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Neurosurgical Review Jun 2024Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) might lead to devastating consequences. Nonetheless, subjective interpretation of life circumstances might vary. Recent data...
Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage - patients retrospectively consent to fibrinolytic surgery despite poor neurological outcome and reduced health-related quality of life.
Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) might lead to devastating consequences. Nonetheless, subjective interpretation of life circumstances might vary. Recent data from ischemic stroke patients show that there might be a paradox between clinically rated neurological outcome and self-reported satisfaction with quality of life. Our hypothesis was that minimally invasive surgically treated ICH patients would still give their consent to stereotactic fibrinolysis despite experiencing relatively poor neurological outcome. In order to better understand the patients' perspective and to enhance insight beyond functional outcome, this is the first study assessing disease-specific health-related quality of life (hrQoL) in ICH after fibrinolytic therapy. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with spontaneous ICH treated minimally invasive by stereotactic fibrinolysis. Subsequently, using standardized telephone interviews, we evaluated functional outcome with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), health-related Quality of Life with the Quality of life after Brain Injury Overall scale (QOLIBRI-OS), and assessed retrospectively if the patients would have given their consent to the treatment. To verify the primary hypothesis that fibrinolytic treated ICH patients would still retrospectively consent to fibrinolytic therapy despite a relatively poor neurological outcome, we conducted a chi-square test to compare good versus poor outcome (mRS) between consenters and non-consenters. To investigate the association between hrQoL (QOLIBRI-OS) and consent, we conducted a Mann-Whitney U-test. Moreover, we did a Spearman correlation to investigate the correlation between functional outcome (mRS) and hrQoL (QOLIBRI-OS). The analysis comprised 63 data sets (35 men, mean age: 66.9 ± 11.8 years, median Hemphill score: 3 [2-3]). Good neurological outcome (mRS 0-3) was achieved in 52% (33/63) of the patients. Patients would have given their consent to surgery retrospectively in 89.7% (52/58). These 52 consenting patients comprised all 33 patients (100%) who achieved good functional outcome and 19 of the 25 patients (76%) who achieved poor neurological outcome (mRS 4-6). The mean QOLIBRI-OS value was 49.55 ± 27.75. A significant association between hrQoL and retrospective consent was found (p = 0.004). This study supports fibrinolytic treatment of ICH even in cases when poor neurological outcome would have to be assumed since subjective perception of deficits could be in contrast with the objectively measured neurological outcome. HrQoL serves as a criterion for success of rtPa lysis therapy in ICH.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Male; Female; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Retrospective Studies; Aged; Middle Aged; Treatment Outcome; Thrombolytic Therapy; Informed Consent; Aged, 80 and over
PubMed: 38862774
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-024-02479-w -
Journal of Educational Evaluation For... 2024This study aimed to identify the relationships between medication errors and the factors affecting nurses' knowledge and behavior in Japan using Bayesian network...
Events related to medication errors and related factors involving nurses' behavior to reduce medication errors in Japan: a Bayesian network modeling-based factor analysis and scenario analysis.
PURPOSE
This study aimed to identify the relationships between medication errors and the factors affecting nurses' knowledge and behavior in Japan using Bayesian network modeling. It also aimed to identify important factors through scenario analysis with consideration of nursing students' and nurses' education regarding patient safety and medications.
METHODS
We used mixed methods. First, error events related to medications and related factors were qualitatively extracted from 119 actual incident reports in 2022 from the database of the Japan Council for Quality Health Care. These events and factors were then quantitatively evaluated in a flow model using Bayesian network, and a scenario analysis was conducted to estimate the posterior probabilities of events when the prior probabilities of some factors were 0%.
RESULTS
There were 10 types of events related to medication errors. A five-layer flow model was created using Bayesian network analysis. The scenario analysis revealed that "failure to confirm the 5 rights," "unfamiliarity with operations of medications," "insufficient knowledge of medications," and "assumptions and forgetfulness" were factors that were significantly associated with the occurrence of medical errors.
CONCLUSION
s: This study provided an estimate of the effects of mitigating nurses' behavioral factors that trigger medication errors. The flow model itself can also be used as an educational tool to reflect on behavior when incidents occur. It is expected that patient safety education will be recognized as a major element of nursing education worldwide and that an integrated curriculum will be developed.
Topics: Humans; Medication Errors; Bayes Theorem; Japan; Patient Safety; Students, Nursing; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Nurses; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Clinical Competence; Female; Male; Adult
PubMed: 38858820
DOI: 10.3352/jeehp.2024.21.12 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Cosmetic filler injections have gained popularity in recent years, but the rise in complications has led to an increase in legal disputes. This study analyzes civil...
Cosmetic filler injections have gained popularity in recent years, but the rise in complications has led to an increase in legal disputes. This study analyzes civil court rulings related to cosmetic filler injection lawsuits in South Korea from 2007 to 2023. A retrospective case analysis was performed using a systematic database search, and a mixed-methods approach was employed for data analysis. The study examined 27 cases, revealing a high rate of liability findings against medical practitioners. Skin necrosis and blindness were the most common complications, and intravascular filler injection was recognized as negligence. Violation of informed consent was found in most cases, with mean compensation awards of ₩193,019,107 KRW ($142,831 USD) for first instance cases and ₩81,845,052 KRW ($60,564 USD) for second instance cases. The findings emphasize the importance of practitioner awareness, adherence to precautionary measures, and proactive prevention and management of complications. Collaboration among stakeholders is crucial for developing strategies that prioritize patient safety and minimize legal disputes in the aesthetic medicine industry. This study provides valuable insights for enhancing medical practices and safeguarding patient well-being in the field of cosmetic filler injections.
Topics: Humans; Republic of Korea; Dermal Fillers; Cosmetic Techniques; Retrospective Studies; Female; Malpractice; Cosmetics; Liability, Legal; Male; Informed Consent
PubMed: 38858567
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63845-8 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Dec 2024Understanding the communication dynamics between vaccine-hesitant parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) is vital for addressing parent concerns and promoting...
Understanding the communication dynamics between vaccine-hesitant parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) is vital for addressing parent concerns and promoting informed decision-making. This paper focuses on strategies used by HCPs to communicate with vaccine-hesitant parents. It draws on empirical evidence generated as part of the international project VAX-TRUST. More specifically, 60 hours of observations were carried out in three different pediatric practices during vaccination-related visits, and 19 physicians and nurses were interviewed. We focused on the specific context of the Czech Republic, which represents a country with a mandatory vaccination system and in which children's immunization is the responsibility of pediatric general practitioners. We demonstrate that the dynamics between parents and HCPs and their willingness to invest time in the vaccination discussion are influenced by how HCPs categorize and label parents. Furthermore, we outline some of the different strategies HCPs employ while addressing concerns regarding vaccination. We identified two different strategies HCPs use to manage the fears of vaccine-hesitant parents. The first strategy focused on the communication of risks associated with vaccination (and lack thereof). HCPs used a variety of discursive practices to familiarize the unfamiliar risks of vaccine-preventable diseases (by mobilizing representations that are part of collective memory, incorporating personal experiences to materialize the presence of risk and the confidence in the safety of vaccines and by situating risk as embedded in everyday processes and integral to the uncertainty of the global world). The second strategy involved the conscious employment of medical procedures that may contribute to reducing vaccination fears.
Topics: Humans; Parents; Health Personnel; Vaccination Hesitancy; Vaccination; Communication; Female; Male; Czech Republic; Vaccines; Decision Making; Adult; Professional-Family Relations; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Child; Patient Acceptance of Health Care
PubMed: 38855961
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2361943 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024One barrier to participating in clinical research is that patients with low literacy skills (1 in 5 US adults) may struggle to understand the informed consent document...
One barrier to participating in clinical research is that patients with low literacy skills (1 in 5 US adults) may struggle to understand the informed consent document (ICD). Writing consents using health literacy and plain language guidelines including simplified syntax and semantics can increase understandability and facilitate inclusivity of research populations with literacy challenges. Our study aim was to evaluate a simplified ICD for understandability while considering factors known to relate to comprehension (reading skills and working memory). We performed an on-line survey of 192 adults ages 18-77 in Georgia. Participants performed significantly better on the simplified ICD test. We built an additional model with all version x measure interactions (i.e., age, sex, race, urbanicity, GMVT, WM). This model did not significantly improve model fit, F < 1.00, suggesting that individual differences did not moderate the effect of simplification. Our findings suggest that using plain language and simplified syntax and semantics in ICD as a universal precaution may reduce cognitive reading burden for adults regardless of differences in reading skill or working memory. Increasing understandability in ICD may help improve targets for clinical trial enrollment.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Female; Middle Aged; Male; Aged; Informed Consent; Adolescent; Comprehension; Health Literacy; Young Adult; Reading; Consent Forms
PubMed: 38851754
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64139-9 -
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice Jun 2024Regulations put in place to protect the privacy of individuals receiving substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have resulted in an unintended consequence of siloed SUD...
BACKGROUND
Regulations put in place to protect the privacy of individuals receiving substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have resulted in an unintended consequence of siloed SUD treatment and referral information outside of the integrated electronic health record (EHR). Recent revisions to these regulations have opened the door to data integration, which creates opportunities for enhanced patient care and more efficient workflows. We report on the experience of one safety-net hospital system integrating SUD treatment data into the EHR.
METHODS
SUD treatment and referral information was integrated from siloed systems into the EHR through the implementation of a referral order, treatment episode definition, and referral and episode-related tools for addiction therapists and other clinicians. Integration was evaluated by monitoring SUD treatment episode characteristics, patient characteristics, referral linkage, and treatment episode retention before and after integration. Satisfaction of end-users with the new tools was evaluated through a survey of addiction therapists.
RESULTS
After integration, three more SUD treatment programs were represented in the EHR. This increased the number of patients that could be tracked as initiating SUD treatment by 250%, from 562 before to 1,411 after integration. After integration, overall referral linkage declined (74% vs. 48%) and treatment episode retention at 90-days was higher (45% vs. 74%). Addiction therapists appreciated the efficiency of having all SUD treatment information in the EHR but did not find that the tools provided a large time savings shortly after integration.
CONCLUSIONS
Integration of SUD treatment program data into the EHR facilitated both care coordination in patient treatment and quality improvement initiatives for treatment programs. Referral linkage and retention rates were likely modified by a broader capture of patients and changed outcome definition criteria. Greater preparatory workflow analysis may decrease initial end-user burden. Integration of siloed data, made possible given revised regulations, is essential to an efficient hub-and-spoke model of care, which must standardize and coordinate patient care across multiple clinics and departments.
Topics: Humans; Electronic Health Records; Substance-Related Disorders; Safety-net Providers; Referral and Consultation; Male; Female; Adult; Confidentiality
PubMed: 38849888
DOI: 10.1186/s13722-024-00477-3 -
International Journal For Equity in... Jun 2024Involvement in healthcare decisions is associated with better health outcomes for patients. For children and adolescents with intellectual disability, parents and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Involvement in healthcare decisions is associated with better health outcomes for patients. For children and adolescents with intellectual disability, parents and healthcare professionals need to balance listening to a child's wishes with the responsibility of keeping them safe. However, there is a scarcity of literature evaluating how to effectively involve them in decision making. In this context, we review the concept of health literacy, focusing on the skills of healthcare decision making for children and adolescents with intellectual disability.
METHODS
We describe the concept of health literacy and models explaining shared decision making (individuals and healthcare professionals collaborate in decision making process) and supported decision making (when a trusted person supports the individual to collaborate with the healthcare professional in the decision-making process), and a rapid review of the literature evaluating their efficacy. We discuss healthcare decision making for children and adolescents with intellectual disability in the context of relevant recommendations from the recent Disability Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability in Australia.
RESULTS
Health literacy skills enable individuals to access, understand, appraise, remember and use health information and services. Shared decision making has been described for children with chronic conditions and supported decision making for adults with intellectual disability. Decision-making contributes to how individuals appraise and use healthcare. The rapid review found very limited evidence of outcomes where children and adolescents with intellectual disability have been supported to contribute to their healthcare decisions. Recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission highlight current needs for greater efforts to support and build the capacity of individuals with disability to be involved in the decisions that affect their life, including healthcare decision making.
CONCLUSIONS
Existing rights frameworks and healthcare standards confirm the importance of providing all people with the opportunities to learn and practise health literacy skills including decision making. There is little literature examining interventions for healthcare decision making for children with intellectual disability. Childhood is a critical time for the development of skills and autonomy. Evidence for how children and adolescents with intellectual disability can learn and practice healthcare decision-making skills in preparation for adulthood is needed to reduce inequities in their autonomy.
Topics: Humans; Intellectual Disability; Adolescent; Child; Health Literacy; Decision Making; Australia; Patient Participation; Decision Making, Shared
PubMed: 38849806
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02204-5 -
Journal of the American Academy of... Jun 2024Patients who leave against medical advice (AMA) face increased risks of negative health outcomes, presenting a challenge for healthcare systems. This study examines...
INTRODUCTION
Patients who leave against medical advice (AMA) face increased risks of negative health outcomes, presenting a challenge for healthcare systems. This study examines demographic and hospital course factors associated with patients leaving AMA after an upper extremity (UE) orthopaedic procedure.
METHODS
We analyzed 262,912 patients who underwent UE orthopaedic procedures between 2011 and 2020, using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database. We then compared demographic and hospital course factors between patients who left AMA and those who did not leave AMA.
RESULTS
Of 262,912 UE orthopaedic patients, 0.45% (1,173) left AMA. Those more likely to leave AMA were aged 30 to 49 (OR, 5.953, P < 0.001), Black (OR, 1.708, P < 0.001), had Medicaid (OR, 3.436, P < 0.001), and were in the 1st to 25th income percentile (OR, 1.657, P < 0.001). Female patients were less likely to leave AMA than male patients (OR, 0.647, P < 0.001). Patients leaving AMA had longer stays (3.626 versus 2.363 days, P < 0.001) and longer recovery times (2.733 versus 1.977, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
We found that male, Black, younger than 49 years old, Medicaid-insured, and lowest income quartile patients are more likely to leave AMA after UE orthopaedic treatment.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Upper Extremity; Adult; Orthopedic Procedures; Risk Factors; United States; Aged; Medicaid; Sex Factors; Length of Stay; Young Adult; Treatment Refusal
PubMed: 38848462
DOI: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-23-00063 -
Indian Journal of Palliative Care 2024The use of physical restraints (PR) in healthcare settings, especially in psychiatric units, is a controversial topic. The attitude, knowledge, and practices of nurses... (Review)
Review
The use of physical restraints (PR) in healthcare settings, especially in psychiatric units, is a controversial topic. The attitude, knowledge, and practices of nurses towards PR can influence its application, which raises concerns about the balance between patient safety and individual rights. With mental disorders being a leading cause of disability globally, understanding the complexities surrounding PR use becomes paramount. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using multiple databases, including PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, The Cochrane Library, the Saudi Digital Library, and Google Scholar. The search spanned literature published up to December 2022, focusing on studies that explored the relationship between nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding PR in psychiatric settings. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to filter out relevant studies. From 220 records initially retrieved, 12 articles were identified for the final review. The reviewed studies highlighted a moderate knowledge and attitude among nurses concerning PR. Many nurses were found to be uncertain about the reasons for PR application and its alternatives. Educational interventions were emphasized in several studies as beneficial in improving nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. However, inconsistencies were observed regarding the impact of these interventions on nurses' attitudes. Experience, higher education, and continuous training sessions were found to be correlated with better knowledge and more favourable attitudes towards PR. This review emphasizes the critical need for consistent training and education for nurses regarding PR, given the profound implications for patient care and safety. While educational interventions show promise in enhancing knowledge and practice, their impact on attitudes remains contested. Future research should consider the gaps identified in this review, including the exploration of alternatives to PR, larger sample sizes and longitudinal studies to understand the long-term effects of interventions.
PubMed: 38846135
DOI: 10.25259/IJPC_227_2023 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Dec 2024Data on routine childhood vaccination coverage can only tell us who is under-vaccinated; it cannot explain why vaccine coverage is low. Collecting data on the reasons...
Data on routine childhood vaccination coverage can only tell us who is under-vaccinated; it cannot explain why vaccine coverage is low. Collecting data on the reasons behind under-vaccination is necessary to implement cost-effective strategies that address key barriers and target interventions appropriately. However, no instruments that measure both vaccine acceptance and access factors among parents of children <5 y have been validated in high-income countries. This study aims to develop and validate the Vaccine Barriers Assessment Tool (VBAT) for Australia. We applied three phases of mixed methods data collection and analysis. In Phase 1, we developed a comprehensive list of 80 items reflecting all potential parental barriers to childhood vaccination, derived from published literature and behavioral theory. Through cognitive interviews ( = 28), we refined this list to 45 items. In Phase 2, we conducted a two-wave online survey to test the reliability and validity of these items in an Australian sample of parents ( = 532) with structural equation modeling, further refining the list to 35 items. In Phase 3, we conducted a final parent survey ( = 156), administering these items along with the Parent Attitudes toward Childhood Vaccination (PACV) scale for comparison. We reviewed participants' immunization register data to assess the predictive validity of the proposed models. The final 6-item short form and 15-item long form Vaccine Barriers Assessment Tool assess access, communal benefit, personal risk, equity, commitment, social norms, and trust in health-care workers. It is being applied for national surveillance in Australia and will be adapted for additional populations and vaccines.
Topics: Humans; Australia; Parents; Female; Infant; Child, Preschool; Male; Vaccination; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adult; Vaccination Coverage; Reproducibility of Results; Vaccination Hesitancy; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Vaccines
PubMed: 38845399
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2359623