Nuclear medicine in district general hospitals.

Nuclear medicine is a recognised clinical specialty both nationally and internationally. Compared with other countries, it is inadequately developed in Britain, particularly in district general hospitals. To create clinical radioisotope services at district level physicians or radiologists with experience in nuclear medicine need to be trained and appointed. Such appointments would allow facilities to evolve that would provide either a comprehensive nuclear medicine service formed around a physician or an imaging service based on a radiologist. Such units would improve the care of patients at a reasonable recurring cost of 15 pounds--30 pounds per investigation.     

分层管理对大面积烧伤患者早期康复治疗的临床意义

目的：重度烧伤早期易合并多种并发症且病情复杂、死亡率高,严重影响患者的生存周期和生活质量。本研究分析并探讨不同干预措施对重度烧伤患者早期并发症的效果,为临床研究提供可借鉴的方法。方法：选取2011年1月．2012年11月我院收治的重度烧伤患者66例,随机分为常规护理组和分级管理组,每组各33例。常规组采取基本护理模式对患者进行康复期护理,分级管理组根据病情对患者进行分级,分配不同专业技能等级的护理人员进行护理。观察并比较两组患者的临床效果及对护理服务的满意度。结果：分层管理组患者并发症发生率为42.3％,明显低于常规护理组69．7％（P〈0．05）;分层管理组的护理质量、患者依从性及对护理服务的满意度均显著高于常规护理组,差异具有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论：对大面积烧伤患者实施分层管理的护理模式具有积极的作用,不仅有效降低并发症发生率,而且能够合理分配护理人员,优化服务质量,提高患者满意度,值得在临床护理实践中推广应用。     

多元化管理模式对急诊肝病患者的效果观察

目的:近年来,急诊收治的不同病症的肝病患者越来越多,给医护人员带来很大的工作压力,以致工作频频出错,影响护理质量和患者的临床疗效。本文针对急诊肝病患者采取多元化管理模式进行护理,探讨该模式的特点及作用,为肝病的临床护理工作提供可借鉴的方法。方法:选取2011年10月-2012年12月我院急诊科收治的160例肝病患者,分为常规组和管理组。常规组采取基础护理,观察组采取多元化管理模式进行护理,包括人性化管理、分层级管理、情绪管理及环境管理。观察并比较两组患者对护理工作的满意度、护理工作的落实情况及患者的依从性。结果:管理组患者对护理服务的满意度为98.7%,护理工作落实率为97.62%,患者依从性为90.46%;常规组患者对护理服务的满意度为77.5%,护理工作落实率为94.58%,患者依从性为87.82%;管理组的患者满意度、护理工作落实情况及患者依从性均优于对照组,差异显著且具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:采取多元化管理模式进行护理有助于提高护理质量,推进急诊工作顺利进行,更有利于提高肝病患者的临床疗效及对护理工作的满意度,该模式对临床护理工作有重要的指导意义,值得推广。     

Role of the general practitioner in managing patients with myocardial infarction: impact of thrombolytic treatment. Report of a British Heart Foundation Working Group.

Thrombolytic treatment, combined with aspirin, has been shown to reduce mortality by half in patients in hospital with suspected acute myocardial infarction if it is given early after the onset of symptoms. This fact adds to the importance of prompt and skillful intervention. At present in the United Kingdom the median time for receiving suitable management for this condition is about four to six hours. With better organisation this delay could, in most areas, be reduced to two or three hours. A major change in the care of patients with myocardial infarction is needed in which the general practitioner should have a crucial role. Health authorities, hospital physicians, general practitioners, and the ambulance services must coordinate their efforts if the potential reduction in mortality is to be realised. The district medical officer should consult colleagues and draw up guidelines for organising the care of patients who have had heart attacks. The management of patients who have had heart attacks in the community and in hospital should be continually audited. There are dangers inherent in the use of thrombolytic treatment, particularly when conditions other than myocardial infarction are treated in error. This treatment should be given only when the diagnosis is highly probable and when close observation of the patient can be ensured during the ensuing hours. Thrombolytic treatment should not, therefore, be given out of hospital except when trained, equipped personnel are in attendance. Treatment can be given in any hospital (including community hospitals) provided there are adequate diagnostic facilities and suitably experienced nursing staff.     

Development of an index to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff

Objective: To develop an index to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff. Background: Nursing staff, working on hospital wards, at nursing homes and at other facilities, have to deal with oral health care and there are many reports about the low priority that is given to oral health care by nursing staff. It is difficult to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff. A Dental Coping Beliefs Scale (DCBS) index was used in an intervention study and was found to be easy to handle but did not have the ability to reveal significant differences in small study samples. A development process consisting of added items and item numbering by chance was carried out. During this process, different nursing staff test groups were used. The aim was to develop an oral health care priority index that can be used both on hospital wards and at special facilities to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff over time and between groups. Material and methods: Nursing staff at both special facilities and hospital wards and nursing students. Results: It was found that the index, the nursing DCBS, was more stable compared with the version that was used in the initial intervention study. It was also noted that its ability to discriminate between the items was improved. Conclusion: The nursing DCBS index is a suitable tool for use in further studies where the aim is to measure how different nursing staff groups give priority to and allocate responsibility for oral health care, even where study samples are small.     

Work of a day-bed unit 1972-8.

From 1972 to 1978 inclusive 32 311 patients were managed in a 24-bedded day-bed unit in a district general hospital. The principal specialties using this were urology, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynaecology, haematology, orthopaedics, and radiology. Patient selection, a high standard of secretarial work, and good liaison with general practitioners, the community nursing service, and the ambulance service are most important. Day care forms a large, important, and increasing part of the work of the hospital, and without it many of the specialties would be unable to cope with the demand, and their waiting lists would lengthen continuously.     

Regional co-ordinator for haemophilia in domiciliary practice.

The North-east Thames Region has appointed a nursing sister to co-ordinate the organisation of care for haemophiliacs in the region. As a result of the appointment, facilities for home treatment have expanded rapidly. Several associate centres providing care to haemophiliacs have been set up around the region in addition to the four main haemophilia centres, which are all in the south-west corner of the region. As well as providing support and supervision of patients on home treatment, the co-ordinator helps to place haemophiliac children in suitable schools, maintains the regional register of haemophiliacs, and has a more general role in ensuring that services are available where they are needed throughout the region.     

Biosecurity measures in 48 isolation facilities managing highly infectious diseases

Biosecurity measures are traditionally applied to laboratories, but they may also be usefully applied in highly specialized clinical settings, such as the isolation facilities for the management of patients with highly infectious diseases (eg, viral hemorrhagic fevers, SARS, smallpox, potentially severe pandemic flu, and MDR- and XDR-tuberculosis). In 2009 the European Network for Highly Infectious Diseases conducted a survey in 48 isolation facilities in 16 European countries to determine biosecurity measures for access control to the facility. Security personnel are present in 39 facilities (81%). In 35 facilities (73%), entrance to the isolation area is restricted; control methods include electronic keys, a PIN system, closed-circuit TV, and guards at the doors. In 25 facilities (52%), identification and registration of all staff entering and exiting the isolation area are required. Access control is used in most surveyed centers, but specific lacks exist in some facilities. Further data are needed to assess other biosecurity aspects, such as the security measures during the transportation of potentially contaminated materials and measures to address the risk of an "insider attack."     

Psychiatric services in general hospitals: a report of the Northern California Psychiatric Society's committee on the need for psychiatric services in general hospitals

A study made by a special committee appointed for the purpose by the Northern California Psychiatric Society found that a real need exists for local psychiatric services in general hospitals of the Northern California area. Such services can be provided readily-and in some communities are already available. A broad segment of the population looks to the general hospital to provide diagnosis and care and so enable the patient's prompt recovery from psychiatric disorders. The study further emphasizes the importance of such factors as a competent psychiatric chief, adequate staff and personnel and good planning in organizing inpatient and outpatient facilities and integrating treatment so that all the functions of the hospital are available to psychiatric patients. Granted these special considerations, the services can be provided more easily than many physicians, including some psychiatrists and administrators, suppose.     

Ward meetings: a forum for patients' concerns.

A series of meetings between patients and staff were held on two general medical wards to discuss the concerns of patients. Issues ranged from the quality of hospital food, ward facilities, and visiting arrangements to the medical and nursing care provided and patients'' views on medical students. Most issues were raised by the patients themselves and the outcome was either acceptance or rejection of a suggestion, an explanation by the staff, or a general discussion if a specific decision was inappropriate. Most staff and patients considered the meetings to be valuable. Ward meetings thus seem to provide a way of making hospitals more responsive to patients'' concerns.     

Multipurpose Intensive Care Unit in a District General Hospital

The advantages of a four-bedded purpose-built general intensive care unit in a district general hospital are described. In addition to 1,447 inpatients treated between January 1968 and December 1971 the unit was used to conduct outpatient investigations. This has filled an important gap in conventional arrangements, and is practical and economical. The unit has proved to have advantages, not only for seriously ill patients but also has benefited the hospital in other ways. It has been of material assistance in recruiting and training nursing and medical staff and has been welcomed and supported by patients and their relatives. It has also attracted practical support from voluntary organizations whose generosity has enabled much additional equipment to be purchased.     

Integration of mental health into primary care in Kenya

Integration of mental health into primary care is essential in Kenya, where there are only 75 psychiatrists for 38 million population, of whom 21 are in the universities and 28 in private practice. A partnership between the Ministry of Health, the Kenya Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London was funded by Nuffield Foundation to train 3,000 of the 5,000 primary health care staff in the public health system across Kenya, using a sustainable general health system approach. The content of training was closely aligned to the generic tasks of the health workers. The training delivery was integrated into the normal national training delivery system, and accompanied by capacity building courses for district and provincial level staff to encourage the inclusion of mental health in the district and provincial annual operational plans, and to promote the coordination and supervision of mental health services in primary care by district psychiatric nurses and district public health nurses. The project trained 41 trainers, who have so far trained 1671 primary care staff, achieving a mean change in knowledge score of 42% to 77%. Qualitative observations of subsequent clinical practice have demonstrated improvements in assessment, diagnosis, management, record keeping, medicine supply, intersectoral liaison and public education. Around 200 supervisors (psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and district public health nurses) have also been trained. The project experience may be useful for other countries also wishing to conduct similar sustainable training and supervision programmes.     

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES IN GENERAL HOSPITALS—A Report of the Northern California Psychiatric Society's Committee on the Need for Psychiatric Services in General Hospitals

A study made by a special committee appointed for the purpose by the Northern California Psychiatric Society found that a real need exists for local psychiatric services in general hospitals of the Northern California area. Such services can be provided readily—and in some communities are already available. A broad segment of the population looks to the general hospital to provide diagnosis and care and so enable the patient''s prompt recovery from psychiatric disorders. The study further emphasizes the importance of such factors as a competent psychiatric chief, adequate staff and personnel and good planning in organizing inpatient and outpatient facilities and integrating treatment so that all the functions of the hospital are available to psychiatric patients. Granted these special considerations, the services can be provided more easily than many physicians, including some psychiatrists and administrators, suppose.     

探讨分层级管理对医院护理管理的作用和意义

目的:随着生活水平的提升,人们对健康水平也越来越重视,对相关医疗水平的要求随之提升。针对护理工作中存在的问题,采取积极的应对措施是目前临床护理管理工作的重点。本文通过观察分层级管理用于医院护理管理的效果,探讨并分析该方法对医院护理管理的作用和意义。方法:2011年1月-2012年12月期间在我院呼吸科、消化科、骨科等7个主要病区,按照护理人员的技能水平、职业资历等进行分层级管理。根据不同层级的护理要求进行培训并定期考核。观察并比较实施分层级护理管理前后的临床效果,调查并分析患者对分层级护理的反馈情况及护理人员自身对其工作的满意度。结果:实施分层级管理后,护士的基本护理工作落实率、危重护理工作落实率、健康教育落实率、环境管理落实率均显著提高,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);患者和护士自身对护理工作的满意率明显提高,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);意外发生率和护理差错发生率均明显降低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:在医院护理管理工作中开展分层级管理,有助于促进护理工作的顺利进行,提升医院整体护理水平,有助于患者的身体恢复及精神健康,提高患者的满意度。     

Insights into the impact and use of research results in a residential long-term care facility: a case study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Engaging end users of research in the process of disseminating findings may increase the relevance of findings and their impact for users. We report findings from a case study that explored how involvement with the Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) study influenced management and staff at one of 36 TREC facilities. We conducted the study at 'Restwood' (pseudonym) nursing home because the Director of Care engaged actively in the study and TREC data showed that this site differed on some areas from other nursing homes in the province. The aims of the case study were two-fold: to gain a better understanding of how frontline staff engage with the research process, and to gain a better understanding of how to share more detailed research results with management. METHODS: We developed an Expanded Feedback Report for use during this study. In it, we presented survey results that compared Restwood to the best performing site on all variables and participating sites in the province. Data were collected regarding the Expanded Feedback Report through interviews with management. Data from staff were collected through interviews and observation. We used content analysis to derive themes to describe key aspects related to the study aims. RESULTS: We observed the importance of understanding organizational routines and the impact of key events in the facility's environment. We gleaned additional information that validated findings from prior feedback mechanisms within TREC. Another predominant theme was the sense that the opportunity to engage in a research process was reaffirming for staff (particularly healthcare aides)--what they did and said mattered, and TREC provided a means of having one's voice heard. We gained valuable insight from the Director of Care about how to structure and format more detailed findings to assist with interpretation and use of results. CONCLUSIONS: Four themes emerged regarding staff engagement with the research process: sharing feedback reports from the TREC study; the meaning of TREC to staff; understanding organizational context; and using the study feedback for improvement at Restwood. This study has lessons for researchers on how to share research results with study participants, including management.     

The nurse's role in immediate postoperative care.

From the time that a patient leaves the care of the anaesthetist after an operation until he wakes in the ward his physiological state should be continuously and expertly supervised. Postoperative nurses are provided only when the operating theatre has a recovery room. A survey among consultants and nurses in one region showed that many surgical units did not have recovery rooms and that inexperienced ward nurses were often sent to collect patients. The survey showed that most nurses were competent to care for unconscious patients so long as an emergency did not arise. In many hospitals the facilities for the safe nursing of postoperative patients were totally inadequate. The very least that is needed is good communications with the anaesthetist, adequate lighting, and a source of oxygen and suction. Because of the shortage of nurses likely to have to care for postanaesthetic patients early on and to train them accordingly. Nevertheless, recovery nurses, whose sole responsibility is to care for a patient until be has recovered from anaesthesia, should be appointed for all busy surgical units.     

流程管理配合肠内营养对大肠癌手术患者的临床效果

目的:探讨流程管理的护理模式对大肠癌患者术后早期空肠营养的作用,为临床护理提供可借鉴的方法。方法:选择2010年3月-2013年12月在我院接受手术治疗的大肠癌患者93例,随机分为研究组和对照组。其中,研究组51例患者采取流程管理的模式进行空肠营养护理,而对照组42例患者采用基础护理模式。观察并比较两组患者的临床效果及对护理服务的满意度。结果:实施护理干预配合肠内营养支持治疗后,两组患者的营养状况与之前比较均获得明显改善(P0.05);研究组患者的平均住院时间、肠道功能恢复时间、血淀粉酶及尿淀粉酶等各项指标恢复情况均显著优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。对照组患者对护理服务的满意度为85.71%,研究组患者对护理服务的满意度为100.00%,两组比较差异显著具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:流程管理护理配合早期肠内营养能够改善患者术后的营养状况,提高机体免疫功能,而且有利于提高患者对护理服务的满意度,值得推广。     

A Geriatric Dental Resident Training Program

The exponential increase in the size of the U.S. population 75 years and older places new demands on the health care delivery system. Primary among these is the need to train professional manpower in the attitudinal, cognitive, and clinical skills essential to the management and treatment of medically compromised and functionally dependent elderly patients. The university-affiliated skilled nursing facility with a rehabilitation-oriented interdisciplinary staff offers an ideal setting for these educational objectives. The rationale, organization, and experience of a unique geriatric/general practice dental resident training program in such a teaching nursing home is delineated in this presentation.     

Inappropriate use of laboratory services: long term combined approach to modify request patterns.

OBJECTIVE--To see whether changes in request patterns for haematological tests could be influenced in the long term by information released from a haematology department. DESIGN--Analysis of request patterns by hospital divisions before and after intervention and of costs of intervention and savings achieved. SETTING--Haematology laboratory of an inner city district general hospital. INTERVENTIONS--Monthly release of a comparison of clinicians'' workload statistics, issue of on call guidelines, and promulgation of information (by seminars and factsheets) on appropriate use of tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Request patterns before and after intervention. RESULTS--During the year after intervention requests fell by at least a fifth, and the reduction persisted over the next two years. The reduction was most pronounced in relation to inpatients within the division of medicine, for whom requests fell from an average of 4.0 per patient in the six months before intervention to 2.9 per patient in the six months after. CONCLUSIONS--A definite and sustained reduction in inappropriate requests for laboratory investigations may be achieved by an ongoing policy of intervention including issuing guidelines and factsheets and holding seminars, but a positive attitude among senior consultant staff is crucial.     

Online self-administered training for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment providers: design and methods for a randomized, prospective intervention study

Background

Quality improvement (QI) programs focused on mastery of content by individual staff members are the current standard to improve resident outcomes in nursing homes. However, complexity science suggests that learning is a social process that occurs within the context of relationships and interactions among individuals. Thus, QI programs will not result in optimal changes in staff behavior unless the context for social learning is present. Accordingly, we developed CONNECT, an intervention to foster systematic use of management practices, which we propose will enhance effectiveness of a nursing home Falls QI program by strengthening the staff-to-staff interactions necessary for clinical problem-solving about complex problems such as falls. The study aims are to compare the impact of the CONNECT intervention, plus a falls reduction QI intervention (CONNECT + FALLS), to the falls reduction QI intervention alone (FALLS), on fall-related process measures, fall rates, and staff interaction measures.

Methods/design

Sixteen nursing homes will be randomized to one of two study arms, CONNECT + FALLS or FALLS alone. Subjects (staff and residents) are clustered within nursing homes because the intervention addresses social processes and thus must be delivered within the social context, rather than to individuals. Nursing homes randomized to CONNECT + FALLS will receive three months of CONNECT first, followed by three months of FALLS. Nursing homes randomized to FALLS alone receive three months of FALLs QI and are offered CONNECT after data collection is completed. Complexity science measures, which reflect staff perceptions of communication, safety climate, and care quality, will be collected from staff at baseline, three months after, and six months after baseline to evaluate immediate and sustained impacts. FALLS measures including quality indicators (process measures) and fall rates will be collected for the six months prior to baseline and the six months after the end of the intervention. Analysis will use a three-level mixed model.

Discussion

By focusing on improving local interactions, CONNECT is expected to maximize staff's ability to implement content learned in a falls QI program and integrate it into knowledge and action. Our previous pilot work shows that CONNECT is feasible, acceptable and appropriate.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00636675