Management of the deteriorating adult patient: does simulation-based education improve patient safety?

Author(s):  
Jacqueline Bennion ◽  
Stephanie K Mansell

Failure to recognise the deteriorating patient can cause severe harm and is related to preventable death. Human factors are often identified as contributing factors. Simulation-based education is used to develop clinicians' human factors skills. This article discusses the evidence concerning the efficacy of simulation-based education for improving the recognition and management of the acutely deteriorating adult patient, and the limitations of simulation-based education. Findings demonstrated simulation-based education was the most effective educational method identified for training staff in recognising unwell patients. The evidence demonstrating the impact of simulation-based education on patient outcomes was equivocal. The quality of the evidence was low grade regarding the efficacy of simulation-based education on human factors. Further research is required to confirm the efficacy of simulation-based education for human factors and patient outcomes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii438-iii438
Author(s):  
Kathleen Dorris ◽  
Jessica Channell ◽  
Ashley Mettetal ◽  
Molly Hemenway ◽  
Natalie Briones ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are a class of compounds found in marijuana. Numerous studies in adults have examined cannabinoid use in management of cancer-related symptoms such as nausea, anorexia, and pain. Less is known about the use in the pediatric oncology population. METHODS A prospective observational study has been ongoing since 2016 at Children’s Hospital Colorado to evaluate cannabinoids’ impact using PedsQL™ modules on quality of life of pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors who are 2–18 years old. Laboratory assessments of T-cell activity and pharmacokinetics of CBD, THC and associated metabolites are in process. Diaries with exploratory information on cannabinoid use patterns are being collected. RESULTS Thirty-three patients (14:19; male:female) have been enrolled with a median age of 6.4 years (range, 2.9–17.7 years). The most common tumor type in enrolled patients is embryonal tumors (13/33; 39%). Nine (27%) patients have low-grade glial/glioneuronal tumors, and eight (24%) had high-grade/diffuse midline gliomas. The remaining patients had ependymoma or craniopharyngioma. The median time on cannabinoids is 9 months. Most (n=20) patients have used oral products with CBD and THC. One patient continues on cannabinoid therapy in follow up. Preliminary immune function analyses identified impaired neutrophil superoxide anion production and chemotaxis in patients taking cannabinoids at early time points on therapy. CONCLUSIONS Families of children with various CNS tumors are pursuing cannabinoid therapy for both antitumor and supportive care purposes. Analysis of the impact of cannabinoids on patients’ quality of life is ongoing.


Author(s):  
Joanna Sophia J Vinke ◽  
Marith I Francke ◽  
Michele F Eisenga ◽  
Dennis A Hesselink ◽  
Martin H de Borst

Abstract Iron deficiency (ID) is highly prevalent in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and has been independently associated with an excess mortality risk in this population. Several causes lead to ID in KTRs, including inflammation, medication and an increased iron need after transplantation. Although many studies in other populations indicate a pivotal role for iron as a regulator of the immune system, little is known about the impact of ID on the immune system in KTRs. Moreover, clinical trials in patients with chronic kidney disease or heart failure have shown that correction of ID, with or without anaemia, improves exercise capacity and quality of life, and may improve survival. ID could therefore be a modifiable risk factor to improve graft and patient outcomes in KTRs; prospective studies are warranted to substantiate this hypothesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Laposata

Abstract Background The quality of healthcare in the US has been progressively addressed by 3 reports from the National Academy of Medicine, the latest of which, entitled “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care,” was issued in 2015 from a 21-member panel (the author of this report was a member). The report is a review of the longstanding problem of diagnostic error. The infrastructure of healthcare delivery in the US has inadvertently made diagnostic error a major contributor to the high cost of care and preventable poor patient outcomes. Content This review describes the failures in US healthcare delivery that have led to the overwhelming number of deaths attributable to diagnostic error. Each failure is associated with recommendations to eliminate it. The review begins with a description of the scope of the diagnostic error problem and then discusses each of the issues that need to be addressed to reduce the number of misdiagnoses. Summary The problem of diagnostic error in the US is a large one. Some the contributing factors to this large problem can be resolved at a small expense and with modest change; others require a major overhaul of aspects of medical practice. For the first time, Americans have a “to-do list” to reduce our diagnostic error problem and be on par with other developed countries that are recognized as providing less costly care with better patient outcomes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 134-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Gaynor ◽  
Rodrigo Moreno-Serra ◽  
Carol Propper

The effect of competition on the quality of health care remains a contested issue. Most empirical estimates rely on inference from nonexperimental data. In contrast, this paper exploits a procompetitive policy reform to provide estimates of the impact of competition on hospital outcomes. The English government introduced a policy in 2006 to promote competition between hospitals. Using this policy to implement a difference-in-differences research design, we estimate the impact of the introduction of competition on not only clinical outcomes but also productivity and expenditure. We find that the effect of competition is to save lives without raising costs. (JEL H51, I11, I18, L32, L33)


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga A. Vsevolozhskaya ◽  
Karina C. Manz ◽  
Pierre M. Zephyr ◽  
Teresa M. Waters

Abstract Background Since October 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has penalized 25% of U.S. hospitals with the highest rates of hospital-acquired conditions under the Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program (HACRP). While early evaluations of the HACRP program reported cumulative reductions in hospital-acquired conditions, more recent studies have not found a clear association between receipt of the HACRP penalty and hospital quality of care. We posit that some of this disconnect may be driven by frequent scoring updates. The sensitivity of the HACRP penalties to updates in the program’s scoring methodology has not been independently evaluated. Methods We used hospital discharge records from 14 states to evaluate the association between changes in HACRP scoring methodology and corresponding shifts in penalty status. To isolate the impact of changes in scoring methods over time, we used FY2018 hospital performance data to calculate total HAC scores using FY2015 through FY2018 CMS scoring methodologies. Results Comparing hospital penalty status based on various HACRP scoring methodologies over time, we found a significant overlap between penalized hospitals when using FY 2015 and 2016 scoring methodologies (95%) and between FY 2017 and 2018 methodologies (46%), but substantial differences across early vs later years. Only 15% of hospitals were eligible for penalties across all four years. We also found significant changes in a hospital’s (relative) ranking across the various years, indicating that shifts in penalty status were not driven by small changes in HAC scores clustered around the penalty threshold. Conclusions HACRP penalties have been highly sensitive to program updates, which are generally announced after performance periods are concluded. This disconnect between performance and penalties calls into question the ability of the HACRP to improve patient safety as intended.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chongqing Xu ◽  
Mengchen Yin ◽  
Wen Mo

Abstract Background: Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) has been a common disease that make increasing patients suffer from different degrees of low back pain and radicular symptoms. At present, the incidence of kyphosis in DLS and the differences in spinal sagittal morphology between kyphotic and non-kyphotic DLS still remain unclear. Our study aimed to determine the incidence of kyphosis in DLS, explore the characteristics of spondylolisthetic and spino-pelvic sagittal parameters, and evaluate the impact of kyphosis on the life quality of patients with DLS.Methods/Design: All 108 patients with L4/5 low-grade DLS were enrolled and divided into kyphotic and non-kyphotic group. 2 spine surgeons who have certain clinical experience were selected to measure the spondylolisthetic and spino-pelvic parameters, as well as visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). Differences between the 2 groups and characteristics of measurements were analyzed.Results: The inter-observer agreement of all parameters between the 2 spine surgeons were excellent with each ICC > 0.75. Kyphotic group had higher SA, SD, SDM, SAM, PDH, PT and SVA, and lower ADH, SS and LL than those in non-kyphotic group (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in PI and TK between the two groups (p > 0.05).Conclusion: The incidence of kyphotic spondylolisthesis in patients with L4/5 low-grade DLS is 16.7%. Compared with those in non-kyphotic group, patients with kyphosis show inferior results of spondylolisthetic parameters, more severe loss of LL, more obvious pelvic retroversion and trunk anteversion, which indicates worse spino-pelvic sagittal balance. In addition, their quality of life was significantly lower than that of patients in non-kyphotic group.


2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Ana L. Pichardo-Ávalos

Pilocytic astrocytoma of the cerebellum in the pediatric age is the most frequent benign tumor lesion of the nervous system in children according to the WHO. International literature mentions that being low-grade tumors they have a high curative capacity. If the entire tumor is resected, when it is completely removed, survival increases with a high quality of life for children who presented this pathology and was treated on time. However, the delay in diagnosis and therefore in its treatment could generate the possibility of tumor transformation, the malignant nature of the transformed injuries has a very high morbidity and mortality, without mentioning that the degree of cognitive sequelae greatly affects the quality of life of the survivors. That is why the training of pediatric and non-pediatric first contact doctors imply a great responsibility since it gives the population and patients suffering from this nosology the possibility to improve their future life, as well as reduce the cost of the impact caused by the injuries they suffer. On the other hand, these tumors can transform generating devastating prognoses, without taking into account the economic and social repercussions of patients suffering from a low-grade tumor. When it is detected and treated assertively in a timely manner, it offers them greater opportunities than those who did not have such a timely diagnosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. TPS12137-TPS12137
Author(s):  
Karolina Mieczkowska ◽  
Alana Deutsch ◽  
Kosaku Shinoda ◽  
Johanna Daily ◽  
Nitin Ohri ◽  
...  

TPS12137 Background: Radiation dermatitis (RD) can be therapy-limiting and detrimental to quality of life for cancer patients receiving radiation therapy (RT). Bacteria play an important role in many inflammatory dermatoses. In an observational clinical study, our group discovered that nasal colonization with bacteria, specifically with Staphylococcus aureus (SA), prior to RT was an independent predictor of higher-grade RD (grade ≥2). Higher-grade RD patients were also found to have more SA on the irradiated skin after treatment. If successful, bacterial decolonization could be a safe and cost-effective method to prevent RD. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of universal bacterial decolonization in preventing RD. Subject inclusion criteria include patients who are aged ≥ 18 years with a diagnosis of a solid tumor of the breast or head and neck with plans for fractionated RT (≥ 15 fractions) with curative intent. Based on previous studies and power analyses, we plan to recruit a total of 80 patients. Patients in the control arm will be treated according to standard of care, including daily application of emollients and gentle bathing. In addition to standard of care, patients in the intervention arm will receive a decolonization regimen consisting of intranasal mupirocin ointment used twice daily and chlorhexidine wash used daily for 5 days prior to the initiation of RT and repeated for 5 days every other week throughout RT. Study evaluations for both groups will include bacterial cultures obtained via superficial swab from the nares, irradiated skin, and contralateral non-radiated skin performed at the beginning, middle, and end of RT. Additionally, standardized photographs of the skin at the radiated site will be performed prior to and at the completion of RT, which will be graded by a dermatologist blinded to study arm. Lastly, at identical timepoints, each patient will complete the SKINDEX-16 questionnaire, a validated quality of life (QoL) assessment. The primary endpoint is development of grade ≥ 2 RD, as compared to low-grade RD (grade 0-1), during RT. The secondary endpoint includes the impact of bacterial decolonization on QoL. Pearson’s chi square or Fisher’s exact tests will be used to compare the incidence rates of higher-grade RD between the interventional arm and control arm to assess if the intervention is associated with a lower incidence rate of higher-grade RD. Paired t-tests will be used to compare the QoL score change from baseline to after RT between the two arms. Linear regression models will be used in both analyses to adjust for covariates. Clinical trial information: NCT03883828.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-44
Author(s):  
Fakhriyeh Hamidianpour ◽  
Majid Esmaeilpour ◽  
Leila Amiri

Author(s):  
Carrie Reale ◽  
Jason J. Saleem ◽  
Emily S. Patterson ◽  
Aaron Zachary Hettinger ◽  
Shilo Anders ◽  
...  

Medication management is a complex and mentally demanding endeavor performed by multiple individuals in diverse settings and at variable points in time. Achieving the goal of safe care delivery with optimized patient outcomes requires ongoing communication, coordination, and interaction between an array of technologies and roles across the health care continuum. Human factors principles and methods have the potential to substantially improve patient safety throughout this high-risk cycle. The purpose of this interactive discussion panel is to explore the medication management process from a sociotechnical perspective to identify specific challenges and vulnerabilities, and recommend strategies that leverage human factors processes and design principles to efficiently and effectively address safety critical issues.


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