Lessons from the "non-critical" patient during a pandemic: developmental-behavioural pediatric populations & COVID-19

Seemingly overnight, in March 2020, the world was turned upside down by the global SARS-CoV 2 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. As COVID-19 affected all aspects of clinical care, Canadian ambulatory clinics for any service deemed "non-urgent" or "non-critical," were suspended for several months. When outpatient care slowly resumed during the summer and fall of 2020, the backlog of patients in these areas and subsequent requests for follow-up significantly outpaced the number of available appointments. In fact, it became apparent that certain patients' needs had grown in unprecedented ways during the pandemic, even though their issues had previously been given low priority during the acute crisis period. Among these groups were youth with underlying mental health conditions, those with chronic but non-life-threatening illnesses, and the subgroups seen in Developmental-Behavioural Pediatrics. In Montréal, they were among the least likely to have their needs met as the waves of COVID-19 moved through the community, and many still struggle to find relevancy in the discussions about the hidden impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, even one year later. What can the experiences of these marginalised youth teach us about what our system labels less relevant care in the context of an acute health care crisis? A short narrative presentation will demonstrate insights gleaned from 2020 & early 2021 to underscore the often unrecognised challenges faced by these populations and their families.

520 AN EVALUATION OF VIRTUAL MUSIC THERAPY TO PATIENTS ON AN ACUTE HEALTH CARE OF OLDER PEOPLE WARD DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction Music therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety and social isolation for elderly patients in the acute hospital setting. At Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust a programme of live, face-to-face music has been delivered by Wellspring Music on Healthcare of Older Peoples wards since 2015. In response to COVID-19, face-to-face delivery was stopped and a virtual method was proposed. This project investigated feasibility of virtual live music delivery. Method Twelve, two-hour music therapy sessions were delivered by Wellspring Music to 41 patients over six weeks. The validated Arts-obs tool was used by staff members facilitating the sessions to record observations of patient mood, relaxation, and distraction from the ward setting on Likert scales. Patient, ward staff, and facilitator feedback were also recorded. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted by an Occupational Therapist. Results Data from the Arts-obs tool showed that thirty-two patients had an observable improvement in mood, seven had no mood change, and two presented a slightly worsened mood. Fourteen patients were fully engaged with the music therapy, sixteen were partially engaged, and eleven were focussed on the hospital environment. Thirty-four patients were visibly more relaxed, and seven showed no change. Patient feedback ranged from gratitude and expressions of enjoyment of the session to finding it too loud. Ward staff feedback ranged from appreciation to finding the music too distracting. The Wellspring musician and staff facilitators reported occasional loss of internet connection, and patients sometimes focusing on the facilitator rather than the musician. Conclusion It is feasible to deliver virtual music therapy to inpatients on Health Care of Older People wards. Feedback shows that this was largely acceptable to staff and patients. Improvements in mood, relaxation and distraction were found.

Advancing Trans-Affirming Practice to Recognize, Account for, and Address the Unique Experiences and Needs of Transgender Sexual Assault Survivors

Transgender (trans) persons are sexually assaulted at high rates and often encounter barriers to equitable services and supports. The receipt of timely and appropriate postassault care, provided increasingly by specialized forensic nurses around the world, is critical in ameliorating the harms that accompany sexual assault. In order to adequately respond to the acute health care needs of trans clients and attend to longer term psychosocial difficulties that some experience, forensic nurses not only require specialized training but must also cultivate collaborative relationships with trans-positive health and social services in their communities. To meet this need, we describe our strategy to advance trans-affirming practice in the sexual assault context. We outline the design and evaluation of a trans-affirming care curriculum for forensic nurses. We also discuss the planning, formation, and maturation of an intersectoral network through which to disseminate our curriculum, foster collaboration, and promote trans-affirming practice across health care and social services in Ontario, Canada. Our approach to advancing trans-affirming practice holds the potential to address systemic barriers experienced by trans survivors and transform the response to sexual assault across other sectors and jurisdictions.

Prevalence of Functional Limitation in COVID-19 Recovered Patients Using the Post COVID-19 Functional Status Scale

Introduction: COVID-19 is an emerging global health pandemic causing tremendous morbidity andmortality worldwide. Chronic symptoms progressing to poor functional status have been reportedin a substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients worldwide. This study aimed to determine theprevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients using the post-COVID-19functional status scale. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Tribhuvan University TeachingHospital. COVID-19 recovered patients with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionnegative status were included and assessed using the post-COVID-19 functional status scale. Dataentry and analysis was done in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. Descriptivestatistics were performed. Results: A total of 106 patients were included for the final analysis. More than half of the patients(56.6%) reported having no functional limitation (grade 0), while the prevalence of some degree offunctional limitation was observed in 46 (43.4%) patients (grade 1 to 4). Conclusions: Some form of functional limitation should be anticipated after COVID-19 infection.Post-COVID-19 functional status scale can be a valuable tool in determining the prevalence offunctional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients in acute health care settings. It can potentiallyguide in planning rehabilitative measures in post-acute care management of COVID-19 survivors.

Australia’s Two-Tier Health Care System United Against COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had and continues to have an unprecedented impact on health care systems worldwide. The Australian system has yet to be truly tested by the pandemic, as rapid implementation of public health measures has curbed infection rates. Australia’s 2-tier health care has allowed sufficient staffing, equipment, and beds to continue providing acute health care in the face of an exceptional and extreme demand. No health system is perfect and, although Australia’s has some wonderful attributes that make it the envy of many other countries, it faces a number of important challenges. This paper describes how Australia’s health care structure has adapted to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, examines the challenges involved and the lessons learned, and explores how this environmental pressure could lead to systemic adaptations.

Orienting child- and family-centered care toward equity

Child- and family-centered care (CFCC) is being increasingly adopted internationally as a fundamental philosophical approach to the design, delivery, and evaluation of children’s services in diverse primary and acute health care contexts. CFCC has yet to be explored in the context of families and children whose health and health care is likely to be compromised by multifaceted social and structural factors, including racialization, material deprivation, and historically entrenched power imbalances. To date, an equity orientation for CFCC has not been examined or developed. This is a critical area of inquiry, given the increasing evidence that children in families who face such inequities have poor health outcomes. This article examines dominant discourses on CFCC in the context of families and children who are at greater risk of health inequities in wealthy countries, drawing on Canada as a useful example. It outlines an evidence-based approach to equity-oriented care that the authors contend has the potential to orient CFCC toward equity and provide greater clarity in the conceptualization, implementation, measurement, and evaluation of CFCC in ways that can benefit all families and children including those who have typically been excluded from research.

Using co-production to increase activity in acute stroke units: the CREATE mixed-methods study

Background Stroke is the most common neurological disability in the UK. Any activity contributes to recovery, but stroke patients can be inactive for > 60% of their waking hours. This problem remains, despite organisational changes and targeted interventions. A new approach to addressing post-stroke inactivity is needed. Experience-based co-design has successfully initiated improvements for patients and staff in other acute settings. Experience-based co-design uses observational fieldwork and filmed narratives with patients to trigger different conversations and interactions between patients and staff to improve health-care services. Objectives To complete a rapid evidence synthesis of the efficacy and effectiveness of co-production as an approach to quality improvement in acute health-care settings; to evaluate the feasibility and impact of patients, carers and staff co-producing and implementing interventions to increase supervised and independent therapeutic patient activity in acute stroke units; and to understand the experience of participating in experience-based co-design and whether or not interventions developed and implemented in two units could transfer to two additional units using an accelerated experience-based co-design cycle. Design A mixed-methods case comparison using interviews, observations, behavioural mapping and self-report surveys (patient-reported outcome measure/patient-reported experience measure) pre and post implementation of experience-based co-design cycles, and a process evaluation informed by normalisation process theory. Setting The setting was two stroke units (acute and rehabilitation) in London and two in Yorkshire. Participants In total, 130 staff, 76 stroke patients and 47 carers took part. Findings The rapid evidence synthesis showed a lack of rigorous evaluation of co-produced interventions in acute health care, and the need for a robust critique of co-production approaches. Interviews and observations (365 hours) identified that it was feasible to co-produce and implement interventions to increase activity in priority areas including ‘space’ (environment), ‘activity’ and, to a lesser extent, ‘communication’. Patients and families reported benefits from participating in co-design and perceived that they were equal and valued members. Staff perceived that experience-based co-design provided a positive experience, was a valuable improvement approach and led to increased activity opportunities. Observations and interviews confirmed the use of new social spaces and increased activity opportunities. However, staff interactions remained largely task focused, with limited focus on enabling patient activity. Behavioural mapping indicated a mixed pattern of activity pre and post implementation of co-designed changes. Patient-reported outcome measure/patient-reported experience measure response rates were low, at 12–38%; pre- and post-experience-based co-design cohorts reported dependency, emotional and social limitations consistent with national statistics. Post-experience-based co-design patient-reported experience measure data indicated that more respondents reported that they had ‘enough things to do in their free time’. The use of experience-based co-design – full and accelerated – legitimised and supported co-production activity. Staff, patients and families played a pivotal role in intervention co-design. All participants recognised that increased activity should be embedded in everyday routines and in work on stroke units. Limitations Communication by staff that enabled patient activity was challenging to initiate and sustain. Conclusions It was feasible to implement experience-based co-design in stroke units. This resulted in some positive changes in unit environments and increased activity opportunities for patients. There was no discernible difference in experiences or outcomes between full and accelerated experience-based co-design. Future work should consider multiple ways to embed increased patient activity into everyday routines in stroke units. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 35. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Maximizing Health-Care Capacity in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak: Rapid Expansion Through Education by Health Emergency and Disaster Experts

ABSTRACT Delivering adequate health care in the setting of the ongoing pandemic is challenging. Due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Tokyo Metropolitan government has been forced to expand their acute health-care capacity corresponding to infectious diseases within a short period. Responding to this situation, health emergency and disaster experts of the Tokyo Disaster Medical Assistance Team took the initiative in creating a brief education course. We established the course for expanding infectious disease care capacity by a dedicated hands-on lecture for health professionals who are unfamiliar with infectious disease care in ordinary circumstances. Our lecture included the typical course of COVID-19, use of personal protective equipment, environmental sterilization, medical-ward zoning, and safe caregiving. Hospitals that received customized lectures reported by means of a questionnaire that the lectures were well suited to their needs. Currently, the health-care system in Tokyo has increased its capacity to meet the demand and has not been affected by COVID-19. Our experience shows that health emergency and disaster experts can assist hospitals in crisis by providing educational materials.