Clinical pathways: effects on professional practice, patient outcomes, length of stay and hospital costs

Expert panel opinion on the optimal educational pathway for diabetes educators for training people with type 1 diabetes on the MiniMed™ 780G system: a Delphi consensus

INTRODUCTION

The MiniMed™ 780G system is an advanced insulin pump system incorporating an AHCL (Advanced Hybrid Close Loop) algorithm that automatically adjusts insulin delivery based on glucose levels. All guidelines recommend the use of Automated Insulin Delivery therapy for people with type 1 diabetes (PWT1D) and they highlight that a specifically trained and expert team should provide training on HCL systems for PWT1D, but none of the publications detail the curriculum profile that diabetes educators should have. This paper aims to establish a consensus on the optimal educational pathway for diabetes educators on the MiniMed™ 780G system.

METHODS

An Expert Panel (EP) of 11 key opinion educators in diabetes technology in the EMEA area was assembled. Using the Delphi method, a consensus questionnaire based on the literature research was created, discussed and validated by the EP members. An agreement level of ≥ 75% was considered a strong consensus.

RESULTS

EP members had on average 16.3 years of clinical experience and followed at least 50 PWT1D using the MiniMed™ 780G system. All EP members agreed that a structured educational pathway to train diabetes educators in the use of the MiniMed™ 780G system is needed. 100% of the EP members agreed that the pathway should include a mentorship programme and in-field training; 90% agreed on using face-to-face training with the support of e-learning modules. The EP members believed that minimum competency standards for diabetes educators around the principles of diabetes care and education are needed.

CONCLUSION

The educational pathway created by the EP showed that skills are needed at an advanced level and that mentorship in developing these skills is critical. This pathway is vital for supporting the implementation of diabetes technology into everyday life and can remove barriers and increase access to PWT1D.

Consensus-Building Processes for Implementing Perioperative Care Pathways in Common Elective Surgeries: A Systematic Review

AIMS

To identify and understand the different approaches to local consensus discussions that have been used to implement perioperative pathways for common elective surgeries.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Five databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library) were searched electronically for literature published between 1 January 2000 and 6 April 2023.

METHODS

Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion and assessed quality. Data were extracted using a structured extraction tool. A narrative synthesis was undertaken to identify and categorise the core elements of local consensus discussions reported. Data were synthesised into process models for undertaking local consensus discussions.

RESULTS

The initial search returned 1159 articles after duplicates were removed. Following title and abstract screening, 135 articles underwent full-text review. A total of 63 articles met the inclusion criteria. Reporting of local consensus discussions varied substantially across the included studies. Four elements were consistently reported, which together define a structured process for undertaking local consensus discussions.

CONCLUSIONS

Local consensus discussions are a common implementation strategy used to reduce unwarranted clinical variation in surgical care. Several models for undertaking local consensus discussions and their implementation are presented.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

Advancing our understanding of consensus building processes in perioperative pathway development could be significantly improved by refining reporting standards to include criteria for achieving consensus and assessing implementation fidelity, alongside advocating for a systematic approach to employing consensus discussions in hospitals.

IMPACT

These findings contribute to recognised gaps in the literature, including how decisions are commonly made in the design and implementation of perioperative pathways, furthering our understanding of the meaning of consensus processes that can be used by clinicians undertaking improvement initiatives.

REPORTING METHOD

This review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. No patient or public contribution.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

CRD42023413817.

Care pathways versus usual care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

OBJECTIVES

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of care pathways (CPs) compared to usual care/no CPs for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Implementation and evaluation of a system for assessment of the quality of long-term management of patients at a geriatric hospital

BACKGROUND

The increasing aging population presents a significant challenge, accompanied by a shortage of professional caregivers, adding to the therapeutic burden. Clinical decision support systems, utilizing computerized clinical guidelines, can improve healthcare quality, reduce expenses, save time, and boost caregiver efficiency.

OBJECTIVES

1) Develop and evaluate an automated quality assessment (QA) system for retrospective longitudinal care quality analysis, focusing on clinical staff adherence to evidence-based guidelines (GLs). 2) Assess the system's technical feasibility and functional capability for senior nurse use in geriatric pressure-ulcer management.

METHODS

A computational QA system using our Quality Assessment Temporal Patterns (QATP) methodology was designed and implemented. Our methodology transforms the GL's procedural-knowledge into declarative-knowledge temporal-abstraction patterns representing the expected execution trace in the patient's data for correct therapy application. Fuzzy temporal logic allows for partial compliance, reflecting individual and grouped action performance considering their values and temporal aspects. The system was tested using a pressure ulcer treatment GL and data from 100 geriatric patients' Electronic Medical Records (EMR). After technical evaluation for accuracy and feasibility, an extensive functional evaluation was conducted by an experienced nurse, comparing QA scores with and without system support, and versus automated system scores. Time efficiency was also measured.

RESULTS

QA scores from the geriatric nurse, with and without system's support, did not significantly differ from those provided by the automated system (p < 0.05), demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability of both manual and automated methods. The system-supported manual QA process reduced scoring time by approximately two-thirds, from an average of 17.3 min per patient manually to about 5.9 min with the system's assistance, highlighting the system's efficiency potential in clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

The QA system based on QATP, produces scores consistent with an experienced nurse's assessment for complex care over extended periods. It enables quick and accurate quality care evaluation for multiple patients after brief training. Such automated QA systems may empower nursing staff, enabling them to manage more patients, accurately and consistently, while reducing costs due to saved time and effort, and enhanced compliance with evidence-based guidelines.

Healthcare professional perspectives following implementation of an infection management care pathway for pediatric patients with cancer: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) supported an effort to implement infection management care pathways based on clinical practice guidelines, to improve the consistency of infection management in pediatric cancer patients. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) following implementation.

METHODS

Four tertiary pediatric oncology centers in Ontario, Canada, implemented the pathways. We randomly identified three HCPs per group (clinical pharmacists; nurse case managers, educators or practitioners and physician assistants; pediatric oncology fellows; or pediatric oncology staff physicians) per site and invited them to participate in a qualitative interview. One-on-one interviews were conducted remotely, followed by thematic analysis of interview transcripts.

RESULTS

A total of 66 invitations were extended and 42 HCPs participated. Identified themes were: (1) implementation approach, (2) access and navigation, (3) engagement, (4) concerns, (5) workplace benefits, (6) reception, and (7) provincial harmonization. HCPs preferred in-person implementation strategies over e-mail communication. They identified teaching/educational utility and benefits to non-oncology departments and non-tertiary centers participating in shared care of patients. Other positive aspects related to evidence-based practice, safety, supporting oncology HCPs, and benefits to patients and families. Concerns included need to ensure users applied clinical judgement and loss of autonomy. Provincial harmonization of practice was viewed positively, although potential logistical and institutional cultural barriers were raised.

CONCLUSIONS

Following infection management care pathway implementation, HCPs described educational utility and benefits to non-oncology departments, oncology HCPs, patients, and families. Our findings may facilitate future infection management care pathway provincial harmonization.

Current abdominal X-rays practice in accident and emergency

INTRODUCTION

Previous literature reviews revealed that abdominal X-rays (AXR) performed for the accident and emergency department (A&E), had low sensitivity, high further imaging and non-alignment rate to the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines. A study was performed to investigate the current practice with the aim of making recommendations to improve practice, which can reduce patients' radiation exposures, while can re-routing resources to other priorities.

METHODS

A study was performed in one of the UK's largest A&Es, in accordance with the RCR guidelines. All the AXR requests from A&E, regardless of the patient's age, within a 28-day period, were retrospectively assessed. Non-A&E patients and abandoned examinations due to uncooperative patients were excluded. The total number of AXR requests received by the A&E imaging department was 169, with 28/169 falling into the exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Of the 141 included requests, five unjustified requests were correctly rejected. The remaining 136 requests were accepted and performed, though only 115/136 (84.6%) of these were justified. The most common justified and unjustified indications were obstruction and renal stones, respectively. Only 4% of reported AXR had pathological abnormalities, while 45/136 patients had further imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

The small proportion of significant findings echoed previous studies, suggesting an AXR overuse. Over 80% of non-compliant requests were performed, and awareness of the justification guidelines can be increased by clinical governance, posters, or an algorithm previously presented. The 32.4% further imaging rate recorded in this study, as opposed to the 73.7% reported in previous literature, merits attention.

IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE

Stopping the overuse of AXR can minimise the radiation dose received and relieve the mounting pressure in imaging and reporting, which can serve other patients who would benefit from the services otherwise.

Clinical care pathways of patients with biliary tract cancer: A French nationwide longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND

Although the incidence of BTC is raising, national healthcare strategies to improve care lack. We aimed to explore patient clinical care pathways and strategies to improve biliary tract cancer (BTC) care.

METHODS

We analysed the French National Healthcare database of all BTC inpatients between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021. Multinomial logistic regression adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were used to identify healthcare organisation factors that influenced access to curative care both overall and in a longitudinal sensibility analysis using optimal matching and hierarchical ascending classification to detect a subgroup of curative-care patients with a high survival over a two-year period.

RESULTS

A total of 19,825 new BTC patients and three clinical care pathways (CCP) were identified: 'Palliative care' (PC-CCP), 'Non-curative Care' (NCC-CCP) and 'Curative Care' (CC-CCP) involving 7669 (38.7%), 7721 (38.9%) and 4435 (22.4%) patients respectively. Out of 1200 centers involved in BTC treatment, 84%, 11% and 5% were of low- (<15 patients/year), medium- (15-30 patients/year) and high-volume (>30 patients/year) respectively. Among patient, tumor and hospital factors, BTC management in academic (aOR: 2.32; 95%CI: 1.98-2.71), private (2.51; 2.22-2.83), semi-private (2.25; 1.91-2.65) and in high- (2.09; 1.81-2.42) or medium-volume (1.49; 1.33-1.68) centers increased probability to CC-CCP. These results were maintained in a longitudinal cluster of 2363 (53%) CC-CCP patients presenting a higher two-year survival compared with the rest [96.4% (95.1; 97.6) vs. 38.8% (36.3; 41.4), log-rank p < 0.001].

CONCLUSIONS

Among factors subject to healthcare policy improvement, the volume and type of centers managing BTC strongly influenced access to curative care.

Is alcohol and psychoactive medication use associated with excess hospital length-of-stay and admission frequency? A cross-sectional, observational study

BACKGROUND

Hospital length-of-stay and admission frequency are commonly used indicators of disease burden and health resource expenditures. However, the impact of psychoactive prescription medication use and harmful alcohol consumption on both the duration and frequency of hospital admissions is under-explored.

METHODS

We conducted an analysis of data gathered from 2872 patients admitted to the Emergency Department at Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital in Oslo, Norway. Psychoactive medicines (benzodiazepines, opioids, and z-hypnotics) were detected via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of whole blood, while alcohol consumption was self-reported through the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-4 (AUDIT-4). Using logistic regression, we examined associations with our primary outcomes, which were excess length-of-stay and admission frequency, defined as exceeding the sample median of 3.0 days and 0.2 admissions per year, respectively.

RESULTS

Compared to the absence of psychoactive medication, and after adjusting for age, gender, malignant disease, pre-existing substance use disorder and admission due to intoxication, the detection of two or more psychoactive medicines was associated with both excess length-of-stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20 to 2.14) and yearly hospitalization rate (OR, 3.72; 95% CI, 2.64 to 5.23). This association persisted when increasing the definition for excess length-of-stay to 4 and 5 days and to 1.0 and 1.5 admissions per year for admission frequency. Harmful alcohol consumption (AUDIT-4 scores of 9 to 16) was not associated with excess length-of-stay, but with excess admission frequency when defined as more than 1.0 admission per year when compared to scores of 4 to 6 (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.58 to 4.57).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychoactive medication use is associated with both excess length-of-stay and increased antecedent admission frequency, while harmful alcohol consumption may be associated with the latter. The utility of our findings as a causal factor should be explored through intervention-based study designs.

Predictors of postoperative delirium in paediatric patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia at Amhara Regional State Tertiary Hospitals: a multicenter prospective study

Introduction

Postoperative delirium in paediatric patients is a recognised issue. Nevertheless, in low- and middle-income nations, researchers have had luck in determining its extent and predictors. Identifying predictors of postoperative delirium in paediatric patients having general anaesthesia at Tertiary Hospitals in Ethiopia was the aim of this study.

Methods

A multicenter, prospective follow up study was conducted from April 15 to June 15, 2023 at the study settings. During the study period a total of 424 paediatric surgical patients treated under general anaesthesia in all study locations, ranging in age from birth to sixteen were candidates for this study. Charts and direct observation of patient's with assessment tool [Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD)] were used from each available patient. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of postoperative delirium in paediatric patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia.

Results

Postoperative delirium occurred in 160 of the 404 paediatric patients who underwent surgery under general anaesthesia. Ophthalmic surgery, corticosteroid use, anticholinergic use, severe postoperative pain, and preoperative anxiety were found to be predictors of postoperative delirium; whereas, sedative medication premedication and paracetamol used for analgesia were found to be protective against postoperative delirium.

Inference and recommendation

The postoperative delirium in paediatric patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia was higher compared to developed countries. Ophthalmic surgery, corticosteroids, anticholinergic medications, postoperative pain, and preoperative anxiety were found to be predictors. The impact of postoperative delirium might be lessened by concentrating on its screening and factor control.

Endovascular Repair in Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury: A 10-Year Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND

Life-threatening blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) typically occurs alongside multiple other traumatic injuries. Symptoms of BTAI can range from being asymptomatic in the case of intimal tears to becoming catastrophic in the case of uncontained aortic ruptures. The aim of this research was to examine the clinical outcomes for those who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in hospital settings.  Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted using patient data that were extracted from Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the duration between January 2011 and December 2021. This study included data from all patients aged 18 and up who had been diagnosed with BTAI and had undergone TEVAR. The BTAI diagnoses were confirmed using CT scans. Logistic regression was utilized to identify predictors of patients' health status improvement and length of stay.

RESULTS

A total of 80 patients were involved. Around 50.0% (n=40) of the patients had grade 3 thoracic aortic injuries. The median duration of stay was 14.00 days (Interquartile range 21.00). Only one patient developed post-procedure complications (1.3%). Almost one-third (31.3%; n=25) of the patients required subclavian coverage. One patient developed intraoperative endoleak (1.3%). One patient developed an access site complication (1.3%). The mortality rate within 30 days of the operation was 1.3%. The vast majority of the patients (92.5%; n=74) showed improvement upon discharge from the hospital. The baseline patient characteristics and length of hospitalization had no effect on the improvement of patient status upon discharge or their length of stay (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Patients with BTAI have shown an excellent success rate with TEVAR and a low complication rate. Predictors of procedure success and length of stay need to be identified; however, this can't be done without larger-scale investigations. This can aid in the development of preventative measures that improve clinical outcomes for the patients.

General Surgery Residents Improve Efficiency but Not Hospital Length of Stay in Trauma Care

Background Good Samaritan University Hospital (GSUH) has been preliminary approved to become a Level I Trauma Center. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) requires Level I Trauma Centers to have senior surgery residents on the trauma service. To fulfill this requirement, GSUH has established an affiliation with Stony Brook University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved five-year postgraduate training program in General Surgery, to have senior surgery residents from their training program rotate and provide care to trauma patients beginning in July of 2021. Numerous studies over the past few decades have shown conflicting results on patient outcomes with resident involvement. A majority of the studies published only evaluated residents who were native to the respective hospitals. Our study evaluated the impact of surgery residents visiting from an outside hospital on hospital length of stay (LOS) in admitted trauma patients. As increased hospital LOS is strongly associated with increased hospital-acquired complications, increased healthcare costs, and poor patient experience, we used this to evaluate the efficiency of our trauma team with the addition of visiting surgery residents. Methodology A retrospective study was conducted utilizing the hospital's trauma registry. Patients were divided into two groups: the first two years before the addition of surgery residents from July 1st, 2019, to June 30th, 2021, and the second two years after the addition of surgery residents from July 1st, 2021, to June 30th, 2023. The primary outcome measured the hospital LOS between the two groups. Pearson's chi-square test was used to analyze all categorical data, and a t-test was used to compare differences in means. Results From July 1st, 2019, to June 30th, 2023, a total of 7,081 patients were admitted to the trauma service: 3,411 in the group with no surgery residents, and 3,670 patients in the group with residents (p = 0.052). The primary outcome, hospital LOS, was not significantly affected by the addition of surgery residents to the trauma service. Hospital LOS before surgery residents was 4.40 days compared to with residents at 4.41 days (p = 0.944). Mortality was significantly decreased with resident involvement at 1.9% compared to no residents at 2.7% (p = 0.017). Interestingly, the Emergency Department LOS was significantly longer in the group with residents, 268.82 minutes vs. 232.19 minutes (p = 0.004). The average New Injury Severity Score was 9.02 in the group with no residents and 9.04 in the group with surgery residents (p = 0.927). The majority of traumas in both groups were blunt trauma 96.5% with no residents vs. 97.1% with residents (p = 0.192). Conclusions The addition of visiting surgery residents to the trauma team did not significantly increase hospital LOS. Ultimately, having visiting residents on the trauma service may enhance resident education without compromising hospital LOS. Training at different hospitals can allow residents to experience different patient populations and different hospital protocols, making them adaptable and more prepared to work in different hospital settings, whether academic or community. Hospitals without their own residency programs could potentially form affiliations with residency programs to meet the ACS requirements, which can bring more patients to their hospitals.

Designing a Behaviour Change Wheel guided implementation strategy for a hypoxaemic respiratory failure and ARDS care pathway that targets barriers

BACKGROUND

A significant gap exists between ideal evidence-based practice and real-world application of evidence-informed therapies for patients with hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Pathways can improve the quality of care provided by helping integrate and organise the use of evidence informed practices, but barriers exist that can influence their adoption and successful implementation. We sought to identify barriers to the implementation of a best practice care pathway for HRF and ARDS and design an implementation science-based strategy targeting these barriers that is tailored to the critical care setting.

METHODS

The intervention assessed was a previously described multidisciplinary, evidence-based, stakeholder-informed, integrated care pathway for HRF and ARDS. A survey questionnaire (12 open text questions) was administered to intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians (physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists) in 17 adult ICUs across Alberta. The Behaviour Change Wheel, capability, opportunity, motivation - behaviour components, and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) were used to perform qualitative analysis on open text responses to identify barriers to the use of the pathway. Behaviour change technique (BCT) taxonomy, and Affordability, Practicality, Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, Acceptability, Side effects and safety and Equity (APEASE) criteria were used to design an implementation science-based strategy specific to the critical care context.

RESULTS

Survey responses (692) resulted in 16 belief statements and 9 themes with 9 relevant TDF domains. Differences in responses between clinician professional group and hospital setting were common. Based on intervention functions linked to each belief statement and its relevant TDF domain, 26 candidate BCTs were identified and evaluated using APEASE criteria. 23 BCTs were selected and grouped to form 8 key components of a final strategy: Audit and feedback, education, training, clinical decision support, site champions, reminders, implementation support and empowerment. The final strategy was described using the template for intervention description and replication framework.

CONCLUSIONS

Barriers to a best practice care pathway were identified and were amenable to the design of an implementation science-based mitigation strategy. Future work will evaluate the ability of this strategy to improve quality of care by assessing clinician behaviour change via better adherence to evidence-based care.

Improving Post-procedure Outcomes With Clinical Care Pathway for Enteral Access

Our health system introduced an enteral access clinical pathway (EACP) hoping to increase nutritionist consults and decrease presentation to the Emergency Department, readmission to the hospital, and overall hospital length of stay. We followed patients with short-term access (STA), longterm access (LTA), and short-long-term conversions (SLT) seen in the six months prior to the EACP launch (baseline group) and the six months after (performance group). The baseline cohort consisted of 2,553 patients and the performance cohort of 2,419 patients. Those in the performance group were more likely to receive a nutrition consult (52.4% vs 48.0%, P < .01), less likely to re-present to the ED (31.9% vs 42.6%, P < .001), and less likely to be readmitted to the hospital (31.0% vs 41.6%, P < .001. These findings suggest that the EACP may increase the likelihood of both expert-driven nutritional support and effective discharge planning for hospitalized patients.

Reducing Surgical Site Infections Post-Caesarean Section

Background

Surgical Site Infections (SSI) are one of the most common complications after a caesarean with significant morbidity. Evidence suggests that SSI rates can be reduced post caesarean by using a Leukomed® Sorbact® (Essity) bacteria binding wound dressing, thereby reducing bacterial wound colonisation. Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK (BHRUT) maternity unit sought change their clinical practice by using Leukomed Sorbact and evaluate if this reduced their SSI rate, SSI readmission rate, antibiotic usage and evaluate any associated cost savings.

Methods

From January 1st 2022, Mepore® (Molnlycke) wound dressings were replaced with Leukomed Sorbact for all caesareans. Retrospective and prospective audits were undertaken to compare SSI incidence pre- and post- implementation of the dressing. No changes were made to wound cleaning products, prophylactic antibiotic use or surgical technique. Wound closure technique remained the choice of the individual surgeon.

Results

Prior to this practice change, the baseline SSI rate between January-December 2021 was 6.1% and the SSI readmission rate was 1.27%. Comparative data for January-December 2022 showed a 38% reduction in SSI rates (overall SSI rate = 3.8%), a 31% reduction in readmission rate for SSI (overall rate = 0.88%), a 38% reduction in readmission bed days and a 30% reduction in antibiotic use. There was a reduction in SSI rates in all body mass index (BMI) categories. Total savings due to the reduction in SSI rates over twelve months were £234,784. The cost savings to BHRUT solely attributable to the reduction in readmissions was £49,750 or £21 per Caesarean, which will be an ongoing saving.

Conclusion

The use of Leukomed Sorbact dressings after Caesarean resulted in improved clinical outcomes with reduced SSI and readmission rates. Investment in the new dressing was cost effective when considering bed days freed, the reduction in antibiotic usage, reduced morbidity and improved patient experience.

Introduction of a systematic examination framework for chronic cough: a before-after cohort study in a clinical setting

Cough is a condition that can be caused by several different mechanisms. There are numerous guidelines for diagnosing the cause of cough, yet the effect of a well-constructed examination framework has not been investigated. At the Department of Internal Medicine, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, a systematic examination framework for diagnosing cough was introduced. Two hundred consecutive patients referred to the pulmonary outpatient clinic with cough were included. The first 100 patients (Group 1) were included before implementation of the examination framework and diagnosed as usual. The next 100 patients (Group 2) were examined using the systematic framework. The primary endpoint was the number of appointments required to establish a diagnosis. A multivariable Poisson regression was performed, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, pulmonary function (FEV1/FVC), duration of cough, and smoking status. A diagnosis was established within 1-2 visits in 47% in Group 1 compared to 83% in Group 2. When adjusting for confounders, fewer appointments was required to establish a diagnosis in Group 2 (Incidence rate ratio = 0.713 (95% confidence interval: 0.592-0.859), P = 0.000). Using a systematic examination framework for diagnosing cough may reduce the number of appointments required to establish a diagnosis, seemingly without compromising the diagnostic outcome.

Clinical Pathway Adherence and Missed Diagnostic Opportunities Among Children with Musculoskeletal Infections

INTRODUCTION

Clinical care pathways (CPs) integrate best evidence into the local care delivery context to promote efficiency and patient safety. However, the impact of CPs on diagnostic performance remains poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate adherence to a musculoskeletal infection (MSKI) diagnostic CP and identify recurrent failure points leading to missed diagnostic opportunities (MDOs).

METHODS

Retrospective chart review was performed from January 2018 to February 2022 for children 6 months to 18 years of age who had an unplanned admission for MSKI after being evaluated and discharged from the pediatric emergency department (PED) for related complaints within the previous 10 days. MDOs were identified using the Revised Safer Dx. Demographic and clinical characteristics of children with and without MDOs were compared using bivariate descriptive statistics. An improvement team reviewed the diagnostic trajectories of MDOs for deviations from the MSKI CP and developed a fishbone diagram to describe contributing factors to CP deviations.

RESULTS

The study identified 21 children with and 13 children without MSKI-associated MDOs. Children with MDOs were more likely to have an initial C-reactive protein value > 2 mg/dL (90.0% vs. 0%, p = 0.01) and returned to care earlier than children without MDOs (median 2.8 days vs. 6.7 days, p = 0.004). Factors contributing to MDOs included failure to obtain screening laboratory tests, misinterpretation of laboratory values, failure to obtain orthopedic consultation, and failure to obtain definitive imaging.

CONCLUSION

Several recurrent deviations from an MSKI diagnostic CP were found to be associated with MDOs. Future quality improvement efforts to improve adherence to this MSKI CP may prevent MDOs.

Effectiveness of a Multi-component Delirium Prevention Program Implemented on General Medicine Hospital Units: an Interrupted Time Series Analysis

BACKGROUND

Delirium is among the most prevalent harmful events in hospitals that is associated with an elevated risk for severe outcomes such as functional decline, falls, longer length of stay, and increased mortality.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of the implementation of a multi-component delirium program on the prevalence of delirium and the incidence of falls among patients staying on general medicine inpatient hospital units.

DESIGN

A pre-post intervention study using retrospective chart abstraction and interrupted time series analysis.

COHORT

Patients were selected from adult patients that stayed at least 1 day on one of the five general medicine units in a large community hospital in Ontario, Canada. A total of 16 random samples of 50 patients per month for 8 consecutive months pre-intervention (October 2017 to May 2018) and 8 months post intervention (January 2019 to August 2019) were selected for a total of 800 patients. There were no exclusion criteria.

INTERVENTION

The delirium program included multiple components: education of staff and hospital leadership, twice per day bed-side screen for delirium, non-pharmacological and pharmacological prevention, and intervention strategies and a delirium consultation team.

MEASUREMENT

Delirium prevalence was assessed using the evidence-based delirium chart abstraction method, CHART-del. Demographic data as well as fall incidence were also collected.

RESULT

Our evaluation showed that the implementation of a multicomponent delirium program led to a reduction in delirium prevalence and fall incidences. The reduction in both delirium and falls was the largest for patients in the ages between 72 and 83 years old and varied across inpatient units.

CONCLUSION

A multi-component delirium program to improve the prevention, recognition, and management of delirium reduces the prevalence of delirium and fall incidence among patients in general medicine units.

From healthcare system to individuals through stroke rehabilitation pathways.Outcomes, information, and satisfaction along 12 months prospective cohort in Portugal

BACKGROUND

The nature and quality of stroke survivor rehabilitation varies throughout Europe, including in Portugal, having not been widely monitored or benchmarked.

OBJECTIVES

This study analyses the stroke care pathway from three perspectives: healthcare system, process, and patient.

METHODS

The study uses data from a one-year single-center prospective cohort of first stroke patients, assessed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Care pathways and settings were described in terms of organizational model, funding, patient involvement, frequency and intensity and multidisciplinary team. Patient-level information and satisfaction were evaluated using a 10-point numeric rating scale. Kruskal - Wallis and post-hoc tests were used to compare EQ-5D-3 L, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination scores between pathways and settings.

RESULTS

A total of 391 acute stroke patients, with a mean disability of 3.7 (mRS) and severity of 11.7 (NIHSS) participated. Six pathways and eight settings were described. A lack of compliance between guidelines and care was identified. There were significant differences in the four outcomes between the six pathways (p-values 0.007 to 0.020) suggesting inefficiency and inequalities, with an inadequate level of information and patient satisfaction. After post-hoc analysis, pathways 1 and 2 showed highest outcomes (p-values 0.001 to 0.002). Within settings, short-term units showed high scores, followed by rehabilitation center, outpatient hospital, and community clinic (p-values 0.001 to 0.040).

CONCLUSION

A multilevel characterization of the post-stroke rehabilitation pathway showed a more complete perspective on stroke management which may contribute to future rehabilitation and stroke policies.

Treatment approaches of stage III and IV pressure injury in people with spinal cord injury: A scoping review

CONTEXT

The treatment of pressure injury (PI) stage III and IV in people with spinal cord injury or spinal cord disorder (SCI/D) requires a multidisciplinary and surgical involvement.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review aims to identify published relevant surgical multidisciplinary treatment approaches, describe the elements and evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and Medline databases for studies about treatment approaches for people aged ≥18 years with chronic SCI/D and PI stage III or IV over ischium, trochanter or sacrum published between January 1990 and December 2021 in English or German language. Two independent reviewers screened the articles. One reviewer extracted information on study author(s), year of publication, study title, study design, country of origin, sample size as well as data on elements and effectiveness of the approaches.

RESULTS

10 different approaches were described in two retrospective cohort studies, three case series, five discussion papers, one review and one guideline. All approaches included debridement, flap surgery, pressure relief and immobilization as well as infection control. Some approaches described elements such as risk screening (7/10), osteomyelitis treatment (8/10), nutritional therapy (8/10), physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology (6/10), spasticity control (7/10), and prevention and education (6/10). Only one study reported on the effectiveness of the approaches.

CONCLUSION

There are key elements for surgical multidisciplinary treatment approaches. However, due to differences in the content of some of these elements and missing elements in some approaches, comparability is difficult and the effectiveness of the complex approaches remains uncertain.

Do we understand each other when we develop and implement hip fracture models of care? A systematic review with narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

A hip fracture in an older person is a devastating injury. It impacts functional mobility, independence and survival. Models of care may provide a means for delivering integrated hip fracture care in less well-resourced settings. The aim of this review was to determine the elements of hip fracture models of care to inform the development of an adaptable model of care for low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

METHODS

Multiple databases were searched for papers reporting a hip fracture model of care for any part of the patient pathway from injury to rehabilitation. Results were limited to publications from 2000. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened based on eligibility criteria. Papers were evaluated with an equity lens against eight conceptual criteria adapted from an existing description of a model of care.

RESULTS

82 papers were included, half of which were published since 2015. Only two papers were from middle-income countries and only two papers were evaluated as reporting all conceptual criteria from the existing description. The most identified criterion was an evidence-informed intervention and the least identified was the inclusion of patient stakeholders.

CONCLUSION

Interventions described as models of care for hip fracture are unlikely to include previously described conceptual criteria. They are most likely to be orthogeriatric approaches to service delivery, which is a barrier to their implementation in resource-limited settings. In LMICs, the provision of orthogeriatric competencies by other team members is an area for further investigation.

Implementation of consensus-based perioperative care pathways to reduce clinical variation for elective surgery in an Australian private hospital: a mixed-methods pre-post study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Addressing clinical variation in elective surgery is challenging. A key issue is how to gain consensus between largely autonomous clinicians. Understanding how the consensus process works to develop and implement perioperative pathways and the impact of these pathways on reducing clinical variation can provide important insights into the effectiveness of the consensus process. The primary objective of this study is to understand the implementation of an organisationally supported, consensus approach to implement perioperative care pathways in a private healthcare facility and to determine its impact.

METHODS

A mixed-methods Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid (type III) pre-post study will be conducted in one Australian private hospital. Five new consensus-based perioperative care pathways will be developed and implemented for specific patient cohorts: spinal surgery, radical prostatectomy, cardiac surgery, bariatric surgery and total hip and knee replacement. The individual components of these pathways will be confirmed as part of a consensus-building approach and will follow a four-stage implementation process using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment framework. The process of implementation, as well as barriers and facilitators, will be evaluated through semistructured interviews and focus groups with key clinical and non-clinical staff, and participant observation. We anticipate completing 30 interviews and 15-20 meeting observations. Administrative and clinical end-points for at least 152 participants will be analysed to assess the effectiveness of the pathways.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study received ethical approval from Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Medical Sciences Committee (Reference No: 520221219542374). The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and reports for key stakeholders.

Using routine healthcare data to determine the factors associated with hospital length of stay for hypertensive inpatients in Ghana, 2012-2017

OBJECTIVE

Hospitalisation for hypertension continues to rise in Ghana. It has been revealed that in Ghana, patients hospitalised for hypertension spend between 1 and 91 days on admission. This study therefore sought to estimate the hospital length of stay (LoS) of hypertensive patients and individual or health-related factors that may influence the hospitalisation duration in Ghana.

METHODS

We employed a retrospective study design that used routinely collected health data on hospitalised hypertensive patients in Ghana from the District Health Information Management System database between 2012 and 2017 to model LoS using survival analysis. The cumulative incidence function for discharge stratified by sex was computed. To investigate the factors that influence hospitalisation duration, multivariable Cox regression was used.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 106 372 hypertension admissions, about 72 581 (68.2%) were women. The mean age of the patients was 55.3 (SD=17.5) years. Overall, the median LoS was 3 days with almost 90% of all patients being discharged by the 10th day of admission. Patients admitted in Volta region (HR: 0.89, p<0.001) and Eastern region (HR: 0.96, p=0.002) experienced late discharge as compared with patients admitted in Greater Accra. It was revealed that women (HR: 1.09, p<0.001) were discharged earlier than men. However, having a surgical procedure (HR: 1.07, p<0.001) and having comorbidities such as diabetes (HR: 0.76, p<0.001) and cardiovascular diseases other than hypertension (HR: 0.77, p<0.001) increased the LoS of patients.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of factors influencing hospitalisation duration of admissions due to hypertension in Ghana. Female sex, all regions except Volta region and Eastern region, experienced early discharge. However, patients with a surgical intervention and comorbidity experienced late discharge.

Using care pathways for cancer diagnosis in primary care: a qualitative study to understand family physicians' mental models

BACKGROUND

Care pathways are tools that can help family physicians navigate the complexities of the cancer diagnostic process. Our objective was to examine the mental models associated with using care pathways for cancer diagnosis of a group of family physicians in Alberta.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study using cognitive task analysis, with interviews in the primary care setting between February and March 2021. Family physicians whose practices were not heavily oriented toward patients with cancer and who did not work closely with specialized cancer clinics were recruited with the support of the Alberta Medical Association and leveraging our familiarity with Alberta's Primary Care Networks. We conducted simulation exercise interviews with 3 pathway examples over Zoom, and we analyzed data using both macrocognition theory and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Eight family physicians participated. Macrocognitive functions (and subthemes) related to mental models were sense-making and learning (confirmation and validation, guidance and support, and sense-giving to patients), care coordination and diagnostic decision-making (shared understanding). Themes related to the use of the pathways were limited use in diagnosis decisions, use in guiding and supporting referral, only relevant and easy-to-process information, and easily accessible.

INTERPRETATION

Our findings suggest the importance of designing pathways intentionally for streamlined integration into family physicians' practices, highlighting the need for co-design approaches. Pathways were identified as a tool that, used in combination with other tools, may help gather information and support cancer diagnosis decisions, with the goals of improving patient outcomes and care experience.

Symptom management care pathway adaptation process and specific adaptation decisions

BACKGROUND

There is substantial heterogeneity in symptom management provided to pediatric patients with cancer. The primary objective was to describe the adaptation process and specific adaptation decisions related to symptom management care pathways based on clinical practice guidelines. The secondary objective evaluated if institutional factors were associated with adaptation decisions.

METHODS

Fourteen previously developed symptom management care pathway templates were reviewed by an institutional adaptation team composed of two clinicians at each of 10 institutions. They worked through each statement for all care pathway templates sequentially. The institutional adaptation team made the decision to adopt, adapt or reject each statement, resulting in institution-specific symptom management care pathway drafts. Institutional adaption teams distributed the 14 care pathway drafts to their respective teams; their feedback led to care pathway modifications.

RESULTS

Initial care pathway adaptation decision making was completed over a median of 4.2 (interquartile range 2.0-5.3) weeks per institution. Across all institutions and among 1350 statements, 551 (40.8%) were adopted, 657 (48.7%) were adapted, 86 (6.4%) were rejected and 56 (4.1%) were no longer applicable because of a previous decision. Most commonly, the reason for rejection was not agreeing with the statement (70/86, 81.4%). Institutional-level factors were not significantly associated with statement rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

Acceptability of the 14 care pathways was evident by most statements being adopted or adapted. The adaptation process was accomplished over a relatively short timeframe. Future work should focus on evaluation of care pathway compliance and determination of the impact of care pathway-consistent care on patient outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04614662. Registered 04/11/2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04614662?term=NCT04614662&draw=2&rank=1 .

The impact of surgical trainee involvement in total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review of surgical efficacy, patient safety, and outcomes

PURPOSE

Trainee involvement in patient care has raised concerns about the potential risk of adverse outcomes and harming patients. We sought to analyze the impact and potential consequence of surgical trainee involvement in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures in terms of surgical efficacy, patient safety, and functional outcomes.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and Scopus databases in April 2021. Eligible studies reported on the impact of trainee participation in TKA procedures performed with and without such involvement.

RESULTS

Twenty-three publications met our eligibility criteria and were included in our study. These studies reported on 132,624 surgeries completed on 132,416 patients. Specifically, 23,988 and 108,636 TKAs were performed with and without trainee involvement, respectively. The mean operative times for procedures with (n = 19,573) and without (n = 94,581) trainee involvement were 99.77 and 85.05 min, respectively. Both studies that reported data on cost of TKAs indicated a significant increase (p < 0.001) associated with procedures completed by teaching hospitals compared to private practices. Mean overall complication rates were 7.20% and 7.36% for TKAs performed with (n = 9,386) and without (n = 31,406) trainees. Lastly, the mean Knee Society Scale (KSS) knee scores for TKAs with (n = 478) and without (n = 806) trainee involvement were similar; 82.81 and 82.71, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review concurred with previous studies that reported trainee involvement during TKAs increases the mean operative time. However, the overall complication rates and functional outcomes were similar. Larger studies with a better methodology and higher level of evidence are still needed for a resolute conclusion.

Barriers and Facilitators in Implementation of an Esophagectomy Care Pathway: a Qualitative Analysis

INTRODUCTION

A new postoperative esophagectomy care pathway was recently implemented at our institution. Practice pattern change among provider teams can prove challenging; therefore, we sought to study the barriers and facilitators toward pathway implementation at the provider level.

METHODS

This qualitative study was guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to study the adoption and implementation of a post-esophagectomy care pathway. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with providers involved with the pathway. Matrix analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Providers included attending surgeons (n = 6), advanced practice providers (n = 8), registered dietitian (n = 1), and clinic staff (n = 1). TDF domains that were salient across our findings included knowledge, beliefs about consequences, social influences, and environmental context and resources. Identified facilitators included were electronic health record tools, such as note templates including pathway components and a pathway-specific order set, patient satisfaction, and preliminary data indicating clinical benefits such as a reduced anastomotic leak rate. The major barrier reported was a hesitance to abandon previous practice patterns, most prevalent at the attending surgeon level.

CONCLUSION

The TDF enabled us to identify and understand the individuals' perceived barriers and facilitators toward adoption and implementation of a postoperative esophagectomy pathway. This analysis can help guide and improve adoption of surgical patient care pathways among providers.

Effect of a computerized decision support system on the treatment approach of stage III or IV pressure injury in patients with spinal cord injury: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Stage III and IV pressure injuries (PIs) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) require complex interdisciplinary and interprofessional treatment approaches that are difficult to implement. Practical aspects, such as information exchange and coordination, remain challenging. We investigated whether a computerized decision support system (CDSS) could increase treatment adherence and improve clinical outcomes and interprofessional collaboration.

METHOD

In this feasibility study, a core team developed the initial treatment process and adapted it based on several discussions with clinical experts and information technologists. The CDSS followed the Basel Decubitus Approach and was used in a clinic specializing in SCI. Thirty patients with SCI admitted for stage III/IV PI between July 2016 and May 2017 were randomly allocated to standard or CDSS-supported care. Between-group differences in treatment adherence, complication rates, length of stay, and costs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The use of the CDSS and potential barriers and facilitators were evaluated through interprofessional focus groups, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed (30 participants).

RESULTS

No differences in SCI characteristics, comorbidities, or PI characteristics (localization: ischium [number (n) = 19 PI, 63%], sacrum [n = 10 PI, 33%], recurrent PI [n = 21, 70%]) were found between the two groups. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were observed in treatment adherence, frequency of major (20% vs. 13% between CDSS and control group) and minor (33% vs 27%) complications, and length of stay (98 [±28] vs 81 [±23] days). Healthcare professionals found the CDSS to be helpful for visualizing the treatment process. However, the high workload and difficulties in the information technology processes, such as missing reminders, slow computer performance and data processing, and poor accessibility, hindered the effective implementation of the CDSS.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of the CDSS to support the treatment of stage III/IV PI in patients with SCI was feasible and included definitions of milestones, interventions, and outcomes. However, to assess the impact of the CDSS, a longer observation period is required. Further, the technical difficulties must be addressed, and solid integration of the CDSS into the clinical information system is necessary.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This quality improvement project received a declaration of no objection from the Ethics Committee of Northwest and Central Switzerland (EKNZ UBE-16/003), and ethical approval was received for the focus groups (EKNZ Req-2017-00860).

ProDeM: A Process-Oriented Delphi Method for systematic asynchronous and consensual surgical process modelling

Surgical process models support improving healthcare provision by facilitating communication and reasoning about processes in the medical domain. Modelling surgical processes is challenging as it requires integrating information that might be fragmented, scattered, and not process-oriented. These challenges can be faced by involving healthcare domain experts during process modelling. This paper presents ProDeM: a novel Process-Oriented Delphi Method for the systematic, asynchronous, and consensual modelling of surgical processes. ProDeM is an adaptable and flexible method that acknowledges that: (i) domain experts have busy calendars and might be geographically dispersed, and (ii) various elements of the process model need to be assessed to ensure model quality. The contribution of the paper is twofold as it outlines ProDeM, but also demonstrates its operationalisation in the context of a well-known surgical process. Besides showing the method's feasibility in practice, we also present an evaluation of the method by the experts involved in the demonstration.

Impact of suspected adverse drug reactions on mortality and length of hospital stay in the hospitalised patients: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To estimate the risk of mortality and length of stay in hospitalised patients who have experienced suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) as compared to patients who did not experience suspected ADRs.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted on databases for observational and randomised controlled studies conducted in any inpatient setting that reported deaths and/or length of hospital stay in patients who had suspected ADRs and did not have suspected ADRs during hospitalisation. PRISMA guidelines were strictly followed during the review. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using a tool designed by Smyth et al. for the studies of adverse drug reactions. The meta-analytic summary of all-cause mortality was estimated using odds ratio-OR (95% CI) and length of stay using mean difference-MD (95% CI). Both outcomes were pooled using a random effect model (DerSimonian and Laird method). Subgroup and meta-regression were performed based on study variables: study design, age group, study ward, study region, types of suspected ADRs (ADR_Ad-suspected ADRs that lead to hospitalisation and ADR_In-suspected ADRs that occur following hospitalisation), study duration, sample size and study period. The statistical analysis was conducted through the 'Review manager software version 5.4.1 and JASP (Version 0.14.1)'.

RESULTS

After screening 475 relevant articles, 55 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Patients having suspected ADRs had reported significantly higher odds of all-cause mortality [OR: 1.50 (95% CI: 1.21-1.86; I² = 100%) than those patients who did not have suspected ADRs during hospitalisation. Study wards, types of suspected ADRs and sample size were observed as significant predictors of all-cause mortality (p < 0.05). Patients having suspected ADRs had reported significantly higher mean difference in hospital stay [MD: 3.98 (95% CI: 2.91, 5.05; I² = 99%) than those patients who did not have suspected ADRs during hospitalisation. Types of suspected ADRs and study periods were observed as significant predictors of length of stay (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Suspected ADRs significantly increase the risk of mortality and length of stay in hospitalised patients.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

CRD42020176320.

Exploring sustainable care pathways - a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Patients with mental health problems experience numerous transitions into and out of hospital.

AIM

The review studies assessing clinical care pathways between psychiatric hospitalization and community health services.

METHODS

We used publications between 2009-2020 to allow a broad scoping review of the published research. Sixteen review-articles were identified, 12 primary studies were chosen, both on care pathways in the transition between psychiatric hospital and community.

RESULTS

Organizational issues: Systems and procedures to ensure clear responsibilities and transparency at each stage of the pathways of care.

RESOURCES

Information-technology in objectively improving patient outcome. Information/documentation: Providing patients with adequate structured information and documented plans at the appropriate time. Patient/families: Continuous collaborative decision-making. Clinical care and teamwork: Collaboration between mental health and other professionals to guarantee that planned activities meet patient need.

ETHICAL ISSUES

Respectful communication and patient-centred, non-humiliating care.

CONCLUSIONS

System and procedures ensure clear responsibilities and transparency. Information technology support decision-making and referral and objectively improve patient outcomes in care pathways. Collaboration between mental health and other professionals guarantee that planned activities meet patients' needs along with regular meetings sharing key information. Around-the-clock ambulant-teams important to transition success. Informed-shared decision-making between parties, support patient participation and respectful communication.

Safety and Quality in Maternal and Neonatal Care: Any Progress since Ignaz Semmelweis?

James Lind (1716–1794) is considered the pioneer of medical technology assessments [...]

Factors Associated with Length of Stay and Cost among Pediatric Hospitalizations with a Primary Ophthalmic Diagnosis

PURPOSE

To investigate factors associated with prolonged length of stay and high cost among pediatric hospitalizations with a primary ophthalmic diagnosis.

METHODS

This retrospective, cross-sectional study utilized data on pediatric admissions with a primary ophthalmic diagnosis from the multicenter 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, hospital, and admission characteristics were used to evaluate factors associated with prolonged stay and high cost, defined as exceeding the 75th percentile (>4 days and $12,642, respectively).

RESULTS

An estimated 6,811 pediatric hospitalizations with a primary ophthalmic diagnosis in the United States in 2016 were included. On adjusted analysis, a prolonged length of stay was more likely with Medicaid (vs. private insurance, OR = 1.19, 95% CI: [1.02, 1.40], p = .03), non-trauma (vs. trauma, OR = 2.77, 95% CI: [2.12, 3.63], p < .001) and urban teaching hospitals (vs. rural, OR = 3.48, 95% CI: [1.04, 11.69], p = .04). A high cost of stay was more likely with higher income levels (Quartile 3 vs. 1, OR = 1.30, 95% CI: [1.02, 1.67], p = .04; Quartile 4 vs. 1, OR = 1.49, 95% CI: [1.08, 2.05], p = .02), private insurance (vs. Medicaid, OR = 1.26, 95% CI: [1.04, 1.53], p = .02), Western hospitals (vs. South, OR = 2.74, 95% CI: [1.83, 4.12], p < .001), and trauma (vs. non-trauma, OR = 3.29, 95% CI: [2.57, 4.21], p < .001). Children and young adults had higher odds of prolonged stay, while adolescents and young adults had higher odds of high cost compared to toddlers (p < .05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Additional work addressing the factors associated with higher resource utilization may help promote the delivery of quality inpatient pediatric eye care.

Effects of healthcare system transformations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic on management of stroke and STEMI: a registry-based cohort study in France

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of changes in use of care and implementation of hospital reorganisations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic (first wave) on the acute management times of patients who had a stroke and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

DESIGN

Two cohorts of patients who had an STEMI and stroke in the Aquitaine Cardio-Neuro-Vascular (CNV) registry.

SETTING

6 emergency medical services, 30 emergency units (EUs), 14 hospitalisation units and 11 cathlabs in the Aquitaine region.

PARTICIPANTS

This study involved 9218 patients (6436 patients who had a stroke and 2782 patients who had an STEMI) in the CNV Registry from January 2019 to August 2020.

METHOD

Hospital reorganisations, retrieved in a scoping review, were collected from heads of hospital departments. Other data were from the CNV Registry. Associations between reorganisations, use of care and care management times were analysed using multivariate linear regression mixed models. Interaction terms between use-of-care variables and period (pre-wave, per-wave and post-wave) were introduced.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

STEMI cohort, first medical contact-to-procedure time; stroke cohort, EU admission-to-imaging time.

RESULTS

Per-wave period management times deteriorated for stroke but were maintained for STEMI. Per-wave changes in use of care did not affect STEMI management. No association was found between reorganisations and stroke management times. In the STEMI cohort, the implementation of systematic testing at admission was associated with a 41% increase in care management time (exp=1.409, 95% CI 1.075 to 1.848, p=0.013). Implementation of plan blanc, which concentrated resources in emergency activities, was associated with a 19% decrease in management time (exp=0.801, 95% CI 0.639 to 1.023, p=0.077).

CONCLUSIONS

The pandemic did not markedly alter the functioning of the emergency network. Although stroke patient management deteriorated, the resilience of the STEMI pathway was linked to its stronger structuring. Transversal reorganisations, aiming at concentrating resources on emergency care, contributed to maintenance of the quality of care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04979208.

Pediatric Residency Training amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Impact of Supervision and Clinical Practice Guidelines on Clinical and Financial Outcomes

Objective

This study is aimed at calculating the magnitude of the effect of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and supervision in inhibiting the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical and financial outcomes of non-COVID-19 inpatient care by pediatric residents in academic medical center (AMC) hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The cohort retrospective study was conducted. This study collected patient data from pediatric residency programs. A research cohort consisted of non-COVID-19 pediatric patients at Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital. This study compared the subgroup of patients treated during the pandemic with those treated before the pandemic. The results were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and Smart-PLS.

Results

There was a 41.4% decrease in pediatric inpatients during the pandemic with an increased severity level and complexity level, a reduction of 7.46% availability of supervisors, an increase of 0.4% in readmission < 30 days, an increase of 0.31% in-hospital mortality, an increase the total costs of care, and a decrease of insurance claim profit. CPG did not moderate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical outcomes (β = -0.006, P = 0.083) but moderated the financial outcomes (β = -0.022, P = 0.000), by reducing the total cost of care and increasing insurance claim profit. Supervision moderated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical outcomes (β = 0.040, P = 0.000) by increasing aLOS and on the financial outcomes (β = -0.031, P = 0.000) by reducing the total cost of care and increasing insurance claim profit. This study model had a 24.0% variance of explanatory power for clinical outcomes and 49.0% for financial outcomes. This study's structural model effectively predicted clinical outcomes (Q 2 = 0.238) and financial outcomes (Q 2 = 0.413).

Conclusion

Direct supervision inhibited the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both clinical and financial outcomes of non-COVID-19 inpatient care by pediatric residents, while CPG only inhibited the negative impact on financial outcomes. Implication of This Study. In a disaster, the availability of CPG and direct supervision makes AMC hospitals able to inhibit the negative impact of disasters on clinical and financial outcomes.

Impact of concomitant upper-extremity injuries in patients with hip fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Combined hip and upper-extremity fractures raise clinical concerns because upper-extremity fractures may hinder early mobilization, thereby affecting rehabilitation and mortality. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of combined upper-extremity and hip fractures on rehabilitation and mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies published before March 20, 2022, that evaluated the impact of concomitant upper-extremity injuries in geriatric patients with hip fractures. The pooled analysis identified differences in the (1) length of hospital stay, (2) discharge destination, and (3) mortality rates between the isolated and combined hip fracture groups.

RESULTS

A total of 217,233 patients with isolated hip fractures (n = 203,816) and combined hip and upper-extremity fractures (n = 13,417) from 12 studies were analyzed. The average length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the combined upper-extremity fracture group than in the isolated hip fracture group (mean difference = 1.67 days; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-2.70; P = 0.002). Patients in the combined upper limb fracture group were less likely to be discharged directly home (odds ratio [OR] = 0.64; 95% CI 0.52-0.80; P < 0.001) and showed significantly higher 30-day mortality (OR = 1.44; 95% CI 1.32-1.58; P < 0.001). The mortality rate after 30 days was not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant upper-extremity fractures have debilitating effects on rehabilitation and early mortality in geriatric patients with hip fractures. Therefore, more focus should be placed on the early ambulation of patients with hip fractures and simultaneous upper limb fractures to promote rehabilitation and alleviate the public health burden.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III meta-analysis.

Effectiveness of a practice change intervention in reducing alcohol consumption in pregnant women attending public maternity services

Background

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a practice change intervention to support the implementation of guideline-recommended care for addressing alcohol use in pregnancy on self-reported alcohol use during pregnancy.

Methods

A randomized, stepped-wedge controlled trial in three clusters (sectors) within the Hunter New England Local Health District (NSW, Australia). We evaluated a practice change intervention that supported the introduction of a new model of care for reducing alcohol use in pregnancy, consistent with local and international guidelines, and implemented in random order across the sectors. Each week throughout the study period, pregnant women who attended any public antenatal services within the previous week, for a 27–28 or 35–36 week gestation visit, were randomly sampled and invited to participate in the survey. The intended intervention for all women was Brief advice (to abstain from alcohol and information about potential risks). Women identified as medium-risk alcohol consumers using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) were to be offered referral to a phone coaching service, and women identified as high-risk were to be offered referral to a Drug and Alcohol Service. Rates of self-reported alcohol use (AUDIT-C risk level and special occasion drinking) were summarized and compared in groups of women pre-intervention and post-intervention using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Surveys were completed by 1309 women at pre-intervention and 2540 at post-intervention. The majority of women did not drink during pregnancy (pre-intervention: 89.68%; post-intervention: 90.74%). There was no change in the proportion of women classified as No risk from drinking (AUDIT-C score = 0) or Some risk from drinking (AUDIT-C score ≥ 1) pre- or post-intervention (p = 0.08). However, a significant reduction in special occasion drinking was observed (pre-intervention: 11.59%; post-intervention: 8.43%; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Special occasion drinking was reduced following implementation of guideline-recommended care. Failure to change other patterns of alcohol use in pregnancy may reflect barriers to implementing the model of care in antenatal care settings and the need to address other social determinants of alcohol use.

Trial registration

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (registration number: ACTRN12617000882325; date: 16 June 2017).

Length of stay and its associated factors among adult patients who visit Emergency Department of University Hospital, Eastern Ethiopia

Objectives

This study was aimed to assess the length of stay and its associated factors among adult patients who visited Emergency Department of Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Eastern Ethiopia.

Method

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 adult patients who visit the Emergency Department. Systematic random sampling technique and an interviewer-administered data collection method was used. Data analyses were done using STATA version 16. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to control the potential confounders. The analysis outputs were presented using an odds ratio with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Independent variables were defined as statistically significant at p-values <0.05 in the final model.

Result

A total of 169 [42.25% (95% CI: 37.5%-47.0%)] patients stayed longer than 24 h in the Emergency Department. We identified factors significantly associated with length of stay in ED include: patients treated at orange triage type (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.267; 95% CI: 0.13-0.53), laboratory request (AOR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.49-6.23), radiological requests (AOR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.05-3.07), and diagnosed with medical condition (AOR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.21-4.26).

Conclusion

A significant number of patients stay longer in the Emergency Department. Evaluation of the clinical diagnosis, diagnostic investigations, and organizational factors is essential to reduce the length of stay in the Emergency Department.

The direct and indirect effects of length of hospital stay on the costs of inpatients with stroke in Ningxia, China, between 2015 and 2020: A retrospective study using quantile regression and structural equation models

Importance

Length of hospital stay (LOHS) is the main cost-determining factor of hospitalization for stroke patients. However, previous analyses involving LOHS did not consider confounding or indirect factors, or the effects of other factors on LOHS and inpatient costs.

Objective

To investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on the hospitalization costs of inpatients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

Design setting and participants

This was a population-based, retrospective, and observational study that analyzed data acquired from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2015 and 2020 relating to ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in Ningxia, China.

Main outcomes and measures

Hospitalizations were identified by the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10). Inpatient costs were described by the median M (P25, P75). We used a quantile regression model to estimate the linear relationships between a group of independent variables X and the quantile of the explained variable hospitalization cost (Y). A structural equation model (SEM) was then used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on inpatient costs.

Results

The study included 129,444 patients with ischemic stroke and 15,525 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. The median LOHS was 10 (8-13) days for ischemic stroke and 15 (10-22) days for hemorrhagic stroke. The median M (P₂₅, P₇₅) of inpatient costs was $1020 (742-1545) for ischemic stroke and 2813 (1576-6191) for hemorrhagic stroke. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs was 0.795 in patients with ischemic stroke. The effect of yearof discharge (X4) and CCI (X8) on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through the LOHS. The indirect effect was -0.071 (84.52% of the total effect value) and 0.034 (69.39% of the total effect value), respectively. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs in patients with hemorrhagic stroke was 0.754. The influence of CCI on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through LOHS; the indirect effect value was -0.028 (77.78% of the total effect value). The payment type, surgery, method of discharge, and hospital level also exerted an impact on inpatient costs by direct and indirect effects through the LOHS.

Conclusions and relevance

Length of hospital stay (LOHS) was identified as the main factor influencing hospitalization costs. However, other social factors were shown to indirectly influence hospitalization costs through the LOHS. Taking effective measures to further reduce hospitalization costs remains an effective way to control hospitalization costs for stroke patients.

Inverse optimization on hierarchical networks: an application to breast cancer clinical pathways

Clinical pathways are standardized processes that outline the steps required for managing a specific disease. However, patient pathways often deviate from clinical pathways. Measuring the concordance of patient pathways to clinical pathways is important for health system monitoring and informing quality improvement initiatives. In this paper, we develop an inverse optimization-based approach to measuring pathway concordance in breast cancer, a complex disease. We capture this complexity in a hierarchical network that models the patient's journey through the health system. A novel inverse shortest path model is formulated and solved on this hierarchical network to estimate arc costs, which are used to form a concordance metric to measure the distance between patient pathways and shortest paths (i.e., clinical pathways). Using real breast cancer patient data from Ontario, Canada, we demonstrate that our concordance metric has a statistically significant association with survival for all breast cancer patient subgroups. We also use it to quantify the extent of patient pathway discordances across all subgroups, finding that patients undertaking additional clinical activities constitute the primary driver of discordance in the population.

Coordination Models for Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Background: The coordination of cancer care among multiple providers is vital to improve care quality and ensure desirable health outcomes across the cancer continuum, yet evidence is scarce of this being optimally achieved in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: Through this scoping review, our objective was to understand the scope of cancer care coordination interventions and services employed in LMICs, in order to synthesise the existing evidence and identify key models and their elements used to manage and/or improve cancer care coordination in these settings. Methods: A detailed search strategy was conducted, aligned with the framework of Arksey and O’Malley. Articles were examined for evidence of coordination interventions used in cancer care in LMICs. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension Guidelines for Scoping Reviews, which included a checklist and explanation. The PRISMA flow diagram was utilised to report the screening of results. Data were extracted, categorised and coded to allow for a thematic analysis of the results. Results: Fourteen studies reported on coordination interventions in cancer care in LMICs. All studies reported a positive impact of cancer coordination interventions on the primary outcome measured. Most studies reported on a patient navigation model at different points along the cancer care continuum. Conclusions: An evidence-based and culturally sensitive plan of care that aims to promote coordinated and efficient multidisciplinary care for patients with suspicion or diagnosis of cancer in LMICs is feasible and might improve the quality of care and efficiency.

Creating and adapting an infection management care pathway in pediatric oncology

PURPOSE

While care pathways based upon clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are important, little is known about optimal approaches to development and adaptation in pediatric oncology. Objectives were to develop care pathway templates for pediatric cancer supportive care that are based upon CPGs and to adapt an infection management care pathway for use at a single institution.

METHODS

Study phases were as follows: (1) creation of care pathway templates across multiple supportive care topics; (2) refinement of the infection management care pathway template by interviewing pediatric oncology clinicians at a single institution; and (3) adaptation of the infection management care pathway template for use at a different institution.

RESULTS

Informed by seven CPGs, an initial iteration of the infection management care pathway template was created. This template was then refined based upon 20 interviews with pediatric oncology clinicians. Adaptation of the infection management care pathway template for use at a different institution required many changes to improve its clinical usability. Specificity and additional information not considered by the source CPGs were incorporated.

CONCLUSION

We developed a process to create care pathway templates across multiple supportive care topics in pediatric oncology and to refine and adapt the infection management care pathway. While we found that the process was feasible, we also identified the need to substantially modify the care pathway during the adaptation process to consider scenarios not addressed by the source CPGs. Future work should measure implementation success.

Perioperative Care Pathways in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Safe and effective care for surgical patients requires high-quality perioperative care. In high-income countries (HICs), care pathways have been shown to be effective in standardizing clinical practice to optimize patient outcomes. Little is known about their use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where perioperative mortality is substantially higher.

METHODS

Systematic review and narrative synthesis to identify and describe studies in peer-reviewed journals on the implementation or evaluation of perioperative care pathways in LMICs. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, WHO Global Index, Web of Science, Scopus, Global Health and SciELO alongside citation searching. Descriptive statistics, taxonomy classifications and framework analyses were used to summarize the setting, outcome measures, implementation strategies, and facilitators and barriers to implementation.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies were included. The majority of pathways were set in tertiary hospitals in lower-middle-income countries and were focused on elective surgery. Only six studies were assessed as high quality. Most pathways were adapted from international guidance and had been implemented in a single hospital. The most commonly reported barriers to implementation were cost of interventions and lack of available resources.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies from a geographically diverse set of low and lower-middle-income countries demonstrate increasing use of perioperative pathways adapted to resource-poor settings, though there is sparsity of literature from low-income countries, first-level hospitals and emergency surgery. As in HICs, addressing patient and clinician beliefs is a major challenge in improving care. Context-relevant and patient-centered research, including qualitative and implementation studies, would make a valuable contribution to existing knowledge.

The impact of surgical trainee involvement in total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review of surgical efficacy, patient safety, and outcomes

PURPOSE

Concerns persist that trainee participation in surgical procedures may compromise patient care and potentiate adverse events and costs. We aimed to analyse the potential impact and consequences of surgical trainee involvement in total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures in terms of surgical efficacy, patient safety, and functional outcomes.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and Scopus databases in October 2021. Eligible studies reported a direct comparison between THA cases performed with and without trainee involvement.

RESULTS

Eighteen publications met our eligibility criteria and were included in our study. The included studies reported on 142,450 THAs completed on 142,417 patients. Specifically, 48,155 and 94,295 surgeries were completed with and without trainee involvement, respectively. The mean operative times for procedures with (n = 5,662) and without (n = 14,763) trainee involvement were 106.20 and 91.41 min, respectively. Mean overall complication rates were 6.43% and 5.93% for THAs performed with (n = 4842) and without (n = 12,731) trainees. Lastly, the mean Harris Hip Scores (HHS) for THAs performed with (n = 442) and without (n = 750) trainee participation were 89.61 and 86.97, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review confirmed previous studies' reports of increased operative time for THA cases with trainee involvement. However, based on the overall similar complication rates and functional hip scores obtained, patients should be reassured concerning the relative safety of trainee involvement in THA. Future prospective studies with higher levels of evidence are still needed to reinforce the existing evidence.

Clinical pathways for the management of low back pain from primary to specialised care: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Clinical pathways for low back pain (LBP) have potential to improve clinical outcomes and health service efficiency. This systematic review aimed to synthesise the evidence for clinical pathways for LBP and/or radicular leg pain from primary to specialised care and to describe key pathway components.

METHODS

Electronic database searches (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE) from 2006 onwards were conducted with further manual and citation searching. Two independent reviewers conducted eligibility assessment, data extraction and quality appraisal. A narrative synthesis of findings is presented.

RESULTS

From 18,443 identified studies, 28 papers met inclusion criteria. Pathways were developed primarily to address over-burdened secondary care services in high-income countries and almost universally used interface services with a triage remit at the primary-secondary care boundary. Accordingly, evaluation of healthcare resource use and patient flow predominated, with interface services associated with enhanced service efficiency through decreased wait times and appropriate use of consultant appointments. Low quality study designs, heterogeneous outcomes and insufficient comparative data precluded definitive conclusions regarding clinical- and cost-effectiveness. Pathways demonstrated basic levels of care integration across the primary-secondary care boundary.

CONCLUSIONS

The limited volume of research evaluating clinical pathways for LBP/radicular leg pain and spanning primary and specialised care predominantly used interface services to ensure appropriate specialised care referrals with associated increased efficiency of care delivery. Pathways demonstrated basic levels of care integration across healthcare boundaries. Well-designed randomised controlled trials to explore the potential of clinical pathways to improve clinical outcomes, deliver cost-effective, guideline-concordant care and enhance care integration are required.

The NESTORE e-Coach: Designing a Multi-Domain Pathway to Well-Being in Older Age

This article describes the coaching strategies of the NESTORE e-coach, a virtual coach for promoting healthier lifestyles in older age. The novelty of the NESTORE project is the definition of a multi-domain personalized pathway where the e-coach accompanies the user throughout different structured and non-structured coaching activities and recommendations. The article also presents the design process of the coaching strategies, carried out including older adults from four European countries and experts from the different health domains, and the results of the tests carried out with 60 older adults in Italy, Spain and The Netherlands.

Effective Clinical Pathway Improves Interprofessional Collaboration and Reduces Antibiotics Prophylaxis Use in Orthopedic Surgery in Hospitals in Indonesia

Clinical pathways can improve the quality of health services. The effectiveness and impact of implementing clinical pathways are controversial. The preparation of clinical pathways not only enacts therapeutic guidelines but requires mutual agreement in accordance with the roles, duties, and contributions of each profession in the team. This study aimed to investigate the perception of interprofessional collaboration practices and the impact of clinical pathway implementation on collaborative and Defined Daily Dose (DDD) prophylactic antibiotics per 100 bed-days in orthopedic surgery. The Collaborative Practice Assessment Tool (CPAT) questionnaire was used as a tool to measure healthcare’ perceptions of collaborative practice. The clinical pathway (CP) in this study was adapted from existing CPs published by the Indonesian Orthopaedic Association (Perhimpunan Dokter Spesialis Orthopaedi dan Traumatologi Indonesia, PABOI) and was commended by local domestic surgeons and orthopedic bodies. We then compared post-implementation results with pre-implementation clinical pathway data using ANCOVA to explore our categorical data and its influence towards CPAT response. ANOVA was then employed for aggregated DDD per 100 bed-days to compare pre and post intervention. The results showed that the relationships among members were associated with the working length. Six to ten years of working had a significantly better relationship among members than those who have worked one to five years. Interestingly, pharmacists’ leadership score was significantly lower than other professions. The clinical pathway implementation reduced barriers in team collaboration, improved team coordination and organization, and reduced third-generation cephalosporin use for prophylaxis in surgery (pre: 59 DDD per 100 bed-days; post: 28 DDD per 100 bed-days). This shows that the clinical pathway could benefit antibiotic stewardship in improving antibiotic prescription, therefore reducing the incidence of resistant bacteria.

Irrational Use of Medicine in the Treatment of Presumptive Asthma Among Rural Primary Care Providers in Southwestern China

Poor knowledge, scarce resources, and lack of or misaligned incentives have been widely documented as drivers of the irrational use of medicine (IUM), which significantly challenges the efficiency of health systems across the globe. However, there is limited understanding of the influence of each factor on IUM. We used detailed data on provider treatment of presumptive asthma cases in rural China to assess the contributions of provider knowledge, resource constraints, and provider behavior on IUM. This study enrolled 370 village providers from southwest China. All providers responded to a clinical vignette to test their knowledge of how to treat presumptive asthma. Resource constraints (“capacity”) were defined as the availability of the prescribed medicines in vignette. To measure provider behavior (“performance”), a subset of providers (104 of 370) were randomly selected to receive unannounced visits by standardized patients (SPs) who performed of presumptive asthma symptoms described in the vignette. We found that, 54% (201/370) of providers provided the vignette-based patients with prescriptions. Moreover, 67% (70/104) provided prescriptions for the SPs. For the vignette, only 10% of the providers prescribed the correct medicines; 38% prescribed only unnecessary medicines (and did not provide correct medicine); 65% prescribed antibiotics (although antibiotics were not required); and 55% prescribed polypharmacy prescriptions (that is, they prescribed five or more different types of drugs). For the SP visits, the numbers were 12%, 51%, 63%, and 0%, respectively. The lower number of medicines in the SP visits was due, in part, to the injections’ not being allowed based on ethical considerations (in response to the vignette, however, 65% of providers prescribed injections). The difference between provider knowledge and capacity is insignificant, while a significant large gap exists between provider performance and knowledge/capacity (for 11 of 17 indicators). Our analysis indicated that capacity constraints play a minor role in driving IUM compared to provider performance in the treatment of asthma cases in rural China. If similar findings hold for other disease cases, this suggests that policies to reduce the IUM in rural China have largely been unsuccessful, and alternatives for improving aligning provider incentives with appropriate drug use should be explored.

Personalising clinical pathways in a London breast cancer service

Using interview and observational data from a busy and research-intensive breast cancer service in the United Kingdom, we discuss recent developments in personalised medicine. Specifically, we show how clinical and research practices meet in clinical pathways that are reconfigured in response to changing approaches of diagnosing, monitoring, treating and understanding cancers. Clinical pathways are increasingly sensitive to changes in evidence deduced through new technologies and therapies as well as decisions based on intensive, iterative analysis of data collected across a range of platforms. We contribute to existing research by showing how the organisation of clinical pathways both maintains established clinical practices and responds to new research evidence, managing a threshold between evidence-based and experimental medicine. Finally, we invite comparisons with other forms of personalisation to understand how they depend on the 'real time' collection, analysis and application of data.