Developing and assessing the acceptability of an epilepsy first aid training intervention for patients who visit UK emergency departments: A multi-method study of patients and professionals

Epilepsy affects around 1% of the UK population; 40% of whom experience two or more seizures annually. However, most Emergency Department (ED) visits by people with epilepsy (PWE) are clinically unnecessary. Evidence highlights that with correct training, seizures can be safely managed by patients and their families within the community. Arguably therefore, PWE who frequently visit the ED might benefit from a self-management intervention that improves their own and their families' confidence and ability in managing seizures. Currently, no such intervention is available for PWE attending the ED. A collaborative approach (patients, carers, health professionals) was adopted to develop a patient-focused, self-management intervention. An existing group-based seizure management course, offered by the Epilepsy Society, was adapted. Collaborative feedback was sought via a base-line document review, one-to-one semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. The applied framework provided a systematic approach from development through to implementation. Participant feedback overall was extremely positive. People with epilepsy who visit the ED reported a positive view of epilepsy seizure first aid training and associated educational materials. Their feedback was then used to develop the optimized intervention presented here. Strengths and perceived barriers to successful implementation and participation, as well as the practical and psychosocial benefits, were identified. We describe the developed intervention together with the process followed. This description, while being project-specific, provides a useful template to assist in the development of interventions more generally. Ongoing evaluation will determine the effects of the training intervention on participants' behavior

Enabling Shared Memory Communication in Networks of MPSoCs

Ongoing transistor scaling and the growing complexity of embedded system designs has led to the rise of MPSoCs (Multi‐Processor System‐on‐Chip), combining multiple hard‐core CPUs and accelerators (FPGA, GPU) on the same physical die. These devices are of great interest to the supercomputing community, who are increasingly reliant on heterogeneity to achieve power and performance goals in these closing stages of the race to exascale. In this paper, we present a network interface architecture and networking infrastructure, designed to sit inside the FPGA fabric of a cutting‐edge MPSoC device, enabling networks of these devices to communicate within both a distributed and shared memory context, with reduced need for costly software networking system calls. We will present our implementation and prototype system and discuss the main design decisions relevant to the use of the Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+, a state‐of‐the‐art MPSoC, and the challenges to be overcome given the device's limitations and constraints. We demonstrate the working prototype system connecting two MPSoCs, with communication between processor and remote memory region and accelerator. We then discuss the limitations of the current implementation and highlight areas of improvement to make this solution production‐ready

A comprehensive standardised data definitions set for acute coronary syndrome research in emergency departments in Australasia

Patients with chest discomfort or other symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome are one of the most common categories seen in many Emergency Departments (EDs). Although the recognition of patients at high risk of acute coronary syndrome has improved steadily, identifying the majority of chest pain presentations who fall into the low-risk group remains a challenge. Research in this area needs to be transparent, robust, applicable to all hospitals from large tertiary centres to rural and remote sites, and to allow direct comparison between different studies with minimum patient spectrum bias. A standardized approach to the research framework using a common language for data definitions must be adopted to achieve this. The aim was to create a common framework for a standardized data definitions set that would allow maximum value when extrapolating research findings both within Australasian ED practice, and across similar populations worldwide. Therefore a comprehensive data definitions set for the investigation of non-traumatic chest pain patients with possible acute coronary syndrome was developed, specifically for use in the ED setting. This standardized data definitions set will facilitate‘knowledge translation’ by allowing extrapolation of useful findings into the real-life practice of emergency medicine

Clinically unnecessary and avoidable emergency health service use for epilepsy: A survey of what English services are doing to reduce it

PurposeEpilepsy is associated with costly unplanned health service use. The UK's National Audits of Seizure Management in Hospital found use was often clinically unnecessary, avoidable and typically led to little benefit for epilepsy management. We systematically identified how services have responded to reduce such use.MethodsWe invited England's ambulance services, neuroscience and neurology centres and a random sample of Emergency Departments (EDs) to complete a survey. It asked what innovations they (or services they worked with) had made in the past 5 years or were making, the priority afforded to them, user involvement, what comprised usual practice, and barriers to change.Results72/87 of invited (82.8 %) services responded. EDs ascribed less priority to reducing emergency hospital use for epilepsy and convulsions, than other service types. Overall, 60 % of services reported a change(s) and/or were planning one. Neurology/neuroscience sites (93.8 %) were most likely to report change; EDs (15.4 %) least likely. Eleven types of change were identified; 5 sought to promote proactive epilepsy care and avert the need for emergency care; 3 focused on the care received from emergency services; and 3 focused on follow-up care ED attendees received. Most were for those with established, rather than new epilepsy and targeted known limitations to current care provision.ConclusionReducing emergency hospital use by PWE is a high priority for most health services in England and a number of new services have been developed. However, they have not been consistently implemented and innovation is lacking in some areas of care

Intermittent energy restriction induces changes in breast gene expression and systemic metabolism

Background: Observational studies suggest weight loss and energy restriction reduce breast cancer risk. Intermittent energy restriction (IER) reduces weight to the same extent as, or more than equivalent continuous energy restriction (CER) but the effects of IER on normal breast tissue and systemic metabolism as indicators of breast cancer risk are unknown. Methods: We assessed the effect of IER (two days of 65 % energy restriction per week) for one menstrual cycle on breast tissue gene expression using Affymetrix GeneChips, adipocyte size by morphometry, and systemic metabolism (insulin resistance, lipids, serum and urine metabolites, lymphocyte gene expression) in 23 overweight premenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer. Unsupervised and supervised analyses of matched pre and post IER biopsies in 20 subjects were performed, whilst liquid and gas chromatography mass spectrometry assessed corresponding changes in serum and urine metabolites in all subjects after the two restricted and five unrestricted days of the IER. Results: Women lost 4.8 % (±2.0 %) of body weight and 8.0 % (±5.0 %) of total body fat. Insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment (HOMA)) reduced by 29.8 % (±17.8 %) on the restricted days and by 11 % (±34 %) on the unrestricted days of the IER. Five hundred and twenty-seven metabolites significantly increased or decreased during the two restricted days of IER. Ninety-one percent of these returned to baseline after 5 days of normal eating. Eleven subjects (55 %) displayed reductions in energy restriction-associated metabolic gene pathways including lipid synthesis, gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis. Some of these women also had increases in genes associated with breast epithelial cell differentiation (secretoglobulins, milk proteins and mucins) and decreased collagen synthesis (TNMD, PCOLCE2, TIMP4). There was no appreciable effect of IER on breast gene expression in the other nine subjects. These groups did not differ in the degree of changes in weight, total body fat, fat cell size or serum or urine metabolomic markers. Corresponding gene changes were not seen in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Conclusion: The transcriptional response to IER is variable in breast tissue, which was not reflected in the systemic response, which occurred in all subjects. The mechanisms of breast responsiveness/non-responsiveness require further investigation. Trial registration:ISRCTN7791648731/07/2012

Interpreting outcome following foot surgery in people with rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND: Foot surgery is common in RA but the current lack of understanding of how patients interpret outcomes inhibits evaluation of procedures in clinical and research settings. This study aimed to explore which factors are important to people with RA when they evaluate the outcome of foot and ankle surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Semi structured interviews with 11 RA participants who had mixed experiences of foot surgery were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Responses showed that while participants interpreted surgical outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, five major themes emerged: functional ability, participation, appearance of feet and footwear, surgeons' opinion, and pain. Participants interpreted levels of physical function in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on relative change from their preoperative state more than absolute levels of ability. Appearance was important to almost all participants: physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet participants saw these as distinct concepts and frequently entered into a defensive repertoire, feeling the need to justify that their perception of outcome was not about cosmesis. Surgeons' post-operative evaluation of the procedure was highly influential and made a lasting impression, irrespective of how the outcome compared to the participants' initial goals. Whilst pain was important to almost all participants, it had the greatest impact upon them when it interfered with their ability to undertake valued activities. CONCLUSIONS: People with RA interpret the outcome of foot surgery using multiple interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than anticipated. These factors can help clinicians in discussing surgical options in patients

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes