Improvement Of Health Care Practice Research Articles

Strategies to Sustain Quality Interventions: Case Examples of Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bathing.

Strategies to Sustain Quality Interventions: Case Examples of Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bathing.

Overwhelming and unjust: A qualitative study of fathers’ experiences of grief following neonatal death

Limited research has examined the grief experiences of fathers following neonatal death. Using a qualitative research design, ten fathers were interviewed, and thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes: ‘A complicated grief experience: Neonatal death is highly emotional’, ‘Grief is multidimensional’ and ‘Sense of injustice’. Overall, results showed that grief was a multidimensional experience for fathers, with expressions of grief including strong feelings of anger and guilt and the manifestation of grief in physical symptoms. In addition, the findings also indicated a sense of injustice that contributed to the disenfranchisement of grief for fathers. The results of this study contribute to developing a better understanding of the grief that fathers experience following neonatal death, and can inform improvements in healthcare practices after the death of a baby in the neonatal period, including father-specific programs and adequate provision of information.

Interprofessional health-care ethics education for medical and nursing students in Germany: an interprofessional education and practice guide

ABSTRACT Early interprofessional learning among nursing and medical students provides various benefits for future collaboration among professionals, and high-quality care for patients. Expert committees, thus, urge the integration of interprofessional education (IPE) in undergraduate studies to achieve significant sustainable improvements in health-care practice. In Germany, IPE interventions are already implemented in some health-care disciplines, but Health-care Ethics are scarcely regarded in undergraduate education. There are, however, several reasons why Health-care Ethics is particularly appropriate for teaching in an interprofessional format. Thus, after reviewing the legal framework and the current curricula of both professions, an IPE course on Health-care Ethics for medical and nursing students was developed and implemented, consisting of seven classes of 180 minutes each. Drawing on the evaluation results after two rounds of the course, this interprofessional education and practice guide reports on challenges, obstacles and perspectives for improvement of an IPE course on Health-care Ethics. It aims to provide guidance for teaching pioneers and innovators who implement similar projects and to foster practice-oriented and open discussion about the possibilities and limits of IPE in Health-care Ethics.

An Assessment of Organizational Health Literacy Practices at an Academic Health Center.

Organizational health literacy is the degree to which an organization considers and promotes the health literacy of patients. Addressing health literacy at an organizational level has the potential to have a greater impact on more health consumers in a health system than individual-level approaches. The purpose of this study was to assess health care practices at an academic health center using the 10 attributes of a health-literate health care organization. Using a survey research design, the Health Literate Healthcare Organization 10-Item Questionnaire was administered online using total population sampling. Employees (N = 10 300) rated the extent that their organization's health care practices consider and promote patients' health literacy. Differences in responses were assessed using factorial analysis of variance. The mean response was 4.7 on a 7-point Likert scale. Employee training and communication about costs received the lowest ratings. Univariate analyses revealed that there were no statistically significant differences (P = .05) by employees' health profession, years of service, or level of patient contact. There were statistically significant differences by highest education obtained with lowest ratings from employees with college degrees. Survey responses indicate a need for improvements in health care practices to better assist patients with inadequate health literacy.

The unfinished health agenda: Neonatal mortality in Cambodia.

BackgroundReduction of neonatal and under-five mortality rates remains a primary target in the achievement of universal health goals, as evident in renewed investments of Sustainable Development Goals. Various studies attribute declines in mortality to the combined effects of improvements in health care practices and changes in socio-economic factors. Since the early nineties, Cambodia has managed to evolve from a country devastated by war to a nation soon to enter the group of middle income countries. Cambodia's development efforts are reflected in some remarkable health outcomes such as a significant decline in child mortality rates and the early achievement of related Millennium Development Goals. An achievement acknowledged through the inclusion of Cambodia as one of the ten fast-track countries in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. This study aims to highlight findings from the field so to provide evidence for future programming and policy efforts. It will be argued that to foster further advances in health, Cambodia will need to keep neonatal survival and health high on the agenda and tackle exacerbating inequities that arise from a pluralistic health system with considerable regional differences and socio-economic disparities.Methods/FindingsData was drawn from Demographic Health Surveys (2000, 2005, 2010, 2014). Information on a series of demographic and socio-economic household characteristics and on child anthropometry, feeding practices and child health were collected from nationally representative samples. To reach the required sample size, live-births that occurred over the past 10 years before the date of the interview were included. Demographic variables included: gender of the child, living area (urban or rural; four ecological regions (constructed by merging provinces and the capital), mother’s age at birth (<20, 20–35, 35+), birth interval (long, short) and birth order (1st, 2–3, 4–6, 7+). Socio-economic variables included: mother education level (none, primary, secondary+) and household wealth (asset-based index). Data on antenatal care, tetanus injection and skilled assistance at birth were used for the mother's last child.Between 2000 and 2014, Cambodia achieved a considerable reduction in neonatal mortality (46% reduction rate). By 2014, gender inequities became almost non-existent (for all measures of equality); inequity related to mother’s education decreased for all time periods; improvements were observed for differences in neonatal mortality by preceding birth interval; and a reduction in neonatal mortality rates could be noted among all the regional subgroups. Inequities increased between mothers who had limited antenatal care and those who received more than four antenatal care visits. In most scale indicators, the Slope Index of Inequality and Relative Index of Inequality estimates for all four rounds of the survey suggest inequity exacerbated in deprived communities. Also, wealth and residence (urban/rural divide) continued to be major determinants in neonatal mortality rates and related inequity trends.ConclusionAnalysis highlighted some of the complex patterns and determinants of neonatal mortality, in Cambodia. There has been a considerable decline in neonatal mortality which echoes global trends. Our analysis reveals that despite these advances, additional socio-economic and demographic characteristics considerably affected neonatal mortality rates and its inequities. There continue to be pockets of vulnerable groups that are lagging behind. This analysis highlights the determinants along the urban-rural and rich-poor divides in neonatal mortality inequities and how these affect access to and utilization of quality basic health services. This calls for future policy and programming efforts to be deliberate in their equity approach. Quality improvements in health services and targeted interventions for specific socio-economic groups will be required to further accelerate progress in reducing neonatal mortality and address Cambodia’s pressing unfinished agenda in health.

Implementing best practice in hospital multidisciplinary nutritional care: an example of using the knowledge-to-action process for a research program.

BackgroundProspective use of knowledge translation and implementation science frameworks can increase the likelihood of meaningful improvements in health care practices. An example of this creation and application of knowledge is the series of studies conducted by and with the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force (CMTF). Following a cohort study and synthesis of evidence regarding best practice for identification, treatment, and prevention of malnutrition in hospitals, CMTF created an evidence-informed, consensus-based pathway for nutritional care in hospitals. The purpose of this paper is to detail the steps taken in this research program, through four studies, as an example of the knowledge-to-action (KTA) process.The KTA processThe KTA process includes knowledge creation and action cycles. The steps of the action cycle within this program of research are iterative, and up to this point have been informed by three studies, with a fourth underway. The first study identified the magnitude of the malnutrition problem upon admission to hospital and how it is undetected and undertreated (study 1). Knowledge creation resulted in an evidence-based pathway established to address care gaps (study 2) and the development of monitoring tools (study 3). The study was then adapted to local context: focus groups validated face validate the evidence-based pathway; during the final phase, study site implementation teams will continue to adapt the pathway (studies 2 and 4). Barriers to implementation were also assessed; focus groups and interviews were conducted to inform the pathway implementation (studies 1, 2, and 4). In the next step, specific interventions were selected, tailored, and implemented. In the final study in this research program, plan–do–study–act cycles will be used to make changes and to implement the pathway (study 4). To monitor knowledge use and to evaluate outcomes, audits, staff surveys, patient outcomes, etc will be used to record process evaluations (studies 3 and 4). Finally, a sustainability plan will be incorporated into the final study of the program (study 4) to sustain knowledge use.DiscussionUse of frameworks can increase the likelihood of meaningful and sustainable improvements in health care practice. The example of this program of research demonstrates how existing evidence has been used to identify, create, and adapt knowledge, and how multidisciplinary teams have been used to effect changes in the hospital setting.ConclusionEffective implementation is essential in nutritional health care, and this multidisciplinary program of research provides an example of how the KTA process can facilitate implementation and promote sustainability.

Effectiveness of chronic care models: opportunities for improving healthcare practice and health outcomes: a systematic review.

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of chronic disease and even multiple chronic diseases faced by both developed and developing countries is of considerable concern. Many of the interventions to address this within primary healthcare settings are based on a chronic care model first developed by MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health Cooperative.MethodsThis systematic literature review aimed to identify and synthesise international evidence on the effectiveness of elements that have been included in a chronic care model for improving healthcare practices and health outcomes within primary healthcare settings. The review broadens the work of other similar reviews by focusing on effectiveness of healthcare practice as well as health outcomes associated with implementing a chronic care model. In addition, relevant case series and case studies were also included.ResultsOf the 77 papers which met the inclusion criteria, all but two reported improvements to healthcare practice or health outcomes for people living with chronic disease. While the most commonly used elements of a chronic care model were self-management support and delivery system design, there were considerable variations between studies regarding what combination of elements were included as well as the way in which chronic care model elements were implemented. This meant that it was impossible to clearly identify any optimal combination of chronic care model elements that led to the reported improvements.ConclusionsWhile the main argument for excluding papers reporting case studies and case series in systematic literature reviews is that they are not of sufficient quality or generalizability, we found that they provided a more detailed account of how various chronic care models were developed and implemented. In particular, these papers suggested that several factors including supporting reflective healthcare practice, sending clear messages about the importance of chronic disease care and ensuring that leaders support the implementation and sustainability of interventions may have been just as important as a chronic care model’s elements in contributing to the improvements in healthcare practice or health outcomes for people living with chronic disease.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0854-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Performance measurement to drive improvements in healthcare practice

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge base on how performance measurement drives improvements in healthcare practice. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a single in-depth case study. The critical incident technique (CIT) has been applied in order to identify significant occurrences of performance measurement in terms of events, incidents, processes, and issues identified by respondents from the case organization. These critical incidents have been analysed and interpreted using a theoretical framework suggesting that performance measurement may be applied for exploratory or regulatory purposes as well as ad hoc or continuously in healthcare practice. Findings – The study suggests that performance measurement may be a versatile method for driving improvement in healthcare organizations. Six types of activities directly or indirectly drive improvement in the clinical department: continuous follow-up in formal arenas and meetings; improvement work; professional efforts; goal deployment; reporting based on external demands; and creating awareness in everyday clinical work. Healthcare organizations that strive to practice performance measurement as a driver for improvement need to find infrastructures in which it is being integrated into the daily life of organizational healthcare practice. Originality/value – The study provides an original account of the prerequisites and actions for driving improvement through performance measurement in a healthcare setting. Since the operations management perspective in healthcare is significantly lacking, the study offers a unique perspective which may be the basis for both practice development and further scholarly inquiry and theory development.

Prevención de eventos adversos para la seguridad del paciente en las unidades de tratamiento del dolor crónico

ObjectivesTo identify preventive actions that minimise risk of patients safety in pain treatment units, and to cluster preventive actions into homogeneous groups. The current study is part of a project intended to improve patient safety in pain treatment units, and is aimed at identifying, prioritising and preventing patient safety risk. Material and methodsA group of experts was selected from professionals with a specific clinical background and experience in pain treatment units. This group was provided with information on patient safety and on known adverse events, errors and related causes. Through a brainstorming method the participants were asked: What changes or improvements would need to be undertaken to absolutely prevent the occurrence of each adverse event? The participant's proposals were analysed and grouped according to their homogeneity. ResultsA total of 456 preventive actions were identified. The group that received the highest number of suggestions was the one including changes in the management of healthcare processes, followed by the group that considered improvements in clinical practice, training activities, protocols and policies, and patient communication. ConclusionsAccording to the consensus of the experts, management of healthcare processes and improvements in health care practices are the 2 interventions that are most likely to reduce patient safety risk in pain treatment units.

Condutas de enfermagem à criança no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca: análise das pesquisas

Congenital cardiopathies represent anomalies including structural and functional heart defects, which demand early nursing intervention at the bedside. The present study aimed at analyzing studies that addressed the nursing care provided to children postoperatively following cardiac surgery. It consists of an integrative review of the literature from different databases, using the descriptors: Nursing care; Cardiac surgery; and Pediatric nursing. From the eleven articles that were identified and completely analyzed, six corresponded to the criteria adopted in the study, with evidence levels ranging from level II to level VI. The publications highlighted recommendations concerning prevention, assessment, recovery and/or rehabilitation. It is concluded that this study contributes to the development of nursing care plans to provide improvements in healthcare practices, based on actions of health promotion, with emphasis on pain assessment, verification of the internal temperature and non-pharmacological measures to cope with pain, among others. Descriptors: Nursing Care; Thoracic Surgery; Pediatric Nursing; Peer Review.

Intervenções de enfermagem aos pacientes com acidente vascular encefálico: uma revisão integrativa de literatura

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar o conhecimento sobre as intervenções de enfermagem aos pacientes hospitalizados por acidente vascular encefálico. Realizou-se uma revisão integrativa da literatura a partir de acesso on-line a cinco bases de dados, no mês de setembro de 2009. Utilizou-se os descritores Cuidados de Enfermagem e Acidente Cerebral Vascular nas línguas portuguesa, inglesa e espanhola. Foram encontrados 223 artigos e selecionados 12. Identificou-se nos artigos um maior número de intervenções de enfermagem assistenciais, seguidas das educacionais, gerenciais e de pesquisa. As do domínio assistencial estão mais relacionadas aos aspectos biológicos dos pacientes. Em relação às educativas, os artigos apontam o papel fundamental do enfermeiro, bem como dos familiares e dos cuidadores. A principal intervenção gerencial foi a coordenação dos cuidados. Quanto às intervenções de pesquisa foi identificada apenas uma descrita como o desenvolvimento e aprimoramento da prática de cuidados por meio de evidências clínicas.

Percepção dos médicos sobre o curso facilitadores de Educação Permanente em Saúde

A Educação Permanente em Saúde (EPS) é uma estratégia que toma os problemas da prática como objeto de reflexão das equipes de trabalho. Para superar a falta de domínio conceitual e operativo em relação à EPS, foi proposto um curso de facilitadores de educação permanente. Este curso foi desenvolvido no município de Londrina e dele participaram 14 médicos. Com o objetivo de analisar as opiniões sobre o curso e sobre as repercussões no trabalho e na atenção à saúde, os 11 médicos concluintes foram entrevistados, utilizando-se um roteiro semiestruturado. Para a análise, as questões fechadas foram tabuladas, e o conteúdo das abertas foi analisado por meio da análise temática. Para esses médicos,- Educação Permanente em Saúde. a EPS se constitui em: reflexão acerca dos problemas cotidianos, trabalho em equipe e aprendizagem - Trabalho em Saúde. significativa. Entre as mudanças propiciadas pelo curso, destacaram-se: ampliação do vínculo entre profissionais, democratização da gestão, apropriação dos sistemas de informação, ampliação da capacidade de análise e aprimoramento da prática. As facilidades e dificuldades se referiram principalmente à garantia de infraestrutura (espaço, tempo, material e apoio), mas também foram destacados aspectos relacionados ao trabalho em equipe, como motivação, interesse e participação.

A comprehensive systematic review of the use of simulation in the continuing education and training of qualified medical, nursing and midwifery staff.

Simulation can be defined as a person, device or set of conditions made to resemble a real life situation. It is used in many high-risk industries particularly when reality is dangerous, critical events are rare and errors are costly in human and/or financial terms. The use of simulation in the UK is now considered an essential component of education programmes designed for healthcare practitioners. However the use of simulation in undergraduate education has been studied in depth but little is known about its use in postgraduate education. The aim of this systematic review was to establish: where and in which context is simulation an effective educational medium in post qualifying/continuing education; what is the benefit to learners of using simulation in respect of their knowledge, skills and confidence and what are the implications for future research in this area? This review looked for both quantitative and qualitative evidence in the form of primary research.The review focused on post qualification medical, nursing and midwifery staff undertaking educational development programmes utilising simulation. Types of interventions: the intervention explored in this review is simulation in the form of the re-creation of a patient centred scenario / event in a realistic context. The review explicitly excluded simulation designed to specifically to improve motor skills in isolation from context, such as part task trainers. The outcome measures to be explored in this review were: demonstration of the application of knowledge to the simulated clinical situation; demonstrable improvement in knowledge of the environment and equipment; demonstration of risk assessment; safe working practice in relation to the clinical environment; recognition of own limitations and knowing when to call for help; effective communication; team working and leadership skills; evidence from learners in relation to the educational experience; evidence of increased learner confidence following simulated practice; evidence of improved patient outcome being assessed in relation to training SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished English language studies from 1998-2009. Databases systematically searched included: Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC and the Dissertation Abstracts International Proceedings. Papers were assessed for methodological quality independently by two of the review team. Critical appraisal of methodological quality of papers was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute modules, Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) and Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Differences in judgment were resolved through discussion between the two reviewers of their differences and through the inclusion of a third reviewer if necessary in order to reach consensus. A fifth member of the team independently reviewed all included and excluded studies as a quality control mechanism. The process of data extraction was undertaken independently by two reviewers using the JBI data extraction tools. A statistical meta-analysis of the data was not possible due to the variation in outcome measures used in the papers. The findings are therefore presented descriptively using the specified outcome measures as a reporting framework. The initial search identified 1522 papers. Thirty eight papers were considered to have met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently critically appraised for methodological quality. Thirty papers were considered to be of appropriate quality for inclusion in the review. These were predominantly experimental pre post test studies but they covered a wide range of healthcare workers and situations. There is considerable evidence that suggests that simulation based educational programmes are consistently effective in improving the performance of doctors, nurses and midwives in educational contexts particularly in teamwork and communication. There is also evidence that practitioners value simulation as a learning and teaching strategy. There is however very little evidence to support the assumption that improvements in performance are translated into "real life" clinical settings and ultimately outcomes for service users. Although the evidence base provided by this review is relatively weak in terms of educational practice it would seem to have high face validity. The evidence has added coherence when seen in the context of educational theory and those planning educational programmes for healthcare practitioners should be cognizant of the potential benefits offered by simulation as part of a blended approach to learning. This review has identified a clear need to establish causative links between simulation based educational programmes and improvements in healthcare practice, by using experimental designs where simulation is compared with other educational interventions.

THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF EARLY-ONSET VERSUS LATE-ONSET BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS IN A NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

Bloodstream infections in neonates continue to be a significant ailment despite improvements in health care practice, most likely due to multiple risk factors affecting both early-onset and late-onset sepsis. Objective To compare the epidemiologic characteristics of early-onset and late-onset bloodstream infections in neonates treated at the University of California, Irvine neonatal intensive care unit (UCI-NICU) over a 7-year period. Methods All neonates with positive blood cultures treated at UCI-NICU between January 1998 and December 2004 were identified and their medical records were reviewed. Early-onset bacteremia was defined as an episode of bacteremia within the first 7 days of life. Results We identified 56 episodes of early onset and 160 episodes of late-onset bloodstream infections (see Table). Gram-negative bacteria caused bloodstream infections more frequently in early onset compared with late onset, whereas coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CONS) was more common in late-onset infections. Comparing risk factors for patients with early-onset and late-onset bloodstream infections, as expected, those with early-onset infections were less likely to have had surgeries (5.4% vs 38%), prior antibiotic therapy (37.5% vs 90%), shorter duration of intubation (2 days vs 13.7 days), and shorter duration of central lines (3.7 days vs 28.7 days). Conclusions The predominant bacterial causes of early-onset and late-onset bloodstream infections are different. Elucidation of epidemiologic trends and risk factors associated with early- and late-onset bloodstream infections will have significant implications in developing measures to control the occurrence of these infections.

Rôle de l’hygiène hospitalière dans la réduction de la résistance aux antibiotiques

Strategies to improve the use of antimicrobials and to limit the acquisition and spread of resistance are of paramount importance and may influence directly the epidemiology of nosocomial infections. The increasing incidence of nosocomial infections is strongly related to both suboptimal use of antimicrobials and poor compliance with optimal patient care practices. Cross-transmission of resistant bacteria in hospitals results from poor adherence to infection control measures such as hand hygiene and standard precautions, and leads to an increasing reservoir of resistant organisms, that further facilitate the development of resistance. The strategies proposed in this review target both the appropriate use of antimicrobials in order to decrease resistance acquisition, and improvements in health care practices to reduce cross-transmission.