scholarly journals Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Lisa Soldat
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Maternity Care ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Service Training

Multiple barriers to high quality maternity care have been identified in Indonesia. One barrier is the shortage of well-trained maternity care providers, particularly in remote and rural areas. Maternity care training programs do not consistently prepare their graduates to provide high quality care. Poor pre-service training may then be compounded by a lack of post-service supervision and inadequate multispecialty teamwork. Maternity care continuing education is an important means to reinforce and improve the skills needed to provide high quality maternity care. Programs that have been developed for low- to middle-income countries focus on providing culturally appropriate information to improve competency, communication and teamwork. Improvement in quality of care has been documented, showing a decrease in maternal morbidity and mortality. This trend is reflected in improvements in patient satisfaction and trust, and ultimately supports the tenets of patient-centered care.

Pediatric Prehospital Care in Urban and Rural Areas

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 681-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Seidel ◽  
Deborah Parkman Henderson ◽  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Barbara Wray Wayland ◽  
Beverly Ness
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Medical

There are limited data concerning pediatric prehospital care, although pediatric prehospital calls constitute 10% of emergency medical services activity. Data from 10 493 prehospital care reports in 11 counties of California (four emergency medical services systems in rural and urban areas) were collected and analyzed. Comparison of urban and rural data found few significant differences in parameters analyzed. Use of the emergency medical services system by pediatric patients increased with age, but 12.5% of all calls were for children younger than 2 years. Calls for medical problems were most common for patients younger than 5 years of age; trauma was a more common complaint in rural areas (64%, P = .0001). Frequency of vital sign assessment differed by region, as did hospital contact (P < .0001). Complete assessment of young pediatric patients, with a full set of vital signs and neurologic assessment, was rarely performed. Advanced life support providers were often on the scene, but advanced life support treatments and procedures were infrequently used. This study suggests the need for additional data on which to base emergency medical services system design and some directions for education of prehospital care providers.

scholarly journals Decentralization and Regionalization: Redesigning Health Systems for High Quality Maternity Care Comment on "Decentralization and Regionalization of Surgical Care: A Review of Evidence for the Optimal Distribution of Surgical Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanam Roder-DeWan
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Maternity Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Surgical Care ◽  
Maternal Complications ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The question of how to optimally design health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for high quality care and survival requires context-specific evidence on which level of the health system is best positioned to deliver services. Given documented poor quality of care for surgical conditions in LMICs, evidence to support intentional health system design is urgently needed. Iverson and colleagues address this very important question. This commentary explores their findings with particular attention to how they apply to maternity care. Though surgical maternity care is a common healthcare need, maternal complications are often unpredictable and require immediate surgical attention in order to avert serious morbidity or mortality. A discussion of decentralization for maternity services must grapple with this tension and differentiate between facilities that can provide emergency surgical care and those that can not.

scholarly journals Understanding the Experiences and Needs of Migrant Women Affected by Female Genital Mutilation Using Maternity Services in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1491
Author(s):  
Sabera Turkmani ◽  
Caroline Homer ◽  
Angela Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Maternity Care ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Maternity Services ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a cultural practice defined as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. Changing patterns of migration in Australia and other high-income countries has meant that maternity care providers and health systems are caring for more pregnant women affected by this practice. The aim of the study was to identify strategies to inform culturally safe and quality woman-centred maternity care for women affected by FGM who have migrated to Australia. An Appreciative Inquiry approach was used to engage women with FGM. We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions. There were four themes identified: (1) appreciating the best in their experiences; (2) achieving their dreams; (3) planning together; and (4) acting, modifying, improving and sustaining. Women could articulate their health and cultural needs, but they were not engaged in all aspects of their maternity care or considered active partners. Partnering and involving women in the design and delivery of their maternity care would improve quality care. A conceptual model, underpinned by women’s cultural values and physical, emotional needs, is presented as a framework to guide maternity services.

Principles and Practice of Palliative Care

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen G Schaefer ◽  
Rachelle E Bernacki
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
Survival Times ◽  
Advanced Illness ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Serious Illness

The trajectories of serious illness and dying have changed in the last century; in the past, patients lived shorter lives and often died quickly of infectious disease, whereas patients in the 21st century live longer and often with prolonged debility in the advanced stages of illness. As a result, patients with serious illness can suffer undertreated symptoms and often feel poorly prepared for the final stages of disease. With more options for advanced life support and other aggressive interventions at the end of life, patients and families face increasingly complex medical decisions in the terminal phase of illness, and the treatments they receive do not always align with their goals and values. Emerging evidence suggests that integrating palliative care into the treatment of advanced illness can improve outcomes, decrease costs, and improve both patient and family satisfaction. Consequently, patient access to high-quality specialty-level palliative care is becoming standard of care at most academic cancer centers and more available in the community. This chapter describes the practice and principles of specialty-level palliative care and outlines specific "generalist" palliative care competencies essential for all physicians caring for patients with serious illness, including prognostication, patient-centered communication, and the navigation of ethical dilemmas in the field of palliative care. Tables outline the philosophy of palliative care, domains of suffering, location of death of hospice patients, the palliative performance scale, median survival times for cancer syndromes, indicators associated with a poorer prognosis in congestive heart failure, the NURSE mnemonic for accepting and responding to emotion, palliative care communication competencies in the intensive care unit, and the SPIKES mnemonic for breaking bad news. Figures depict causes of death in 1900 versus 2010, palliative care through the trajectory of serious illness, theoretical trajectories of disease, life expectancies for women and men, mortality at 1 year post discharge, and a model for patient-centered communication. This review contains 6 highly rendered figures, 9 tables, and 169 references.

Principles and Practice of Palliative Care

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen G Schaefer ◽  
Rachelle E Bernacki
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
Survival Times ◽  
Advanced Illness ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Serious Illness

The trajectories of serious illness and dying have changed in the last century; in the past, patients lived shorter lives and often died quickly of infectious disease, whereas patients in the 21st century live longer and often with prolonged debility in the advanced stages of illness. As a result, patients with serious illness can suffer undertreated symptoms and often feel poorly prepared for the final stages of disease. With more options for advanced life support and other aggressive interventions at the end of life, patients and families face increasingly complex medical decisions in the terminal phase of illness, and the treatments they receive do not always align with their goals and values. Emerging evidence suggests that integrating palliative care into the treatment of advanced illness can improve outcomes, decrease costs, and improve both patient and family satisfaction. Consequently, patient access to high-quality specialty-level palliative care is becoming standard of care at most academic cancer centers and more available in the community. This chapter describes the practice and principles of specialty-level palliative care and outlines specific "generalist" palliative care competencies essential for all physicians caring for patients with serious illness, including prognostication, patient-centered communication, and the navigation of ethical dilemmas in the field of palliative care. Tables outline the philosophy of palliative care, domains of suffering, location of death of hospice patients, the palliative performance scale, median survival times for cancer syndromes, indicators associated with a poorer prognosis in congestive heart failure, the NURSE mnemonic for accepting and responding to emotion, palliative care communication competencies in the intensive care unit, and the SPIKES mnemonic for breaking bad news. Figures depict causes of death in 1900 versus 2010, palliative care through the trajectory of serious illness, theoretical trajectories of disease, life expectancies for women and men, mortality at 1 year post discharge, and a model for patient-centered communication.  This chapter contains 6 highly rendered figures, 9 tables, 169 references, 1 teaching slide set, and 5 MCQs.

scholarly journals Inter-observer agreement using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale

CJEM ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Manos ◽  
David A. Petrie ◽  
Robert C. Beveridge ◽  
Stephen Walter ◽  
James Ducharme
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Emergency Department Patient ◽  
Observer Agreement ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Department Triage ◽  
Triage Level

ABSTRACTObjective:To determine the inter-observer agreement on triage assignment by first-time users with diverse training and background using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).Methods:Twenty emergency care providers (5 physicians, 5 nurses, 5 Basic Life Support paramedics and 5 Advanced Life Support paramedics) at a large urban teaching hospital participated in the study. Observers used the 5-level CTAS to independently assign triage levels for 42 case scenarios abstracted from actual emergency department patient presentations. Case scenarios consisted of vital signs, mode of arrival, presenting complaint and verbatim triage nursing notes. Participants were not given any specific training on the scale, although a detailed one-page summary was included with each questionnaire. Kappa values with quadratic weights were used to measure agreement for the study group as a whole and for each profession.Results:For the 41 case scenarios analyzed, the overall agreement was significant (quadratic-weighted κ = 0.77, 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.78). For all observers, modal agreement within one triage level was 94.9%. Exact modal agreement was 63.4%. Agreement varied by triage level and was highest for Level I (most urgent). A reasonably high level of intra- and inter-professional agreement was also seen.Conclusions:Despite minimal experience with the CTAS, inter-observer agreement among emergency care providers with different backgrounds was significant.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with High-Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Performed by Bystander

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Ji Park ◽  
Won Jung Jeong ◽  
Hyung Jun Moon ◽  
Gi Woon Kim ◽  
Jin Seong Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sudden Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Neurological Outcomes ◽  
Bystander Cpr ◽  
Cpr Quality

Bystander cardiopulmonary dresuscitation (CPR) improves the survival and neurological outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest patients. The rate of bystander CPR is increasing; however, its performance quality has not been evaluated in detail. In this study, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the field evaluated bystander CPR quality, and we aimed to investigate the association between bystander information and CPR quality. This retrospective cohort study was based on data included in the Smart Advanced Life Support (SALS) registry between January 2016 and December 2017. We included patients older than 18 years who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to medical causes. Bystander CPR quality was judged to be “high” when the hand positions were appropriate and when compression rates of at least 100/min and compression depths of at least 5 cm were achieved. Among 6,769 eligible patients, 3,799 (58.7%) received bystander CPR, and 6% of bystanders performed high-quality CPR. After adjustment, the occurrence of cardiac arrest at home (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 95% confidence interval (CI); 0.42, 0.27–0.64), witnessed cardiac arrest (1.45, 1.03–2.06), and younger bystander age all showed associations with one another. High-quality CPR led to a 4.29-fold increase in the chance of neurological recovery. In particular, high-quality CPR in patients aged 60 years showed a significant association compared with other age groups (7.61, 1.41–41.04). The main factor affecting CPR quality in this study was the age of the bystander, and older bystanders found it more difficult to maintain CPR quality. To improve the quality of bystander CPR, training among older bystanders should be the focus.

Current Controversies in Prehospital Resuscitation of the Terminally Ill Patient

1990 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jack Ayres
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Care Provider ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Health Care ◽  
Prehospital Emergency

Prehospital health-care providers regularly are called upon to assist terminally ill patients in residential or institutional, non-hospital settings such as nursing homes or hospices. Among the most crucial issues regarding such patients is whether they should be resuscitated. With alarming frequency, EMS providers are encountering vigorous and sometimes violent refusals of examination, treatment, and/or transportation from the terminally ill patient, members of the patient's family, or third persons ostensibly acting on the patient's behalf. Today, the prehospital emergency health-care provider repeatedly is faced with the legal and ethical questions that surround the issue of resuscitation and advanced life support.

The Future of Telemedicine: Revolutionizing Health Care or Flash in the Pan?

2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982098333
Author(s):  
Steven D. Losorelli ◽  
Varun Vendra ◽  
Douglas M. Hildrew ◽  
Erika A. Woodson ◽  
Michael J. Brenner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Neck Surgery ◽  
Barriers To Adoption ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Care ◽  
Remote Care

The meteoric rise of telemedicine early in the COVID-19 pandemic might easily be mistaken for an ephemeral trend—one reaching its zenith in a moment of crisis. To the contrary, momentum has been mounting for telehealth over decades. The recent increase in telecare reveals its potential to deliver efficient, patient-centered, high-quality care in an increasingly technology-dependent landscape. Prior to COVID-19, surgeons lagged behind medical counterparts in embracing telemedicine; however, the pragmatic imperatives for remote care of patients and changes to Medicare removed key barriers to adoption. Otolaryngology–head and neck surgery has innovated across subspecialties, leading in COVID-19 scholarship and year-over-year publications on telemedicine. Yet, improved access to subspecialists is tempered by a digital divide that threatens to exacerbate disparities. Otolaryngology is poised to lead the transformation of procedural specialties while ensuring equitable care.

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