A Qualitative Comparison of First and Follow-Up Visits

UIDB/00183/2020 UIDP/00183/2020 SFRH/BPD/115073/2016 PTDC/FER-FIL/28278/2017Background: Misunderstandings in medical interactions can compromise the quality of communication and affect self-management, especially in complex interactions like those in the assisted reproductive technology (ART) field. This study aimed to detect and describe misunderstandings in ART triadic visits. We compared first and follow-up visits for frequency, type, speakers, and topics leading to misunderstandings. Methods: We purposively sampled 20 triadic interactions from a corpus of 85 visits. We used a previously developed coding scheme to detect different types of misunderstandings (i.e., with strong, acceptable, and weak evidence). We analyzed also the different topics leading to strong misunderstandings (direct expressions of lack of understanding, pragmatic alternative understandings, semantic alternative understandings) to provide insights about the contents of the consultation that may need particular attention and care. Findings: We detected an overall number of 1078 misunderstandings in the 20 selected visits. First visits contained almost two-third of the misunderstandings (n = 680, 63%). First visits were particularly rich in misunderstandings with acceptable evidence (e.g., clarifications and checks for understanding), compared to follow-up visits. In first visits, doctors’ turns more frequently than couples’ turns contained misunderstandings, while in follow-up visits it was the other way around. Looking at the couple, the majority of the misunderstandings were expressed by the woman (n = 241, 22%) rather than by the man (n = 194, 18%). However, when weighting for their number of turns, 9% of the men’s turns included an expression of misunderstanding, compared to the 7% of the women’s turns. Finally, more than half of the misunderstandings with strong evidence were about history-taking and treatment-related topics, and while the history-taking ones were particularly frequent in first visits the treatment-related ones were more present in follow-up visits. Discussion: Findings indicate that first visits may deserve particular attention to avoid misunderstandings, as they are the moment where a shared understanding can be harder to reach. In particular, misunderstandings happening in first visits seem mostly related to physicians having to reconstruct the clinical history of patients, while those in the follow-up visits seem to reflect residual and unsolved doubts from the couple, especially concerning treatments.publishersversionpublishe

PATIENT ENGAGEMENT SUPPORT FOR OLDER ADULTS: DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTERVENTION IN AN INTEGRATED-CARE CONTEXT

Obiettivo: Accrescere la conoscenza relativa a come supportare il coinvolgimento attivo dei pazienti anziani, descrivendo i contenuti di interventi per il coinvolgimento attivo con pazienti anziani attualmente presenti sul panorama scientifico, sviluppando un nuovo intervento e studiando le prime fasi della sua implementazione. Metodo: Nel primo studio, in risposta al primo obiettivo, è stata condotta una analisi sistematica della letteratura scientifica sul tema. Il secondo studio ha visto la conduzione di focus groups con professionisti sanitari e interviste individuali a pazienti anziani per raffinare e validare qualitativamente un nuovo intervento per il coinvolgimento attivo. Nel terzo studio, si è studiata l’implementazione iniziale dell’intervento in un contesto italiano di cure integrate attraverso una ricerca partecipativa. Risultati: Il principale risultato del primo studio è stato la sbilanciata attenzione tra i 35 interventi per il coinvolgimento attivo presenti in letteratura per le componenti emotive a favore di quelle educative e comportamentali. È sulla base dei risultati del primo studio e di un modello teorico che è stata sviluppata una prima bozza di intervento. Nel secondo studio, la prospettiva di professionisti sanitari e pazienti anziani ha fornito indicazioni per modificare l’intervento e renderlo potenzialmente implementabile nella pratica clinica. L’intervento che è risultato consiste di almeno due incontri mensili individuali, più un set personalizzato di esercizi riflessivi per il paziente da compilare in autonomia a casa. Infine, il terzo studio ha osservato come le diverse pratiche educative presenti nei diversi setting – ospedaliero, ambulatoriale, territoriale - di un contesto di cura integrato hanno generato diverse, specifiche, difficoltà per l’implementazione. Un certo sforzo di flessibilità e personalizzazione dei contenuti e delle procedure dell’intervento è stato dunque richiesto. Implicazioni: L’intervento sviluppato mostra potenzialità nel supportare il coinvolgimento attivo dei pazienti anziani, ma necessita di ulteriori studi relativi all’implementabilità sul lungo termine e alla sua efficacia.Aim: To contribute knowledge about how patient engagement support can be provided to older adults, by describing the contents of interventions aimed at patient engagement for older adults, developing a patient engagement intervention, and studying its early-stage implementation. Methods: In study 1, a systematic review of the literature was performed. In study 2, a qualitative study with focus groups involving healthcare professionals and individual interviews to older adults was conducted to develop the intervention. In study 3, a qualitative study of a participatory process was accomplished to explore the early-stage implementation of the intervention in one integrated-care organization. Results: The main finding of study 1 was that the emotional dimension was less used than the educational and behavioural dimensions among the 35 patient engagement interventions for older adults. The findings from the study 1 were used, together with a theory of patient engagement, to develop a draft of an individual patient engagement intervention for older adults (PHEinAction). In the study 2, the views of healthcare professionals and older adults were used to refine and finally endorse it. The final version of PHEinAction consisted of at least two face-to-face one hour individual sessions one month apart, plus a set of personalized home-based exercises aimed to facilitate a range of emotional, behavioural, cognitive changes for patient engagement. Finally, the study 3 observed how the existing patient education practice of inpatient, outpatient and territorial settings differently challenged the implementation. A certain degree of flexibility of PHEinAction’s contents and procedures was required to address these challenges. Implications: PHEinAction shows promise as an intervention to improve patient engagement in older adults. However, more research is needed, especially focusing on long-term implementation studies and evaluation of effects with experimental studies

Recall and Understanding of Discharge Information in Observation Ward Patients: An Explorative Observational Study

Effective communication is essential for understanding and recall of hospital discharge information. This study aimed to explore discharge information, patient recall and patient involvement in discharge encounters. We conducted an explorative observational study at a secondary care level, observational ward. Patients discharged to their home were asked to participate. 34 patients were assessed for eligibility, of which 13 were included in the analysis. Multiple sources of data were collected: videotapes of discharge encounters, questionnaires to patients and physicians, and semi-structured interviews with patients 2 weeks after discharge. All patients were satisfied with the information received. Five of the eight patients discharged with more than one change in medication had only partial or no recall of these changes. In seven of the 13 encounters the patients and physicians did not agree on the main message most important information item. The patients were to a small extent involved in decision-making. Our findings highlight the gaps in the information exchange at discharge encounters and the resulting poor information recall among patients. Patients do not seem aware of these gaps. Greater provider awareness of patient involvement in the encounter and inclusion of the patient’s perspective may improve communication, and consequently understanding and recall. Keywords: patient recall, patient perspective, shared decision-making, information exchange, discharg

How older citizens engage in their health promotion: A qualitative research driven taxonomy of experiences and meanings

Objectives: In this qualitative study, we provide an in-depth exploration of older people\u2019s experiences and subjective meanings concerning their engagement in health promotion as well as the emotional and pragmatic difficulties they face during their engagement. Methods: The study was designed according to the Ethnoscience method, which implies a participatory process that values patients\u2019 linguistic expressions to deeply understand the phenomena under the investigation and to give it a meaning. Using this method, thanks to repeated rounds of interviews and q-sorting task, participants created a dictionary, with the assistance of researcher, to describe the phenomenon of interest. They agreed on a shared taxonomy of meanings and experiences related to the phenomenon. Twenty-five North Italian older citizens participated in this study. Results: Participants described a shared taxonomy of health engagement experiences by depicting three main positions (i.e., \u201clocked position\u201d; \u201cawakening position\u201d; \u201cclimbing position\u201d), which represented different experiential domains grouped by participants into four main semantic areas (e.g., physical care, soul care, daily lifestyle, contact with ageing). Each position is characterized by specific emotions, personal representations of meaning and healthy behaviours that may sustain or hinder older citizens\u2019 engagement in health promotion. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest the importance of deeply understanding older peoples\u2019 experiences and their subjective meanings of health promotion. Particularly, the results showed how their engagement in health promotion is framed in a complex system of psychological meanings, which may sustain or hinder their ability to adopt healthy behaviours. A deeper understanding of older citizens\u2019 lived experiences, their doubts, and their difficulties in engaging in health promotion may offer some important cues for orienting interventions in this area

Un percorso co-costruito di implementazione di pratiche di coinvolgimento attivo in un contesto di cure integrate: l'esperienza di ricerca partecipativa con l'ASUGI di Trieste

Introduction: In this article we can find the report of the main phases of the collaboration between ASUGI and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan from 2015 to today. Methods: During these years, a path of activation and implementation of engagement practices within ASUGI has been developed, from basic training on the tools for monitoring and supporting engagement to the selection of a group of operators involved in a participatory path as "trainers to trainers", up to the grafting of engagement practices within the individual patient education paths in the different sectors of ASUGI. Results and Conclusions: This contribution is an exemplifying scenario that can be useful for other health structures that want to undertake a similar path

Giving patients a starring role in their own care: a bibliometric analysis of the on-going literature debate

Background Patient-centred care has been advocated as a key component of high-quality patient care, yet its meanings and related actions have been difficult to ascertain. Objective To map the use of different terms related to the process of giving patients a starring role in their own care and clarify the possible boundaries between terms that are often mixed. Methods A literature search was conducted using different electronic databases. All records containing the search terms ‘patient engagement’, ‘patient activation’, ‘patient empowerment’, ‘patient involvement’, ‘patient adherence’, ‘patient compliance’ and ‘patient participation’ were collected. Identified literature was then analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The number of yearly publications, most productive countries, cross-concepts articles and various scientific fields dealing with the multidisciplinary concepts were identified. Results Overall, 58 987 papers were analysed. Correspondence analysis revealed three temporal trends. The first period (2002–2004) focused on compliance and adherence, the second period (2006–2009) focused on the relationship between participation and involvement, and the third one (2010–2013) emphasized empowerment. Patient activation and patient engagement followed the temporal development trend connected to the ‘immediate future’. Discussion and conclusions The bibliometric trend suggests that the role of patient in the health-care system is changing. In the last years, the patient was viewed as a passive receptor of medical prescription. To date, the need to consider patients as active partners of health-care planning and delivery is growing. In particular, the term patient engagement appears promising, not only for its increasing growth of interest in the scholarly debate, but also because it offers a broader and better systemic conceptualization of the patients’ role in the fruition of health care. To build a shared vocabulary of terms and concepts related to the active role of patients in the health-care process may be envisaged as the first operative step towards a concrete innovation of health-care organizations and systems

The motivating function of healthcare professional in eHealth and mHealth interventions for type 2 diabetes patients and the mediating role of patient engagement

eHealth and mHealth interventions for type 2 diabetes are emerging as useful strategies to accomplish the goal of a high functioning integrated care system. However, mHealth and eHealth interventions in order to be successful need the clear endorsement from the healthcare professionals. This cross-sectional study included a sample of 93 Italian-speaking type 2 diabetes patients and demonstrated the role of the perceived ability of healthcare professionals to motivate patients’ initiative in improving the level of their engagement and activation in type 2 diabetes self-management. The level of type 2 diabetes patients’ activation resulted also in being a direct precursor of their attitude to the use of mHealth and eHealth. Furthermore, patient engagement has been demonstrated to be a mediator of the relationship between the perceived ability of healthcare professionals in motivating type 2 diabetes patients and patients’ activation. Finally, type 2 diabetes patients adherence did not result in being a direct consequence of the frequency of mHealth and eHealth use. Patient adherence appeared to be directly influenced by the level of perceived healthcare professionals ability of motivating patients’ autonomy. These results offer important insights into the psychosocial and organizational elements that impact on type 2 diabetes patients’ activation in self-management and on their willingness to use mHealth and eHealth devices

Mapping Protein Structure Changes with Cysteine Labeling Kinetics by Mass Spectrometry

Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide "system" inertia-really difficult to be overcome-and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of "fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem": an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient "disengagement" is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper

Programa Conectar Igualdad -Seguimiento y evaluación

El presente documento tiene por propósito presentar los lineamientos de seguimiento y evaluación del Programa CONECTAR IGUALDAD, en particular el componente de estudios especiales

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe