Conectar
To evaluate the safety, feasibility and acceptability of weighted blankets for patients with dementia who experience agitation in acute care.
Randomised controlled trial.
Patients with dementia experiencing agitation at a single hospital were recruited between May 2023 and January 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (weighted blanket) or control (standard care) group. Agitation scores, vital signs, skin integrity, pharmacological interventions and general observations were recorded at baseline and at 15-, 30-, 60- and 75-min (or 15-min post-blanket removal) post-baseline. Nursing staff completed a survey on the intervention's acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility.
There was a recruitment rate of 86.7%, 70% of patients tolerated the intervention for the full duration. Nursing staff agreed the intervention was appropriate (100%), acceptable (100%) and feasible (92.9%). The intervention reduced patient heart and respiratory rates. No significant impact on patient temperature, oxygen saturations, skin integrity or risk of falls was found. The intervention reduced agitation scores, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
Weighted blankets in acute care settings are safe and have some effect on agitation and pharmacological use. Staff found the use of weighted blankets to be acceptable and most patients tolerated use of the blankets without increased risk of adverse events.
This study provides evidence that weighted blankets may be used safely with the acceptance of patients with dementia and staff in hospitals.
This study addressed the use of weighted blankets for persons with dementia who are experiencing agitation and found that they are safe and feasible for use in acute care. Future research is feasible and should focus on blanket weight dosing and the effect on agitation, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
Adheres to the CONSORT 2010 checklist for a feasibility trial.
Patients and public did not contribute to this study.
ACTRN12623000003673
To explore the feasibility and acceptability of acoustic monitoring and real-time recommendations for stress detection and management (i.e., smarthealth intervention).
This qualitative study used a framework of acceptability for healthcare interventions.
From January 2021 to December 2023 in the U.S.A., we interviewed 10 family caregivers who had completed the 4-month smarthealth intervention. The caregivers shared their user experiences and feedback on the system's feasibility and acceptability. Data were analysed using abductive thematic analysis, incorporating the framework of acceptability for healthcare interventions and the collected data.
Seven themes and 19 categories emerged: attitudes, burden, ethicality, intervention adherence, intervention coherence, perceived effectiveness and suggestions. Feedback on the smarthealth intervention was mixed. Some found it beneficial, citing accuracy, ease of use and increased awareness. However, others felt burdened during its use, primarily due to time constraints.
The smarthealth intervention can potentially improve caregivers' awareness of themselves and caregiving situations.
Future directions should involve adapting the smarthealth intervention to consider diverse caregiving scenarios and incorporating a larger sample of caregivers.
This is the first study to offer a voice detection system and real-time stress management recommendations to caregivers of people living with dementia. An individualised approach should be considered to improve the system's effectiveness. This includes providing personalised intervention components, considering caregivers' time and establishing a user-friendly system with high accessibility. The findings can be a cornerstone for smarthealth interventions influencing dementia caregivers' self-care and emotional regulation.
Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
Members of the public and service users from a memory clinic and social media platforms contributed to the study by reviewing recruitment materials.
Trial Registration: This trial's study protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID No. NCT04536701) on 3 September 2020 (https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04536701)
To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a group-based intervention for addressing fear of childbirth in multiparous women.
Single-arm non-randomised feasibility trial with a convergent mixed methods design.
The intervention, conducted at a central maternity hospital and led by a psychiatric nurse and a midwife, included three prenatal and one postnatal face-to-face group sessions, supplemented by a phone call. Quantitative measures were gathered via self-report questionnaires at baseline, before birth, and post-intervention. Exit interviews were conducted with participants and interventionists. Additional data included records from recruiting midwives, the primary investigator, and diaries filled out by the interventionists after each session. Primary outcomes assessed included recruitment, adherence, acceptability, and fidelity. Secondary outcomes included fear of childbirth, anxiety, depression, and childbirth experience.
The intervention was feasible and acceptable. Recruitment and adherence aligned with pre-study expectations. Indicative results suggested potential improvement in fear of childbirth and helped secure a positive childbirth experience, particularly through peer discussions and the birthing class.
While the intervention is considered feasible and acceptable, it requires further refinement before proceeding to a multicentre randomised controlled pilot trial.
The group-based intervention may have potential in reducing fear of childbirth and enhancing the childbirth experience for multiparous women. These women may particularly benefit from peer support and childbirth classes.
Rising fear of childbirth can adversely affect mothers, families, and society. Existing interventions often target primiparous women, neglecting multiparous women. This study evaluated a novel group-based intervention for fear of childbirth in multiparous women in Finland. Findings confirmed its feasibility and acceptability, with preliminary results showing a positive impact on fear of childbirth. Further research is needed to validate these findings. This research has implications for multiparous women and the healthcare professionals supporting them.
The study adhered to CONSORT extension guidelines for reporting randomised pilot and feasibility trials (Supplementary file 1) and the TIDieR checklist (Supplementary file 2).
Limited patient and public involvement was incorporated, focusing on the development of the intervention.
Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05766202
To evaluate nurses' perspectives on factors influencing the acceptability and practicality of comfort rounding, focussing on personalised nutritional and mobility care.
Mixed-methods feasibility study.
Focus group interviews with nurses were conducted before, during and at the end of the implementation period (2022–2023). A questionnaire assessed acceptability and practicality among nurses at the end of the implementation. Data were analysed using directed content analyses and descriptive statistics.
Comfort rounding's acceptability and practicality were influenced by nurses' attitudes, knowledge and skills, patient characteristics and the nurse–patient relationship. Barriers included workload, time pressure, team culture and the extensive, rigid design of comfort rounding. Questionnaire responses demonstrated nurses perceived added value of comfort rounding and frequently engaged patients in activities related to nutrition and mobility. However, it was not performed as originally intended.
Nurses considered personalised nutritional and mobility care important and frequently provided it during ‘usual care’. However, nurses were critical of comfort rounding's acceptability and practicality and did not perform it as intended.
Comfort rounding's concept does not align well with current nursing practice. Greater tailoring to nurses' preferences or alternative approaches to structuring personalised nutritional and mobility care are recommended.
What problem did the study address: Hospitalised patients often receive suboptimal nutritional care and are largely inactive. The challenge is to integrate personalised nutritional and mobility care effectively into standard nursing practice to enhance patient safety and well-being. Comfort rounding could improve patient safety and satisfaction; however, there is no research evaluating the feasibility of comfort rounding in relation to personalised nutritional and mobility care. What were the main findings: Comfort rounding was generally perceived as valuable and aligned with existing care routines, but its rigid structure was often considered impractical. Comfort rounding was not performed as originally intended due to the influence of individual, social and organisational factors. Flexibility in execution emerged as a critical factor for successful integration. Where and on whom will the research have an impact?: Comfort rounding can enhance attention to nutrition, mobility and patient participation when adapted to local contexts and delivered with flexibility. Policymakers and nurse leaders should avoid rigid protocols and instead support tailored implementation strategies alongside the practical delivery of locally tailored interventions.
Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research and Checklist for Reporting of Survey studies.
Nurses were involved in all stages of the study, contributing through focus group interviews and completing a questionnaire to help develop and evaluate comfort rounding.
PaNaMa Research Management System, number 112832
To increase Chlamydia trachomatis screening in adolescents 15–19 years of age from 7.8% to 15% following a 6-week implementation of universal chlamydia screening at three paediatric primary care (PPC) sites.
Pre-implementation (1 January 2022–19 October 2022) and post-implementation (20 October 2022–1 June 2023) screening rates were tracked through run charts and compared via Chi-square testing. Universal opt-out chlamydia screening with universal urine collection for 15- to 19-year-old was implemented at well visits, along with patient and staff education, and sexually transmitted infection treatment protocols.
Chlamydia trachomatis screening increased from 7.8% to 34.1% with implementation of universal opt-out chlamydia screening. Proportions of patients screened increased significantly among White individuals, males and privately insured individuals.
A universal C. trachomatis screening project can be feasibly implemented in pediatric primary care and successfully increase adolescent chlamydia screening rates.
Implementing a universal opt-out C. trachomatis screening project is feasible in PPC and can help achieve the public health goal of chlamydia identification and treatment.
These findings will be impactful for both paediatric primary care and adolescent patients. The universal, opt-out C. trachomatis screening approach facilitated screening increases, improved equity in screening and led to increased case detection and treatment which has vast significance for those patients.
This manuscript is submitted using the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines for quality improvement reporting.
Patient contribution included de-identified data collection of chlamydia screening rates of eligible adolescents 15–19 years old who attended routine well visits at the three PPC locations. The data were reviewed on a dashboard, then stratified by race, ethnicity, payor and sex assigned at birth.
To develop a method for computationally detecting fall events using clinical language models to complement existing self-reporting mechanisms.
Retrospective observational study.
Text data were collected from the unstructured nursing notes of three hospitals' electronic health records and the Korean national patient safety reports, totalling 34,480 records covering the period from January 2015 to December 2019. Note-level labelling was conducted by two researchers with 95% agreement. Preprocessing data anonymisation and English translation were followed by semantic validation. Five language models based on pretrained Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT)-4 with prompt programming were explored. Model performance was assessed using F measurements. Error analysis was conducted for the GPT-4 results.
Fine-tuned BERT models with the English data set outperformed GPT-4, with Bio+Clinical BERT achieving the highest F1 score of 0.98. Fine-tuned Korean BERT with the Korean data set also reached an F1 score of 0.98, while GPT-4 achieved a competitive F1 score of 0.94. GPT-4 with prompt programming showed much higher F1 scores than GPT-4 with a standardised prompt for the English data set (0.85 vs. 0.39) and the Korean data set (0.94 vs. 0.03). The error analysis identified that the common misclassification patterns included fall history and homonyms, causing false positives and implicit expressions and missing contextual information, causing false negatives.
The clinical language model approach, if used alongside the existing self-reporting, promises to increase the chance of identifying the majority of factual falls without the need for additional chart reviews.
Inpatient falls are often underreported, with up to 91% of incidents missed in self-reports. Using language models, we identified a significant portion of these unreported falls, improving the accuracy of adverse event tracking while reducing the self-reporting burden on nurses.
Not applicable.
This study explores' perceptions and expectations of experts regarding the role of VR in supporting daily spirituality practices among Muslim patients undergoing haemodialysis treatment.
The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is utilised to gather insights from a panel of experts in nephrology, psychology, Islamic studies, and VR technology. A total of 11 experts was selected based on their expertise and experience in relevant domains to ensure the credibility and validity of the findings.
Key themes emerging from the study include VR's potential to create immersive and meaningful spiritual experiences, alleviate psychological distress, and enhance coping mechanisms. Factors concerning accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and integration into clinical settings are also highlighted as important considerations.
The study explores how VR technology can aid Muslim haemodialysis patients in spiritual routines. It underscores the significance of holistic healthcare methods in addressing patients' spiritual and psychological needs. Future research should aim to develop VR-based therapies tailored for these patients while considering practical and ethical challenges in medical settings.
The findings of this study have significant practical implications for designing and implementing VR interventions in healthcare settings. Developing VR content that is culturally sensitive and aligned with Islamic practices is crucial for its acceptance and effectiveness. Integrating VR into the spiritual practices of Muslim haemodialysis patients also raises ethical and pragmatic considerations.
No patient or public contributions were made in this study.
To evaluate clinical nurses' perceptions and acceptability of procedure videos developed to support them during rare clinical procedures. In addition, a secondary aim was to investigate whether these videos reduce anxiety and enhance clinical reasoning.
A descriptive multi-methods study within a pre-post-implementation evaluation design.
Seven locally developed procedure videos (non-invasive ventilation (n = 2), temporary cardiac pacing (n = 3) and pericardiocentesis (n = 2)) were evaluated using questionnaires before and after a 6-month implementation period at a local health district in Australia. Participants self-rated their clinical reasoning skills in response to video procedures, mapped against the Clinical Reasoning cycle stages. The Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) assessed anxiety towards rare procedures. Data from open-ended questions were analysed using inductive content analysis.
A total of 247 participants completed the pre-implementation questionnaire, and 133 completed the post-implementation questionnaire. Before implementation, many reported feeling heightened anxiety when faced with rare or infrequent procedures, reporting levels that exceeded commonly accepted clinical thresholds for concern. Content analysis revealed persistent concerns among participants, including the need for support during new procedures and a fear of making errors. Before implementation, participants reported searching online for videos to support undertaking new procedures. Following implementation, most participants reported that viewing the videos enhanced their learning experience and improved their clinical reasoning. Perceived anxiety towards undertaking rare procedures was not significantly different from post-implementation.
This study highlights the need for timely support during infrequent clinical procedures, as participants reported anxiety about them. It also demonstrates that procedure videos are valued tools for nurses before rare clinical procedures.
Rare procedures are linked to nurse anxiety and mixed emotions, some of which may be eustress. Organisations can enhance clinical resources for nursing staff by providing online videos tailored to local practices and context, which many nurses find helpful for improving clinical reasoning when undertaking rare procedures.
This study highlights the anxiety nurses experience before rare procedures and the significance of incorporating multimedia resources, especially online videos, in nursing professional development for rarely performed procedures. Additionally, it informs employers about nursing staff preferences.
SQUIRE 2.0 reporting was adhered to.
None.
FreshRSS 