scholarly journals Administering Virtual Reality Therapy to Manage Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms in Patients with Dementia Admitted to an Acute-care Hospital: Results of a Pilot Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lora Appel ◽  
Erika Kisonas ◽  
Eva Appel ◽  
Jennifer Klein ◽  
Deanna Bartlett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Behavioural And Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND As Virtual Reality (VR) technologies become increasingly accessible and affordable, clinicians are eager to try VR-therapy as a novel means to manage Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) which are exacerbated during acute-care hospitalization, with the goal of reducing the use for antipsychotics, sedatives, and physical restraints, associated with negative side-effects, increased length of stay, and caregiver burden. To date no evaluations of immersive VR-therapy have been reported for patients with dementia in acute-care hospitals. OBJECTIVE Determine the feasibility (acceptance, comfort, safety) of using immersive VR-therapy for people living with dementia (mild, moderate, and advanced) during acute-care hospitalization, and explore its potential to manage BPSD. METHODS A prospective longitudinal pilot-study was conducted at a community teaching hospital in Toronto. Ten patients over 65 years (mean = 87) diagnosed with dementia, participated in one or more sessions of viewing immersive 360° VR-footage of nature scenes displayed on Samsung Gear-VR head-mounted-display. The mixed-methods study included patient chart review, standardized observations during intervention, and pre- and post-intervention semi-structured interviews about the VR experience. RESULTS All recruited participants completed the study. Seven out of ten participants displayed enjoyment or relaxation during a VR session, which averaged 6 minutes per viewing. One participant experienced dizziness; no interference between VR equipment and hearing aids or medical devices was reported. CONCLUSIONS It is feasible to expose older adults with various degrees of dementia admitted to an acute-care hospital, to immersive VR-therapy. This pilot provides the basis for conducting the first RCT to evaluate the impact of VR-therapy on managing BPSD in acute-care hospitals. CLINICALTRIAL Research Ethics Board ID: 748-1806-Mis-321 Clinical Trials.gov registration: NCT03941119

scholarly journals Introducing virtual reality therapy for inpatients with dementia admitted to an acute care hospital: learnings from a pilot to pave the way to a randomized controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lora Appel ◽  
Erika Kisonas ◽  
Eva Appel ◽  
Jennifer Klein ◽  
Deanna Bartlett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Abstract Background Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are difficult to manage, particularly in acute care settings. As virtual reality (VR) technology becomes increasingly accessible and affordable, there is growing interest among clinicians to evaluate VR therapy in hospitalized patients, as an alternative to administering antipsychotics/sedatives or using physical restraints associated with negative side effects. Objectives Validate and refine the proposed research protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that evaluates the impact of VR therapy on managing BPSD in acute care hospitals. Special attention was given to ascertain the processes of introducing non-pharmacological interventions in acute care hospitals. Methods Ten patients 65 years or older (mean = 87) previously diagnosed with dementia, admitted to an acute care hospital, were recruited over 3-month period into a prospective longitudinal pilot study. The intervention consisted of viewing 20-min of immersive 360° VR using a head-mounted display. Baseline and outcomes data were collected from the hospital electronic medical records, pre/post mood-state questionnaires, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score, and standardized qualitative observations. Comprehensive process data and workflow were documented, including timestamps for each study task and detailed notes on personnel requirements and challenges encountered. Results Of 516 patients admitted during the study, 67 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. In total, 234 calls were initiated to substitute decision makers (SDM) of the 67 patients for the consenting process. Nearly half (45.6%) of SDMs declined participation, and 40% could not be reached in time before patients being discharged, resulting in 57 eligible patients not being enrolled. Ten consented participants were enrolled and completed the study. The initial VR session averaged 53.6 min, largely due to the administration of NPI (mean = 19.5 min). Only four participants were able to respond reliably to questions. Seven participants opted for additional VR therapy sessions; of those providing feedback regarding the VR content, they wanted more varied scenery (animals, fields of flowers, holiday themes). Few sessions (4/18) encountered technical difficulties. Conclusion The pilot was instrumental in identifying issues and providing recommendations for the RCT. Screening, inclusion criteria, consenting, data collection, and interaction with SDMs and hospital staff were all processes requiring changes and optimizations. Overall, patients with dementia appear to tolerate immersive VR, and with suggested protocol alterations, it is feasible to evaluate this non-pharmacological intervention in acute care hospitals.

Comparative Evaluation of Malnutrition Screening in Oncology Patients in an Acute Care Hospital: A Pilot Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinha Chandni Sen ◽  
LaSalle Colette ◽  
Argabright Debra ◽  
Hollenbeck Clarie B
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Oncology Patients

scholarly journals In-Home Telerehabilitation for Post-Knee Arthroplasty: A Pilot Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Tousignant ◽  
Patrick Boissy ◽  
Hélène Corriveau ◽  
Hélène Moffet ◽  
François Cabana
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Knee Arthroplasty ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Post Discharge

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of in-home telerehabilitation as an alternative to conventional rehabilitation services following knee arthroplasty. Five community-living elders who had knee arthroplasty were recruited prior to discharge from an acute care hospital. A pre/post-test design without a control group was used for this pilot study. Telerehabilitation sessions (16) were conducted by two trained physiotherapists from a service center to the patient’s home using H264 videoconference CODECs (Tandberg 550 MXP) connected at 512 Kb\s. Disability (range of motion, balance and lower body strength) and function (locomotor performance in walking and functional autonomy) were measured in face-to-face evaluations prior to and at the end of the treatments by a neutral evaluator. The satisfaction of the health care professional and patient was measured by questionnaire. Results are as follows. One participant was lost during follow-up. Clinical outcomes improved for all subjects and improvements were sustained two months post-discharge from in-home telerehabilitation. The satisfaction of the participants with in-home telerehabilitation services was very high. The satisfaction of the health care professionals with the technology and the communication experience during the therapy sessions was similar or slightly lower. In conclusion, telerehabilitation for post-knee arthroplasty is a realistic alternative for dispensing rehabilitation services for patients discharged from an acute care hospital.Keywords: Telerehabilitation, Physical Therapy, Total Knee Arthroplasty, Videoconferencing

scholarly journals Communication behavior of cognitively impaired older inpatients

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (S4) ◽  
pp. 264-272
Author(s):  
Eva-Luisa Schnabel ◽  
Hans-Werner Wahl ◽  
Susanne Penger ◽  
Julia Haberstroh
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Communication Behavior ◽  
Care Hospital

Abstract Background and objective Acutely ill older patients with cognitive impairment represent a major subgroup in acute care hospitals. In this context, communication plays a crucial role for patients’ well-being, healthcare decisions, and medical outcomes. As validated measures are lacking, we tested the psychometric properties of an observational instrument to assess Communication Behavior in Dementia (CODEM) in the acute care hospital setting. As a novel feature, we were also able to incorporate linguistic and social-contextual measures. Material and methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional mixed methods study that focused on the occurrence of elderspeak during care interactions in two German acute care hospitals. A total of 43 acutely ill older patients with severe cognitive impairment (CI group, Mage ± SD = 83.6 ± 5.7 years) and 50 without cognitive impairment (CU group, Mage ± SD = 82.1 ± 6.3 years) were observed by trained research assistants during a standardized interview situation and rated afterwards by use of CODEM. Results Factor analysis supported the expected two-factor solution for the CI group, i.e., a verbal content and a nonverbal relationship aspect. Findings of the current study indicated sound psychometric properties of the CODEM instrument including internal consistency, convergent, divergent, and criterion validity. Conclusion CODEM represents a reliable and valid tool to examine the communication behavior of older patients with CI in the acute care hospital setting. Thus, CODEM might serve as an important instrument for researcher and healthcare professionals to describe and improve communication patterns in this environment.

scholarly journals Cohorting KPC+ Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp)–positive patients: A genomic exposé of cross-colonization hazards in a long-term acute-care hospital (LTACH)

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1162-1168
Author(s):  
Shawn E. Hawken ◽  
Mary K. Hayden ◽  
Karen Lolans ◽  
Rachel D. Yelin ◽  
Robert A. Weinstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Transmission ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjective:Cohorting patients who are colonized or infected with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) protects uncolonized patients from acquiring MDROs in healthcare settings. The potential for cross transmission within the cohort and the possibility of colonized patients acquiring secondary isolates with additional antibiotic resistance traits is often neglected. We searched for evidence of cross transmission of KPC+ Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) colonization among cohorted patients in a long-term acute-care hospital (LTACH), and we evaluated the impact of secondary acquisitions on resistance potential.Design:Genomic epidemiological investigation.Setting:A high-prevalence LTACH during a bundled intervention that included cohorting KPC-Kp–positive patients.Methods:Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and location data were analyzed to identify potential cases of cross transmission between cohorted patients.Results:Secondary KPC-Kp isolates from 19 of 28 admission-positive patients were more closely related to another patient’s isolate than to their own admission isolate. Of these 19 cases, 14 showed strong genomic evidence for cross transmission (<10 single nucleotide variants or SNVs), and most of these patients occupied shared cohort floors (12 patients) or rooms (4 patients) at the same time. Of the 14 patients with strong genomic evidence of acquisition, 12 acquired antibiotic resistance genes not found in their primary isolates.Conclusions:Acquisition of secondary KPC-Kp isolates carrying distinct antibiotic resistance genes was detected in nearly half of cohorted patients. These results highlight the importance of healthcare provider adherence to infection prevention protocols within cohort locations, and they indicate the need for future studies to assess whether multiple-strain acquisition increases risk of adverse patient outcomes.

Risk Factors for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Acquisition in Roommate Contacts of Patients Colonized or Infected With MRSA in an Acute-Care Hospital

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 600-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Moore ◽  
Jastej Dhaliwal ◽  
Agnes Tong ◽  
Sarah Eden ◽  
Cindi Wigston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
The Impact

Objective.To identify risk factors for acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients exposed to an MRSA-colonized roommate.Design.Retrospective cohort study.Setting.A 472-bed acute-care teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada.Patients.Inpatients who shared a room between 1996 and 2004 with a patient who had unrecognized MRSA colonization.Methods.Exposed roommates were identified from infection-control logs and from results of screening for MRSA in the microbiology database. Completed follow-up was defined as completion of at least 2 sets of screening cultures (swab samples from the nares, the rectum, and skin lesions), with at least 1 set of samples obtained 7–10 days after the last exposure. Chart reviews were performed to compare those who did and did not become colonized with MRSA.Results.Of 326 roommates, 198 (61.7%) had completed follow-up, and 25 (12.6%) acquired MRSA by day 7–10 after exposure was recognized, all with strains indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis from those of their roommate. Two (2%) of 101 patients were not colonized at day 7–10 but, with subsequent testing, were identified as being colonized with the same strain as their roommate (one at day 16 and one at day 18 after exposure). A history of alcohol abuse (odds ratio [OR], 9.8 [95% confidence limits {CLs}, 1.8, 53]), exposure to a patient with nosocomially acquired MRSA (OR, 20 [95% CLs, 2.4,171]), increasing care dependency (OR per activity of daily living, 1.7 [95% CLs, 1.1, 2.7]), and having received levofloxacin (OR, 3.6 [95% CLs, 1.1,12]) were associated with MRSA acquisition.Conclusions.Roommates of patients with MRSA are at significant risk for becoming colonized. Further study is needed of the impact of hospital antimicrobial formulary decisions on the risk of acquisition of MRSA.

scholarly journals 2440. Using a geospatially explicit agent-based model of a regional healthcare network to assess varied antibiotic risk on Clostridioides difficile infection incidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S843-S844
Author(s):  
Sarah Rhea ◽  
Kasey Jones ◽  
Georgiy Bobashev ◽  
Breda Munoz ◽  
James Rineer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Healthcare Network ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile ◽  
Unit Increase ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile Infection ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Different antibiotic classes are associated with different Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) risk. The impact of varied antibiotic risk on CDI incidence can be explored using agent-based models (ABMs). ABMs can simulate complete systems (e.g., regional healthcare networks) comprised of discrete, unique agents (e.g., patients) which can be represented using a synthetic population, or model-generated representation of the population. We used an ABM of a North Carolina (NC) regional healthcare network to assess the impact of increasing antibiotic risk ratios (RRs) across network locations on healthcare-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) CDI incidence. Methods The ABM describes CDI acquisition and patient movement across 14 network locations (i.e., nodes) (11 short-term acute care hospitals, 1 long-term acute care hospital, 1 nursing home, and the community). We used a sample of 2 million synthetic NC residents as ABM microdata. We updated agent states (i.e., location, antibiotic exposure, C. difficile colonization, CDI status) daily. We applied antibiotic RRs of 1, 5, 8.9 (original model RR), 15, and 20 to agents across the network to simulate varied risk corresponding to different antibiotic classes. We determined network HA-CDI and CA-CDI incidence and percent mean change for each RR. Results In this simulation study, HA-CDI incidence increased with increasing antibiotic risk, ranging from 11.3 to 81.4 HA-CDI cases/100,000 person-years for antibiotic RRs of 1 to 20, respectively. On average, the per unit increase in antibiotic RR was 33% for HA-CDI and 6% for CA-CDI (figure). Conclusion We used a geospatially explicit ABM to simulate increasing antibiotic risk, corresponding to different antibiotic classes, and to explore the impact on CDI incidence. The per unit increase in antibiotic risk was greater for HA-CDI than CA-CDI due to the higher probability of receiving antibiotics and higher concentration of agents with other CDI risk factors in the healthcare facilities of the ABM. These types of analyses, which demonstrate the interconnectedness of network healthcare facilities and the associated community served by the network, might help inform targeted antibiotic stewardship efforts in certain network locations. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Estimated Annual Number of US Acute-Care Hospital Inpatients Meeting ACCP Criteria for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prophylaxis.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 903-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick A. Anderson ◽  
Max Zayaruzny ◽  
John A. Heit ◽  
Alexander T. Cohen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Operative Procedure ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Acute Care Hospitals ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Medical Illness ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Vte Prophylaxis ◽  
Hospital Inpatients

Abstract Background While consensus guidelines regarding VTE prophylaxis for hospital inpatients have been available for more than 15 years, the number of US inpatients who are potentially eligible for prophylaxis is unknown. Such data are required for estimating the potential costs and benefits of prophylaxis in reducing VTE incidence. Objective To estimate the number of Y2002 US acute-care hospital inpatients who are potentially eligible for VTE prophylaxis. Methods We applied the 7th (2004) American College of Chest Physician (ACCP) Consensus Conference VTE prophylaxis guidelines (Geerts et al. Chest2004;126:338S–400S) to inpatients with hospital discharge International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) codes for major surgery or medical illness identified from the Healthcare Utilization and Cost Database (HCUP), a national acute-care hospital database supported by the US Agency for Health Care Quality Research. Results Of a total of 37.8 million inpatients discharged from US acute-care hospitals in Y2002, 13.4 million (35%) met ACCP guideline criteria for VTE prophylaxis (Table). Table. Inpatients Discharged from US Acute-Care Hospitals with ACCP Guideline Defined Risk of VTE in Y2002 Surgical VTE Risk N Highest risk surgery 744,465 High risk surgery 3,031,318 Moderate risk surgery 2,019,696 Surgical subtotal 5,795,479 Medical VTE Risk N Heart failure 1,867,576 Cancer 1,017,356 Stroke 515,370 Other medical conditions 4,196,343 Medical subtotal 7,596,645 Grand Total 13,392,124 Among the 37.8 million Y2002 discharged inpatinets, 7.7 million were defined by HCUP criteria as having had a major operative procedure. When ACCP surgical risk criteria were applied to this population, 1.9 (25%) were at low VTE risk, while 5.8 million (75%) were at moderate (26%), high (39%) or highest (10%) VTE risk. Among the patients without a major operative procedure, 7.6 million met the ACCP criteria for VTE prophylaxis based on medical illness risk factors. Conclusions In total, 13.4 million US residents meet ACCP criteria for VTE prophylaxis annually due to hospitalization for either major surgery or medical illness. Given that almost 60% of all VTE events occurring in the community are related to recent acute-care hospitalization, providing universal, safe and effective VTE prophylaxis to this population affords an important opportunity to significantly reduce the incidence of VTE. These data provide support for developing and monitoring compliance with hospital-wide guidelines for VTE prevention.

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