Nurse staffing levels and outcomes – mining the UK national data sets for insight

Purpose

Despite the generation of mass data by the nursing workforce, determining the impact of the contribution to patient safety remains challenging. Several cross-sectional studies have indicated a relationship between staffing and safety. The purpose of this paper is to uncover possible associations and explore if a deeper understanding of relationships between staffing and other factors such as safety could be revealed within routinely collected national data sets.

Design/methodology/approach

Two longitudinal routinely collected data sets consisting of 30 years of UK nurse staffing data and seven years of National Health Service (NHS) benchmark data such as survey results, safety and other indicators were used. A correlation matrix was built and a linear correlation operation was applied (Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient).

Findings

A number of associations were revealed within both the UK staffing data set and the NHS benchmarking data set. However, the challenges of using these data sets soon became apparent.

Practical implications

Staff time and effort are required to collect these data. The limitations of these data sets include inconsistent data collection and quality. The mode of data collection and the itemset collected should be reviewed to generate a data set with robust clinical application.

Originality/value

This paper revealed that relationships are likely to be complex and non-linear; however, the main contribution of the paper is the identification of the limitations of routinely collected data. Much time and effort is expended in collecting this data; however, its validity, usefulness and method of routine national data collection appear to require re-examination.

Anatomical differentiation of direct and indirect inguinal hernias: Is it worthwhile in the modern era?

The study aimed to assess the clinical accuracy of differentiating direct and indirect inguinal hernias preoperatively by different grades of surgeons. A retrospective audit was conducted over a 9-year period and comprised all adult inguinal hernia patients operated by one consultant surgeon. The hernias were differentiated into direct and indirect hernias based on the direction of cough impulse and the deep ring occlusion test. The preoperative diagnosis was compared with intraoperative findings. During the study period, 503 patients were examined. Of these, 272 patients were diagnosed as having indirect hernias and 56 patients as having direct hernias. In 175 patients, no attempt was made to differentiate indirect and direct hernias. When compared with intraoperative findings, the diagnosis was correct in 77% of the indirect hernias and 55% of direct hernias. Of the patients in whom no differentiation was attempted, 115 patients had indirect hernias, 56 had direct hernias, and four had both. For indirect hernias, the diagnostic accuracy was 82, 63, and 30% for consultant, registrars, and senior house officers. For direct hernias, the diagnostic accuracy was 66, 50, and 44%, respectively. This study demonstrates relatively poor accuracy in diagnosing direct inguinal hernias regardless of seniority.

Spontaneous resolution of an inferior epigastric artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to surgical drain placement

We report the case of a 73-year-old woman who was found to have an inferior epigastric artery pseudoaneurysm caused by surgical drain placement during a laparotomy for an appendix abscess. She presented with pain around the drain site two months following surgery and intravenous contrast computed tomography (CT) revealed a right inferior epigastric artery pseudoaneurysm. A decision was made to manage this expectantly as she remained stable with no other complications. Following a period of nine months of observation, repeat intravenous contrast CT showed evidence of spontaneous regression and thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm. She remains well and her symptoms have now resolved.

Risk of brain tumours in relation to estimated RF dose from mobile phones: results from five Interphone countries

Objectives

The objective of this study was to examine the associations of brain tumours with radio frequency (RF) fields from mobile phones.

Methods

Patients with brain tumour from the Australian, Canadian, French, Israeli and New Zealand components of the Interphone Study, whose tumours were localised by neuroradiologists, were analysed. Controls were matched on age, sex and region and allocated the ‘tumour location’ of their matched case. Analyses included 553 glioma and 676 meningioma cases and 1762 and 1911 controls, respectively. RF dose was estimated as total cumulative specific energy (TCSE; J/kg) absorbed at the tumour's estimated centre taking into account multiple RF exposure determinants.

Results

ORs with ever having been a regular mobile phone user were 0.93 (95% CI 0.73 to 1.18) for glioma and 0.80 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.96) for meningioma. ORs for glioma were below 1 in the first four quintiles of TCSE but above 1 in the highest quintile, 1.35 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.90). The OR increased with increasing TCSE 7+ years before diagnosis (p-trend 0.01; OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.47 in the highest quintile). A complementary analysis in which 44 glioma and 135 meningioma cases in the most exposed area of the brain were compared with gliomas and meningiomas located elsewhere in the brain showed increased ORs for tumours in the most exposed part of the brain in those with 10+ years of mobile phone use (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.13 to 6.94 for glioma). Patterns for meningioma were similar, but ORs were lower, many below 1.0.

Conclusions

There were suggestions of an increased risk of glioma in long-term mobile phone users with high RF exposure and of similar, but apparently much smaller, increases in meningioma risk. The uncertainty of these results requires that they be replicated before a causal interpretation can be made.

Nurse-led clinics for strict hypertension control are effective long term: a 7 year follow-up study

AIMS

The primary aim was to assess long-term blood pressure in 110 patients with Type 2 diabetes who had achieved optimal blood pressure control during attendance at a protocol-based nurse-led hypertension intensive intervention clinic 7 years previously. The secondary aim was to assess modifiable cardiovascular risk factor status.

METHODS

One hundred and ten patients who attended the clinic during 2000-2002 were selected to reattend to have their blood pressure measured to the same standard as it was during the intensive intervention clinic, by the same specialist nurse. Treatment details were recorded.

RESULTS

Of the 110 patients, 36 (33%) had died; 69 (63%) of the remaining 74 patients were eligible to be contacted by letter; and 35 (51%) agreed to reattend. Age was 70 +/- 9 years; 21 (60%) were male; and the duration of diabetes was 17 +/- 7 years. Compared with 7 years previously, there was no difference in blood pressure control (systolic 130 +/- 17 vs. 131 +/- 16 mmHg, P = 0.62; diastolic 68 +/- 9 vs. 65 +/- 9 mmHg, P = 0.11). The number of patients with blood pressure <130/80 mmHg remained the same: 17 (49%) vs. 17 (49%; P > 0.99). During the 7 year period, 14 (40%) vs. 20 (57%) had macrovascular disease (P = 0.23), and 14 (40%) vs. 19 (54%) microvascular disease (P = 0.33). Thirteen (37%) vs. 18 (51%) were taking three or more antihypertensive drugs (P = 0.33), and 26 (74%) vs. 28 (80%) angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (P = 0.77).

CONCLUSIONS

Optimal blood pressure control was sustained with no significant changes to antihypertensive medication, demonstrating the effectiveness of a protocol-based nurse-led clinic in achieving strict BP control.