Conectar
We sought to gain an understanding of the patient experience during their hospital stay for COVID-19, and the impact of COVID-19 on quality of life post discharge.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include a persistent cough, dyspnoea and fatigue. Individuals with comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and approximately 20% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 are admitted to hospital. Following discharge from hospital, 40% of patients report a worsened quality of life and up to 87% of those discharged from hospital have experienced ‘long COVID’.
A qualitative design was used to understand patient experience of hospitalisation following a diagnosis of COVID-19, and their experiences following discharge from hospital.
Ten patients with a previous diagnosis of COVID-19 took part in semi-structured interviews regarding their experiences of hospitalisation and the impact on quality of life post-discharge.
The results identified three key themes from the interviews: communication and the inpatient experience, symptoms following discharge and regaining independence. Patients discussed their experience of hospitalisation and how this continued to impact their emotional well-being post-discharge. However, patients appeared to push themselves physically to improve their health, despite continued COVID-19 symptoms.
Patients hospitalised following a diagnosis of COVID-19 experienced psychological distress during their hospital stay, as well as 3-months post-discharge. We suggest the use of psychosocial interventions to support patients post-discharge.
The results of this study provide a greater understanding of the patient experience during their hospital stay, which can support nursing staff practice. Additionally, the study provides in depth knowledge of personal experiences of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and the impact following hospital discharge.
Patient's took part in semi-structured interviews via telephone to support the aims and objectives of this study.
This study examines the intricate language and communication patterns of nurse-to-nurse handoffs across three units with varying patient acuity levels and nurse–patient ratios, seeking to identify linguistic factors that may affect the quality of information transfer and patient outcomes.
A mixed-methods cross-sectional design.
This study used the Nurse-to-Nurse Transition of Care Communication Model to explore the content and meaning of language in nursing handoffs within a large academic medical centre. Data were collected on three units through digital audio recordings of 20 handoffs between June and September 2022, which were transcribed and analysed using the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count programme. Trustworthiness was established by adhering to COREQ and STROBE guidelines for qualitative and quantitative research, respectively.
Analysis revealed a preference for casual, narrative language across all units, with ICU nurses demonstrating a higher confidence and leadership in communication. Cognitive processes such as insight and causation were found to be underrepresented, indicating a potential area for miscommunication. Communication motives driven by affiliation were more pronounced in ICU settings, suggesting a strong collaborative nature. No significant differences were observed among the units post multiple testing adjustments. Speech dysfluencies were most pronounced in ICU handoffs, reflecting possible stress and cognitive overload.
The study highlights the need for improved communication strategies such as interventions to enhance language clarity and incorporating technological tools into handoff processes to mitigate potential miscommunications and errors. The findings advance nursing science by highlighting the critical role of nuanced language in varied-acuity hospital settings and the necessity for structured nurse education in handoff communication and standardized handoff procedures.
This study underscores the critical role of language in nurse-to-nurse handoffs. It calls for enhanced communication strategies, technology integration and training to reduce medical errors, improving patient outcomes in high-acuity hospital settings.
Nurses only.
To synthesise the dietary expesriences of patients with inflammatory bowel disease by reviewing relevant qualitative studies.
Diet plays a crucial role in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is no specific diet that can be recommended for all patients. We conducted a synthesis of qualitative studies to gain a comprehensive understanding of the dietary management experience of patients with IBD, aiming to provide better dietary guidance in the future.
A qualitative synthesis was conducted following the Thomas and Harden method and reported following the ENTREQ statement.
Qualitative studies were systematically searched in five electronic databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science. There was no time limit for publication, and all database searches were up to 10 May, 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument was utilised to appraise the quality of the included studies. Data for inclusion in articles were extracted and analysed using a thematic synthesis method.
Six studies involving 119 patients were eventually included. The studies were conducted in six different countries. Four major themes were identified: the diet of patients with IBD is completely different from the normal one; manage symptoms and live with the disease by modifying diet; psychological adjustment to eating (be frustrated; worried and afraid; feel ashamed; growth and resilience); barriers and challenges (barriers from perceived social support; conflicts between diet and nutrition; challenges from food hedonism and cravings).
Patients with IBD highlighted the distinction between their diet and the normal diet. Dietary modifications were used as a way to manage symptoms and live with the disease. In addition to physical symptoms, patients experienced diet-related psychological changes. Dietary modifications in patients with IBD encounters difficulties and challenges, necessitating prompt guidance and intervention.
(1) The implementation of dietary modifications in patients with IBD encounters numerous obstacles and complexities, necessitating prompt guidance and intervention.
No patient or public contribution.
The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023391545).
Advance care planning is a process through which people communicate their goals and preferences for future medical care. Due to the complexity of the decision-making process, decision aids can assist individuals in balancing potential benefits and risks of treatment options.
While decision aids have the potential to better promote advance care planning, their characteristics, content and application effectiveness are unclear and lack systematic review. Therefore, we aimed to explore these three aspects and establish a foundation for future research.
Scoping review.
This scoping review adheres to the framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and the PRISMA-ScR list. Six English-language databases were systematically searched from the time of construction until 1 December 2023. Two researchers conducted the article screening and data extraction, and the extracted data was presented in written tables and narrative summaries.
Of the 1479 titles and abstracts, 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Types of decision aids were employed, mainly websites and videos. Decision aid's primary components center around 11 areas, such as furnishing information, exploring treatment and care preferences. The main manifestations were a significant increase in knowledge and improved recognition of patients' target value preferences. Among the aids, websites and videos for advance care planning have relatively high content acceptability and decision-making process satisfaction, but their feasibility has yet to be tested.
Decision aids were varied, with content focused on describing key information and exploring treatment and care preferences. Regarding application effects, the aids successfully facilitated the advance care planning process and improved the quality of participants' decisions. Overall, decision aids are efficient in improving the decision-making process for implementing advance care planning in cancer and geriatric populations. In the future, personalised decision aids should be developed based on continuous optimization of tools' quality and promoted for clinical application.
The paper has adhered to the EQUATOR guidelines and referenced the PRISMAg-ScR checklist.
This is a review without patient and public contribution.
Registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YPHKF, Open Science DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/YPHKF.
Teamwork among healthcare professionals is a key aspect of patient safety that influences the prevalence of missed nursing care. The association between teamwork and missed care in acute care hospitals is now well established in the literature. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesise the existing empirical evidence on the association between teamwork and missed care in the acute care setting.
A mixed-method systematic review study.
The search was carried out in February 2023 in four scientific databases, PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science and Scopus based on their institutional availability. The search produced 1542 studies. The method of thematic analysis was used in data synthesis.
A total of 18 studies were selected that revealed the relationship between teamwork and missed care. The teamwork score was weak to moderate but significantly associated with the overall score of missed care and was found to be a statistically significant predictor of missed care in an acute care setting. Additionally, teamwork represented an important reason for missed care, primarily in the context of poor communication, lack of trust and cooperation in the nursing team and lack of leadership.
The review findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics between teamwork and missed care and provide valuable information to healthcare professionals and institutions looking to optimise teamwork and mitigate instances of missed care in the acute care setting.
Recognising how teamwork influences the occurrence of missed care, healthcare organisations can strategically implement targeted interventions to enhance collaboration, address communication gaps, foster trust, and provide effective leadership.
This review suggests that improving teamwork seems to be one of the most important strategies focused on mitigating missed care in acute care settings.
The reporting of this review followed the PRISMA 2020 checklist.
No patient or public contribution.
To evaluate the effects of home-based exercise in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
This study systematically searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane library and Web of Science. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 criteria. The data were pooled using R software. Results are presented as pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI).
Thirty studies involving 2264 PD patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that home-based exercise had a small effect in relieving overall motor symptoms in PD patients (SMD: −.28, 95% Crl [−.43; −.14]), improving quality of life (SMD = .15 [.03, .26]), walking speed (SMD = .30 [.04, .56]), balance ability (SMD = .18 [.04, .33]; p < .0001) and finger dexterity (SMD = .28 [.10, .46]). Mixed exercise (Mix) had better effects on improving motor symptoms and quality of life. In addition, the results of dose analysis showed that only mixed exercise exceeding 850 METs-min per week and more than 18 weeks can significantly alleviate the overall motor symptoms of PD patients.
Home-based exercise was an effective form of therapy for alleviating motor symptoms. In addition, Mix appeared to be more suitable for PD patients engaging in home-based exercise. Existing evidence suggested that significant therapeutic effects were achieved with a Mix, with a weekly exercise volume exceeding 850 METs and a duration of more than 18 weeks.
Home-based exercise had a small effect in relieving overall motor symptoms in PD patients, improving quality of life, walking speed, balance ability and finger dexterity. In terms of exercise dosage, we recommend the exercise period is no less than 18 weeks and the dose per is no less than 850 METs-min. No Patient or Public Contribution.
To explore relatives' needs in terms of bereavement care during euthanasia processes, how healthcare providers respond to these needs, and the degree of commonality between relatives' and healthcare providers' reports.
A phenomenological design was employed, utilising reflexive thematic analysis to examine interviews conducted with relatives (N = 19) and healthcare providers (N = 47).
Relatives' needs throughout euthanasia processes are presented in five main themes and several subthemes, with similar findings between both sets of participants. Although relatives infrequently communicated their needs explicitly to healthcare providers, they appreciated it when staff proactively met their needs. Healthcare providers aimed to assist with the relatives' grief process by tending to their specific needs. However, aftercare was not consistently offered, but relatives did not have high expectations for professional follow-up care.
Our research offers important directions for healthcare professionals, empowering them to provide needs-based bereavement care during euthanasia processes. Moreover, it emphasises the importance of recognising the unique needs of relatives and proactively addressing them in the period before the loss to positively contribute to relatives' grief process.
Insights into relatives' needs in the context of euthanasia. Good practices on how healthcare providers can attend to relatives' needs before, during and after the loss
Current literature and guidelines on needs-based bereavement care in the context of euthanasia and, more generally, assisted dying, are limited. These findings provide concrete directions for practice in supporting (nearly) bereaved relatives in the context of euthanasia, potentially mitigating adverse health outcomes.
Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR checklist).
Relatives of deceased cancer patients were involved in the conduct of the study.
Ascertain the impact of mandated use of early warning systems (EWSs) on the development of registered nurses' higher-order thinking.
A systematic literature review was conducted, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and checklist (Page et al., 2021).
CINAHL, Medline, Embase, PyscInfo.
Eligible articles were quality appraised using the MMAT tool. Data extraction was conducted independently by four reviewers. Three investigators thematically analysed the data.
Our review found that EWSs can support or suppress the development of nurses' higher-order thinking. EWS supports the development of higher-order thinking in two ways; by confirming nurses' subjective clinical assessment of patients and/or by providing a rationale for the escalation of care. Of note, more experienced nurses expressed their view that junior nurses are inhibited from developing effective higher-order thinking due to reliance on the tool.
EWSs facilitate early identification of clinical deterioration in hospitalised patients. The impact of EWSs on the development of nurses' higher-order thinking is under-explored. We found that EWSs can support and suppress nurses' higher-order thinking. EWS as a supportive factor reinforces the development of nurses' heuristics, the mental shortcuts experienced clinicians call on when interpreting their subjective clinical assessment of patients. Conversely, EWS as a suppressive factor inhibits the development of nurses' higher-order thinking and heuristics, restricting the development of muscle memory regarding similar presentations they may encounter in the future. Clinicians' ability to refine and expand on their catalogue of heuristics is important as it endorses the future provision of safe and effective care for patients who present with similar physiological signs and symptoms.
This research impacts health services and education providers as EWS and nurses' development of higher-order thinking skills are essential aspects of delivering safe, quality care.
This is a systematic review, and therefore, comprises no contribution from patients or the public.
To conduct systematic evaluation of the risk predictors of glycaemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Cohort studies on risk predictors of glycaemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes were retrieved from CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase databases, etc. from the construction of the repository to 3 February 2023. Literature screening was conducted according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, then data extraction of region, sample size, age, follow-up time, risk predictors, outcome indicators, etc., and quality evaluation of The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were conducted by two researchers while the third researcher makes decisions if there are disagreements. Finally, Revman5.4 and StataMP17 were used for meta-analysis.
A total of 29 studies were included, and the results showed that insulin pump [Weighed mean difference (WMD) = −.48, 95% CI (−.73, −.24), p < .01], high-frequency sensor monitoring, early use of insulin pumps, prospective follow-up male, white race, large body mass index-standardised scoring, conscientiousness, agreeableness of mothers, eicosapentaenoic acid, leucine and protein (p < .05) were beneficial for reducing HbA1c levels in children and adolescents with diabetes. Ketoacidosis [WMD = .39, 95% CI (.28, .50), p < .01], selective admission, higher HbA1c level at one time (p < .01), higher glutamate decarboxylase antibody at 1 month after diagnosis, lower socio-economic status, non-living with biological parents, non-two-parent family, family disorder, family history of diabetes and high carbohydrate intake (p < .05) increased HbA1c levels in children and adolescents with diabetes.
For children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the use of insulin pump, high-frequency sensor monitoring, prospective follow-up, good family support and reasonable diet are conducive to blood glucose control, while selective admission and DKA are not. Disease characteristics and demographic characteristics of children are closely related to subsequent blood glucose control, and the relationship between diagnosis age and blood glucose control needs to be further explored.
To explore adult inpatients' perceptions, understanding and preferences regarding the term ‘malnutrition’ and to identify the terms that adult inpatients report are used by themselves and health workers to describe malnutrition.
This qualitative study was conducted using data collected for a separate qualitative study that investigated factors that influence the dietary intake of long-stay, acute adult inpatients.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of current inpatients. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis.
Nineteen interviews were included (mean age 64 years (standard deviation ±17), 10 female (53%), 12 malnourished (63%)). Four categories were identified. ‘Variation in patients' recognition of malnutrition’ represents the differing abilities of patients to understand and identify with the term ‘malnutrition’. ‘Recognising individuals' needs and preferences’ highlights patients' varying beliefs regarding whether ‘malnutrition’ is or is not an appropriate term and participants' suggestion that health workers should tailor the term used to each patient. ‘Inconsistencies in health workers' and patients' practice regarding malnutrition terminology’ encapsulates the multiple terms that were used to describe malnutrition by health workers and patients. ‘Importance of malnutrition education’ summarises patients' views that health workers should provide patient education on malnutrition prevention, management and complications.
Findings highlight variations in patients' perceptions and understanding of the term ‘malnutrition’ and differences in the terms used by patients and health workers to describe malnutrition.
The terminology used by health workers to describe malnutrition risk or malnutrition to their patients can influence patients' recognition of their nutritional status and thus the multidisciplinary management of the condition. To ensure that patients receive information about their malnutrition risk or diagnosis in a way that meets their needs, health workers' practices must be revised. To do this, it is imperative to conduct further collaborative research with patients and health workers to identify optimum terms for ‘malnutrition’ and how health workers should communicate this to patients.
There is a disparity in patients' perceptions, understanding and preferences for the term ‘malnutrition’ and there are inconsistencies in how health workers communicate malnutrition to patients. To support patients' recognition and understanding of their nutritional status, it is imperative for health workers to consider how they discuss malnutrition with patients.
Adheres to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (Tong et al., 2007).
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To assess the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalised adult patients, and to evaluate the accuracy of the most commonly used nutritional screening tools for identifying individuals at risk of malnutrition.
A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 248 hospitalised patients in internal medicine wards (mean age: 75.2 years; 39.5% females). Nutritional screening was performed within 48 h of admission using the following tools: Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), Nutrition Risk Screening Tool (NRS-2002), Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ), and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). The criteria of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) were used as the gold standard for defining malnutrition. Patients were also evaluated using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Accuracy was determined by examining sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic agreement was determined by calculation of Cohen's kappa (κ). The study is reported as per the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.
The ESPEN criteria classified 20.2% of the hospitalised patients as malnourished. Overall, the MUST had the highest sensitivity (80.0%), specificity (74.7%) and positive predictive value (44.4%). For the subgroup of patients aged >65 years, the MNA-SF had high sensitivity (94.4%) but low specificity (39.0%). Based on Cohen's κ, the SGA and GLIM criteria showed low agreement with the ESPEN criteria.
The MUST was the most accurate nutritional screening tool, through the MST is more easily applied in many clinical settings. A comprehensive assessment of malnutrition that considers muscle mass is crucial for the reliable diagnosis of malnutrition.
The present findings underscore the importance of accurate assessment of the malnutrition status of hospitalised patients and the need for a reliable screening tool.
No patient or public contribution.
This study aims to analyse the trends in the incidence, prevalence and medical costs of pressure injuries (PIs) among genders in Taiwan.
The treatment of PIs is complex and costly, often leading to complications and increased mortality. This issue significantly impacts healthcare quality and incurs substantial medical and social costs, warranting attention.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database to obtain and calculate the incidence, prevalence, and medical costs of PIs in the country between 2001 and 2015 as well as to analyse high-risk groups and the medical care utilisation of patients following the STROBE reporting guidelines.
Between 2001 and 2015, 15,327 incident case of PIs were diagnosed. During the study period, the prevalence rate of PIs per 100,000 population rose from 26.3 to 189.6, with approximately 11.5%–16.3% of patients undergoing surgical debridement. The PIs prevalence rate increased by 7.2-fold, and hospitalisation costs accounted for 91.7%–96.0% of the total medical costs. Patients with older age, comorbidities, poorer financial status and lower education levels were found to be likely to develop PIs. These predisposing factors differed between males and females. The prevalence of PIs was higher in patients ≥75 years old than in patients from other age groups. Moreover, PI-related medical expenses have been increasing annually.
In Taiwan, the rising incidence of PIs is driving up medical costs. Effective care and prevention of PIs necessitate a comprehensive plan from the entire healthcare system.
This research fills a gap in the available data on the incidence, prevalence, and medical costs of PIs in Taiwan and Asia.
The findings can be used to help develop clinical guidelines for preventive education and treatment of PIs.
To describe how workplace violence (WPV) is experienced by nurses in hospitals and community services and identify protective and risk factors.
An online cross-sectional national study was conducted from January to April 2021 in Italy. Hospitals and community services were involved in the study. The survey combined the adapted and validated Italian version of the Violence in Emergency Nursing and Triage (VENT) questionnaire, which explores the episodes of WPV experienced during the previous 12 months, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and some additional questions about staffing levels extracted from a previous RN4CAST study. Nurses working in all clinical settings and community services were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. We adhered to the STROBE reporting guidelines.
A total of 6079 nurses completed the survey, 32.4% (n = 1969) had experienced WPV in the previous 12 months, and 46% (n = 920) reported WPV only in the previous week. The most significant protective factors were nurses' age, patients' use of illegal substances, attitude of individual nurses and considering effective the organization's procedures for preventing and managing episodes of violence. The most significant risk factors included workload, recognizing violence as an inevitable part of the job, patients' cultural aspects and patients' agitated behaviour. The frequency of WPV was significantly higher in certain areas, such as the emergency department and in mental health wards.
Workplace violence (WPV) against nurses is a very frequent and concerning issue, especially in hospitals and community services. Based on our findings, integrated and multimodal programmes for prevention and management of WPV are recommended. More attention and resources need to be allocated to reduce WPV by improving the quality of nurses' workplace environment and implementing violence-free policies for hospitals.
Workplace verbal and physical violence is a widespread phenomenon, both in hospital and community settings, and even during COVID-19 pandemic. This problem is exacerbated by the lack of effective reporting systems, fear of retaliation and the tendency to consider violence as an inevitable part of the job. The characteristics of professionals, patients, work environment and organizational factors are involved in the spread of workplace violence, determining its multifactorial nature. Integrated and multimodal programmes to prevent and manage of workplace violence are probably the only way to effectively counteract workplace violence against nurses. Healthcare policymakers, managers of hospital and community services need to proactively prevent and effectively manage and monitor episodes of violence. Nurses need to feel protected and safeguarded against any form of verbal or physical violence, to provide high-quality care in a totally safe environment.
No patient or public contribution.
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