Oral piercings and orthodontic treatment: A questionnaire-based national survey

Objective: To obtain opinions from orthodontic colleagues nationally on how they currently manage orthodontic patients with oral piercings. The secondary objectives were to assimilate the national opinions from the survey and attempt to generate educational material as an advice sheet and a patient information leaflet for the professionals and the patients respectively for the British Orthodontic Society (BOS). Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Primary and secondary care orthodontic providers. Participants: Members of the BOS. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was developed and circulated to members of the BOS to obtain their opinions on the effects of oral piercings on their patients’ orthodontic treatment ‘journey’. In addition, the need for the development of informative material around the management of orthodontic treatment and appliances in patients with oral piercings was explored. Results: A total of 110 responses were received. However, only 88 respondents out of 110 attempted all the questions within the survey. There were 22 respondents who attempted it partially. We did include these partial responses well while analysing the results, since many of these offered personalised comments in the free-text boxes within the survey. Conclusion: The most common general complications associated with oral piercings were inflammation of the surrounding tissue and enamel/dentine wear. Moreover, orthodontic complications, reported commonly, were inadequate oral hygiene maintenance, entanglement with the orthodontic appliance causing damage and interference with retainers. Most respondents expressed the need for the development of a web-based patient information leaflet and an advice sheet as educational tool, both of which have been proposed to and agreed by the BOS before submission of this publication.

Effectiveness of brief patient information materials for promoting correct beliefs about imaging and inevitable consequences of low back pain: A randomised controlled trial

Objective To investigate what format for providing patient information (i.e. written summary, infographic or video animation) is most effective for promoting correct beliefs about imaging and inevitable consequences of low back pain (LBP). Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting/Patients One hundred and fifty-nine patients with non-specific LBP were recruited from outpatient physiotherapy clinics. Intervention Participants were randomised to receive patient information in one of three formats: video animation, infographic or written summary. Patients were allowed to read or watch the materials for up to 20 min. Measurements Outcome were assessed before and immediately after the intervention. The primary outcome was the Back Beliefs Questionnaire. The secondary outcome was beliefs about imaging for LBP assessed by two questions. Results All 159 patients completed the study. Our findings revealed no difference between groups for the Back Beliefs Questionnaire. Correct beliefs about imaging were more likely with the infographic than the video animation (Question 1- Odds Ratio [OR] = 3.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7, 8.7; Question 2- OR = 6.8, 95%CI: 2.7, 17.2) and more likely with the written summary than the video animation (Question 1- OR = 3.3, 95%CI: 1.5, 7.4; Question 2- OR = 3.7, 95%CI: 1.6, 8.5). No difference between infographic and written summary formats were reported for the questions assessing LBP imaging beliefs. Conclusion The three materials were equally effective in improving patient's general beliefs about LBP care. However, the traditional written summary or infographic formats were more effective than the video animation format for improving beliefs about imaging for LBP.

Study of Sharing Patient Information by Nurses Between Inpatient and Outpatient Wards in Japan

Shortening hospital stays increases communication needs between nurses in inpatient and outpatient wards. Smooth information sharing is required to reduce the workload of nurses and improve the quality of patient care. However, electronic medical records (EMR) system does not have sufficient functions to support information sharing between wards, because EMR has been developed mainly for recording. This study led to three improvements; unified communication tool, common patient list linked to EMR, and outpatient nursing diagnosis.

Analysis of Gaze Information Patterns of Nurses Gathering Patient Information Using Electronic Health Records

The objective of this study was to clarify gaze information patterns of nurses gathering patient information using electronic health records. We recorded the electronic health record screen on which nurses’ gazes were presented using an eye tracker and analyzed the recorded images. The analysis revealed two types of gaze information patterns of nurses engaged in patient information gathering. However, no regularity was observed in the gaze information patterns of the nurses viewing the electronic health record sections after selecting a patient.