scholarly journals Improving adherence to guideline recommendations in dementia care through establishing a quality improvement collaborative of agents of change: an interrupted time series study

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Laver ◽  
Monica Cations ◽  
Gorjana Radisic ◽  
Lenore de la Perrelle ◽  
Richard Woodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Guideline Recommendation ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
People With Dementia

Abstract Background Non-pharmacological interventions including physical activity programmes, occupational therapy and caregiver education programmes have been shown to lead to better outcomes for people with dementia and their care partners. Yet, there are gaps between what is recommended in guidelines and what happens in practice. The aim of this study was to bring together clinicians working in dementia care and establish a quality improvement collaborative. The aim of the quality improvement collaborative was to increase self-reported guideline adherence to three guideline recommendations. Methods Interrupted time series. We recruited health professionals from community, hospital and aged care settings across Australia to join the collaborative. Members of the collaborative participated in a start-up meeting, completed an online learning course with clinical and quality improvement content, formed a quality improvement plan which was reviewed by a team of experts, received feedback following an audit of their current practice and were able to share experiences with their peers. The primary outcome was self-reported adherence to their guideline recommendation of interest which was measured using checklists. Data were collected monthly over a period of 18 months, and the study used an interrupted time series design and multilevel Poisson regression analysis to evaluate changes in self-reported adherence. Results A total of 45 health professionals (78% therapists) from different sites joined the collaborative and 28 completed all requirements. Data from 1717 checklists were included in the analyses. Over the duration of the project, there was a significant increase in clinician self-reported adherence to guideline recommendations with a 42.1% immediate increase in adherence (incidence rate ratio = 1.42; 95% confidence interval = 1.08–1.87; p = 0.012). Conclusion Health professionals working with people with dementia are interested in and willing to join a quality improvement collaborative with the goal of improving non-pharmacological aspects of care. Participation in the collaborative improved the quality of care for people with dementia as measured through self-reported adherence to guideline recommendations. Although there are challenges in implementation of guideline recommendations within dementia care, the quality improvement collaborative method was considered successful. A strength was that it equipped and empowered clinicians to lead improvement activities and allowed for heterogeneity in terms of service and setting. Trial registration ACTRN12618000268246

scholarly journals Improving the quality of dementia care through establishing a quality improvement collaborative of Agents of Change: an interrupted time series study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Laver ◽  
Monica Cations ◽  
Gorjana Radisic ◽  
Lenore de la Perrelle ◽  
Richard Woodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Guideline Recommendation ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
People With Dementia

Abstract Background: Non-pharmacological interventions including physical activity programs, occupational therapy and caregiver education programs have been shown to lead to better outcomes for people with dementia and their care partners. Yet, there are gaps between what is recommended in guidelines and what happens in practice. The aim of this study was to bring together clinicians working in dementia care and establish a quality improvement collaborative. The aim of the quality improvement collaborative was to increase guideline adherence to three guideline recommendations. Methods: We recruited health professionals from community, hospital and aged care settings across Australia to join the collaborative. Members of the collaborative participated in a start-up meeting, completed an online learning course with clinical and quality improvement content, formed a quality improvement plan which was reviewed by a team of experts, received feedback following an audit of their current practice and were able to share experiences with their peers. The primary outcome was adherence to their guideline recommendation of interest which was measured using checklists. Data were collected monthly over a period of 18 months and the study used an interrupted time series design to evaluate changes in adherence. Results: A total of 45 health professionals (78% therapists) from different sites joined the collaborative and 28 completed all requirements. Data from 1717 checklists were included in the analyses. Over the duration of the project there was a significant increase in clinician adherence to guideline recommendations with a 42.1% immediate increase in adherence (Incidence Rate Ratio =1.42; 95% Confidence Interval =1.08-1.87; p=0.012). Conclusion: Health professionals working with people with dementia are interested and willing in joining a quality improvement collaborative with the goal of improving non-pharmacological aspects of care. Participation in the collaborative improved the quality of care for people with dementia as measured through adherence to guideline recommendations. Although there are challenges in implementation of guideline recommendations within dementia care the quality improvement collaborative method was well suited as it equipped and empowered clinicians to lead improvement activities and allowed for heterogeneity in terms of service and setting.

scholarly journals How, why and under what circumstances does a quality improvement collaborative build knowledge and skills in clinicians working with people with dementia? A realist informed process evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e001147
Author(s):  
Lenore de la Perrelle ◽  
Monica Cations ◽  
Gaery Barbery ◽  
Gorjana Radisic ◽  
Billingsley Kaambwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
Programme Theory ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
People With Dementia

In increasingly constrained health and aged care services, strategies are needed to improve quality and translate evidence into practice. In dementia care, recent failures in quality and safety have led the WHO to prioritise the translation of known evidence into practice. While quality improvement collaboratives have been widely used in healthcare, there are few examples in dementia care.We describe a recent quality improvement collaborative to improve dementia care across Australia and assess the implementation outcomes of acceptability and feasibility of this strategy to translate known evidence into practice. A realist-informed process evaluation was used to analyse how, why and under what circumstances a quality improvement collaborative built knowledge and skills in clinicians working in dementia care.This realist-informed process evaluation developed, tested and refined the programme theory of a quality improvement collaborative. Data were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention using surveys and interviews with participants (n=28). A combined inductive and deductive data analysis process integrated three frameworks to examine the context and mechanisms of knowledge and skill building in participant clinicians.A refined program theory showed how and why clinicians built knowledge and skills in quality improvement in dementia care. Six mechanisms were identified: motivation, accountability, identity, collective learning, credibility and reflective practice. These mechanisms, in combination, operated to overcome constraints, role boundaries and pessimism about improved practice in dementia care.A quality improvement collaborative designed for clinicians in different contexts and roles was acceptable and feasible in building knowledge, skills and confidence of clinicians to improve dementia care. Supportive reflective practice and a credible, flexible and collaborative process optimised quality improvement knowledge and skills in clinicians working with people with dementia.Trial registration numberACTRN12618000268246.

scholarly journals HOW, WHY AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES DOES A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COLLABORATIVE BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN CLINICIANS WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA? A REALIST INFORMED PROCESS EVALUATION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenore A de la Perrelle ◽  
Monica Cations ◽  
Gaery Barbery ◽  
Garjana Radisic ◽  
Billingsley Kaambwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Program Theory ◽  
World Health ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
People With Dementia

In increasingly constrained health and aged care services, strategies are needed to improve quality and translate evidence into practice. In dementia care, recent failures in quality and safety have led the World Health Organisation to prioritise the translation of known evidence into practice. While quality improvement collaboratives have been widely used in healthcare, there are few examples in dementia care. We describe a recent quality improvement collaborative to improve dementia care across Australia and assess the implementation outcomes of acceptability and feasibility of this strategy to translate known evi-dence into practice. A realist-informed process evaluation was used to analyse how, why and under what circumstances a quality improvement collaborative built knowledge and skills in clinicians working in dementia care. This realist-informed process evaluation developed, tested, and refined the program theory of a quality improvement collaborative. Data were collected pre-and post-intervention using surveys and interviews with participants (n=24). A combined inductive and deductive data analysis process integrated three frameworks to examine the context and mechanisms of knowledge and skill building in participant clinicians. A refined program theory showed how and why clinicians built knowledge and skills in quality improvement in dementia care. Seven mechanisms were identified: motivation, accountability, identity, collective learning, credibility, and reflective practice. Each of these mechanisms operated differently according to context. A quality improvement collaborative designed for clinicians in different contexts and roles was acceptable and feasible in building knowledge and skills of clinicians to improve dementia care. A supportive setting and a credible, flexible, and collaborative process optimises quality improvement knowledge and skills in clinicians working with people with dementia.

scholarly journals LO22: Improving the pain experience for children with limb injury: a city-wide quality improvement collaborative

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (S1) ◽  
pp. S14-S14
Author(s):  
J. Thull-Freedman ◽  
T. Williamson ◽  
E. Pols ◽  
A. McFetridge ◽  
S. Libbey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Time Series Analysis ◽  
Median Time ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Limb Injury ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Limb Injuries

Introduction: Undertreated pain is known to cause short and long-term harm in children. Limb injuries are a common painful condition in emergency department (ED) patients, accounting for 12% of ED visits by children. Our city has one pediatric ED in a freestanding children’s hospital and 3 general ED’s that treat both adults and children. 68% of pediatric limb injuries in our city are treated in the pediatric ED and 32% are treated in a general ED. A quality improvement (QI) initiative was developed at the children’s hospital ED in April 2015 focusing on “Commitment to Comfort.” After achieving aims at the childrens hospital, a QI collaborative was formed among the pediatric ED and the 3 general ED’s to 1) improve the proportion of children citywide receiving analgesia for limb injuries from 27% to 40% and 2) reduce the median time to analgesia from 37 minutes to 15 minutes, during the time period of April-September, 2016. Methods: Data were obtained from computerized order entry records for children 0-17.99 years visiting any participating ED with a chief complaint of limb injury. Project teams from each site met monthly to discuss aims, develop key driver diagrams, plan tests of change, and share learnings. Implementation strategies were based on the Model for Improvement with PDSA cycles. Patient and family consultation was obtained. Process measures included the proportion of children treated with analgesic medication and time to analgesia; balancing measures were duration of triage and length of stay for limb injury and all patients. Site-specific run charts were used to detect special cause variation. Data from all sites were combined at study end to measure city-wide impact using 2 and interrupted time series analysis. Results: During the 3.5-year time period studied (April 1, 2014-September 30, 2017), there were 45,567 visits to the participating ED’s by children 0-17.99 years with limb injury. All visits were included in analysis. Special cause was detected in run charts of all process measures. Interrupted time series analysis comparing the year prior to implementation at the childrens hospital in April 2015 to the year following completion of implementation at the 3 general hospitals in October 2016 demonstrated that the proportion of patients with limb injury receiving analgesia increased from 27% to 40% (p<0.01), and the median time from arrival to analgesia decreased from 37 to 11 minutes (p<0.01). Balancing measure analysis is in progress. Conclusion: This multisite initiative emphasizing “Commitment to Comfort” was successful in improving pain outcomes for all children with limb injuries seen in city-wide ED’s, and was sustained for one year following implementation. A QI collaborative can be an effective method for spreading improvement. The project team is now spreading the Commitment to Comfort initiative to over 30 rural and regional EDs throughout the province through establishment of a provincial QI collaborative.

Effect of a health system payment and quality improvement programme for tonsillectomy in Ontario, Canada: an interrupted time series analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2021-013110
Author(s):  
Sanjay Mahant ◽  
Jun Guan ◽  
Jessie Zhang ◽  
Sima Gandhi ◽  
Evan Jon Propst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Improve Quality ◽  
Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽  
Quality Improvement Programme ◽  
Improvement Programme

BackgroundTonsillectomy is among the most common and cumulatively expensive surgical procedures in children, with known variations in quality of care. However, evidence on health system interventions to improve quality of care is limited. The Quality-Based Procedures (QBP) programme in Ontario, Canada, introduced fixed episode hospital payment per tonsillectomy and disseminated a perioperative care pathway. We determined the association of this payment and quality improvement programme with tonsillectomy quality of care.MethodsInterrupted time series analysis of children undergoing elective tonsillectomy at community and children’s hospitals in Ontario in the QBP period (1 April 2014 to 31 December 2018) and the pre-QBP period (1 January 2009 to 31 January 2014) using health administrative data. We compared the age-standardised and sex-standardised rates for all-cause tonsillectomy-related revisits within 30 days, opioid prescription fills within 30 days and index tonsillectomy inpatient admission.Results111 411 children underwent tonsillectomy: 51 967 in the QBP period and 59 444 in the pre-QBP period (annual median number of hospitals, 86 (range 77–93)). Following QBP programme implementation, revisit rates decreased for all-cause tonsillectomy-related revisits (0.48 to −0.18 revisits per 1000 tonsillectomies per month; difference −0.66 revisits per 1000 tonsillectomies per month (95% CI −0.97 to −0.34); p<0.0001). Codeine prescription fill rate continued to decrease but at a slower rate (−4.81 to −0.11 prescriptions per 1000 tonsillectomies per month; difference 4.69 (95% CI 3.60 to 5.79) prescriptions per 1000 tonsillectomies per month; p<0.0001). The index tonsillectomy inpatient admission rate decreased (1.12 to 0.23 admissions per 1000 tonsillectomies per month; difference −0.89 (95% CI −1.33 to −0.44) admissions per 1000 tonsillectomies per month; p<0.0001).ConclusionsThe payment and quality improvement programme was associated with several improvements in quality of care. These findings may inform jurisdictions planning health system interventions to improve quality of care for tonsillectomy and other paediatric procedures.

Singapore

2019 ◽  
pp. 79-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kua Ee Heok ◽  
Iris Rawtaer
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Day Care ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Day Care Centres ◽  
Set Up

The main caregivers of elderly people with dementia in Singapore are the family. In recent years, community services like day care centres, home care, respite care, and nursing homes have expanded. Non-governmental organizations are actively involved in providing a spectrum of services, ranging from medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and counselling. General hospitals have set up geriatric and psycho-geriatric teams for dementia patients. There is now a focus on dementia prevention, and a successful prevention programme has been extended to three additional community centres. The challenge ahead is not only having sufficient dementia services, but also ensuring there are sufficient trained health professionals to provide the services. Current strengths in dementia care include strong emphasis on family care, increased availability of dementia community services like day care centres, and increased number of health professionals trained in dementia care. Future priorities include integrating hospital care into the community, keeping down the cost of dementia care, and creating dementia-friendly environments.

scholarly journals LO35: A province-wide quality improvement collaborative for treatment of children's pain in Alberta's emergency departments

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S19-S19
Author(s):  
J. Thull-Freedman ◽  
E. Pols ◽  
A. McFetridge ◽  
S. Libbey ◽  
K. Lonergan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Pain Score ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Control Charts ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
Topical Anesthetic ◽  
Children's Pain ◽  
Underlying Trend

Background: Pediatric pain is often under-treated in emergency departments (EDs), causing short and long-term harm. In Alberta EDs, children's pain outcomes were unknown. A recent quality improvement collaborative (QIC) led by our team improved children's pain care in 4 urban EDs. We then spread to all EDs in Alberta using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Framework for Going to Full Scale. Aim Statement: To increase the proportion of children <12 years who receive topical anesthetic before needle procedures from 11% to 50%; and for children <17 years with fractures: to 1) increase the proportion receiving analgesia from 31% to 50%; 2) increase the proportion with pain score documentation from 24% to 50%, and 3) reduce time to analgesia from 60 to 30 minutes, within 1 year. Measures & Design: All 97 EDs in Alberta that treat children were invited. Each was asked to form a project team, attend webinars, develop key driver diagrams and perform PDSA tests of change. Sites were given a monthly list of randomly selected charts for audit and entered data in REDCap for upload to a provincial run chart dashboard. Baseline performance measurement informed aims. Measures included proportion of children <12 years undergoing a lab test who received topical anesthetic, and for children <17 years with fracture, the proportion with a pain score, proportion receiving analgesia and median minutes to analgesia. Length of stay and use of opioids were balancing measures. Control charts were used to detect special cause. Interrupted time series (ITS) was performed to assess significance and trends. Evaluation/Results: 36 sites (37%) participated, including rural and urban sites from all regions. 8417 visits were audited. 23/36 sites completed audits before and after tests of change and were analyzed. Special cause occurred for all aims. The proportion receiving topical anesthetic increased from 11% to 30% (ITS p < 0. 001). For children with fractures, the proportion with pain scores increased from 24% to 34% (ITS p = 0.21, underlying trend present), proportion receiving analgesic medication increased from 31% to 39% (ITS p = 0.41, underlying trend present) and minutes to analgesia decreased from 60 to 28 (ITS p < 0. 01). There was no increase in length of stay or use of opioid medications. Discussion/Impact: A pragmatic approach encouraging locally led change was well-received and key to success. The QIC method shows promise for improving outcomes in diverse EDs across large geographic areas. Next steps include further spread and sustainability measurement.

Effectiveness of an intervention to improve antibiotic-prescribing behaviour in primary care: a controlled, interrupted time-series study

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 2788-2796 ◽  
Author(s):  
António Teixeira Rodrigues ◽  
Fátima Roque ◽  
Maria Piñeiro-Lamas ◽  
Amílcar Falcão ◽  
Adolfo Figueiras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Narrow Spectrum

Abstract Background High rates of antibiotic misprescribing in primary care, with alarming clinical and economic consequences, highlight the urgent need for interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing in this setting. Objectives To assess the effectiveness on antibiotic prescribing quality indicators of a multifaceted intervention targeting health professionals’ and patients’ behaviour regarding antibiotic use. Methods We conducted a pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial in the catchment area covered by Portugal’s Central Regional Health Administration. The intervention consisted of a multidisciplinary, multifaceted programme involving physicians, pharmacists and patients, and comprising outreach visits for physicians and pharmacists, and educational materials for health professionals and patients. The following were assessed: relative ratios of prescription of penicillins sensitive to β-lactamase, penicillin combinations including β-lactamase inhibitors, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones; and the ratio of broad- to narrow-spectrum antibiotics. An interrupted time-series analysis for multiple-group comparisons was performed. The study protocol was registered on Clinical.trials.gov (NCT02173509). Results The participation rate in the educational intervention was 64% (197/309 GPs) in a total of 25 counties. Statistically significant improvements were obtained, not only in the relative prescription of penicillins sensitive to β-lactamase (overall relative change of +896%) and penicillin combinations including β-lactamase inhibitors (−161%), but also in the ratio of broad- to narrow-spectrum antibiotics (−200%). Statistically significant results were also obtained for third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, though only in the immediate term. Conclusions This study showed that quality indicators of antibiotic prescribing can be improved by tackling influences on behaviour including knowledge and attitudes surrounding physicians’ clinical practice. Accordingly, these determinants must be considered when implementing interventions aimed at improving antibiotic prescribing.

scholarly journals Evaluating the impact of a hospital scale-up phase of a quality improvement intervention in Ghana on mortality for children under five

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavita Singh ◽  
Ilene Speizer ◽  
Pierre M Barker ◽  
Josephine Nana Afrakoma Agyeman-Duah ◽  
Justina Agula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Facility Level ◽  
Provision Of Care ◽  
Southern Ghana

Abstract Objective To evaluate the scale-up phase of a national quality improvement initiative across hospitals in Southern Ghana. Design This evaluation used a comparison of pre- and post-intervention means to assess changes in outcomes over time. Multivariable interrupted time series analyses were performed to determine whether change categories (interventions) tested were associated with improvements in the outcomes. Setting Hospitals in Southern Ghana Participants The data sources were monthly outcome data from intervention hospitals along with program records. Intervention The project used a quality improvement approach whereby process failures were identified by health staff and process changes were implemented in hospitals and their corresponding communities. The three change categories were: timely care-seeking, prompt provision of care and adherence to protocols. Main outcome measures Facility-level neonatal mortality, facility-level postneonatal infant mortality and facility-level postneonatal under-five mortality. Results There were significant improvements for two outcomes from the pre-intervention to the post-intervention phase. Postneonatal infant mortality dropped from 44.3 to 21.1 postneonatal infant deaths per 1000 admissions, while postneonatal under-five mortality fell from 23.1 to 11.8 postneonatal under-five deaths per 1000 admissions. The multivariable interrupted time series analysis indicated that over the long-term the prompt provision of care change category was significantly associated with reduced postneonatal under five mortality (β = −0.0024, 95% CI −0.0051, 0.0003, P < 0.10). Conclusions The reduced postneonatal under-five mortality achieved in this project gives support to the promotion of quality improvement as a means to achieve health impacts at scale.

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