Associations between stroke mortality and weekend working by stroke specialist physicians and registered nurses: prospective multicentre cohort study

Effect of admission time of arrival on quality of in-hospital care in acute ischemic stroke patients in China

OBJECTIVES

The quality of care for patients may be partly determined by the time they are admitted to the hospital. This study was conducted to explore the effect of admission time and describe the pattern and magnitude of weekly variation in the quality of patient care.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective observational study.

METHODS

Data were collected from the Medical Care Quality Management and Control System for Specific (Single) Diseases in China. A total of 238,122 patients treated for acute ischemic stroke between January 2015 and December 2017 were included. The primary outcomes were completion of the ten process indicators and in-hospital death.

RESULTS

The quality of in-hospital care varied according to hospital arrival time. We identified several patterns of variation across the days of the week. In the first pattern, the quality of four indicators, such as stroke physicians within 15 min, was lowest for arrivals between 08:00 and 11:59, increased throughout the day, and peaked for arrivals between 20:00 and 23:59 or 00:00 and 03:59. In the second pattern, the quality of four indicators, such as the application of antiplatelet therapy within 48 h, was not significantly different between days and weeks. There was no difference in in-hospital mortality between the different admission times.

CONCLUSIONS

The effect of admission time on the quality of in-hospital care of patients with acute ischemic stroke showed several diurnal patterns. Detecting the times when quality is relatively low may lead to quality improvements in health care. Quality improvement should also focus on reducing diurnal temporal variation.

A multivariable analysis to predict variations in hospital mortality using systems-based factors of healthcare delivery to inform improvements to healthcare design within the English NHS

Over the last decade, the strain on the English National Health Service (NHS) has increased. This has been especially felt by acute hospital trusts where the volume of admissions has steadily increased. Patient outcomes, including inpatient mortality, vary between trusts. The extent to which these differences are explained by systems-based factors, and whether they are avoidable, is unclear. Few studies have investigated these relationships. A systems-based methodology recognises the complexity of influences on healthcare outcomes. Rather than clinical interventions alone, the resources supporting a patient's treatment journey have near-equal importance. This paper first identifies suitable metrics of resource and demand within healthcare delivery from routinely collected, publicly available, hospital-level data. Then it proceeds to use univariate and multivariable linear regression to associate such systems-based factors with standardised mortality. Three sequential cross-sectional analyses were performed, spanning the last decade. The results of the univariate regression analyses show clear relationships between five out of the six selected predictor variables and standardised mortality. When these five predicators are included within a multivariable regression analysis, they reliably explain approximately 36% of the variation in standardised mortality between hospital trusts. Three factors are consistently statistically significant: the number of doctors per hospital bed, bed occupancy, and the percentage of patients who are placed in a bed within four hours after a decision to admit them. Of these, the number of doctors per bed had the strongest effect. Linear regression assumption testing and a robustness analysis indicate the observations have internal validity. However, our empirical strategy cannot determine causality and our findings should not be interpreted as established causal relationships. This study provides hypothesis-generating evidence of significant relationships between systems-based factors of healthcare delivery and standardised mortality. These have relevance to clinicians and policymakers alike. While identifying causal relationships between the predictors is left to the future, it establishes an important paradigm for further research.

Weekend / holiday effect on stroke mortality in regional Australia: A ten-year retrospective study

BACKGROUND

There is a deficiency in the evidence from rural and regional centres in Australia on the weekend effect following presentation with acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the association between admission over a weekend/holiday and all-cause mortality 3-day, 7-day, 14-day, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month following acute stroke.

METHODS

The records of stroke patients admitted to a main regional hospital in Australia from 2010 to 2020 were linked with the National Death Index. Time to death following ischaemic, haemorrhagic, and total stroke at different time points was modelled using Weibull, Exponential, or Gompertz regression based on best model fit determined by Akaike's information criterion.

RESULTS

Of 1669 patients, 1273 (76.3%) were admitted on a weekday, and 396 (23.7%) on a weekend/ or holiday. After adjusting for age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index, stroke type and country of birth, admissions over a weekend/holiday following total stroke were significantly associated with an increased risk of dying within three days from admission [hazard ratio (HR): 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.50]. In haemorrhagic stroke, increased risk of death was significantly higher at three days (HR: 2.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-4.08), 14 days (HR: 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.93), and 1 month (HR: 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.09-3.03) following admission on the weekend/ or holiday compared to those admitted during the weekdays.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports a short-term adverse weekend/holiday effect following admission for haemorrhagic stroke or total stroke. No significant weekend/holiday effect was found in ischaemic stroke.

Impact of restructuring an inpatient pediatric service on length of stay and patient flow

OBJECTIVES

To determine the impact of implementing a new pediatric inpatient structure - the clinical teaching unit (CTU) - on length of stay (LOS) and other patient care outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out on children admitted to the General Pediatric Inpatient Service at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between July 2015 and December 2018. The main outcome measures were median and mean LOS before and after CTU implementation. Other outcomes measured were the proportion of patients discharged on weekends, during daytime, and within 24 hours of admission, and the proportion of patients readmitted within 7 days of discharge.

RESULTS

Median LOS decreased from 2.80 to 2.63 days after CTU implementation (p<0.0001). The proportion of weekend discharges significantly increased after CTU implementation from 18% to 21.5% (p<0.0243) and daytime discharges significantly increased from 6.9% to 25.6% (p<0.0001) after CTU implementation. The improvements in LOS were sustained in the years after CTU implementation, with median LOS decreasing from 2.71 to 2.60 days during 2016-2018 (p<0.001) and mean LOS decreasing from 5.03 to 3.92 days (p=0.0031). During the same period, readmission rates remained stable at 3.5-4%.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of a new pediatric inpatient team structure led to significant improvements in many patient care outcomes, including decreased LOS.

Is there a 'weekend effect' on mortality among hospitalised patients in an internal medicine ward? A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies demonstrated a 'weekend effect' and a 'night effect' of increased mortality among patients admitted during weekends or night shifts, presumably due to understaffing.

AIMS

To examine whether death during hospitalisation follows a similar effect regardless of admission time.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study among deceased patients hospitalised in the internal medicine wing of a tertiary medical centre in Israel, between 2019 and 2020. Demographic and medical data were retrieved from electronic medical charts. Causes of death were specifically categorised. We applied statistical models to test for differences in mortality using incidence rate ratio (IRR) according to the day, time and cause of death.

RESULTS

One thousand, two hundred and seventy-eight deceased patients were included. All-cause mortality was similar between weekends and weekdays. When sepsis was the cause of death, higher IRR were demonstrated on Fridays in comparison with weekdays (IRR 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-1.9; P < 0.05). Other causes of death were not consistent with a 'weekend effect'. Mortality during night shifts was higher in comparison with the afternoon (IRR 1.5; 95% CI 1.3-4.7) and similar to the morning (IRR 1; 95% CI 0.9-1.2).

CONCLUSION

Our study did not find a pattern of 'weekend effect' or 'night effect' on all-cause mortality among hospitalised patients in internal medicine wards. Our findings suggest that perhaps specifically death from sepsis, and not all-cause mortality, can be used as a surrogate for the measurement of understaffing or quality of care in the internal ward.

Weekend effect on 30-day mortality for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke analyzed using severity index and staffing level

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Previous studies on the weekend effect-a phenomenon where stroke outcomes differ depending on whether the stroke occurred on a weekend-mostly targeted ischemic stroke and showed inconsistent results. Thus, we investigated the weekend effect on 30-day mortality in patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke considering the confounding effect of stroke severity and staffing level.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data of patients hospitalized for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, which were extracted from the claims database of the National Health Insurance System and the Medical Resource Report by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. The primary outcome measure was 30-day all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

In total, 278,632 patients were included, among whom 84,240 and 194,392 had a hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, respectively, with 25.8% and 25.1% of patients, respectively, being hospitalized during the weekend. Patients admitted on weekends had significantly higher 30-day mortality rates (hemorrhagic stroke 16.84%>15.55%, p<0.0001; ischemic stroke 5.06%>4.92%, p<0.0001). However, in the multi-level logistic regression analysis adjusted for case-mix, pre-hospital, and hospital level factors, the weekend effect remained consistent in patients with hemorrhagic stroke (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.10), while the association was no longer evident in patients with ischemic stroke (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.96-1.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Weekend admission for hemorrhagic stroke was significantly associated with a higher mortality rate after adjusting for confounding factors. Further studies are required to understand factors contributing to mortality during weekend admission.

The weekend effect in stroke mortality: evidence from Austrian acute care hospitals

Many studies provide evidence for the so-called weekend effect by demonstrating that patients admitted to hospital during weekends show less favourable outcomes such as increased mortality, compared with similar patients admitted during weekdays. The underlying causes for this phenomenon are still discussed controversially. We analysed factors influencing weekend effects in inpatient care for acute stroke in Austria. The study analysed secondary datasets from all 130 public acute care hospitals in Austria between 2010 and 2014 (Austrian DRG Data). The study cohort included 86,399 patient cases admitted with acute ischaemic stroke. By applying multivariate regression analysis, we tested whether patient, treatment or hospital characteristics drove in-hospital mortality on weekends and national holidays. We found that the risk to die after an admission at weekend was significantly higher compared to weekdays, while the number of admissions following stroke was significantly lower. Adjustment for patient, treatment and hospital characteristics substantially reduced the weekend effect in mortality but did not eliminate it. We conclude that the observed weekend effect could be explained either by lower quality of health care or higher severity of stroke admissions at the weekend. In depth analyses supported the hypothesis of higher stroke severity in weekend patients as seen in other studies. While DRG data is useful to analyse stroke treatment and outcomes, adjustment for case mix and severity is essential.

Exploring the Essential Stroke Care Structures in Tertiary Healthcare Facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria

This study evaluated the essential stroke care structure available in the two Tertiary Health Facilities in Rives State, Nigeria. This was a descriptive survey involving the Stroke Care Survey and Assessment Tool (checklist/questionnaire) developed by the World Stroke Organisation to obtain information about the available essential stroke care structure (facilities, equipment, personnel and management protocol) at the two tertiary health facilities (RSUTH & UPTH). The study gathered relevant information, which was summarised into tables and graphs using Microsoft Excel 2016. From the results, although facilities had A and E departments, dedicated stroke units (fixed or mobile) were unavailable, and there was no locally developed protocol to support rapid triage of stroke patients. The facilities and equipment were either unavailable or insufficient. Only one health facility (RSUTH) provided 24 hrs/7 days laboratory services. The workforces were a mix between regular clinical staff and some specialists. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) use was non-existent, though specialists were trained on its administration. There was no locally developed or adopted stroke-specific clinical guidelines. In conclusion, the structural services available for stroke care within the studied tertiary health facilities were poor, unavailable or grossly insufficient. The state facility (RSUTH) suffered the most in terms of unavailable national support and staff development.

Racial Disparities in Stroke Readmissions Reduced in Hospitals With Better Nurse Staffing

BACKGROUND

Racial minorities are disproportionately affected by stroke, with Black patients experiencing worse poststroke outcomes than White patients. A modifiable aspect of acute stroke care delivery not yet examined is whether disparities in stroke outcomes are related to hospital nurse staffing levels.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine whether 7- and 30-day readmission disparities between Black and White patients were associated with nurse staffing levels.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of 542 hospitals in four states. Risk-adjusted, logistic regression models were used to determine the association of nurse staffing with 7- and 30-day all-cause readmissions for Black and White ischemic stroke patients.

RESULTS

Our sample included 98,150 ischemic stroke patients (87% White, 13% Black). Thirty-day readmission rates were 10.4% (12.7% for Black patients, 10.0% for White patients). In models accounting for hospital and patient characteristics, the odds of 30-day readmissions were higher for Black than White patients. A significant interaction was found between race and nurse staffing, with Black patients experiencing higher odds of 30- and 7-day readmissions for each additional patient cared for by a nurse. In the best-staffed hospitals (less than three patients per nurse), Black and White stroke patients' disparities were no longer significant.

DISCUSSION

Disparities in readmissions between Black and White stroke patients may be linked to the level of nurse staffing in the hospitals where they receive care. Tailoring nurse staffing levels to meet the needs of Black ischemic stroke patients represents a promising intervention to address systemic inequities linked to readmission disparities among minority stroke patients.

Impact of the 'weekend effect' on hospital-acquired pneumonia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

OBJECTIVES

Weekend admission has been reported to be associated with poor clinical outcomes of various diseases. This study aimed to determine whether weekend admission increases the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed aSAH patients admitted to our hospital between 2014 and 2020. These patients were divided into weekend and weekday groups. We compared the incidence of HAP and other clinical outcomes between the two groups. Risk factors for HAP were identified by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of 653 included aSAH patients, 145 (22%) were admitted on weekends and 508 (78%) were admitted on weekdays. The incidence of HAP in the weekend group was significantly higher than that in the weekday group (25% vs 16%, P = 0.01). The weekend group showed worse clinical outcomes, including worse neurological outcome (74% vs 65%, P = 0.03), higher risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (21% vs 13%, P = 0.01) and longer length of stay (21.3 vs 16.4 days, P < 0.01). Age ≥ 60 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-3.0, P < 0.01), modified Fisher score (MFS) ≥ 3 (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1-2.6, P = 0.02), weekend admission (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.1-2.8, P = 0.02) and operative treatment (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.2-4.5, P = 0.02) were risk factors for HAP following aSAH.

CONCLUSION

Weekend admission was associated with a higher incidence of HAP in aSAH patients. This study suggested that medical administrators may need to optimize healthcare services on weekends.

Consensus Development Project (CDP): An overview of staffing for safe and effective nursing care

We present an overview of the research evidence on nurse staffing levels in acute hospitals, and how it has been applied to policy and practice, focussing primarily on the UK. Drawing on research reviews and examples of specific studies, we outline the current state of knowledge. Much of the evidence comes from cross-sectional studies. More recently, longitudinal studies allow a causal link between staffing and outcomes to be inferred. Lack of specificity on staffing levels has hindered application of research findings to practice; research rarely specifies how many nurses are needed for safe and effective care. The most significant impediment to achieving safe staffing has been an underestimation of the number of RNs needed and overestimation of the potential for substitution, resulting in low baseline staffing and a national shortage of RNs. Repeatedly, new staffing solutions are sought rather than tackle the problem of too few RNs head-on.

Is the weekend effect true in acute stroke patients at tertiary stroke center?

BACKGROUND

There is contradicting evidence on the outcome of emergency patients treated during weekends versus weekdays. We studied if outcome of ischemic stroke patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) differs according to the treatment time.

METHODS

Our retrospective study included consecutive patients receiving IVT within 4.5 h of stroke onset between June 1995 and December 2018 at the Helsinki University Hospital. The patients were compared based on the treatment initiation either during weekdays (Monday to Friday) or weekend (Saturday and Sunday). The primary outcome was 3-month mortality and secondary outcomes comprised 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Additional analyses studied the effect of IVT treatment according to non-office hours, time of day, and season.

RESULTS

Of the 3980 IVT-treated patients, 28.0% received treatment during weekends. Mortality was similar after weekend (10.0%) and weekday (10.6%) admissions in the multivariable regression analysis (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.59-1.03). Neither 3-month mRS (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.86-1.12), nor the occurrence of sICH (4.2% vs 4.6%; OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.60-1.26) differed between the groups. No outcome difference was observed between the office vs non-office hours or by the time of day. However, odds for worse outcome were higher during autumn (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.04-1.35) and winter (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.01-1.30).

CONCLUSION

We did not discover any weekend effect for IVT-treated stroke patients. This confirms that with standardized procedures, an equal quality of care can be provided to patients requiring urgent treatment irrespective of time.

Outcomes of non-elective coronary artery bypass grafting performed on weekends

OBJECTIVES

A weekend effect with increased mortality has previously been reported in surgical patients and those with acute myocardial infarction (MI). We hypothesized that a similar phenomenon may exist in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

METHODS

Patients undergoing non-elective isolated CABG (2011-2017) were included from a multicentre regional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. Patients were stratified by weekend versus weekday operations and further analysed by specific day of the week.

RESULTS

A total of 14 374 patients underwent urgent or emergency isolated CABG with 410 (2.9%) operated on over the weekend. Weekend operations were more often emergency (36.1% vs 5.0%, P < 0.001) and more likely to be in the setting of MI (70.0% vs 51.2%, P < 0.001). Cardiopulmonary bypass times were similar [91 min (71-114) vs 94 min (74-117), P = 0.0749] and the frequency of complete revascularization equivalent (83.4% vs 85.3%, P = 0.284) between weekend and weekday operations. In risk-adjusted analyses, there was no increased odds for mortality in patients operated on over the weekend [odds ratio (OR) 1.07, P = 0.811]; however, there was an increased odds of major morbidity (OR 1.37, P = 0.034). Furthermore, compared with Monday, morbidity increased as the operative day approached the weekend (Tuesday 0.98, P = 0.828; Wednesday 1.07, P = 0.469; Thursday 1.12, P = 0.229; Friday 1.19, P = 0.041; weekend 1.47, P = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS

While patients requiring surgery on the weekend are higher risk, there is no independent effect of weekend surgery on mortality. However, these patients are at increased risk for major morbidity, the causes of which require further investigation.

Better nurse work environments associated with fewer readmissions and shorter length of stay among adults with ischemic stroke: A cross-sectional analysis of United States hospitals

Stroke is among the most common reasons for disability and death. Avoiding readmissions and long lengths of stay among ischemic stroke patients has benefits for patients and health care systems alike. Although reduced readmission rates among a variety of medical patients have been associated with better nurse work environments, it is unknown how the work environment might influence readmissions and length of stay for ischemic stroke patients. Using linked data sources, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 543 hospitals to evaluate the association between the nurse work environment and readmissions and length of stay for 175,467 hospitalized adult ischemic stroke patients. We utilized logistic regression models for readmission to estimate odds ratios (OR) and zero-truncated negative binomial models for length of stay to estimate the incident-rate ratio (IRR). Final models accounted for hospital and patient characteristics. Seven and 30-day readmission rates were 3.9% and 10.1% respectively and the average length of stay was 4.9 days. In hospitals with better nurse work environments ischemic stroke patients experienced lower odds of 7- and 30-day readmission (7-day OR, 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-0.99 and 30-day OR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.94-0.99) and lower length of stay (IRR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99). The work environment is a modifiable feature of hospitals that should be considered when providing comprehensive stroke care and improving post-stroke outcomes.

The association between physician staff numbers and mortality in English hospitals

BACKGROUND

Physician medical specialties place specific demands on medical staff. Often patients have multiple co-morbidities, frailty is common, and mortality rates are higher than other specialties such as surgery. The key intervention for patients admitted under physician subspecialties is the care provided on the ward. The current evidence base to inform staffing in physician medical specialty wards is limited. The aim of this analysis is to investigate the association between medical staffing levels within physician medical specialties and mortality.

METHODS

This study is a cross-sectional analysis of national data, which is aggregated at provider level. Medical beds per senior, middle grade and junior physicians employed in physician medical specialties were calculated from national employment records for acute hospitals in England, in 2017. Outcome measures included unadjusted mortality rate and Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) in physician medical specialties. Both Raw mortality and SHMI include deaths during admission or within 30 days following discharge. Linear regression models were constructed for each medical staffing grade for unadjusted mortality, SHMI and SHMI adjusted for local provider factors.

FINDINGS

The mean number of medical beds per senior, middle grade and junior physicians were 7.3(SD 2.5), 19.7(11.5), 10.1(3.1) respectively. Lower bed numbers per medical staff grade were associated with lower than expected mortality by SHMI; senior(Coefficient 0.012(95%CI:0.005-0.018),p = 0.001), middle grade(0.002(0.0002-0.005),p = 0.032) and junior(0.008(0.002-0.015),p = 0.014). Hospital providers were more likely to achieve a better than expected mortality (SHMI<1) if  beds per physician were lower than; 5.3, 14.6 and 9.0 for senior, middle grade and junior doctors respectively.

INTERPRETATION

Acute hospital providers with fewer beds per medical staff of all grades are associated with lower than expected mortality.

FUNDING

No external funding is associated with this analysis.

General medicine consultant of the week model shortens hospital length of stay and improves the patient journey

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The consultant of the week (COW) model of inpatient care means the consultants' primary focus is to deliver ward-based care daily. At Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, a COW model has been successfully used for cardiology and stroke services. This has improved continuity of care and developed a 7-day working week. Our aim was to extend this model to all general medical consultants who manage inpatients.

METHODS

We introduced the COW model to the unselected general medical take. Restructuring of consultant job plans allowed daily ward presence, 5 days per week. Outcome measures included length of stay (LOS) and accuracy of expected date of discharge (EDD).

RESULTS

LOS over a 12-month period improved from an average of 9.17 days to 6.61 days. The number of EDD changes reduced, from a previous average of 3.0 changes to 1.8 changes. Consultant feedback showed there was an improvement in collaboration between teams, improved training of junior doctors and higher job satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Improved 5-day consultant presence is associated with reduced LOS. Learning points included the delay in implementation due to the complexity of consultant job planning. We plan to extend COW to 7-days for all general medical wards.

Acute pancreatitis and the weekend effect: does weekend admission affect patient outcome?

Introduction

When a patient is admitted to a hospital for acute pancreatitis (AP), the day of the week on which the admission occurs may influence the outcome of care. The link between reduced weekend staffing practices and outcomes for patients hospitalised for AP, however, has been inadequately studied.

Aim

To evaluate the relationship between weekend admission and AP outcome.

Material and methods

One hundred and twenty-six patients were prospectively included, assessed according to the revised Atlanta criteria, and observed until discharge or death. Weekend and weekday admissions were compared in terms of severity, aetiology, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality.

Results

Patients were divided into two groups according to the timing of admission (weekday, n = 99, 78.6%; or weekend, n = 27, 21.4%). AP was considered severe in 33 (26.2%) patients, moderately severe AP in 37 (29.4%) patients, and mild in 56 (44.4%) patients. No significant differences were found with regard to the distribution of AP severity between the two groups. The impact of weekend admission was not significant for aetiology or for the length of hospital stay (median of 9 vs. 10 days). In-hospital mortality rates were not significantly different for weekday and weekend admissions.

Conclusions

Patients admitted for hospitalisation during a weekend received the same level and quality of care at the facility under study as AP patients admitted during the week. Additionally, the rate of favourable outcomes for patients admitted during the weekend was found to be similar to the outcomes of patients admitted on a weekday.

Temporal variations in quality of acute stroke care and outcomes in London hyperacute stroke units: a mixed-methods study

Background

Seven-day working in hospitals is a current priority of international health research and policy. Previous research has shown variability in delivering evidence-based clinical interventions across different times of the day and week. We aimed to identify factors influencing such variations in London hyperacute stroke units.

Objectives

To investigate variations in quality of acute stroke care and outcomes by day and time of admission in London hyperacute stroke units, and to identify factors influencing such variations.

Design

This was a prospective cohort study using anonymised patient-level data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme. Factors influencing variations in care and outcomes were studied through interview and observation data.

Setting

The setting was acute stroke services in London hyperacute stroke units.

Participants

A total of 7094 patients with a primary diagnosis of stroke took part. We interviewed hyperacute stroke unit staff (n = 76), including doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators, and 31 patients and carers. We also conducted non-participant observations of delivery of care at different times of the day and week (n = 45, ≈102 hours).

Intervention

Hub-and-spoke model for care of suspected acute stroke patients in London with performance standards was designed to deliver uniform access to high-quality hyperacute stroke unit care across the week.

Main outcome measures

Indicators of quality of acute stroke care, mortality at 3 days after admission, disability at the end of the inpatient spell and length of stay.

Data sources

Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme data for all patients in London hyperacute stroke units with a primary diagnosis of stroke between 1 January and 31 December 2014, and nurse staffing data for all eight London hyperacute stroke units for the same period.

Results

We found no variation in quality of care by day and time of admission across the week in terms of stroke nursing assessment, brain scanning and thrombolysis in London hyperacute stroke units, nor in 3-day mortality nor disability at hospital discharge. Other quality-of-care measures significantly varied by day and time of admission. Quality of care was better if the nurse in charge was at a higher band and/or there were more nurses on duty. Staff deliver ‘front-door’ interventions consistently by taking on additional responsibilities out of hours, creating continuities between day and night, building trusting relationships and prioritising ‘front-door’ interventions.

Limitations

We were unable to measure long-term outcomes as our request to the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and NHS Digital for Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme data linked with patient mortality status was not fulfilled.

Conclusions

Organisational factors influence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7), provision of stroke care, creating temporal patterns of provision reflected in patient outcomes, including mortality, length of stay and functional independence.

Future work

Further research would help to explore 24/7 stroke systems in other contexts. We need a clearer understanding of variations by looking at absolute time intervals, rather than achievement of targets. Research is needed with longer-term mortality and modified Rankin Scale data, and a more meaningful range of outcomes.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 34. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Diagnosis and management of acute ischaemic stroke

Acute ischaemic stroke is a major public health priority and will become increasingly relevant to neurologists of the future. The cornerstone of effective stroke care continues to be timely reperfusion treatment. This requires early recognition of symptoms by the public and first responders, triage to an appropriate stroke centre and efficient assessment and investigation by the attending stroke team. The aim of treatment is to achieve recanalisation and reperfusion of the ischaemic penumbra with intravenous thrombolysis and/or endovascular thrombectomy in appropriately selected patients. All patients should be admitted directly to an acute stroke unit for close monitoring for early neurological deterioration and prevention of secondary complications. Prompt investigation of the mechanism of stroke allows patients to start appropriate secondary preventative treatment. Future objectives include improving accessibility to endovascular thrombectomy, using advanced imaging to extend therapeutic windows and developing neuroprotective agents to prevent secondary neuronal damage.

Does the "Weekend Effect" Extend to Friday Admissions? An Analysis of Ischemic Stroke Hospitalizations in South Carolina

Background: Weekend admission has been found to be associated with higher hospital mortality and longer hospital stay among patients with acute cardiovascular conditions. Whether those admitted on Fridays face similar risk as those admitted on Sundays and Saturdays remain uncertain. Methods: This study used 2012-2013 data from hospital records for nonfatal patients with ischemic stroke in the state of South Carolina. The database contained the records of all hospitalizations in South Carolina except military and federal institutions. Multilevel logistic, negative binomial, and log-linear regression models were performed to explore the temporal pattern by hospital admission on specific day of a week for three outcomes: discharge to hospice care (vs. other alive discharges), length of stay, and total charge, respectively. Each model controlled for the patient age, gender, race/ethnicity, year of hospital admission, season of admission, payer, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Results: A total of 19,346 nonfatal ischemic stroke hospitalizations were identified. Multilevel logistic regression shows that patients admitted on non-Friday weekdays had a significantly lower odds of being discharged to hospice care as compared with those admitted on Fridays [odds ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.65-0.99] where there was no significant difference between Friday admissions and weekend admissions. The length of hospital stay for admission on non-Friday weekdays was significantly shorter than that of Friday admissions [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.84-0.90], whereas longer length of hospital stay was found on weekend admission (IRR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02-1.11). Friday admissions were not associated with higher charges as compared with non-Friday weekday admissions. Conclusions: Some hospitalization outcomes admitted on Fridays seemed to have the "weekend effects" too. Further studies are warranted to investigate underlying mechanism for such a difference in outcomes between Friday and other weekdays. Interventions to close the weekend-weekday gap of patient outcomes need to consider the elevated risk on Friday admission.

Delivery, dose, outcomes and resource use of stroke therapy: the SSNAPIEST observational study

Background

Therapy is key to effective stroke care, but many patients receive little.

Objectives

To understand how stroke therapy is delivered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and which factors are associated with dose, outcome and resource use.

Design

Secondary analysis of the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, using standard descriptive statistics and multilevel mixed-effects regression models, while adjusting for all known and measured confounders.

Setting

Stroke services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Participants

A total of 94,905 adults admitted with stroke, who remained an inpatient for > 72 hours.

Results

Routes through stroke services were highly varied (> 800), but four common stroke pathways emerged. Seven distinct impairment-based patient subgroups were characterised. The average amount of therapy was very low. Modifiable factors associated with the average amount of inpatient therapy were type of stroke team, timely therapy assessments, staffing levels and model of therapy provision. More (of any type of) therapy was associated with shorter length of stay, less resource use and lower mortality. More occupational therapy, speech therapy and psychology were also associated with less disability and institutionalisation. Large amounts of physiotherapy were associated with greater disability and institutionalisation.

Limitations

Use of observational data does not infer causation. All efforts were made to adjust for all known and measured confounding factors but some may remain. We categorised participants using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, which measures a limited number of impairments relatively crudely, so mild or rare impairments may have been missed.

Conclusions

Stroke patients receive very little therapy. Modifiable organisational factors associated with greater amounts of therapy were identified, and positive associations between amount of therapy and outcome were confirmed. The reason for the unexpected associations between large amounts of physiotherapy, disability and institutionalisation is unknown. Prospective work is urgently needed to investigate further. Future work needs to investigate (1) prospectively, the association between physiotherapy and outcome; (2) the optimal amount of therapy to provide for different patient groups; (3) the most effective way of organising stroke therapy/rehabilitation services, including service configuration, staffing levels and working hours; and (4) how to reduce unexplained variation in resource use.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 17. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Nurse staffing models in medical-surgical units of acute care settings: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nurse staffing models have been developed across different countries to address nursing shortages and improve quality of nursing care. However, there is no published study that describes nurse staffing models in Ethiopian hospitals.

AIMS

To describe the existing staffing models for nursing practice in acute care units of two hospitals (one public and one private) in Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data such as shift patterns, hours worked, and number of patients cared for per shift. Unit-level data on nurse staffing were collected using a checklist developed specifically for this study.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine percent (59.9%) of participants reported that they worked six or seven days per week. On average, they worked 50 hours per week and 12% working over 60 hours per week. The number of patients they provided care for during their last shift ranged from four to 45 with an average of 13 patients.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that nurses working in acute care settings in Ethiopia are typically working more than 40 hours per week and caring for many patients per shift, which has the potential to impact patient safety.

Variation in quality of acute stroke care by day and time of admission: prospective cohort study of weekday and weekend centralised hyperacute stroke unit care and non-centralised services

OBJECTIVE

To investigate variations in quality of acute stroke care and outcomes by day and time of admission in London hyperacute stroke units compared with the rest of England.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study using anonymised patient-level data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme.

SETTING

Acute stroke services in London hyperacute stroke units and the rest of England.

PARTICIPANTS

68 239 patients with a primary diagnosis of stroke admitted between January and December 2014.

INTERVENTIONS

Hub-and-spoke model for care of suspected acute stroke patients in London with performance standards designed to deliver uniform access to high-quality hyperacute stroke unit care across the week.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

16 indicators of quality of acute stroke care, mortality at 3 days after admission to the hospital, disability at the end of the inpatient spell, length of stay.

RESULTS

There was no variation in quality of care by day and time of admission to the hospital across the week in terms of stroke nursing assessment, brain scanning and thrombolysis in London hyperacute stroke units, nor was there variation in 3-day mortality or disability at hospital discharge (all p values>0.05). Other quality of care measures significantly varied by day and time of admission across the week in London (all p values<0.01). In the rest of England there was variation in all measures by day and time of admission across the week (all p values<0.01), except for mortality at 3 days (p value>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The London hyperacute stroke unit model achieved performance standards for 'front door' stroke care across the week. The same benefits were not achieved by other models of care in the rest of England. There was no weekend effect for mortality in London or the rest of the England. Other aspects of care were not constant across the week in London hyperacute stroke units, indicating some performance standards were perceived to be more important than others.

Associations Between 30-Day Mortality, Specialist Nursing, and Daily Physician Ward Rounds in a National Stroke Registry

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Background and Purpose—

Well-organized stroke care is associated with better patient outcomes, but the most important organizational factors are unknown.

Methods—

Data were extracted from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme of adults with acute stroke treated in stroke hospitals in England and Wales between April 2013 and March 2015. Multilevel models with random intercepts for hospitals were used to estimate the association of each variable with 30-day mortality to estimate the impact of admission to differently organized hospitals.

Results—

Of the 143 578 patients with acute stroke admitted to 154 hospitals, 14.4% died within 30 days of admission. In adjusted analyses, admission to hospitals with higher ratios of nurses trained in swallow screening was associated with reduced odds of death (P=0.004), and admission to hospitals with daily physician ward rounds was associated with 10% lower odds of mortality compared with less-frequent ward rounds (95% CI, 0.82–0.98; P=0.013). Number of stroke admissions and overall ratio of registered nurses on duty at weekends were not found to be independently associated with mortality after adjustment for other factors.

Conclusions—

If these associations are causal, an extra 1332 deaths annually in England and Wales could be saved by hospitals providing care associated with a ratio of nurses trained in swallow screening of at least 3 per 10 beds and daily stroke physician ward rounds.

New evidence-based A1, A2, A3 alarm time zones for transferring thrombolysed patients to hyper-acute stroke units: faster is better

OBJECTIVES

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence and The Royal College of Physicians recommend transferring thrombolysed patients with stroke to a hyperacute stroke unit (HASU) within 4 h from hospital arrival (TArrival-HASU), but there is paucity of evidence to support this cut-off. We assessed if a shorter interval within this target threshold conferred a significant improvement in patient mortality.

DESIGN

We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme.

SETTING

Four major UK hyperacute stroke centres between 2014 and 2016.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 183 men (median age = 75 years, IQR = 66-83) and 169 women (median age = 81 years, IQR = 72.5-88) admitted with acute ischaemic stroke.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We evaluated TArrival-HASU in relation to inpatient mortality, adjusted for age, sex, co-morbidities, stroke severity, time between procedures, time and day on arrival.

RESULTS

There were 51 (14.5%) inpatient deaths. On ROC analysis, the AUC (area under the curve) was 61.1% (52.9-69.4%, p = 0.01) and the cut-off of TArrival-HASU where sensitivity equalled specificity was 2 h/15 min (intermediate range = 30 min to 3 h/15 min) for predicting mortality. On logistic regression, compared with the fastest TArrival-HASU group within 2 h/15 min, the slowest TArrival-HASU group beyond upper limit of intermediate range (≥ 3 h/15 min) had an increased risk of mortality: 5.6% vs. 19.6%, adjusted OR = 5.6 (95%CI:1.5-20.6, p = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

We propose three new alarm time zones (A1, A2 and A3) to improve stroke survival: "A1 Zone" (TArrival-HASU < 2 h/15 min) indicates that a desirable target, "A2 Zone" (TArrival-HASU = 2 h/15 min to 3 h/15 min), indicates increasing risk and should not delay any further, and "A3 Zone" (TArrival-HASU ≥ 3 h/15 min) indicates high risk and should be avoided.

The weekend effect revisited: evidence from the Upper Austrian stroke registry

Empirical evidence on the so-called 'weekend-effect' on stroke mortality is mixed with some studies reporting significantly higher mortality for weekend admissions and others finding no difference. The aim of this paper is to enhance the evidence on the weekend-effect on stroke mortality using a rich stroke registry data set from Upper Austria and to discuss underlying reasons for the heterogeneity in results. Using logistic regressions and ordinary least squares regressions with hospital and year-fixed effects, the outcomes of weekend versus weekday admissions are compared for patients admitted to 16 hospitals in Upper Austria with transient ischemic attack (TIA), cerebral infarction or hemorrhage between 2007 and 2015. The primary outcomes include in-hospital mortality, 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality as well as the length of hospital stay. In addition, we analyze differences in process-quality indicators between weekdays and weekends. Our results show that on weekends there are on average 25% fewer admissions than on weekdays with significantly higher in-hospital mortality. Adjusting for case-mix, the association between weekend admissions and mortality becomes null suggesting that the higher mortality on weekends is explained by heterogeneities in admissions rather than health-care quality.

Reducing the severity of stroke

Stroke remains one of the most important causes of death and disability worldwide. Effective prevention could reduce the burden of stroke dramatically. The management of stroke has undergone a revolution over the last few decades, particularly with the development of techniques for revascularisation of patients with ischaemic stroke. Advanced imaging able to identify potentially salvageable brain is further increasing the potential for effective acute treatment. However, the majority of stroke patients won’t benefit from these treatments and will need effective specialist stroke care and ongoing rehabilitation to overcome impairments and adapt to living with a disability. There are still many unanswered questions about the most effective way of delivering rehabilitation. Likewise, research into how to manage primary intracerebral haemorrhage has yet to transform care.

Does service heterogeneity have an impact on acute hospital length of stay in stroke? A UK-based multicentre prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether stroke patients' acute hospital length of stay (AHLOS) varies between hospitals, over and above case mix differences and to investigate the hospital-level explanatory factors.

DESIGN

A multicentre prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Eight National Health Service acute hospital trusts within the Anglia Stroke & Heart Clinical Network in the East of England, UK.

PARTICIPANTS

The study sample was systematically selected to include all consecutive patients admitted within a month to any of the eight hospitals, diagnosed with stroke by an accredited stroke physician every third month between October 2009 and September 2011.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

AHLOS was defined as the number of days between date of hospital admission and discharge or death, whichever came first. We used a multiple linear regression model to investigate the association between hospital (as a fixed-effect) and AHLOS, adjusting for several important patient covariates, such as age, sex, stroke type, modified Rankin Scale score (mRS), comorbidities and inpatient complications. Exploratory data analysis was used to examine the hospital-level characteristics which may contribute to variance between hospitals. These included hospital type, stroke monthly case volume, service provisions (ie, onsite rehabilitation) and staffing levels.

RESULTS

A total of 2233 stroke admissions (52% female, median age (IQR) 79 (70 to 86) years, 83% ischaemic stroke) were included. The overall median AHLOS (IQR) was 9 (4 to 21) days. After adjusting for patient covariates, AHLOS still differed significantly between hospitals (p<0.001). Furthermore, hospitals with the longest adjusted AHLOS's had predominantly smaller stroke volumes.

CONCLUSIONS

We have clearly demonstrated that AHLOS varies between different hospitals, and that the most important patient-level explanatory variables are discharge mRS, dementia and inpatient complications. We highlight the potential importance of stroke volume in influencing these differences but cannot discount the potential effect of unmeasured confounders.

Hospital admission on weekends for patients who have surgery and 30-day mortality in Ontario, Canada: A matched cohort study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare interventions on weekends have been associated with increased mortality and adverse clinical outcomes, but these findings are inconsistent. We hypothesized that patients admitted to hospital on weekends who have surgery have an increased risk of death compared with patients who are admitted and have surgery on weekdays.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This matched cohort study included 318,202 adult patients from Ontario health administrative and demographic databases, admitted to acute care hospitals from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2015. A total of 159,101 patients who were admitted on weekends and underwent noncardiac surgery were classified by day of surgery (weekend versus weekday) and matched 1:1 to patients who both were admitted and had surgery on a weekday (Tuesday to Thursday); matching was based on age (in years), anesthesia basic unit value for the surgical procedure, median neighborhood household income quintile, resource utilization band (a ranking system of overall morbidity), rurality of home location, year of admission, and urgency of admission. Of weekend admissions, 16.2% (25,872) were elective and 53.9% (85,744) had surgery on the weekend of admission. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 30 days of the date of hospital admission. The 30-day all-cause mortality for patients admitted on weekends who had noncardiac surgery was 2.6% (4,211/159,101) versus 2.5% (3,901/159,101) for those who were admitted and had surgery on weekdays (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.05; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.11; P = 0.03). However, there was significant heterogeneity in the increased odds of death according to the urgency of admission and when surgery was performed (weekend versus weekday). For urgent admissions on weekends (n = 133,229), there was no significant increase in odds of mortality when surgery was performed on the weekend (adjusted OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.95 to 1.09; P = 0.7) or on a subsequent weekday (adjusted OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.98 to 1.12; P = 0.2) compared to urgent admissions on weekdays. Elective admissions on weekends (n = 25,782) had increased risk of death both when surgery was performed on the weekend (adjusted OR 3.30; 95% CI 1.98 to 5.49; P < 0.001) and when surgery was performed on a subsequent weekday (adjusted OR 2.70; 95% CI 1.81 to 4.03; P < 0.001). The main limitations of this study were the lack of data regarding reason for admission and cause of increased time interval from admission to surgery for some cases, the small number of deaths in some subgroups (i.e., elective surgery), and the possibility of residual unmeasured confounding from increased illness severity for weekend admissions.

CONCLUSIONS

When patients have surgery during their hospitalization, admission on weekends in Ontario, Canada, was associated with a small but significant proportional increase in 30-day all-cause mortality, but there was significant heterogeneity in outcomes depending on the urgency of admission and when surgery was performed. An increased risk of death was found only for elective admissions on weekends; whether this is a function of patient-level factors or represents a true weekend effect needs to be further elucidated. These findings have potential implications for resource allocation in hospitals and the redistribution of elective surgery to weekends.

Weekend admissions may be associated with poorer recording of long-term comorbidities: a prospective study of emergency admissions using administrative data

BACKGROUND

Many studies have investigated the presence of a 'weekend effect' in mortality following hospital admission, and these frequently use diagnostic codes from administrative data for information on comorbidities for risk adjustment. However, it is possible that coding practice differs between week and weekend. We assess patients with a confirmed history of certain long-term health conditions and investigate how well these are recorded in subsequent week and weekend admissions.

METHODS

We selected six long-term conditions that are commonly assessed when risk-adjusting mortality rates, via the Charlson and Elixhauser indices. Using Hospital Episode Statistics data from England for the period April 2009 to March 2011, we identified patients with the condition recorded at least twice, on separate emergency admissions. Then we assessed how often each condition was recorded on subsequent emergency admissions between April 2011 and March 2013. We then compared coding between week and weekend admissions using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, stratifying by hospital.

RESULTS

We studied 111,457 patients with chronic pulmonary disease, 106,432 with diabetes, 36,447 with congestive heart failure, 30,996 with dementia, 7808 with hemiplegia or paraplegia and 5877 with metastatic cancer. Across the entire week, between April 2011 and March 2013, coding completeness ranged from 89% for diabetes to 43% for hemiplegia/paraplegia. Compared with weekday admissions, congestive heart failure was less likely to be recorded as a secondary diagnosis at the weekend (odds ratio 0.92, 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.97), with smaller but statistically significant differences also detected for chronic pulmonary disease (odds ratio 0.96, 95% CI, 0.93 to 0.99) and diabetes (odds ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.99). There was no statistically significant difference in recording between week and weekend admissions for dementia (odds ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.11), hemiplegia/paraplegia (odds ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.10) or metastatic cancer (odds ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.20).

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term conditions are often not recorded on administrative data and the lack of recording may be worse for weekend admissions. Studies of the weekend effect that rely on administrative data might have underestimated the health burden of patients, particularly if admitted at the weekend.

Does the "Weekend Effect" for Postoperative Mortality Stand Up to Scrutiny? Association for Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Critical Care Cohort Study of 110,728 Cardiac Surgical Patients

OBJECTIVE

Ongoing debate focuses on whether patients admitted to the hospital on weekends have higher mortality than those admitted on weekdays. Whether this apparent "weekend effect" reflects differing patient risk, care quality differences, or inadequate adjustment for risk during analysis remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the existence of a "weekend effect" for risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected cardiac registry data.

SETTING

Ten UK specialist cardiac centers.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 110,728 cases, undertaken by 127 consultant surgeons and 190 consultant anesthetists between April 2002 and March 2012.

INTERVENTIONS

Major risk-stratified cardiac surgical operations.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Crude in-hospital mortality rate was 3.1%. Multilevel multivariable models were employed to estimate the effect of operative day on in-hospital mortality, adjusting for center, surgeon, anesthetist, patient risk, and procedure priority. Weekend elective cases had significantly lower mortality risk compared to Monday elective cases (odds ratio [OR] 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42, 0.96) following risk adjustment by the logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) and procedure priority; differences between weekend and Monday for urgent and emergency/salvage cases were not significant (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.73, 1.72, and 1.07, 95% CI 0.79, 1.45 respectively). Considering only the logistic EuroSCORE but not procedure priority yielded 29% higher odds of death for weekend cases compared to Monday operations (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.08, 1.54).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that undergoing cardiac surgery during the weekend does not affect negatively patient survival, and highlights the importance of comprehensive risk adjustment to avoid detecting spurious "weekend effects."

How is it best to deliver care in acute medical units? A systematic review

The majority of medical patients presenting to hospital in the UK are cared for in acute medical units (AMUs). Such units are also increasingly present internationally. Care delivery varies across units: this review aims to examine the evidence for how best to deliver AMU care.Six electronic databases and grey literature were searched. Inclusion criteria comprised interventions applied to undifferentiated patients in AMU settings. All studies were quality assessed. A narrative approach was undertaken.Nine studies, all conducted in the UK or Ireland, evaluated 1.3 million episodes, 3617 patients and 49 staff. There was single study evidence for beneficial effects of: enhanced pharmacy care, a dedicated occupational therapy service, an all-inclusive consultant work pattern, a rapid-access medical clinic and formalized handovers. Two studies found increased consultant presence was associated with reduced mortality; one of these studies found an association with a reduction in 28-day readmissions; and the other found an association with an increased proportion of patients discharged on the day they were admitted. Three studies provide evidence of the beneficial effects of multiple interventions developed from local service reviews.Overall, the quality of the evidence was limited. This review has identified operationally relevant evidence that increased consultant presence is associated with improved outcomes of care; has highlighted the potential to improve outcomes locally through service reviews; and has demonstrated an important knowledge gap of how best to deliver AMU care. These findings have importance given the challenges acute services currently face.

20 years of researching stroke through audit

Over the last 20 years, England, Wales and Northern Ireland have developed an audit programme that now encompasses nearly all patients admitted to hospital with a stroke. This article records and reviews some questions that have been answered using data from the audit: Is the rate of institutional care after rehabilitation a possible measure of outcome? Does stroke unit care in routine practice give the benefits shown in randomized controlled trials? How is the quality of stroke care affected by a patient's age and the time of their stroke? Do patient-reported measures match those obtained from the professionals recording of processes of care? How do the processes of care after stroke affect mortality? Is thrombolysis safe to use in patients over the age of 80? Do staffing levels matter? Does assessing the safety of swallowing really make a difference? Do clinicians make rational decisions about end-of-life care in patients with haemorrhage? Does socioeconomic status influence the risk of stroke, outcome after stroke and the quality of stroke care? How much does stroke really cost in England, Wales and Northern Ireland? The article concludes that this national audit has improved stroke care across the United Kingdom, has given answers to important questions that could not be answered in any other way and has shown that benefits found in research do generalize into real clinical benefits in day-to-day practice.

There is no 'weekend effect' in elective orthopaedic surgery

Introduction The 'weekend effect' is said to occur when patient outcomes are adversely affected by the day of the week on which they present to hospital or have surgery. However, it is uncertain whether such a phenomenon exists for elective orthopaedic surgery. We investigated whether there is a 'weekend effect' in elective orthopaedic patients. Methods Retrospectively collected data were obtained from our institution's electronic patient records. We collected demographic and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems tenth revision coding data for all included patients. Multivariate analyses identified covariate-adjusted risk factors, associated with prolonged stays. Thirty-day mortality data were assessed according to the day on which surgery occurred. Results We analysed data for 892 patients over a one-year period. During the year, 457 patients had a total hip and 435 had a total knee replacement; 814 patients (91.3%) underwent surgery during the week, while 78 (8.7%) had surgery on a Saturday. There was no difference in average length of stay between the groups (5.0, 2.6 vs 5.0, 3.4, P = 0.95). Variables associated with prolonged hospitalisation included increasing age (covariate adjusted relative risk 1.02, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.03, P < 0.001) and an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 2, (relative risk 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.15-2.20, P = 0.005). There was one death in a patient who underwent surgery on a Monday. Conclusions There is no 'weekend effect' for elective orthopaedic surgery.

Mode of presentation rather than the 'weekend effect' is a major determinant of in-hospital mortality

BACKGROUND

The influence of patient demographics and mode of admission on the 'weekend effect' remains unclear. This study examins the relationship between day of admission, patient demographics, mode of presentation and survival.

METHODS

Hospital admissions over a three-year period were studied. Patients with an inpatient stay less than 24 h and those who were discharged from the emergency department were excluded. In-hospital mortality was correlated with day of admission, age, gender and mode of presentation in a binary logistical regression analysis.

RESULTS

There were 448,827 admissions, of which 350,648 (85.7%) occurred during a weekday. 256,777 (62.7%) were emergency presentations, which was closely related to a weekend admission (92.3% vs 57.8%, p < 0.001). There were 8099 deaths of which 6336 (78.2%) related to a weekday admission and 1736 (21.4%) related a weekend admission. Mortality for elective admissions was 78 (0.05%) compared to 8021 (3.12%), p < 0.001 in emergency admissions. Univariable regression analysis revealed a weekend admission (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60-1.78, p < 0.001) and emergency presentation (OR 63.02 (95%CI 50.42-78.77), p < 0.011) were associated with weekend mortality. On multivariable analysis the OR for weekend admission reduced to 1.07 (95%CI 1.01-1.13), p = 0.013 and the OR for emergency presentation increased to 76.68 (95%CI 61.40-96.00), p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights that higher weekend mortality rates are a consequence of a lower proportion of elective admissions. Extending the working week to seven days might reduce weekend mortality without reducing the total number of deaths.

Regional Variation in 30-Day Ischemic Stroke Outcomes for Medicare Beneficiaries Treated in Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Hospitals

BACKGROUND

We explored regional variation in 30-day ischemic stroke mortality and readmission rates and the extent to which regional differences in patients, hospitals, healthcare resources, and a quality of care composite care measure explain the observed variation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This ecological analysis aggregated patient and hospital characteristics from the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry (2007-2011), healthcare resource data from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care (2006), and Medicare fee-for-service data on 30-day mortality and readmissions (2007-2011) to the hospital referral region (HRR) level. We used linear regression to estimate adjusted HRR-level 30-day outcomes, to identify HRR-level characteristics associated with 30-day outcomes, and to describe which characteristics explained variation in 30-day outcomes. The mean adjusted HRR-level 30-day mortality and readmission rates were 10.3% (SD=1.1%) and 13.1% (SD=1.1%), respectively; a modest, negative correlation (r=-0.17; P=0.003) was found between one another. Demographics explained more variation in readmissions than mortality (25% versus 6%), but after accounting for demographics, comorbidities accounted for more variation in mortality compared with readmission rates (17% versus 7%). The combination of hospital characteristics and healthcare resources explained 11% and 16% of the variance in mortality and readmission rates, beyond patient characteristics. Most of the regional variation in mortality (65%) and readmission (50%) rates remained unexplained.

CONCLUSIONS

Thirty-day mortality and readmission rates vary substantially across HRRs and exhibit an inverse relationship. While regional variation in 30-day outcomes were explained by patient and hospital factors differently, much of the regional variation in both outcomes remains unexplained.

Is the weekend effect really ubiquitous? A retrospective clinical cohort analysis of 30-day mortality by day of week and time of day using linked population data from New South Wales, Australia

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations between day of week and time of admission and 30-day mortality for six clinical conditions: ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.

DESIGN

Retrospective population-based cohort analyses. Hospitalisation records were linked to emergency department and deaths data. Random-effect logistic regression models were used, adjusting for casemix and taking into account clustering within hospitals.

SETTING

All hospitals in New South Wales, Australia, from July 2009 to June 2012.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis for one of the six clinical conditions examined.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Adjusted ORs for all-cause mortality within 30 days of admission, by day of week and time of day.

RESULTS

A total of 148 722 patients were included in the study, with 17 721 deaths within 30 days of admission. Day of week of admission was not associated with significantly higher likelihood of death for five of the six conditions after adjusting for casemix. There was significant variation in mortality for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by day of week; however, this was not consistent with a strict weekend effect (Thursday: OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.48; Friday: OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.44; Saturday: OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.37; Sunday OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.22; compared with Monday). There was evidence for a night effect for patients admitted for stroke (ischaemic: OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.45; haemorrhagic: OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.78).

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality outcomes for these conditions, adjusted for casemix, do not vary in accordance with the weekend effect hypothesis. Our findings support a growing body of evidence that questions the ubiquity of the weekend effect.

Adding a new dimension to the weekend effect: an analysis of a national data set of electronic AKI alerts

BACKGROUND

Increased mortality related to differences in delivery of weekend clinical care is the subject of much debate.

AIM

We compared mortality following detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) on week and weekend days across community and hospital settings.

DESIGN

A prospective national cohort study, with AKI identified using the Welsh National electronic AKI reporting system.

METHODS

Data were collected on outcome for all cases of adult AKI in Wales between 1 November 2013 and 31 January 2017.

RESULTS

There were a total of 107 298 episodes. Weekday detection of AKI was associated with 28.8% (26 439); 90-day mortality compared to 90-day mortality of 31.9% (4551) for AKI detected on weekdays (RR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.08-1.14, P < 0.001, HR: 1.16 95% CI: 1.12-1.20, P < 0.001). There was no 'weekend effect' for mortality associated with hospital-acquired AKI. Weekday detection of community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) was associated with a 22.6% (10 356) mortality compared with weekend detection of CA-AKI, which was associated with a 28.6% (1619) mortality (RR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.21-1.32, P < 0.001, HR: 1.34, 95%CI: 1.28-1.42, P < 0.001). The excess mortality in weekend CA-AKI was driven by CA-AKI detected at the weekend that was not admitted to hospital compared with CA-AKI detected on weekdays which was admitted to hospital (34.5% vs. 19.1%, RR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.69-1.91, P < 0.001, HR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.88-2.19, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

'Weekend effect' in AKI relates to access to in-patient care for patients presenting predominantly to hospital emergency departments with AKI at the weekend.

Reorganisation of stroke care and impact on mortality in patients admitted during weekends: a national descriptive study based on administrative data

Objective

To evaluate mortality differences between weekend and weekday emergency stroke admissions in England over time, and in particular, whether a reconfiguration of stroke services in Greater London was associated with a change in this mortality difference.

Design, setting and participants

Risk-adjusted difference-in-difference time trend analysis using hospital administrative data. All emergency patients with stroke admitted to English hospitals from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2014 were included.

Main outcomes

Mortality difference between weekend and weekday emergency stroke admissions.

Results

We identified 507 169 emergency stroke admissions: 26% of these occurred during the weekend. The 7-day in-hospital mortality difference between weekend and weekday admissions declined across England throughout the study period. In Greater London, where the reorganisation of stroke services took place, an adjusted 28% (relative risk (RR)=1.28, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.47) higher weekend/weekday 7-day mortality ratio in 2008 declined to a non-significant 9% higher risk (RR=1.09, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.32) in 2014. For the rest of England, a 15% (RR=1.15, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.22) higher weekend/weekday 7-day mortality ratio in 2008 declined to a non-significant 3% higher risk (RR=1.03, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.10) in 2014. During the same period, in Greater London an adjusted 12% (RR=1.12, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.26) weekend/weekday 30-day mortality ratio in 2008 slightly increased to 14% (RR=1.14, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.30); however, it was not significant. In the rest of England, an 11% (RR=1.11, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.15) higher weekend/weekday 30-day mortality ratio declined to a non-significant 4% higher risk (RR=1.04, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.09) in 2014. We found no statistically significant association between decreases in the weekend/weekday admissions difference in mortality and the centralisation of stroke services in Greater London.

Conclusions

There was a steady reduction in weekend/weekday differences in mortality in stroke admissions across England. It appears statistically unrelated to the centralisation of stroke services in Greater London, and is consistent with an overall national focus on improving stroke services.

Effect of weekend admission on mortality associated with severe acute kidney injury in England: A propensity score matched, population-based study

Background

Increased in-hospital mortality associated with weekend admission has been reported for many acute conditions, but no study has investigated “weekend effect” for acute kidney injury requiring dialysis (AKI-D).

Methods

In this large, propensity score matched cohort of AKI-D, we examined the impact of weekend admission and in-centre nephrology services in 53,170 AKI-D admissions between 1^st April 2003 and 31^st March 2015 using a hospital episode statistic dataset. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to match 4284 weekend admissions with AKI-D with 14,788 admissions on weekdays.

Results

Of the 53,170 admissions with AKI-D in the whole dataset, 12,357 (23%) were at weekends. The unadjusted mortality for weekend admissions was significantly higher compared to admissions on weekdays (40·6% versus 39·6%, p 0·046). However, in multivariable analysis of the PSM cohort, the odds of death for weekend admissions with AKI-D was 1·01 (95%CI 0·93,1·09). Mortality was higher for weekend admissions in West Midlands (odds ratio (OR) 1·32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·05, 1·66) and lower in East of England (OR 0·77, 95%CI 0·59, 1·00) but was not different to weekday admissions in all other regions. In 2003–04, weekend admissions had lower odds of death (OR 0·45, 95%CI 0·21, 0·96) and in 2010–11 higher odds of death (OR 1·28, 95%CI 1·00, 1·63) but in the other ten years observed, there was no significant difference in mortality between weekday and weekend admissions. Provision of in-centre nephrology services was associated with lower odds of death at 0·57 (95%CI 0·54, 0·62).

Conclusions

Weekend admissions in patients with AKI-D had no effect on mortality. Further research is warranted to elucidate the reasons for the lower mortality in hospitals with in-centre nephrology services.

Outcomes After Weekend Admission for Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation: A Population Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Outcomes for weekend hospital admissions or emergency procedures have become a topical and controversial issue for the UK National Health Service. Deceased-donor kidney transplantation is frequently performed at weekends and evidence for its relative safety are lacking.

METHODS

We undertook a population-based cohort analysis, obtaining data from every deceased-donor kidney-alone transplant procedure performed in England between January 2003 and December 2014. Data were extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics, with linkage to the Office for National Statistics to create a comprehensive dataset for mortality, rehospitalization and kidney allograft failure/rejection for weekend (defined as Friday to Sunday) versus weekday transplantation.

RESULTS

Data were extracted for 12 902 deceased-donor kidney alone transplants performed in all 19 English transplant centres between 2003 and 2014. Based on initial χ tests, no significant difference was observed when comparing weekend versus weekday transplantation in 30-day (0.9% vs 1.2%; P = 0.126) or 1-year mortality (3.7% vs 3.8%; P = 0.788), 1-year kidney allograft failure/rejection (16.7% vs 16.8%; P = 0.897), delayed graft function (29.97% vs 29.36%; P = 0.457) or 1-year risk for readmission (63.5% vs 63.3%; P = 0.774). In a Cox regression model, transplantation at the weekend was not associated with any increased risk for 1-year mortality, rehospitalization, or allograft failure/rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

Deceased-donor kidney transplants performed at the weekend do not have inferior short-term outcomes on the basis of 1-year risk for rehospitalization, mortality, or allograft failure/rejection. Our data are reassuring for patients and professionals alike, but may also provide speculative insight into models of care that attenuate the weekend effect.

A comparison of service organisation and guideline compliance between two adjacent European health services

Introduction

Outcomes in stroke patients are improved by a co-ordinated organisation of stroke services and provision of evidence-based care. We studied the organisation of care and application of guidelines in two neighbouring health care systems with similar characteristics.

Methods

Organisational elements of the 2015 National Stroke Audit (NSA) from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) were compared with the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) in Northern Ireland (NI) and the United Kingdom (UK). Compliance was compared with UK and European guidelines.

Results

Twenty-one of 28 ROI hospitals (78%) reported having a stroke unit (SU) compared with all 10 in NI. Average SU size was smaller in ROI (6 beds vs. 15 beds) and bed availability per head of population was lower (1:30,633 vs. 1:12,037 p < 0.0001 Chi Sq). Fifty-four percent of ROI patients were admitted to SU care compared with 96% of UK patients (p < 0.0001). Twenty-four-hour physiological monitoring was available in 54% of ROI SUs compared to 91% of UK units (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between ROI and NI in access to senior specialist physicians or nurses or in SU nurse staffing (3.9/10 beds weekday mornings) but there was a higher proportion of trained nurses in ROI units (2.9/10 beds vs. 2.3/10 beds (p = 0.02 Chi Sq).

Conclusion

Whilst the majority of hospitals in both jurisdictions met key criteria for organised stroke care the small size and underdevelopment of the ROI units meant a substantial proportion of patients were unable to access this specialised care.

A time and motion study of junior doctor work patterns on the weekend: a potential contributor to the weekend effect?

BACKGROUND

Patients admitted to hospital on weekends have a greater risk of mortality compared to patients admitted on weekdays. Junior medical officers (JMO) make up the majority of medical staff on weekends. No previous study has quantified JMO work patterns on weekends.

AIM

To describe and quantify JMO work patterns on weekends and compare them with patterns previously observed during the week.

METHODS

Observational time and motion study of JMO working weekends using the Work Observation Method by Activity Timing (WOMBAT; Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia) software. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the proportion of total observed time spent in tasks.

RESULTS

Weekend JMO predominately spent time in indirect care (32.0%), direct care (23.0%) and professional communication (22.1%). JMO spent 20.9% of time multitasking and were interrupted, on average, every 9 min. Weekend JMO spent significantly more time in direct care compared with weekdays (13.0%; P < 0.001) and nights (14.3%; P < 0.001). Weekend JMO spent significantly less time on breaks (8.5%), with less than 1 h in an 11-h shift, compared with JMO during weekdays (16.4%; P = 0.004) and nights (27.6%; P = <0.001). Weekend JMO were interrupted at a higher rate (6.6/h) than on weekdays (rate ratio (RR) 2.9, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 2.6, 3.3) or nights (RR 5.1, 95% CI 4.2, 6.1). Multitasking on weekends (20.9%) was comparable to weekdays (18.9%; P = 0.19) but significantly higher than nights (6.4%; P = <0.001).

CONCLUSION

On weekends, JMO had few breaks, were interrupted frequently and engaged in high levels of multitasking. This pattern of JMO work could be a potential contributing factor to the weekend effect in terms of JMO abilities to respond safely and adequately to care demands.

The Impact of Nurse Staffing on In-Hospital Mortality of Stroke Patients in Korea

BACKGROUND

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in Korea, and a well-qualified, adequate nursing force achieves better patient outcomes.

STUDY PURPOSES

This study examined the association between nurse staffing and in-hospital mortality among stroke patients in a nationally representative sample.

METHODS

This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted using 2009 National Health Insurance claims data of stroke patients admitted to variously sized Korean hospitals. The data included patient (individual and clinical) and hospital characteristics. Mortality was measured using crude in-hospital mortality rates; nurse staffing was expressed as number of registered nurses per 100 beds. Logistic regression was used to study the association between nurse staffing and patient mortality during hospitalization, after adjusting for related factors.

RESULTS

The data of 11 819 stroke inpatients from 615 hospitals were analyzed. Mean patient age was 66.9 ± 13.1 years, 47.5% were women, 77.4% were ischemic patients, and 20.3% underwent surgery. The crude in-hospital mortality rate was 5.5%. Nurse staffing was found to be negatively related to mortality (odds ratio, 0.988; 95% confidence interval, 0.977-0.999), after controlling for major confounders, such as comorbidities, physician-to-bed ratio, and medical costs.

CONCLUSION

Policies to educate sufficient numbers of nurses and retain them in the field are warranted, especially because medical-cost containment has become a dominant concern in most countries. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms and other protective roles of nurse staffing to ensure long-term health outcomes after hospital discharge.

Factors attributed to the higher in-hospital mortality of ST elevation myocardial infarction patients admitted during off-hour in comparison with those during regular hour

Background

In-hospital mortality of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) admitted during off-hour was reported higher than those admitted during regular hour, but which factors cause the difference remains largely unknown though the difference in medical resources was often accused.

Methods and results

This registry-based study recruited 7456 STEMI patients prospectively from 99 level two hospitals across China. Generalized linear mixed models were applied to quantify the risk of in-hospital death attributed to admission time and the explainers of its change, accounting for the clustering of patients within hospitals. There were 45.2% patients admitted during regular hour and 54.8% during off-hour. In-hospital mortality was 7.0% for patients admitted during regular hour and 8.3% for those during off-hour (p<0.05). Generalized linear mixed models adjusting for age, gender and education showed that patients’ disease severity at admission and medical treatments received after admission could explain the risk difference attributed to admission time by 55% and 20%, respectively. After all factors accounted, the residual relative risk difference left only 6% (adjusted OR = 0.94) and became no longer significant.

Conclusions

The regular-and-off-hour mortality difference exists among STEMI patients in Chinese level two hospitals, which could be attributed primarily to disease severity at admission and secondly to the poorer medical treatments. These results call for public attention to the more severity of STEMI patients admitted during off-hour in addition to improving medical resources for STEMI at off-hour.

The 'weekend effect' in acute medicine: a protocol for a team-based ethnography of weekend care for medical patients in acute hospital settings

INTRODUCTION

It is now well-recognised that patients admitted to hospital on weekends are at higher risk of death than those admitted during weekdays. However, the causes of this 'weekend effect' are poorly understood. Some contend that there is a deficit of medical staff on weekends resulting in poorer quality care, whereas others find that patients admitted to hospital on weekends are sicker and therefore at higher risk of adverse outcomes. Clarifying the causal pathway is clearly important in order to identify effective solutions. In this article we describe an ethnographic approach to evaluating the organisation and delivery of medical care on weekends compared with weekdays, with a specific focus on the role of medical staff as part of National Health Service England's plan to implement 7-day services.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will conduct an ethnographic study of 20 acute hospitals in England between April 2016 and March 2018 as part of the High-intensity Specialist-Led Acute Care project (www.hislac.org). Data will be collected through observations and shadowing, and interviews with staff, in 10 hospitals with higher intensity specialist (consultant) staffing on weekends and 10 with lower intensity specialist staffing. Interviews will be conducted with up to 20 patients sampled from two high-intensity and two low-intensity sites. We will coordinate, compare and contrast observations across our team of ethnographers. Analysis will be both in-depth and cross-cutting, exploring specific features within individual sites and making comparisons between them. We outline how data collection and analysis will be facilitated and organised.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The project has received ethics approval from the South West Wales Research Ethics Committee: Reference 13/WA/0372. Informed consent will be obtained for all interview participants. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications in high-quality journals and at national and international conferences.