Adherence to clinical practice guidelines and outcomes in diabetic patients

The long-term survival and quality of life of patients on hemodialysis is dependant on the adequacy of dialysis via an appropriately placed vascular access. The native arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) at the wrist is generally accepted as the vascular access of choice in hemodialysis patients due to its low complication and high patency rates. It has been shown beyond doubt that an optimally functioning AV fistula is a good prognostic factor of patient morbidity and mortality in the dialysis phase. Recent clinical practice guidelines recommend the creation of a vascular access (native fistula or synthetic graft) before the start of chronic hemodialysis therapy to prevent the need for complication-prone dialysis catheters. A multidisciplinary approach, including nephrologists, surgeons, interventional radiologists, and nurses should improve the hemodialysis outcome by promoting the use of native AV fistulae. An important additional component of this program is the Doppler ultrasound for preoperative vascular mapping. This approach may be realized without unsuccessful surgical explorations, with a minimal early failure rate, and a high maturation, even in risk groups such as elderly and diabetic patients. Vascular access care is responsible for a significant proportion of health care costs in the first year of hemodialysis. These results also support clinical practice guidelines that recommend the preferential placement of a native fistula.

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Variation in the Frequency of Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Testing: Population Studies Used to Assess Compliance with Clinical Practice Guidelines and Use of HbA1c to Screen for Diabetes

Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology ◽

10.1177/193229680900300302 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 411-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Andrew W. Lyon ◽

Trefor Higgins ◽

James C. Wesenberg ◽

David V. Tran ◽

George S. Cembrowski

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Clinical Practice Guidelines ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Regional Differences ◽

Hemoglobin A1c ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Frequency Distributions ◽

Patients With Diabetes ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Laboratory Information Systems

Background: The volume of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing has increased dramatically over the past decade and few studies have attempted to determine how the test is used. The goals of this study were to evaluate the frequency of HbA1c testing in regional populations to assess the extent of screening for diabetes and to determine if the HbA1c testing intervals of known diabetic patients were consistent with clinical practice guidelines. Methods: Two years of HbA1c results were extracted from laboratory information systems in four regions of the province of Alberta that represent urban, mixed urban-rural, and rural populations. HbA1c testing frequencies and the proportions of nondiabetic patients undergoing HbA1c tests were derived. Results: Approximately 60% of HbA1c tests in each region were done on patients who had only a single test during the 2-year interval. Testing of nondiabetic patients accounted for 24% of HbA1c tests and varied by region. While the cumulative frequency distributions of HbA1c test intervals resembled each other, detailed analyses of the frequency distributions depicted broad multimodal peaks and regional variations that suggest a great deal of heterogeneity among practices. The most common HbA1c testing interval was 3 months ± 3 weeks in each region and is consistent with the 3-month test interval target in a clinical practice guideline. Conclusions: HbA1c testing is being performed on a substantial proportion of nondiabetic patients. On average, patients with diabetes in Alberta receive 1.5 HbA1c tests per year. However, we observed regional differences in the frequency of testing and variation in compliance with clinical practice guidelines.

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High Flow Oxygen Therapy and the Pressure to Feed Infants With Acute Respiratory Illness

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-19-00158 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 1006-1010

Author(s):

Jennifer Raminick ◽

Hema Desai

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Clinical Practice Guidelines ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Oxygen Therapy ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

High Flow ◽

Oral Feeding ◽

Respiratory Support ◽

Acute Respiratory Illness ◽

High Flow Oxygen

Purpose Infants hospitalized for an acute respiratory illness often require the use of noninvasive respiratory support during the initial stage to improve their breathing. High flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) is becoming a more popular means of noninvasive respiratory support, often used to treat respiratory syncytial virus/bronchiolitis. These infants present with tachypnea and coughing, resulting in difficulties in coordinating sucking and swallowing. However, they are often allowed to feed orally despite having high respiratory rate, increased work of breathing and on HFOT, placing them at risk for aspiration. Feeding therapists who work with these infants have raised concerns that HFOT creates an additional risk factor for swallowing dysfunction, especially with infants who have compromised airways or other comorbidities. There is emerging literature concluding changes in pharyngeal pressures with HFOT, as well as aspiration in preterm neonates who are on nasal continuous positive airway pressure. However, there is no existing research exploring the effect of HFOT on swallowing in infants with acute respiratory illness. This discussion will present findings from literature on HFOT, oral feeding in the acutely ill infant population, and present clinical practice guidelines for safe feeding during critical care admission for acute respiratory illness. Conclusion Guidelines for safety of oral feeds for infants with acute respiratory illness on HFOT do not exist. However, providers and parents continue to want to provide oral feeds despite clinical signs of respiratory distress and coughing. To address this challenge, we initiated a process change to use clinical bedside evaluation and a “cross-systems approach” to provide recommendations for safer oral feeds while on HFOT as the infant is recovering from illness. Use of standardized feeding evaluation and protocol have improved consistency of practice within our department. However, further research is still necessary to develop clinical practice guidelines for safe oral feeding for infants on HFOT.

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