Assessing Global Kidney Nutrition Care

Background and objectivesNutrition intervention is an essential component of kidney disease management. This study aimed to understand current global availability and capacity of kidney nutrition care services, interdisciplinary communication, and availability of oral nutrition supplements.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsThe International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM), working in partnership with the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) Global Kidney Health Atlas Committee, developed this Global Kidney Nutrition Care Atlas. An electronic survey was administered among key kidney care stakeholders through 182 ISN-affiliated countries between July and September 2018.ResultsOverall, 160 of 182 countries (88%) responded, of which 155 countries (97%) answered the survey items related to kidney nutrition care. Only 48% of the 155 countries have dietitians/renal dietitians to provide this specialized service. Dietary counseling, provided by a person trained in nutrition, was generally not available in 65% of low-/lower middle–income countries and “never” available in 23% of low-income countries. Forty-one percent of the countries did not provide formal assessment of nutrition status for kidney nutrition care. The availability of oral nutrition supplements varied globally and, mostly, were not freely available in low-/lower middle–income countries for both inpatient and outpatient settings. Dietitians and nephrologists only communicated “sometimes” on kidney nutrition care in ≥60% of countries globally.ConclusionsThis survey reveals significant gaps in global kidney nutrition care service capacity, availability, cost coverage, and deficiencies in interdisciplinary communication on kidney nutrition care delivery, especially in lower-income countries.

Best Practice Guideline – DEGUM Recommendations on Breast Ultrasound – Part I – Examination technique, DEGUM ultrasound criteria, and documentation

For many years, breast ultrasound has been used in addition to mammography as an important method for clarifying breast findings. However, differences in the interpretation of findings continue to be problematic 1 2. These differences decrease the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound after detection of a finding and complicate interdisciplinary communication and the comparison of scientific studies 3. In 1999, the American College of Radiology (ACR) created a working group (International Expert Working Group) that developed a classification system for ultrasound examinations based on the established BI-RADS classification of mammographic findings under consideration of literature data 4. Due to differences in content, the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM) published its own BI-RADS-analogue criteria catalog in 2006 3. In addition to the persistence of differences in content, there is also an issue with formal licensing with the current 5th edition of the ACR BI-RADS catalog, even though the content is recognized by the DEGUM as another system for describing and documenting findings. The goal of the Best Practice Guideline of the Breast Ultrasound Working Group of the DEGUM is to provide colleagues specialized in senology with a current catalog of ultrasound criteria and assessment categories as well as best practice recommendations for the various ultrasound modalities.

Improving services for those who serve: A private practice initiative to improve psychiatric care for first responder and military patients

Objectives Professional isolation and limited opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations are well-recognised challenges for psychiatrists in private practice. This narrative paper describes the development of a private practice group to assist first responders (FRs) and military patients located in Adelaide, South Australia. The aims included both peer review, and interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. Relevant personnel in the ambulance, police and fire services, military and veterans’ groups, and the compensation system, participated in monthly meetings. Lack of timely access to psychiatric care for FR and military patients was identified as a problem and an expedited referral service was established. Conclusions The Closing the Gap Group was established in 2017. The terminology refers to the gap between treating psychiatrists and the complex organisations that manage the workplace context for FR/military patients. This initiative provides a template for private practice innovations to improve psychiatrists’ skills and knowledge, along with better engagement and understanding between private psychiatrists and relevant community organisations.

A modest proposal to the peer review process: a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach in the assessment of scholarly communication

The purpose of the traditional peer review process (TPR) is to provide a more constructive and scientifically rigorous critical review of scholarly research that builds scientific rigor and validity within diverse academic disciplines. Peer review has received criticism as the demand for publications in a variety of competitive journals has significantly increased while the number of individuals who are both willing and qualified to conduct thorough reviews is significantly declining. The purpose of this topic piece is to examine the overall efficacy of the peer review process and provide recommendations toward a more collaborative, transparent (i.e. “open”), and interdisciplinary communication process.

Artificial Intelligence in Obstetric Ultrasound: An Update and Future Applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) can support clinical decisions and provide quality assurance for images. Although ultrasonography is commonly used in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, the use of AI is still in a stage of infancy. Nevertheless, in repetitive ultrasound examinations, such as those involving automatic positioning and identification of fetal structures, prediction of gestational age (GA), and real-time image quality assurance, AI has great potential. To realize its application, it is necessary to promote interdisciplinary communication between AI developers and sonographers. In this review, we outlined the benefits of AI technology in obstetric ultrasound diagnosis by optimizing image acquisition, quantification, segmentation, and location identification, which can be helpful for obstetric ultrasound diagnosis in different periods of pregnancy.

Interdisciplinary communication in pianists’ education: experience from M. Hlinka Dnipropetrovsk academy of music

In modern social conditions, the demand of formation of a new generation of teachers is raising. The problem of interdisciplinary communication in the field of musical-pedagogical preparation of specialists is of particular interest since new organizational and methodological forms, theoretical and practical research are not used enough in the educational process. The authors conducted a study on the issues of professional and conceptual foundations of pianists’ education on the example of M. Hlinka Dnipropetrovsk Academy of Music. The concept of interdisciplinary communication was defined. Vocational and pedagogical skills and pianist skills that are formed due to the interconnection of the disciplines of the historical-pedagogical cycle were characterized. The tasks that contribute to ensuring the effectiveness of the results of pianists’ educational process in M. Hlinka Dnipropetrovsk Academy of Music were identified and main pedagogical principles were outlined.

USING INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS IN TEACHING ELEMENTARY CHEMISTRY

The article uses interdisciplinary communication in teaching elementary chemistry in the course "Chemistry" in secondary schools. Materials on pedagogical research and their results.

Empowering Nurses: Communicating Potential Medication Misuse

BACKGROUND In nursing education and practice, we prepare nurses on topics such as patient care, pathophysiology, pharmacology, nursing leadership, and nursing competencies. Unfortunately, we may be missing the mark when it comes to integrating these topics and applying them to situations that arise in health care such as medication misuse. Nurses work intimately with patients and can recognize potential medication misuse by reviewing medication regimens and assessing necessity of PRN patient requests. In cases where nurses suspect misuse, they may or may not feel comfortable addressing these concerns with other members of the health care team. AIMS Study aims were to assess the baseline of whether nurses are comfortable with their level of skill to recognize potential patient medication misuse and to assess nurses’ comfortability with communicating these concerns with other nurses, providers, and patients. METHODS This survey study was designed to obtain practical information about nurses understanding of misused and diverted prescription medications and level of comfort with expressing concerns about the use of central nervous system depressants to inform education, practice, and research. Three-hundred and fifty nurses at one hospital were invited to participate in an anonymous REDCap survey. RESULTS Thirty-five percent of the surveyed nurses returned the survey. Responding nurses were more comfortable sharing their own knowledge and the need for more education on the topic than they were discussing interdisciplinary communication. CONCLUSIONS Empowering nurses to communicate this knowledge with others on the health care team has major public health implications to reduce the negative outcomes of misused medications.