decisionâmaking and clinical audits are an effective way of improving the implementation of best practice. Our aim is to assess the effectiveness of a model that implements evidenceâbased recommendations for patient outcomes and healthcare quality. Design: National quasiâexperimental, multicentre, before and after study. Methods: This study focuses on patients attending primary care and hospital care units and associated socioâhealthcare services. It uses the Joanna Brigg's Institute Getting Research into Practice model, which improves processes by referring to prior baseline clinical audits. The variables are process and outcome criteria for pain, urinary incontinence, and fall prevention, with data collection at baseline and key points over 12 months drawn from clinical histories and records. Project funding was received from the Spanish Strategic Health Action in November 2014. Discussion: The project results will provide knowledge on the effectiveness of the Getting Research into Practice model, to apply evidenceâbased recommendations for the detection and management of pain, urinary incontinence, and fall prevention. It will also establish whether using research results, based on clinical audits and situation analysis, is effective for implementing evidenceâbased recommendations and improving patientsâ health. Impact: This nationwide Spanish project aims to detect and prevent highâprevalence healthcare problems, namely pain in patients at any age and falls and urinary incontinence in people aged 65 and over. Tailoring clinical practice to evidenceâbased recommendations will reduce unjustified clinical variations in providing healthcare services. Clinical Trial ID: NCT03725774.This project is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness/Strategic Health Action 2014 (PI14CIII/00044)
A qualitative emancipatory inquiry into relationships between people with mental disorders and health professionals
Introduction: A therapeutic alliance with people is essential for the efficacy of treatments. However, the traditional paternalistic values of the Mediterranean society may be incompatible with patient autonomy. Aim: To explore the therapeutic relationship from the perspective of people diagnosed with mental disorders with health professionals, including nurses. Methods: This emancipatory research was performed through focus groups, with people with mental disorders who had a variety of diagnoses and experiences of acute and communityâbased mental health services and other healthcare services. Data were analysed using the content analysis method. Results: Four main themes emerged: stereotypes and prejudice; quality of interactions and treatment; emotional and behavioural impacts; and demands. Discussion: According to the participants' descriptions, health professionals are not exempt from prejudice against persons with psychiatric diagnoses. They reported experiencing abuse of power, malpractice, and overmedication. Thus, in the Mediterranean culture, professional attitudes may represent a barrier for an appropriate therapeutic alliance, and people with mental disorders do not feel involved in making decisions about their health. Implications for practice: Knowing how people with mental disorders perceive their interactions with health professionals and the effects is necessary to move the care model towards more symmetric relationships that facilitate a therapeutic alliance
An integrative review exploring decision-making factors influencing mental health nurses in the use of restraint
Introduction: While mechanical and manual restraint as an institutional method of control within mental health settings may be perceived to seem necessary at times, there is emergent literature highlighting the potential counter-therapeutic impact of this practice for patients as well as staff. Nurses are the professional group who are most likely to use mechanical and manual restraint methods within mental health settings. In-depth insights to understand what factors influence nursesâ decision-making related to restraint use are therefore warranted.
Aim: To explore what influences mental health nursesâ decision-making in the use of restraint. Method: An integrative review using Cooperâs framework was undertaken. Results: Eight emerging themes were identified: âsafety for allâ, ârestraint as a necessary interventionâ, ârestraint as a last resortâ, ârole conflictâ, âmaintaining controlâ, âstaff compositionâ, âknowledge and perception of patient behavioursâ, and âpsychological impactâ. These themes highlight how mental health nursesâ decision-making is influenced by ethical and safety responsibilities, as well as, interpersonal and staff-related factors.
Conclusion: Research to further understand the experience and actualization of âlast resortâ in the use of restraint and to provide strategies to prevent restraint use in mental health settings are needed
Tobacco cessation Clinical Practice Guideline use by rural and urban hospital nurses: a pre-implementation needs assessment
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was a pre-program evaluation of hospital-based nurses' tobacco intervention beliefs, confidence, training, practice, and perceived intervention barriers and facilitators. It was designed to identify relevant information prior to implementing tobacco cessation guidelines across a large northern rural region, home to 1 urban and 12 rural hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional survey was distributed by nurse managers to nurses in the 13 hospitals and returned by nurses (N = 269) via mail to the researchers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nurses were somewhat confident providing cessation interventions, agreed they should educate patients about tobacco, and 94% perceived tobacco counselling as part of their role. Although only 11% had received cessation training, the majority reported intervening, even if seldom--91% asked about tobacco-use, 96% advised quitting, 89% assessed readiness to quit, 88% assisted with quitting, and 61% arranged post-discharge follow-up. Few performed any of these steps frequently, and among those who intervened, the majority spent < 10 minutes. The most frequently performed activities tended to take the least amount of time, while the more complex activities (e.g., teaching coping skills and pharmacotherapy education) were seldom performed. Patient-related factors (quitting benefits and motivation) encouraged nurses to intervene and work-related factors discouraged them (time and workloads). There were significant rural-urban differences--more rural nurses perceived intervening as part of their role, reported having more systems in place to support cessation, reported higher confidence for intervening, and more frequently assisted patients with quitting and arranged follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings showed nurses' willingness to engage in tobacco interventions. What the majority were doing maps onto the recommended minimum of 1-3 minutes but intervention frequency and follow-up were suboptimal. The rural-urban differences suggest a need for more research to explore the strengths of rural practice which could potentially inform approaches to smoking cessation in urban hospitals.</p
A mixed methods pilot study with a cluster randomized control trial to evaluate the impact of a leadership intervention on guideline implementation in home care nursing
Abstract
Background
Foot ulcers are a significant problem for people with diabetes. Comprehensive assessments of risk factors associated with diabetic foot ulcer are recommended in clinical guidelines to decrease complications such as prolonged healing, gangrene and amputations, and to promote effective management. However, the translation of clinical guidelines into nursing practice remains fragmented and inconsistent, and a recent homecare chart audit showed less than half the recommended risk factors for diabetic foot ulcers were assessed, and peripheral neuropathy (the most significant predictor of complications) was not assessed at all.
Strong leadership is consistently described as significant to successfully transfer guidelines into practice. Limited research exists however regarding which leadership behaviours facilitate and support implementation in nursing.
The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of a leadership intervention in community nursing on implementing recommendations from a clinical guideline on the nursing assessment and management of diabetic foot ulcers.
Methods
Two phase mixed methods design is proposed (ISRCTN 12345678). Phase I: Descriptive qualitative to understand barriers to implementing the guideline recommendations, and to inform the intervention. Phase II: Matched pair cluster randomized controlled trial (n = 4 centers) will evaluate differences in outcomes between two implementation strategies. Primary outcome: Nursing assessments of client risk factors, a composite score of 8 items based on Diabetes/Foot Ulcer guideline recommendations.
Intervention: In addition to the organization's 'usual' implementation strategy, a 12 week leadership strategy will be offered to managerial and clinical leaders consisting of: a) printed materials, b) one day interactive workshop to develop a leadership action plan tailored to barriers to support implementation; c) three post-workshop teleconferences.
Discussion
This study will provide vital information on which leadership strategies are well received to facilitate and support guideline implementation. The anticipated outcomes will provide information to assist with effective management of foot ulcers for people with diabetes.
By tracking clinical outcomes associated with guideline implementation, health care administrators will be better informed to influence organizational and policy decision-making to support evidence-based quality care. Findings will be useful to inform the design of future multi-centered trials on various clinical topics to enhance knowledge translation for positive outcomes.
Trial Registration
Current Control Trials ISRCTN0691089
The effects of patient-professional partnerships on the self-management and health outcomes for patients with chronic back pain: a quasi-experimental study
Background: Self-management may be a lifelong task for patients with chronic back pain. Research suggests that chronic pain self-management programmes have beneficial effects on patientsâ health outcome. Contemporary pain management theories and models also suggest that a good patient-professional partnership enhances patientsâ ability to self-manage their condition. Objectives: 1) To investigate whether there is a reciprocal relationship between self-management of chronic back pain and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); 2) to examine the impact of a good patient-professional partnership on HRQoL, either directly, or indirectly via change in the ability to self-manage pain. Design and setting: This quasi-experimental study was designed to take place during routine service appointments and conducted in a community-based pain management service in the United Kingdom. A patient-professional partnership was established in which patients were actively involved in setting up goals and developing individualised care plans. Through this, health professionals undertook patientsâ health needs assessment, collaborated with patients to identify specific problems, provided written materials and delivered individualised exercise based on patientsâ life situation. Patients were recruited following initial consultation and followed up three months later. Participants: A total of 147 patients (65% female) with a mean age of 48 years (SD: 14 years) were enrolled in the study. Of these, 103 subjects completed the study. Patients were included if they were aged 18 and over, suffered from chronic back pain, had opted in to the clinic and had sufficient ability to read and understand English. Patients were excluded if they opted out this service after the initial assessment, suffered from malignant pain or required acute medical interventions for their pain relief. Methods: Self-reported measures of HRQoL, patient-professional partnerships and self- management ability were collected at baseline and three months later. Pathways proposed were depicted using structural equation modelling. Results: There was no association between patientsâ self-management ability and HRQoL at baseline. However, a positive direct effect was detected at three months (-0.38, p<0.01). A patient-professional partnership was not found to be beneficial for patientsâ HRQoL through a direct pathway, but via an indirect pathway where self-management was a mediator (- 19.09, p<0.01). Conclusions: This study suggests that the increase in patientsâ self-management ability may lead to improvement in HRQoL after pain management support provided in a partnership with health professionals. A good patient-professional partnership appears to be beneficial as an augmentation to self-management practice for patients with chronic back pain
Self-management toolkit and delivery strategy for end-of-life pain: the mixed-methods feasibility study
Background: Pain affects most people approaching the end of life and can be severe for some. Opioid analgesia is effective, but evidence is needed about how best to support patients in managing these medicines.
Objectives: To develop a self-management support toolkit (SMST) and delivery strategy and to test the feasibility of evaluating this intervention in a future definitive trial. Design: Phase I â evidence synthesis and qualitative interviews with patients and carers. Phase II â qualitative semistructured focus groups and interviews with patients, carers and specialist palliative care health professionals. Phase III â multicentre mixed-methods single-arm preâpost observational feasibility study.
Participants: Phase I â six patients and carers. Phase II â 15 patients, four carers and 19 professionals. Phase III â 19 patients recruited to intervention that experienced pain, living at home and were treated with strong opioid analgesia. Process evaluation interviews with 13 patients, seven carers and 11 study nurses. Intervention: Self-Management of Analgesia and Related Treatments at the end of life (SMART) intervention comprising a SMST and a four-step educational delivery approach by clinical nurse specialists in palliative care over 6 weeks. Main outcome measures: Recruitment rate, treatment fidelity, treatment acceptability, patient-reported outcomes (such as scores on the Brief Pain Inventory, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, EuroQol-5 Dimensions, Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale, and feasibility of collecting data on health-care resource use for economic evaluation). Results: Phase I â key themes on supported self-management were identified from evidence synthesis and qualitative interviews. Phase II â the SMST was developed and refined. The delivery approach was nested within a nurseâpatient consultation. Phase III â intervention was delivered to 17 (89%) patients, follow-up data at 6 weeks were available on 15 patients. Overall, the intervention was viewed as acceptable and valued. Descriptive analysis of patient-reported outcomes suggested that interference from pain and self-efficacy were likely to be candidates for primary outcomes in a future trial. No adverse events related to the intervention were reported. The health economic analysis suggested that SMART could be cost-effective. We identified key limitations and considerations for a future trial: improve recruitment through widening eligibility criteria, refine the SMST resources content, enhance fidelity of intervention delivery, secure research nurse support at recruiting sites, refine trial procedures (including withdrawal process and data collection frequency), and consider a cluster randomised design with nurse as cluster unit. Limitations: (1) The recruitment rate was lower than anticipated. (2) The content of the intervention was focused on strong opioids only. (3) The fidelity of intervention delivery was limited by the need for ongoing training and support. (4) Recruitment sites where clinical research nurse support was not secured had lower recruitment rates. (5) The process for recording withdrawal was not sufficiently detailed. (6) The number of follow-up visits was considered burdensome for some participants. (7) The feasibility trial did not have a control arm or assess randomisation processes. Conclusions: A future randomised controlled trial is feasible and acceptable
A proposed systems approach to the evaluation of integrated palliative care
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing global interest in regional palliative care networks (PCN) to integrate care, creating systems that are more cost-effective and responsive in multi-agency settings. Networks are particularly relevant where different professional skill sets are required to serve the broad spectrum of end-of-life needs. We propose a comprehensive framework for evaluating PCNs, focusing on the nature and extent of inter-professional collaboration, community readiness, and client-centred care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the absence of an overarching structure for examining PCNs, a framework was developed based on previous models of health system evaluation, explicit theory, and the research literature relevant to PCN functioning. This research evidence was used to substantiate the choice of model factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The proposed framework takes a systems approach with system structure, process of care, and patient outcomes levels of consideration. Each factor represented makes an independent contribution to the description and assessment of the network.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Realizing palliative patients' needs for complex packages of treatment and social support, in a seamless, cost-effective manner, are major drivers of the impetus for network-integrated care. The framework proposed is a first step to guide evaluation to inform the development of appropriate strategies to further promote collaboration within the PCN and, ultimately, optimal palliative care that meets patients' needs and expectations.</p
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