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To describe the health literacy (HL) levels of hospitalised patients and their relationship with nursing diagnoses (NDs), nursing interventions and nursing measures for clinical risks.
Retrospective study.
The study was conducted from December 2020 to December 2021 in an Italian university hospital. From 146 wards, 1067 electronic nursing records were randomly selected. The Single-Item Literacy Screener was used to measure HL. Measures for clinical risks were systematically assessed by nurses using Conley Index score, the Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score, Braden score, and the Barthel Index. A univariable linear regression model was used to assess the associations of HL with NDs.
Patients with low HL reported a higher number of NDs, interventions and higher clinical risks. HL can be considered a predictor of complexity of care.
The inclusion of standardised terms in nursing records can describe the complexity of care and facilitate the predictive ability on hospital outcomes.
HL evaluation during the first 24 h. From hospital admission could help to intercept patients at risk of higher complexity of care. These results can guide the development of interventions to minimise needs after discharge.
No patient or public contribution was required to design or undertake this research. Patients contributed only to the data collection.
Patients with kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) suffer premature cardiovascular (CV) mortality and events with few proven pharmacological interventions. Omega-3 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are associated with a reduced risk of CV events and death in non-dialysis patients and in patients with established CV disease but n-3 PUFAs have not been evaluated in the high risk KFRT patient population.
This multicentre randomised, placebo controlled, parallel pragmatic clinical trial tests the hypothesis that oral supplementation with n-3 PUFA, when added to usual care, leads to a reduction in the rate of serious CV events in haemodialysis patients when compared with usual care plus matching placebo. A target sample size of 1100 KFRT patients will be recruited from 26 dialysis units in Canada and Australia and randomised to n-3 PUFA or matched placebo in a 1:1 ratio with an expected intervention period of at least 3.5 years. The primary outcome to be analysed and compared between intervention groups is the rate of all, not just the first, serious CV events which include sudden and non-sudden cardiac death, fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease events.
This study has been approved by all institutional ethics review boards involved in the study. Participants could only be enrolled following informed written consent. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific and clinical conferences.
To evaluate midwives' level of stress and burnout during the COVID-19 Omicron phase in Italy. Secondary aims were to explore the impact of the pandemic on midwives' personal dimensions and professional activities and potential supporting strategies.
A mixed-methods study was undertaken from July to December 2022.
Data were collected using a national online observational survey. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed to evaluate stress, burnout and the impact of the pandemic on personal and professional dimensions. A deductive qualitative approach was used to analyse open-ended responses, that were merged with quantitative data following a convergent mixed-methods approach.
A total of 1944 midwives participated in the survey. The stress summary score mean was 10.34, and 562 midwives (28.91%) experienced burnout. The intention to reduce working hours was reported by 202 midwives (10.39%), with 60.40% (n = 122) of them experiencing burnout. The intention to leave clinical practice within the following 2 years was reported by 239 (12.29%), with 68.20% (n = 163) of them experiencing burnout. All the personal dimensions and professional activities considered were defined by more than half of midwives as being impacted ‘Moderately’ or ‘To a great extent’ by pandemic. Stress and burnout frequencies increased when the midwives' perception of the pandemic effects was higher. Potential supporting strategies described by midwives as the most important in increasing their ability to cope with the pandemic were ‘Women's awareness of the midwives' role’ (n = 1072; 55.14%) and ‘Family and friends' emotional support’ (n = 746; 38.38%).
Our findings suggested strategies to support a positive and safe working environment for midwives during a pandemic emergency, with potential transferability to similar contexts when human resources are lacking. It is recommended that maternity services provide the necessary resources for a safe and supportive working environment to prevent high stress levels and chronic burnout.
Studies conducted during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave showed an increased level of stress, anxiety, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression experienced by healthcare professionals; moreover, midwives experienced drastic changes in care pathways and policies with struggles identified when providing high-quality woman-centred care following pandemic restrictions. Although it is recommended, there is lack of knowledge about long-term psychological effects of COVID-19 for midwives. Our study highlights that during the Omicron wave midwives experienced a high level of stress and burnout with an impact on individual dimensions and professional activities. Their stress and burnout were influenced by several factors, including restrictions in place, lack of organizational acknowledgement, work overload and need for extra childcare cover. Maternity services should provide the necessary resources for a safe and supportive working environment to prevent high stress levels and chronic burnout. Recommendations on how to facilitate this are suggested.
During the writing process, we referred to ‘The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies Epidemiology Statement’, the guidelines for reporting observational studies from the Equator network.
No patient or public contribution.
Work overload conditions negatively impacted on the quality of maternity services. Improving organizational aspects, reducing working hours, promoting family and friends' emotional support and improving women's awareness of midwife's role were the main strategies reported by midwives. These suggestions for ensuring a positive and safe working environment for midwives during a pandemic emergency could potentially be applied to similar situations where human resources are lacking.
To establish consensus on items to be included in an instrument to measure person-centred teamwork in a hospital setting. The objective was to identify the items through a methodological literature review. Refine the items and obtain consensus on the items.
A definition and related attributes of person-centred teamwork have been agreed upon. An instrument is needed to measure and monitor person-centred teamwork in hospital settings.
Consensus, electronic Delphi design.
Items were identified through a methodological literature review. These items were included in three electronic Delphi rounds. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 16 international experts on person-centred care, teamwork and/or instrument development were invited to participate in three electronic Delphi rounds via Google Forms. Descriptive statistics were used to demonstrate their agreement on the relevance and clarity of each item. Items were included if consensus was 0.75. Content analysis was used to analyse written feedback from experts.
The response rate was 56% (n = 9/16). Nine experts participated over an 8-week period to reach consensus on the items to be included in an instrument to measure person-centred teamwork in hospital settings. The experts' responses and suggestions for rephrasing, removing and adding items were incorporated into each round.
A Delphi consensus exercise was completed, and experts reached agreement on 38 items to be included in an instrument that can be used to evaluate person-centred teamwork in hospital settings.
We engaged with nine international experts in the academic and clinical field of person-centeredness, teamwork and/or instrument development. An online platform was used to allow the experts to give input into the study. The experts engaged from their own environment with full autonomy and anonymity. Person-centred teamwork, aimed at improving practice is now measurable. Person-centred teams improve outcomes of patients. Person-centred teamwork was specifically developed to assist low compliance areas in hospitals.
To report a reflection on the role, challenges and opportunities for nurses with advanced education in research outside the academic field.
A discursive paper.
We reported the case of an Italian paediatric research hospital where PhD-prepared nurses started to apply their knowledge and competencies in different fields, both in clinical and organizational settings. From this experience, an overview of the possible barriers and challenges that PhD-prepared nurses may face up within the hospital setting.
The application of PhD-prepared nurses in hospital settings could be an opportunity to advance high standards of quality of care in managerial and clinical areas and to create networks between highly specialized professional figures and different clinical-care realities.
More research is needed to explore how to apply the advanced competencies of PhD-prepared nurses within healthcare organizations to provide high-quality and safe care and services.
This paper can provide insights for a reflection on applying and developing PhD-prepared nurses' skills and competencies within the hospital setting in clinical, research and managerial areas. This can enhance the effective application of highly competent nursing professional figures.
No Patient or Public Contribution, due to study design.
by Sonal Singh, Noelle M. Cocoros, Xiaojuan Li, Kathleen M. Mazor, Mary T. Antonelli, Lauren Parlett, Mark Paullin, Thomas P. Harkins, Yunping Zhou, Paula A. Rochon, Richard Platt, Inna Dashevsky, Carly Massino, Cassandra Saphirak, Sybil L. Crawford, Jerry H. Gurwitz
ContextPotentially inappropriate prescribing of medications in older adults, particular those with dementia, can lead to adverse drug events including falls and fractures, worsening cognitive impairment, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. Educational mailings from health plans to patients and their providers to encourage deprescribing conversations may represent an effective, low-cost, “light touch”, approach to reducing the burden of potentially inappropriate prescription use in older adults with dementia.
ObjectivesThe objective of the Developing a PRogram to Educate and Sensitize Caregivers to Reduce the Inappropriate Prescription Burden in Elderly with Alzheimer’s Disease (D-PRESCRIBE-AD) trial is to evaluate the effect of a health plan based multi-faceted educational outreach intervention to community dwelling patients with dementia who are currently prescribed sedative/hypnotics, antipsychotics, or strong anticholinergics.
MethodsThe D-PRESCRIBE-AD is an open-label pragmatic, prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing three arms: 1) educational mailing to both the health plan patient and their prescribing physician (patient plus physician arm, n = 4814); 2) educational mailing to prescribing physician only (physician only arm, n = 4814); and 3) usual care (n = 4814) among patients with dementia enrolled in two large United States based health plans. The primary outcome is the absence of any dispensing of the targeted potentially inappropriate prescription during the 6-month study observation period after a 3-month black out period following the mailing. Secondary outcomes include dose-reduction, polypharmacy, healthcare utilization, mortality and therapeutic switching within targeted drug classes.
ConclusionThis large pragmatic RCT will contribute to the evidence base on promoting deprescribing of potentially inappropriate medications among older adults with dementia. If successful, such light touch, inexpensive and highly scalable interventions have the potential to reduce the burden of potentially inappropriate prescribing for patients with dementia.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05147428.
No whole-school interventions which seek to reduce physical, sexual and emotional violence from peers, intimate partners and teachers have been trialled with adolescents. Here, we report a protocol for a pilot trial of the Good School Toolkit-Secondary Schools intervention, to be tested in Ugandan secondary schools. Our main objectives are to (1) refine the intervention, (2) to understand feasibility of delivery of the intervention and (3) to explore design parameters for a subsequent phase III trial.
We will conduct a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial, with two arms and parallel assignment. Eight schools will be randomly selected from a stratified list of all eligible schools in Kampala and Wakiso Districts. We will conduct a baseline survey and endline survey 18 months after the baseline, with 960 adolescents and 200 teachers. Qualitative data and mixed methods process data collection will be conducted throughout the intervention. Proportion of staff and students reporting acceptability, understanding and implementing with fidelity will be tabulated at endline for intervention schools. Proportions of schools consenting to participation, randomisation and proportions of schools and individual participants completing the baseline and endline surveys will be described in a Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials diagram.
The ethical requirements of our project are complex. Full approvals have been received from the Mildmay Ethics Committee (0407-2019), the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (SS 6020) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (16212). Results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals, and shared with public bodies, policy makers, study participants and the general public in Uganda.
PACTR202009826515511.
Perforated peptic ulcers are a life-threatening complication associated with high morbidity and mortality. Several treatment approaches are available. The aim of this network meta-analysis (NMA) is to compare surgical and alternative approaches for the treatment of perforated peptic ulcers regarding mortality and other patient-relevant outcomes.
A systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov trial registry and ICTRP will be conducted with predefined search terms.
To address the question of the most effective treatment approach, an NMA will be performed for each of the outcomes mentioned above. A closed network of interventions is expected. The standardised mean difference with its 95% CI will be used as the effect measure for the continuous outcomes, and the ORs with 95% CI will be calculated for the binary outcomes.
In accordance with the nature of the data used in this meta-analysis, which involves aggregate information from previously published studies ethical approval is deemed unnecessary. Results will be disseminated directly to decision-makers (eg, surgeons, gastroenterologists) through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at conferences.
CRD42023482932.
To examine studies involving the impact of telerehabilitation (TLR), tele-training and tele-support on the dyad stroke survivor and caregiver in relation to psychological, physical, social and health dimensions.
A systematic review was conducted.
The following electronic databases were consulted until September 2023: PsycInfo, CINAHL, Eric, Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central and Web of Science.
It was conducted and reported following the checklists for Reviews of PRISMA 2020 Checklist. Critical evaluation of the quality of the studies included in the review was performed with the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklists.
A total of 2290 records were identified after removing duplicates, 501 articles were selected by title and abstract and only 21 met the inclusion criteria. It included 4 quasi-experimental studies, 7 RCTs, 1 cohort study and 9 qualitative studies. The total number of participants between caregivers and stroke survivors was 1697, including 858 stroke survivors and 839 caregivers recruited from 2002 to 2022. For a total of 884 participants who carried out TLR activities in the experimental groups,11 impact domains were identified: cognitive/functional, psychological, caregiver burden, social, general health and self-efficacy, family function, quality of life, healthcare utilization, preparedness, quality of care and relationship with technology.
The results support the application of telehealth in the discharge phase of hospitals and rehabilitation centres for stroke survivors and caregivers. TLR could be considered a substitute for traditional rehabilitation only if it is supported by a tele-learning programme for the caregiver and ongoing technical, computer and health support to satisfy the dyad's needs.
Designing a comprehensive telemedicine programme upon the return home of the dyad involved in the stroke improves the quality of life, functional, psychological, social, family status, self-efficacy, use of health systems and the dyad's preparation for managing the stroke.
No patient or public contribution.
Effective health care relies on person-centeredness and teamwork, which are known to improve outcomes. These two concepts have been defined individually, but we could not find a definition of the combined concept. A preliminary definition was developed through a concept analysis; however, consensus on the concept has not been reached.
The aim of this study was to reach consensus on the definition and attributes of person-centered teamwork.
A consensus design allowed experts to collaborate and share their experience and wisdom to refine and reach consensus on the definition and attributes of person-centered teamwork. An e-Delphi was used to engage the experts.
Three rounds of online engagement with 12 experts were needed to reach consensus on the definition and attributes of person-centered teamwork. The attributes reached consensus of 82% after the first round. The definition had 82% consensus after the three rounds. The definition had been adjusted and refined according to the expert input. The newly adjusted definition was established.
We successfully used the e-Delphi method to obtain consensus on the attributes and definition of person-centered teamwork. The definition of person-centered teamwork can be further developed and included in clinical practice to guide improved clinical outcomes. The consensus definition of person-centered teamwork provides a clear understanding of the meaning thereof, which may in turn enrich the usability thereof in clinical practice. Person-centered teams improve outcomes for persons receiving care in hospitals. Building person-centered teams are now better understood and the foundation of building these teams defined. We engaged with 12 experts in the academic and clinical field of person-centeredness and teamwork. The use and value of the Delphi method to obtain consensus is now better understood and can assist future research development.
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