Mortality meetings in geriatric medicine: strategies for improvement.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Dunbar J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4645940 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Backgroundthe Geriatric Perioperative Care clinic at North Bristol NHS Trust was suspended in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual clinic was piloted to deliver preoperative health optimisation and shared decision-making for patients undergoing critical elective surgery. No literature existed on virtual preoperative clinics for older people to support the development.Objectivethis healthcare improvement study describes the setup and delivery of the virtual clinic as its primary aim. Secondary aims included: assessing older people's access to technology and their digital literacy for virtual consultation; to describe barriers and facilitators for consultations, as well as evaluation of patient and clinician satisfaction with the consultations' mode of delivery and outcomes.Methodsa mixed methods healthcare improvement study was undertaken through plan-do-study-act cycles, semi-structure interviews, and quantitative service benchmarking.Resultsthe pilot evaluated 67 preoperative consultations (43.3% video, 56.7% telephone, mean age 75) with a mix of surgical pathology (vascular 88.1%, colorectal 10.4%, urological 1.5%). Patient feedback demonstrated improved understanding of conditions (90.6%), and adequate opportunity to express opinions and questions (96.2%). Clinicians preferred video consultations (adequate to deliver services: 89.7% video; 68.4% telephone). The greatest barriers to engagement, none of which were exclusions to participation, included cognitive impairment, sensory impairment, or needing technical assistance setting up video consultations (52.2%).Conclusionsdelivering a virtual preoperative medical optimisation and shared decision clinic for older people is feasible. This study will aid other units in developing their own virtual preoperative clinics. Future work should evaluate perioperative outcomes of delivering a face-to-face versus virtual clinic.
| S-EPMC8240915 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Education in quality improvement (QI) is endorsed by the Association of American Medical Colleges across the spectrum of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate training. QI training is also a required component of graduate medical training per the American College of Graduate Medical Education. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of QI education and high levels of trainee involvement in QI as reported by pulmonary and critical care fellowship program directors, significant barriers to the implementation of effective and meaningful QI education during training exist. This creates an opportunity for the promotion of successfully implemented QI programs. Research demonstrates that successful QI educational programs involve the teaching of key QI concepts, participation in QI projects, protected time for QI project development, and institutional support. Using QI models such as the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle and the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence framework for reporting new knowledge about healthcare improvements also enhances both the educational value of the QI project and prospects for wider scholarly dissemination. In this perspective article, three examples of QI projects are discussed that serve to illustrate effective strategies of QI implementation.
| S-EPMC8043285 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:Timely multidisciplinary family meetings (TMFMs) promote shared decision-making. Despite guidelines that recommend meetings for all patients with serious illness, our NICU TMFM rate was 10%. In this study, we aimed to document a meeting within 5 days of hospitalization for 50% of all new NICU patients hospitalized for ?5 days within 1 year of introducing interventions. METHODS:A multidisciplinary improvement team used the Model for Improvement to achieve the study aim by targeting key drivers of change. To make meetings easier, we introduced scheduling and documentation tools. To make meetings more customary, we provided education and reminders to professionals. We defined a TMFM as a documented discussion between a parent, a neonatologist, and a nonphysician professional, such as a nurse, within 5 days of hospitalization. We used statistical process control charts to assess the monthly proportion of new patients with a TMFM. In surveys and feedback sessions, family and clinician satisfaction with communication was assessed. RESULTS:TMFM documentation tripled during the intervention year when compared with the previous year (28 of 267 [10.5%] vs 70 of 224 [31.3%]; P < .001), revealing evidence of special cause variation on the statistical process control chart. Clinicians predominantly used ad hoc documentation instead of our scheduling and documentation tools. Parental satisfaction with care and communication did not vary significantly after interventions. Most physicians reported satisfaction with meetings. Nurses reported feeling empowered to request meetings. CONCLUSIONS:An academic, quaternary-care NICU tripled TMFM documentation after introducing a multifaceted intervention. This improvement may represent changes in professionals' attitudes about providing and documenting family meetings.
| S-EPMC7104716 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There is an enormous humanitarian and socioeconomic need to improve the quality and effectiveness of care for patients with hip fracture. To reduce mechanical complications in the osteosynthesis of proximal femoral fractures, improved fixation techniques have been developed including blade or screw-anchor devices, locked minimally invasive or cement augmentation strategies. However, despite numerous innovations and advances regarding implant design and surgical techniques, systemic and mechanical complication rates remain high. Treatment success depends on secure implant fixation in often-osteoporotic bone as well as on patient-specific factors (fracture stability, bone quality, comorbidity, and gender) and surgeon-related factors (experience, correct reduction, and optimal screw placement in the head/neck fragment). For fracture fixation, the anchorage of the lag screw within the femoral head plays a crucial role depending on the implant's design. Meta-analyses and randomized controlled studies demonstrate that there is a strong trend towards arthroplasty treating geriatric femoral neck fractures. However, for young adults as well as older patients with less compromised bone quality, or in undisplaced fractures, head-preserving therapy is preferred as it is less invasive and associated with good functional results. This review summarizes the evidence for the internal fixation of femoral neck fractures and trochanteric femoral fractures in elderly patients. In addition, biomechanical considerations regarding implant anchorage in the femoral head including rotation, migration, and femoral neck shortening are made. Finally, cement augmentation strategies for hip fracture implants are evaluated critically.
| S-EPMC6753995 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo create user-friendly search filters with high sensitivity, specificity, and precision to identify articles on geriatric medicine in Medline.DesignA diagnostic test assessment framework was used. A reference set of 2255 articles was created by hand-searching 22 biomedical journals in Medline, and each article was labeled as 'relevant', 'not relevant', or 'possibly relevant' for geriatric medicine. From the relevant articles, search terms were identified to compile different search strategies. The articles retrieved by the various search strategies were compared with articles from the reference set as the index test to create the search filters.MeasuresSensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and number-needed-to-read (NNR) were calculated by comparing the results retrieved by the different search strategies with the reference set.ResultsThe most sensitive search filter had a sensitivity of 94.8%, a specificity of 88.7%, a precision of 73.0%, and an accuracy of 90.2%. It had an NNR of 1.37. The most specific search filter had a specificity of 96.6%, a sensitivity of 69.1%, a precision of 86.6%, and an accuracy of 89.9%. It had an NNR of 1.15.ConclusionThese geriatric search filters simplify searching for relevant literature and therefore contribute to better evidence-based practice. The filters are useful to both the clinician who wants to find a quick answer to a clinical question and the researcher who wants to find as many relevant articles as possible without retrieving too many irrelevant articles.
| S-EPMC3341784 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adults aged 65 years and older account for more than 33% of annual visits to internal medicine (IM) generalists and specialists. Geriatrics experiences are not standardized for IM residents. Data are lacking on IM residents' continuity experiences with older adults and competencies relevant to their care.To explore patient demographics and the prevalence of common geriatric conditions in IM residents' continuity clinics.We collected data on age and sex for all IM residents' active clinic patients during 2011-2012. Academic site continuity panels for 351 IM residents were drawn from 4 academic medical center sites. Common geriatric conditions, defined by Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders measures and the American Geriatrics Society IM geriatrics competencies, were identified through International Classification of Disease, ninth edition, coded electronic problem lists for residents' patients aged 65 years and older and cross-checked by audit of 20% of patients' charts across 1 year.Patient panels for 351 IM residents (of a possible 411, 85%) were reviewed. Older adults made up 21% of patients in IM residents' panels (range, 14%-28%); patients ? 75 (8%) or 85 (2%) years old were relatively rare. Concordance between electronic problem lists and chart audit was poor for most core geriatric conditions. On chart audit, active management of core geriatric conditions was variable: for example, memory loss (10%-25%), falls/gait abnormality (26%-42%), and osteoporosis (11%-35%).The IM residents' exposure to core geriatric conditions and management of older adults was variable across 4 academic medical center sites and often lower than anticipated in community practice.
| S-EPMC5476385 | biostudies-other
Project description:OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the medical literature to assess the effect of geriatric educational games on the satisfaction, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of health care professionals. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review following the Cochrane Collaboration methodology including an electronic search of 10 electronic databases. We included randomized controlled trials (RCT) and controlled clinical trials (CCT) and excluded single arm studies. Population of interests included members (practitioners or students) of the health care professions. Outcomes of interests were participants' satisfaction, knowledge, beliefs, attitude, and behaviors. RESULTS: We included 8 studies evaluating 5 geriatric role playing games, all conducted in United States. All studies suffered from one or more methodological limitations but the overall quality of evidence was acceptable. None of the studies assessed the effects of the games on beliefs or behaviors. None of the 8 studies reported a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of change in attitude. One study assessed the impact on knowledge and found non-statistically significant difference between the 2 groups. Two studies found levels of satisfaction among participants to be high. We did not conduct a planned meta-analysis because the included studies either reported no statistical data or reported different summary statistics. CONCLUSION: The available evidence does not support the use of role playing interventions in geriatric medical education with the aim of improving the attitudes towards the elderly.
| S-EPMC2867807 | biostudies-other
Project description:BACKGROUND:Previous research has found that patients with acute cardiovascular conditions treated in teaching hospitals have lower 30-day mortality during dates of national cardiology meetings. METHODS AND RESULTS:We analyzed 30-day mortality among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (overall, ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, and non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction) from January 1, 2007, to November 31, 2012, in major teaching hospitals during dates of a major annual interventional cardiology meeting (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics) compared with identical nonmeeting days in the ±5 weeks. Treatment differences were assessed. We used a database of US physicians to compare interventional cardiologists who practiced and did not practice during meeting dates ("stayers" and "attendees," respectively) in terms of demographic characteristics and clinical and research productivity. Unadjusted and adjusted 30-day mortality rates were lower among patients admitted during meeting versus nonmeeting dates (unadjusted, 15.3% [482/3153] versus 16.7% [5208/31 556] [P=0.04]; adjusted, 15.4% versus 16.7%; difference -1.3% [95% confidence interval, -2.7% to -0.1%] [P=0.05]). Rates of interventional cardiologist involvement were similar between dates (59.5% versus 59.8% of hospitalizations; P=0.88), as were percutaneous coronary intervention rates (30.2% versus 29.1%; P=0.20). Mortality reductions were largest among patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction not receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (16.9% versus 19.5% adjusted 30-day mortality; P=0.008). Compared with stayers, attendees were of similar age and sex, but had greater publications (18.9 versus 6.3; P<0.001), probability of National Institutes of Health funding (5.3% versus 0.4%; P<0.001), and clinical trial leadership (10.3% versus 3.9%; P<0.001), and they performed more percutaneous coronary interventions annually (85.6 versus 63.3; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:Hospitalization with acute myocardial infarction during Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting dates was associated with lower 30-day mortality, predominantly among patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction who were medically managed.
| S-EPMC5907570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To foster interest in geriatric care, the Queen's Geriatrics Interest Group (QGIG) collaborated with the Division of Geriatric Medicine to arrange a Geriatrics Pre-Clerkship Observership Program.Forty-two pre-clerkship medical students participated in the program between October 2013 and May 2014. Participants were paired with a resident and/or attending physician for a four-hour weekend observership on an inpatient geriatric rehabilitation unit. The program was assessed using: (1) internally developed Likert scales assessing student's experiences and interest in geriatric medicine before and after the observership; (2) University of California Los Angeles-Geriatric Attitudes Scale (UCLA-GAS); and (3) narrative feedback.All participants found the process of setting up the observership easy. Some 72.7% described the observership experience as leading to positive changes in their attitude toward geriatric medicine and 54.5% felt that it stimulated their interest in the specialty. No statistically significant change in UCLA-GAS scores was detected (mean score pre- versus post-observership: 3.5 ± 0.5 versus 3.7 ± 0.4; p=.35). All participants agreed that the program should continue, and 90% stated that they would participate again.The observership program was positively received by students. Structured pre-clerkship observerships may be a feasible method for increasing exposure to geriatric medicine.
| S-EPMC4696450 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Geriatric syndromes are rarely detected in family medicine. Within the AGE program (active geriatric evaluation), a brief assessment tool (BAT) designed for family physicians (FP) was developed and its diagnostic performance estimated by comparison to a comprehensive geriatric assessment.This prospective diagnostic study was conducted in four primary care sites in Switzerland. Participants were aged at least 70 years and attending a routine appointment with their physician, without previous documented geriatric assessment. Participants were assessed by their family physicians using the BAT, and by a geriatriciant who performed a comprehensive geriatric assessment within the following two-month period (reference standard). Both the BAT and the full assessment targeted eight geriatric syndromes: cognitive impairment, mood impairment, urinary incontinence, visual impairment, hearing loss, undernutrition, osteoporosis and gait and balance impairment. Diagnostic accuracy of the BAT was estimated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values; secondary outcomes were measures of feasibility, in terms of added consultation time and comprehensiveness in applying the BAT items.Prevalence of the geriatric syndromes in participants (N=85, 46 (54.1%) women, mean age 78 years (SD 6))ranged from 30.0% (malnutrition and cognitive impairment) to 71.0% (visual impairment), with a median number of 3 syndromes (IQR 2 to 4) per participant. Sensitivity of the BAT ranged from 25.0% for undernutrition (95%CI 9.8% - 46.7%) to 82.1% for hearing impairment (95%CI 66.5% - 92.5%), while specificity ranged from 45.8% for visual impairment (95%CI 25.6-67.2) to 87.7% for undernutrition (76.3% to 94.9%). Finally, most negative predictive values (NPV) were between 73.5% and 84.1%, excluding visual impairment with a NPV of 50.0%. Family physicians reported BAT use as per instructions for 76.7% of the syndromes assessed.Although the BAT does not replace a comprehensive geriatric assessment, it is a useful and appropriate tool for the FP to screen elderly patients for most geriatric syndromes.The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on February 20, 2013 ( NCT01816087 ).
| S-EPMC5850979 | biostudies-literature