Central Point Of Contact Research Articles

461 Developing a Carer-Led Intervention Supporting older people and their carers with Medicines Management through pathways of care using interviews: a qualitative service evaluation

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have shown that informal carers involved in assisting with patients’ medicines have considerable knowledge about patients’ usual medication management (1). This could be helpful for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in secondary care caring for such patients and facilitate their safe discharge. However, carer involvement is often lost during patients’ hospital admissions, as carers report feeling excluded from decisions surrounding patients’ medicines management (2). Aim To assess the opinions of HCPs, patients and carers on strategies in place for HCPs to (i) identify informal carers during patients’ hospital admissions and (ii) aid communication between HCPs and carers with regards to medicines management during an inpatient stay and after discharge. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCPs (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapist and physiotherapist), adult patients, and their unpaid carers assisting with medication at home. Participants were recruited from three elderly care wards at one London teaching hospital. HCPs were approached directly; patients and carers were recruited with assistance from ward HCPs. Interviews explored participants’ opinions on current and potential methods for HCPs to identify informal carers, as well as how communication between HCPs and carers about medicines management could be improved. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Sixteen interviews were conducted. Thirteen participants provided demographic data, eight identified as female and five as male. Six identified as white British, one as Indian and one as Asian. A number of barriers to effective identification of carers were identified. Some HCP and carer participants were unaware of the carer’s identification lanyard provided by the hospital, which could help identify patients’ informal carers. Carers and HCPs suggested information about who assisted with medicines was not always passed between different HCPs, and that this should be on a central record that is assessed by all HCPs. Carers expressed the need to be kept updated on changes to medicines throughout the patient’s stay. Carers and HCPs made suggestions to improve this, including having a central point of contact to update carers during a patient’s hospital admission, having ‘five minute update’ discussions throughout admission, and involving carers in multidisciplinary interactions. Finally, carers suggested having access to written information about medication changes, especially before discharge. Carers and HCPs also identified lack of post-discharge follow up communication. Some HCPs and carers proposed community teams lead on follow-up, but HCPs highlighted the need for a clear referral process between secondary and primary care. Other carers and HCPs suggested the HCP teams looking after the patient during admission should follow-up with patient and carer shortly after discharge. Conclusion A strength of this service evaluation was identification of possible solutions to the problems identified. By asking about the personal experience of patients and carers, we identified suggestions for improvement. The main limitation is potential lack of generalisability, as interviews were only conducted at one hospital. The findings will be used to inform the development of a tool to improve communication and carer involvement in the medicines management process during an inpatient admission and after discharge.

Model SOP IT Service Desk Berdasarkan Framework ITIL V3

IT services are critical to organizational success because of their ability to increase organizational competitiveness and flexibility. In managing quality IT services, IT Service Management (ITSM) is needed. ITSM is the implementation and management of quality IT services to meet business needs. To guarantee and support ITSM, an IT Service Desk (ITSD) function is required. ITSD is a functional unit consisting of a number of staff who are responsible for handling various IT service activities. The function of ITSD is to record and manage and resolve all incidents, problems, IT service requests, and IT service access rights by providing a central point of contact. Therefore, ITSD becomes very important in ensuring and supporting the management of IT services. In carrying out this ITSD function, it is necessary to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that the implementation of work is more structured and measurable. Based on this, the researcher created an ITSD SOP model based on the ITIL V3 framework with a case study in the Pengembangan dan Penerapan Teknologi Informasi (PPTI) section at Universitas Dinamika. This ITSD SOP model produces 3 SOP which includes recording requests and complaints for IT services, analysis and actions, reviewing actions with descriptions of 7 Work Instructions, and 26 Work Records. This ITSD SOP model can serve as a guide in recording, managing, and resolving requests and IT service access management as well as problem-solving both incidents and IT service problems for the organization.

Realizing FAIR Digital Objects for the German Helmholtz Association of Research Centres

Realizing FAIR Digital Objects for the German Helmholtz Association of Research Centres

995 MULTIPLE ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS IMPROVE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CARE DELIVERY TO PATIENTS WITH HIP FRACTURES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract Introduction Hip fractures are devastating injuries which incur high healthcare costs. Despite national standards and guidelines, there is substantial variation in hospital delivery of hip fracture care and in patient outcomes. This study aimed to understand organisational processes that facilitate successful delivery of hip fracture services. Method Forty qualitative interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals involved in delivering hip fracture care at four English hospitals. Interview data were supplemented with documentary analysis of 23 anonymised British Orthopaedic Association hospital-initiated peer-review reports of services. Data were analysed thematically, with themes transposed onto key components of the care pathway. Results We identified multiple aspects of service organisation that facilitated good care delivery. At admission, standardisation of training in nerve block administration impacted care delivery. During hospital stays, service delivery was improved by integrated, shared-care between orthopaedics and orthogeriatrics, and by strategies to improve trauma list efficiency. Adequately staffed orthogeriatric services and the ‘right’ skills and seniority mix were important to holistic care provision. Placing patients on designated hip fracture wards concentrated staff expertise. Collaborative working was achieved through multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings between key staff, protocols and care pathways that defined roles and responsibilities, MDT documentation, ‘joined-up’ IT systems within hospitals and with primary care, and shared working spaces such as shared offices and onwards. Trauma and hip fracture coordinators organised care processes and provided a valuable central point of contact within teams. Nominated leads, representing diverse specialties, worked together in MDT planning meetings to develop joint protocols, establish audit priorities, and agree shared goals. Routine, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of service delivery, with findings shared throughout the MDT, was beneficial. Conclusion Our study has characterised potentially modifiable elements of successful hip fracture service delivery. Findings are intended to help services overcome organisational barriers towards delivery of high-quality hip fracture services.

Endometriosis, an Ongoing Pain-Step-by-Step Treatment.

Endometriosis is a disease that is becoming more and more challenging for the medical community. The current therapeutic concepts (surgical therapy and/or hormonal therapies) often do not lead to sufficient pain control, and late diagnosis and high recurrence rates mean that women affected by the disease can suffer for decades before receiving proper treatment. Although the introduction of certified endometriosis centers has created contact points for surgical therapies performed by endometriosis experts, these centers are not sufficient to offer the affected patients the all-encompassing long-term support they need. In recent years, new findings regarding the pathogenesis and correlations of the pain phenomena caused by endometriosis have shown that conventional therapy strategies are not adequate and individual long-term concepts must be developed. Not only can endometriosis cause nociceptive pain, but it can also lead to a nociplastic reaction with central sensitization. Hence, aside from the classic cyclic complaints, patients increasingly suffer from atypical pain. Due to the high number of affected patients who are treated inadequately, it is necessary for gynecologists in private practices to become familiar with multimodal treatment concepts since they are the central point of contact of their patients. The following article will provide an overview of treatment strategies for chronic symptomatic endometriosis.

Prerequisites for providing effective support to family caregivers within the primary care setting \u2013 results of a study series in Germany

BackgroundGeneral Practitioners are considered to be well placed to monitor home-care settings and to respond specifically to family caregivers. To do this, they must be sensitive to the needs and expectations of caregivers. In order to determine the current status of GP care in terms of the support given to family caregivers, a series of studies were conducted to gather the perspectives of both caregivers and GPs. The results are used to derive starting points as to which measures would be sensible and useful to strengthen support offered to family caregivers in the primary care setting.MethodsBetween 2020 and 2021, three sub-studies were conducted: a) an online survey of 612 family caregivers; b) qualitative interviews with 37 family caregivers; c) an online survey of 3556 GPs.ResultsFamily caregivers see GPs as a highly skilled and trustworthy central point of contact; there are many different reasons for consulting them on the subject of care. In the perception of caregivers, particular weaknesses in GP support are the absence of signposting to advisory and assistance services and, in many cases, the failure to involve family caregivers in good time. At the same time, GPs do not always have sufficient attention to the physical and psychological needs of family caregivers. The doctors interviewed consider the GP practice to be well suited to being a primary point of contact for caregivers, but recognise that various challenges exist. These relate, among other things, to the timely organisation of appropriate respite services, targeted referral to support services or the early identification of informal caregivers.ConclusionsGP practices can play a central role in supporting family caregivers. Caregivers should be approached by the practice team at an early stage and consistently signposted to help and support services. In order to support care settings successfully, it is important to consider the triadic constellation of needs, wishes and stresses of both the caregiver and the care recipient. More training and greater involvement of practice staff in the support and identification of caregivers seems advisable.

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced paediatric emergency department visits but did not significantly increase urgent cases.

Austria partly spared its healthcare system from the catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with an early lockdown. This led to a marked decrease in visits to the paediatric emergency department (PED) at the Medical University of Innsbruck. The PED is the central point of contact for patients under the age of 18 with any health concerns, except trauma. Approximately 18,700 patients visit the PED per year and 17.6% are admitted to the hospital.

Blueprint for a self-sustained European Centre for service provision in safe and sustainable innovation for nanotechnology

The coming years are expected to bring rapid changes in the nanotechnology regulatory landscape, with the establishment of a new framework for nano-risk governance, in silico approaches for characterisation and risk assessment of nanomaterials, and novel procedures for the early identification and management of nanomaterial risks. In this context, Safe(r)-by-Design (SbD) emerges as a powerful preventive approach to support the development of safe and sustainable (SSbD) nanotechnology-based products and processes throughout the life cycle. This paper summarises the work undertaken to develop a blueprint for the deployment and operation of a permanent European Centre of collaborating laboratories and research organisations supporting safe innovation in nanotechnologies. The proposed entity, referred to as “the Centre”, will establish a ‘one-stop shop’ for nanosafety-related services and a central contact point for addressing stakeholder questions about nanosafety. Its operation will rely on significant business, legal and market knowledge, as well as other tools developed and acquired through the EU-funded EC4SafeNano project and subsequent ongoing activities. The proposed blueprint adopts a demand-driven service update scheme to allow the necessary vigilance and flexibility to identify opportunities and adjust its activities and services in the rapidly evolving regulatory and nano risk governance landscape.The proposed Centre will play a major role as a conduit to transfer scientific knowledge between the research and commercial laboratories or consultants able to provide high quality nanosafety services, and the end-users of such services (e.g., industry, SMEs, consultancy firms, and regulatory authorities). The Centre will harmonise service provision, and bring novel risk assessment and management approaches, e.g. in silico methodologies, closer to practice, notably through SbD/SSbD, and decisively support safe and sustainable innovation of industrial production in the nanotechnology industry according to the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

Qualitative study of the needs of injured children and their families after a child’s traumatic injury

ObjectiveTo explore the needs of children and their families after a child’s traumatic injury.DesignSemi-structured qualitative interviews with purposeful sampling for different types of injuries and a theoretical thematic analysis.Participants32 participants;...

No-fault Law on Medical Accidents in Belgium: An Evaluation after Six Years

AbstractAfter many years of criticism of the medical malpractice system based on negligence, Belgium introduced a law on medical accidents in March 2010. This law created a Medical Accidents Fund. Under this two-track system the victim of a medical accident has the choice to file a claim before the court or to seek compensation from the Fund. The Law on Medical Accidents has four objectives: (1) to create a Fund with a simple and fast procedure that is cost-free to access, (2) to channel and centralise all medical accident claims to the Fund, and to develop a prevention strategy, (3) to compensate more victims by introducing a personal right to compensation for medical accident victims without the need to consider liability, and finally, (4) to achieve a balanced budget. A medical accident without liability can be defined as an accident caused by healthcare which does not lead to the liability of a caregiver, does not result from the patient’s health condition and causes abnormal damage to the patient. The damage is abnormal if it was not supposed to occur given the current state of scientific knowledge, the patient’s health condition and its objectively predictable evolution. Following analysis of the new law, this study shows that it has created a single, central point of contact that is easily accessible and generally understood by medical accident victims. On average fifty new cases a month are submitted to the Fund. In a reasonable number of cases to date, liability of the caregiver has been accepted by the Fund. However, the Fund is rather strict in awarding no-fault compensation for medical accidents without liability. It remains to be seen whether this interpretation can resist the test of judicial review.

Maintaining clinical pathways: What does it really take?

305 Background: Building pathways to support clinical decision making is one step, maintaining them is a mountain. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has built 34 medical oncology (MO) pathways (PWs) and 27 radiation oncology (RO) PWs. These PWs are managed by 28 lead MDs, 8 pharmacists, 6 project managers (PMs), 1 data analyst and 1 coordinator. Once PWs are built, attention shifts to platform and content maintenance. Methods: Maintaining PW clinical and informatics content is complicated and laborious. It requires collaboration amongst clinical and non-clinical experts; these resources form the PW team. PW content is updated quarterly or semi-annually, based on the pace of scientific change in a disease. These review meetings serve as a forum for physicians to review, discuss and revise content. Infrastructure support is provided by the PW team. Supporting the meeting requires a pre-meeting, the formal review meeting, a post meeting, and extensive revisions and content validation along the way. To prepare, PW performance data and emerging relevant evidence is reviewed with the lead MD to establish the meeting agenda. In both MO and RO the PW team is responsible for all content management. Results: We reviewed 6 months of data (2/18-7/18) and analyzed the hours and cost to maintain the pathway portfolio. Conclusions: PW maintenance is costly therefore labor efficiency is critical to overall success. There are 4 strategies for success: building trust; MD engagement; data; and program coordination. The MD/PM relationship is the foundation and consistency is key. MD engagement is crucial; having an influential lead MD sets the tone for the disease center overall. Establishing clear expectations and frequent check-ins keeps the lead MD engaged. Actionable, frequent, and transparent data reports give MDs feedback on their practice patterns. The coordinator is a central point of contact and ensures programmatic execution and success. Though PW maintenance is resource intensive, it facilitates standardized decision-making for the dissemination of cutting-edge cancer care. [Table: see text]

Towards a reformed policy for immigrant DNA tests, a commentary

DNA can be useful corroborative evidence in establishing familial relationship in immigration cases. Presently, there is no specific law in the UK regulating the use of DNA in this domain. This has led to inconsistencies in policy guidance and the rejection of some immigrant applications solely or partly due to a lack of DNA evidence. This commentary draws on the DNA regulatory regime in law enforcement to make a case for a specific DNA immigration law to protect individual rights, assure fairness and trust in the treatment of applicants. In addition to a specific law, consistency in operations should be ensured by developing a central point of contact for guidance including a central IT system, and a custodian of the DNA application process. Further, a single code of practice and conduct is proposed to ensure that guidance products are in line with the law and practice. An independent multi-stakeholder board is also recommended to ensure that policies are representative of the views of applicants and their relatives; policy officers and operational staff; and policymakers and the public.

ANTENNEBEROEPEN IN DE LOKALE GEMEENSCHAP ALS SLEUTEL VOOR DOORVERWIJZING VAN KWETSBARE OUDEREN NAAR HULPORGANISATIES

ANTENNEBEROEPEN IN DE LOKALE GEMEENSCHAP ALS SLEUTEL VOOR DOORVERWIJZING VAN KWETSBARE OUDEREN NAAR HULPORGANISATIES

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery implementation in practice: an ethnographic study of services for hip and knee replacement

ObjectivesEnhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programmes aim to improve care quality by optimising components of the care pathway and programmes for hip and knee replacement exist across the UK. However,...

Landesinitiative NFDI – a Central Point of Contact for RDM for Higher Education Institutions in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia

This paper gives an overview of activities regarding RDM in Germany including the national political context as well as initiatives on federal state level. The knowledge about Germany’s federal system, which also entails the autonomy of the federal states regarding the higher education system, is fundamental to understand the different approaches towards RDM in Germany. The state initiatives of Thuringia, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hesse are described to compare them to the state initiative (Landesinitiative NFDI) of Germany’s most populous state of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW). The aim of the initiative in NRW is to initiate the collaboration between institutions, to link current RDM activities in NRW and to prepare the local institutions for the participation in a National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur, NFDI).

Limit values of impact energy determined from contours and surface pressure distribution of apples under impact loads

During the harvest, handling, transport, sorting and other operations, apples are exposed to different static and dynamic loads. However, impact loads are the main causes of apple surface bruising and grower losses. Under impact loads, biological material has elastic characteristics. Due to this dynamic process, fluid and air in the intercellular spaces cannot move to areas with a lower load, which results in the formation of cracks and irreversible tissue damage. The mechanism of damage to the structure of apple flesh under impact loads differs qualitatively from damage generated under quasi–static loads. Therefore, it is essential to determine the critical impact energy for which deformation of the elastic apple moves toward permanent deformation. To define and determine the boundary impact energy including tissue damage, it was hypothesized that whether a permanent deformation occurs during a collision corresponds to the initial phase of maximal surface pressure stabilization. Therefore, apples with different elasticity moduli may have characteristic surface pressures above which the flesh tissue is destroyed. The maximum values for contour surface pressure are at the central point of contact. In this area, there is no evidence of flesh tissue destruction. Evaluating the maximum surface pressure over the apple surface, contours are formed near the central point of contact. This study also determined the energy required to cause permanent deformations.

The conversation with the patient is essential for good pharmacotherapeutic care

Frail elderly with polypharmacy are at greater risk of preventable medication-related health damage. To improve medication safety, the healthcare field prepared, in consultation with the Dutch Health Care Inspectorate, anumber of guidelines and standards containing conditions for safe prescribing. According to these standards the active involvement of patients by health care professionals is essential for good pharmacotherapeutic care. However, two studies with patients show that there is still room for improvement. According to patients, they can be (even) better informed about changes in their medication. Also the caregivers could communicate more clearly who is the central contact point and who is ultimately responsible for the medication. Patients are not sufficiently informed on this. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about how and why medication reviews are performed. More explanation to patients about this is desirable. In addition, patients experience that keeping their medication list up to date and transferring medication data between health care providers could be improved. Finally, agroup of patients welcomes the opportunity to co-decide on changes in their medication. In order to prescribe safely, it is crucial that caregivers actively involve patients in pharmacotherapeutic care and really enter into conversation with them about their medication.

PROACT – A Journey of Integration& Collaboration of Health Services into Residential Aged Care

Introduction: Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) play an important role in the care of a group of older Australians who are rapidly increasing in numbers. They are often frail, dependent and are of high acuity. Demand for clinical care of RACF residents has increased, and there has been a shift in the characteristics of staff who care for them. It is now common practice in High Care facilities that the majority of direct care is provided by Assistants in Nursing and/or Personal Carers, who have little formal training. Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) in Sydney Australia has 77 Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), with 4,576 beds. Description: In 2008 a telephone triage service, Aged Care Triage (ACT), was introduced to assist RACF’s to provide care to residents in the most appropriate setting. The service is staffed by experienced registered nurses. During the period July 2009 - June 2010 this service saved 2427 emergency department presentations across the District. The Access Care Team aims to provide the best care for residents of RACFs in the most appropriate setting by offering clinical advice and arranging services to support resident's care within the RACFs. It offers a partnership between RACFs, GPs and services of SLHD, by linking medical specialists and expert hospital nurses with GPs, ACAT/MAC, Sydney District Nursing and Palliative Care, with GPs and RACF staff. The Access Care Team can arrange outreach or outpatient services for clinical issues such as ambulatory care appointments, behavioural issues, continence issues, IV antibiotic therapy, Palliative care, Wound care management. The Access Care Team also has the capacity to facilitate and coordinate transfers to the most appropriate health services, such as appropriate emergency department if required. In 2010, funding was sourced to commence an RACF Outreach service. This compliments the ACT service. The outreach model was developed to improve access to primary health care for older people residing in RACFs and for the provision of face-to-face clinical nursing services to residential aged care facilities (RACFs) during the business hours period. Three senior nurses with extensive aged health experience are employed to provide a rapid and mobile outreach service to RACFs within SLHD catchment. They attend RACFs during business hours to resolve problems and prevent transfers or facilitate transfers to the Emergency Department. Aim, Theory, Targeted Population & Stakeholders: Together with relevant stakeholders the service and promotes an outreach model into residential care that: Builds on the existing ACT Service which is a central point of contact, resource for all RACF within SLHD Utilises an existing care manual for use within facilities to support RACF staff with evidence based algorithms for clinical care Provides regular targeted and group education for RACF staff Provide clinical coaching to RACF staff with all consultations. Promote collaborative work between acute care staff, RACF staff, GPs, Allied Health staff, families and significant others across primary and secondary settings. Establish goals of care and management plan for residents seen by the RACF outreach which facilitated efficiency of review in ED Enable the management of complex residents within the RACF Promote early intervention for highly complex residents Impacts: During the period June 2016 – January 2017 the RACF outreach team provided 777 occasions of service seeing 193 residents. 166 interventions ranging from care planning, medication review, complex wound management, comprehensive geriatric assessment, behaviour management, tube management and end of life planning Facilitation of geriatrician review. These residents would otherwise been transferred to one of the Districts ED’s. This small team of nurses have been able to sustain the model over a number of years while imparting clinical education to RACF staff to empower them to provide high quality care to frail aged residents. The right care, in the right place at the right time.

Assessing the extent of drug interactions among patients with multimorbidity in primary and secondary care in the West Midlands (UK): a study protocol for the Mixed Methods Multimorbidity Study (MiMMS)

IntroductionThe numbers of patients with three or more chronic conditions (multimorbidity) are increasing, and will rise to 2.9 million by 2018 in the UK alone. Currently in the UK, conditions...

A New Approach to Measure Position Stability on the Bike in Time Trial Performance – A Pilot Study

Introduction: As air resistance is the main source of resistance on flat time trials (Martin 2006, Debraux 2011), aerodynamic analysis and optimization is an important part of the preparation. Besides wind-tunnel testing (Garcia-Lopez 2008), also tests in the velodrome using the Track Aero System (Alphamantis, Montreal, CA) are used. Here the CdA-value is calculated over several laps in real-time. However, this measurement technique does not capture changes in the rider’s position that possibly indicate instability. It is assumed that the athlete’s pelvic stability can be used as indicator for the stability with which a time trial position can be ridden, i.e. the position’s sustainability. Accordingly, this pilot study aims at analysing pelvic stability using a dynamic measure of the location of the centre of pressure (COP). This is an important parameter to quantify the pelvis’ positioning (Kraus 2015). Possible evasive movements on the saddle should be captured and quantified.  Methods: Five professional road cyclists performed the test process on their own time trial bikes in a closed velodrome (BA¼ttgen, GER). Different interventions were performed by changing the settings at the contact point saddle and at the cockpit. In the starting position and after each intervention, the subjects were tested over 10 laps. The parameters speed, cadence and power were measured in real-time using the TAS system. A flexible, saddle-specific pressure mat (GeBioM mbH, MA¼nster, GER) equipped with 64 resistive pressure sensors is fixed to the saddle. The measured data are transmitted with 50Hz to the laptop via a WiFi-transmitter mounted behind the saddle post. The measuring distance is about 200m, accordingly, the entire round could be captured. The analysis parameter COP – capturing the central point of contact on the saddle – was used to measure pelvic stability. It is evaluated referring to the standard deviation of all measurement values of one measurement of the transversal (X) and longitudinal extension (Y) and its position relating to the saddle tip. Additionally, the number of saddle shifts is analysed. A saddle shift is every moment in which the pelvis has no contact to the saddle. We compare and statistically evaluate the measurements with the largest and smallest CdA-value, respectively, using the student’s t-test (p = 0.05) for paired samples.  Results: For all subjects, the number of saddle shifts decreases as the CdA-value becomes smaller. There is a highly significant relation between changing the position and the number of saddle shifts (t = 0.009). The standard deviation of the COP along the longitudinal Y-axis generally decreases over the measurements along with the CdA-value (t=0.058). The standard deviation along the transversal X-axis decreases as the CdA-value decreases for three subjects, while it increases for two subjects (t=0.164). Lastly, as the CdA-value decreases, the COP’s positioning along the longitudinal axis moves towards the saddle tip for three subjects and towards the back for two subjects. None of these moves is significant.  Discussion: The tested combination of two technologies in this pilot study provides first insights concerning the factors of aerodynamics and stability. Changing the position evidently not only affects the CdA-value but also the frequency of saddle shifts in time trials. The COP can be considered as an informative parameter for pelvic stability, as the standard deviation along both axes provide information about the pelvic movement in a given position (fig.1 + 2). A trend emerges according to which a higher stability at the saddle is related to a reduction of the air resistance. The y-coordinate can be used as additional variable to identify the exact positioning of the pelvis on the saddle. In follow-up studies with more subjects the relation between the y-coordinate and the number of saddle shifts should be analysed to address the question of the sustainability of a position. This could also be conducted as a field experiment as all the utilized measurement techniques can be used under real conditions in time trial training on the road.