Reaching consensus on factors impacting optimal use of an orthopaedic emergency theatre in a public hospital

Background

The operating theatre (OT) complex of hospitals represents areas of considerable expenditure with regard to costs and requires maximum use to ensure optimum cost benefit for both patients and the hospital. Inefficient use of an operating theatre room (OTR) may result in hospital wasteful expenditure and frustrations for patients owing to surgery delays, cancellations and prolonged hospitalisation while waiting.

Aim

The aim of the study was to explore and describe using a consensus method, factors impacting the use of an emergency orthopaedic theatre that can be optimised in a selected public hospital in Gauteng province.

Setting

The study was conducted by a professional nurse and orthopaedic surgeon working in the theatre of a selected public hospital in Gauteng province.

Method

A qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected using a nominal group technique (NGT) among professional nurses and orthopaedic surgeons. Data analysis was done through cross-analysis where participants reached a consensus on the voted ideas from the group.

Results

Consensus was reached and three main themes emerged: (1) inadequate resources; (2) poor organisation and (3) communication.

Conclusion

The optimal use of an emergency orthopaedic theatre is influenced by the availability of resources being human and material, good organisation and clear communication.

Contribution

The study has demonstrated that a variety of factors needs to be considered to optimise the use of an orthopaedic emergency theatre. The management of an OT requires a concerted effort from the nurses and doctors.

Practical checklist for implementation of antifungal stewardship programmes

Introduction. Antifungal stewardship programmes are needed in healthcare facilities to limit the overuse or misuse of antifungals, which are responsible for an increase in antifungal resistance.Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Core recommendations for antifungal stewardship were published by the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided a Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs checklist. The recommendations offer global core elements for best practices in antifungal stewardship, but do not provide a framework for the implementation of antifungal stewardship programmes in healthcare facilities.Aim. In line with the recommendations, it is of the utmost importance to establish a practical checklist that may be used to implement antifungal stewardship programmes.Methodology. The practical checklist was established by a national consensus panel of experts involved in antifungal stewardship activities. A preliminary checklist was sent to all experts. The final document was approved by the panel after discussion and the resolution of any disagreements by consensus.Results. The final checklist includes the following items: leadership support; actions to support optimal antifungal use; actions to monitor antifungal prescribing, use and resistance; and an education programme.Conclusion. This antifungal stewardship checklist offers opportunities for antifungal resistance containment, given that antifungal stewardship activities promote the optimal use of antifungals.

Achieving optimal technology use: A proposed model for health technology reassessment

BACKGROUND

Healthcare providers, managers and policy-makers in many jurisdictions are focused on a common goal: optimizing value and quality of care provided to their citizens within a resource envelope. Health technology reassessment is a structured, evidence-based assessment of the clinical, social, ethical and economic effects of a technology currently used in the healthcare system to inform optimal use of that technology in comparison with its alternatives. There are, however, few practical experiences with health technology reassessment and, as such, a nascent theoretical and methodological base. Health technology reassessment is a key strategy to achieve optimal healthcare resource utilization, and establishing a model for health technology reassessment is a required methodological step.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The purpose of this article is to answer three formative questions: (1) What is health technology reassessment? (2) When should a health technology reassessment be implemented? (3) What is the role of health technology reassessment in evidence-informed health policy? Finally, we propose a conceptual framework for health technology reassessment, which others can modify, adapt, or adopt in their own context. The model consists of three broad phases and six iterative stages: (1) identification, (2) prioritization, (3) evidence synthesis, (4) determine policy/practice recommendation, (5) policy/practice implementation and (6) monitoring and evaluation. Two foundational components (meaningful stakeholder engagement and ongoing knowledge exchange and utilization) are represented across all stages.

CONCLUSION

This description of health technology reassessment and the proposed model can be used by healthcare policy-makers and researchers to advance the field of technology management, with the goal of achieving optimal use throughout a technology's lifecycle.

Antimicrobial Stewardship: How the Microbiology Laboratory Can Right the Ship

Antimicrobial stewardship is a bundle of integrated interventions employed to optimize the use of antimicrobials in health care settings. While infectious-disease-trained physicians, with clinical pharmacists, are considered the main leaders of antimicrobial stewardship programs, clinical microbiologists can play a key role in these programs. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive discussion of the different components of antimicrobial stewardship in which microbiology laboratories and clinical microbiologists can make significant contributions, including cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility reports, enhanced culture and susceptibility reports, guidance in the preanalytic phase, rapid diagnostic test availability, provider education, and alert and surveillance systems. In reviewing this material, we emphasize how the rapid, and especially the recent, evolution of clinical microbiology has reinforced the importance of clinical microbiologists' collaboration with antimicrobial stewardship programs.