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Objectives:On May 11, the Dutch Government allowed 26 nursing homes to welcome 1 visitor per resident, after 2 months of lockdown. The study aimed to monitor in-depth the feasibility of the regulations and their impact on the well-being of residents, their visitors, and healthcare staff.Design:Mixed-methods study in 5 of the 26 facilities; the facilities were affiliated to an academic network of nursing homes.Participants:Visitors and healthcare professionals.Intervention:Allowing visitors using local regulations based on national guidelines.Measurements:Digital questionnaire, analyzing documentation such as infection prevention control protocols, attending meetings of COVID-19 crisis teams, in-depth telephone or in-person interviews with visitors and healthcare professionals, and on-site observations.Results:National guidelines were translated with great variety into local care practice. Healthcare professionals agreed that reopening would increase the well-being of the residents and their loved ones. However, there were also great worries for increasing workload, increasing the risk of emotional exhaustion, and the risk of COVID-19 infections. Compliance with local regulations was generally satisfactory, but maintaining social distance and correctly wearing face masks appeared to be difficult. Care staff remained ambivalent for fear of infections. In general, allowing visitors was experienced as having a positive impact on the well-being of all stakeholders. Nevertheless, some residents with dementia showed negative effects.Conclusion:The complete lockdown of Dutch nursing homes had a substantial impact on the well-being of the residents. The reopening was welcomed by all stakeholders, but provided a high organizational workload as well as feelings of ambivalence among care staff. In the second wave, a more tailored approach is being implemented. However, facilities are sometimes still struggling to find the right balance between infection control and well-being.

Background eHealth has the potential to improve outcomes such as physical activity or balance in older adults receiving geriatric rehabilitation. However, several challenges such as scarce evidence on effectiveness, feasibility, and usability hinder the successful implementation of eHealth in geriatric rehabilitation. Objective The aim of this systematic review was to assess evidence on the effectiveness, feasibility, and usability of eHealth interventions in older adults in geriatric rehabilitation. Methods We searched 7 databases for randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized studies, quantitative descriptive studies, qualitative research, and mixed methods studies that applied eHealth interventions during geriatric rehabilitation. Included studies investigated a combination of effectiveness, usability, and feasibility of eHealth in older patients who received geriatric rehabilitation, with a mean age of ≥70 years. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and a narrative synthesis was conducted using a harvest plot. Results In total, 40 studies were selected, with clinical heterogeneity across studies. Of 40 studies, 15 studies (38%) found eHealth was at least as effective as non-eHealth interventions (56% of the 27 studies with a control group), 11 studies (41%) found eHealth interventions were more effective than non-eHealth interventions, and 1 study (4%) reported beneficial outcomes in favor of the non-eHealth interventions. Of 17 studies, 16 (94%) concluded that eHealth was feasible. However, high exclusion rates were reported in 7 studies of 40 (18%). Of 40 studies, 4 (10%) included outcomes related to usability and indicated that there were certain aging-related barriers to cognitive ability, physical ability, or perception, which led to difficulties in using eHealth. Conclusions eHealth can potentially improve rehabilitation outcomes for older patients receiving geriatric rehabilitation. Simple eHealth interventions were more likely to be feasible for older patients receiving geriatric rehabilitation, especially, in combination with another non-eHealth intervention. However, a lack of evidence on usability might hamper the implementation of eHealth. eHealth applications in geriatric rehabilitation show promise, but more research is required, including research with a focus on usability and participation.

Nursing home physicians face heavy workloads, because of the aging population and rising number of older adults with one or more chronic diseases. Skill mix change, in which professionals perform tasks previously reserved for physicians independently or under supervision, could be an answer to this challenge. The aim of this study was to describe how skill mix change in nursing homes is organized from four monodisciplinary perspectives and the interdisciplinary perspective, what influences it, and what its effects are. The study focused particularly on skill mix change through the substitution of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or registered nurses for nursing home physicians. Five focus group interviews were conducted in the Netherlands. Variation in tasks and responsibilities was found. Despite this variation, stakeholders reported increased quality of health care, patient centeredness, and support for care teams. A clear vision on skill mix change, acceptance of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and registered nurses, and a reduction of legal insecurity are needed that might maximize the added value of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and registered nurses.

Background A group of clinician-scientists and managers working within a Dutch academic network, experienced difficulties in clearly defining the knowledge broker role of the clinician-scientists. They found no role clarity in literature, nor did they find tools or methods suitable for clinician-scientists. Clarifying role expectations and providing accountability for funding these knowledge broker positions was difficult. The aim of this research was to design a theory-informed tool that allowed clinician-scientists to make their knowledge broker role visible. Methods A participatory design research was conducted in three phases, over a 21-month period, with a design group consisting of an external independent researcher, clinician-scientists and their managers from within the academic network. Phase 1 constituted a literature review, a context analysis and a needs analysis. Phase 2 constituted the design and development of a suitable tool and phase 3 was an evaluation of the tool’s perceived usefulness. Throughout the research process, the researcher logged the theoretic basis for all design decisions. Results The clinician-scientist’s knowledge broker role is a knowledge-intensive role and work-tasks associated with this role are not automatically visible (phase 1). A tool (the SP-tool) was developed in Microsoft Excel. This allowed clinician-scientists to log their knowledge broker activities as distinct from their clinical work and research related activities (phase 2). The SP-tool contributed to the clinician-scientists’ ability to make their knowledge broker role visible to themselves and their stakeholders (phase 3). The theoretic contribution of the design research is a conceptual model of professionalisation of the clinician-scientist’s knowledge broker role. This model presents the relationship between work visibility and the clarification of functions of the knowledge broker role. In the professionalisation of knowledge-intensive work, visibility contributes to the definition of clinician-scientists broker functions, which is an element necessary for the professionalisation of an occupation. Conclusions The SP-tool that was developed in this research, contributes to creating work visibility of the clinician-scientists’ knowledge broker role. Further research using the SP-tool could establish a clearer description of the knowledge broker role at the day-to-day professional level and improved ability to support this role within organisations.

Background: Twelve clinician-scientists were employed in a Dutch academic network, which is a collaboration between fifteen nursing-homes and an academic medical research institute. The clinician-scientists were tasked with linking research and clinical practice by catalysing both care-informed research and evidence-informed implementation initiatives. The clinician-scientists and their manager experienced difficulties in clearly defining the knowledge broker role of the clinician-scientists, a difficulty also reported in literature. They found no tools and methods suitable for make their knowledge broker role visible. Clarifying role expectations and accountability for funding these knowledge broker positions was difficult. They aimed to design a theory-informed performance appraisal tool that allowed clinician-scientists to explicate and develop their knowledge broker role in collaboration with management.Methods: A participatory design research was conducted over a 21 month period with a design group consisting of an external independent researcher, clinician-scientists and their managers from within the academic network. Results: A tool (the SP-tool) was developed in MS Excel. This allowed clinician-scientists to log their knowledge broker activities as distinct from their clinical work and research related activities. The tool contributed to their ability to make their knowledge broker role visible to themselves and their stakeholders. The theoretic contribution of the design research is a conceptual model of professionalisation of the clinician scientists knowledge broker role. This model presents the relationship between work visibility and the clarification of functions of the clinician-scientist’s knowledge broker role. In the professionalisation of knowledge-intensive work, visibility contributes to the definition of CS broker functions, which is an element necessary for the professionalisation of an occupation.Conclusions: The CSs knowledge broker role is a knowledge-intensive role and work-tasks associated with this role are not automatically visible. The SP-tool contributes to creating work visibility of the clinician-scientists’ knowledge broker role. This in turn could contribute to the professionalisation of this role, which is not well described in literature at the day-to-day professional level.

Background Several efforts have been made to change management of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in nursing homes, however only few were successful. Numerous barriers to change in healthcare were identified, yet only one conceptual model is known to study their interrelationships. Unfortunately, this model does not discuss specific barriers encountered in nursing home practice. The aim of this study is to explore perceived barriers to change in the management of NPS in nursing homes and to construct a conceptual framework providing insight into the relative importance and interrelationships of these barriers when improving quality of care. Methods Four focus groups were conducted in different dementia special care units of one Dutch nursing home. Participants were either nursing staff, treatment staff or relatives of residents. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted according to the five phases defined by Braun & Clarke. Finally, a conceptual framework showing the interrelations of barrier-themes was constructed using text fragments of the focus groups. Results We constructed a conceptual framework consisting of eight themes of barriers explaining the extent to which change in NPS-management can be achieved: ‘organizational barriers’, ‘personal barriers’, ‘deficiency of staff knowledge’, ‘suboptimal communication’, ‘inadequate (multidisciplinary) collaboration’, ‘disorganization of processes’, ‘reactive coping’ and ‘differences in perception’. Addressing ‘organizational barriers’ and ‘deficiency of staff knowledge’ is a precondition for change. ‘Suboptimal communication’ and ‘inadequate (multidisciplinary) collaboration’ play a key role in the extent of change achieved via the themes ‘differences in perception’ and ‘disorganization of processes’. Furthermore, ‘personal barriers’ influence all themes - except ‘organizational barriers’ - and may cause ‘reactive coping’, which in turn may lead to ‘difficulties to structure processes’. Conclusions A conceptual framework was created explaining the relationships between barriers towards achieving change focused on improving management of NPS in nursing homes. After this framework has been confirmed and refined in additional research, it can be used to study the interrelatedness of barriers to change, and to determine the importance of addressing them for achieving change in the provided care.

Background In the last decade, there is an increasing focus on detecting and compiling lists of low-value nursing procedures. However, less is known about effective de-implementation strategies for these procedures. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence of effective strategies to de-implement low-value nursing procedures. Methods PubMed, Embase, Emcare, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched till January 2020. Additionally, reference lists and citations of the included studies were searched. Studies were included that described de-implementation of low-value nursing procedures, i.e., procedures, test, or drug orders by nurses or nurse practitioners. PRISMA guideline was followed, and the ‘Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care’ (EPOC) taxonomy was used to categorize de-implementation strategies. A meta-analysis was performed for the volume of low-value nursing procedures in controlled studies, and Mantel–Haenszel risk ratios (95% CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Results Twenty-seven studies were included in this review. Studies used a (cluster) randomized design (n = 10), controlled before-after design (n = 5), and an uncontrolled before-after design (n = 12). Low-value nursing procedures performed by nurses and/or nurse specialists that were found in this study were restraint use (n = 20), inappropriate antibiotic prescribing (n = 3), indwelling or unnecessary urinary catheters use (n = 2), ordering unnecessary liver function tests (n = 1), and unnecessary antipsychotic prescribing (n = 1). Fourteen studies showed a significant reduction in low-value nursing procedures. Thirteen of these 14 studies included an educational component within their de-implementation strategy. Twelve controlled studies were included in the meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses for study design showed no statistically significant subgroup effect for the volume of low-value nursing procedures (p = 0.20). Conclusions The majority of the studies with a positive significant effect used a de-implementation strategy with an educational component. Unfortunately, no conclusions can be drawn about which strategy is most effective for reducing low-value nursing care due to a high level of heterogeneity and a lack of studies. We recommend that future studies better report the effects of de-implementation strategies and perform a process evaluation to determine to which extent the strategy has been used. Trial registration The review is registered in Prospero (CRD42018105100).

Introduction:Little is known about the raising number of specialized units for patients with dementia and very severe challenging behavior in the Netherlands. This study describes organizational and treatment characteristics of a sample of these units.Methods:The organizational and treatment characteristics were studied with digital questionnaires completed by the unit managers, interviews with the main physician(s) and observation of the physical environment. The questionnaire consisted of questions about general patient characteristics, unit characteristics and staff characteristics. Furthermore, an interview was held with the main/treating physician often together with another physician or psychologist. The interview guide consisted of questions about admission criteria, the role of staff involved and the treatment process.Results:Thirteen units participated. Five units were part of a mental health (MH) institution, seven units were part of a nursing home (NH) organization and one unit was a cooperation of MH and NH. Unit sizes ranged from 10 to 28 places. Ten of thirteen units started in 2010 or later. The age of patients admitted was estimated at 75 years. The percentage of involuntary admitted patients was 53% at MH-units and 18% at NH-units. Unit managers mentioned that due to a difference in reimbursement between MH and NH units had difficulty providing the specialized care. Another problem managers faced was recruiting nursing staff. Units strived for expertise in general staffing from both MH and NH. The education level of the nursing staff was comparable between MH and NH. At every unit a physician with background in elderly care medicine or geriatrics and a psychiatrist was involved. Interviewees stressed the role of the nursing staff in the treatment. They were key in providing the care and treatment that, since the main goal of interventions is treatment of and coping with challenging behavior.Conclusion:The main finding of this study is that units caring for patients with dementia and challenging behavior, despite barriers in regulations and staffing shortage, search for combining expertise from nursing home care and psychiatry in their treatment.

Item does not contain fulltext AIMS: To evaluate the effects of substituting nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses for physicians in long-term care facilities and primary healthcare for the ageing population (primary aim) and to describe what influences the implementation (secondary aim). BACKGROUND: Healthcare for the ageing population is undergoing major changes and physicians face heavy workloads. A solution to guarantee quality and contain costs might be to substitute nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses for physicians. DESIGN: A systematic literature review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Web of Science; searched January 1995-August 2015. REVIEW METHODS: Study selection, data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted independently by two reviewers. Outcomes collected: patient outcomes, care provider outcomes, process of care outcomes, resource use outcomes, costs and descriptions of the implementation. Data synthesis consisted of a narrative summary. RESULTS: Two studies used a randomized design and eight studies used other comparative designs. The evidence of the two randomized controlled trials showed no effect on approximately half of the outcomes and a positive effect on the other half of the outcomes. Results of eight other comparative study designs point towards the same direction. The implementation was influenced by factors on a social, organizational and individual level. CONCLUSION: Physician substitution in healthcare for the ageing population may achieve at least as good patient outcomes and process of care outcomes compared with care provided by physicians. Evidence about resource use and costs is too limited to draw conclusions.

Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the role of evidence-based practice (EBP) to increase the quality and safety of care. However, EBP implementation research has predominantly taken place in hospitals and hardly in nursing homes or home care. In these care settings, patients are attended by nursing assistants and registered vocationally trained nurses. A good EBP starting point is to assess their current attitude toward and use of EBP. However, current questionnaires are not valid for assistants and nurses with vocational education. AIMS: To adapt the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) and the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ) to a Dutch questionnaire for nursing assistants and registered vocationally trained nurses European Qualification Framework level 3-4 employed in home care or nursing homes. METHODS: Translation, adaptation through cross-cultural validation, pretesting, exploratory factor analysis, and evaluation of psychometric properties among a group of nursing assistants and registered vocationally trained nurses. RESULTS: Cross-cultural validation led to modified items of EBPQ and EBPAS. The sample comprised 273 nurses. Analysis of both instruments showed a robust factor structure. EBPAS-ve: internal consistency: alpha = 0.76; intra-rater reliability: ICC = 0.52. EBPQ-ve: alpha = 0.75; ICC = 0.60. Convergent validity (correlation EBPAS-ve and EBPQ-ve's subscale Attitude): r = .300 (p < .01). Construct validity: significantly higher scores (p < .01) in the group with higher education. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Psychometric qualities of both instruments were satisfactory, although we recommend refinement of EBPAS-ve's subscale Divergence and extra instructions for the EBPQ's subscale Attitude. To our knowledge, this is the first adaptation of an EBP measurement instrument for nursing assistants and registered vocationally trained nurses. The questionnaires appeared to be feasible and showed multiple valid and reliable properties, including a satisfactory intra-rater reliability. Both questionnaires may facilitate the implementation of EBP as they contribute to a richer understanding of the attitude toward and use of EBP in nursing homes and home care.

Background More and more older adults desire to and are enabled to grow old in their own home, regardless of their physical and mental capabilities. This change, together with the growing number of older adults, increases the demand for general practitioners (GPs). However, care for older people lacks prestige among medical students and few medical students are interested in a career in care for older people. Innovative solutions are needed to reduce the demand for GPs, to guarantee quality of healthcare and to contain costs. A solution might be found in skill mix change by introducing nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) or registered nurses (RNs). The aim of this study was to describe how skill mix change is organised in daily practice, what influences it and what the effects are of introducing NPs, PAs or RNs into primary healthcare for older people. Methods In total, 34 care providers working in primary healthcare in the Netherlands were interviewed: GPs (n = 9), NPs (n = 10), PAs (n = 5) and RNs (n = 10). Five focus groups and 14 individual interviews were conducted. Analysis consisted of open coding, creating categories and abstraction. Results In most cases, healthcare for older people was only a small part of the tasks of NPs, PAs and RNs; they did not solely focus on older people. The tasks they performed and their responsibilities in healthcare for older people differed between, as well as within, professions. Although the interviewees debated the usefulness of proactive structural screening on frailty in the older population, when implemented, it was also unclear who should perform the geriatric assessment. Interviewees considered NPs, PAs and RNs an added value, and it was stated that the role of the GP changed with the introduction of NPs, PAs or RNs. Conclusions The roles and responsibilities of NPs, PAs and RNs for the care of older people living at home are still not established. Nonetheless, these examples show the potential of these professionals. The establishment of a clear vision on primary healthcare for older people, including the organisation of proactive healthcare, is necessary to optimise the impact of skill mix change. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-018-0746-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Contains fulltext : 136104.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate implementation of an innovative intervention designed to prevent complications and stimulate early rehabilitation among frail elderly inpatients. METHODS: The program was implemented in April 2011. A mixed-methods process evaluation and before-after study were performed. Primary effect outcomes included incidence of hospital-acquired delirium, cognitive decline, and decline in activities of daily living (ADL) during hospital stay. Secondary endpoints included ADL performance 3 months postdischarge, readmission, and caregiver burden. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-one preintervention and 195 postintervention patients aged 70 years or older were included. Overall, no significant differences in primary endpoints were found. Mean ADL between discharge and follow-up improved (3.2 vs 5.7, P = .058). Caregivers rated burden of care lower at 3 months postdischarge (.5 vs -.6, P = .049). CONCLUSIONS: The CareWell in Hospital program was implemented satisfactorily. Although the low baseline delirium incidence (11%), higher comorbidity, and an increasing learning curve during a restricted implementation period potentially influenced the overall effects, this integrated care program may have beneficial effects on outcomes among frail elderly surgical patients.

Given our aging society with an increasing number of frail elderly patients, we must provide integrated care tailored to their complex needs regarding health and well-being. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to assess how frail hospitalized elderly patients experience several important aspects of individualized and integrated care. An 8-item questionnaire was developed using input from a panel representing the target group and administered to patients age ≥70 years from surgical, medical, and geriatric departments to measure data characteristics, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness. A total of 470 questionnaires were returned, including 78 for test-retest reliability. Data were missing from 1.7% to 7.0% within the individual questions. The percentage of questions answered with "don't know" ranged 3.8% to 21.9%. Cronbach's α for internal consistency was 0.70. Test-retest intraclass correlation was 0.75. Achievement of goals during the hospital stay was significantly correlated with the questionnaire score. Scores did not differ significantly between departments or between the before and after measurements related to an innovative intervention study in healthcare delivery. The CareWell in Hospital questionnaire has good content validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability and warrants further research to explore responsiveness.

In cases of cognitive decline not due to delirium, the daily observation of cognitive function by nurses has not been standardised in hospital wards specialised in the care of older people. A qualitative study with purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. Methods. Data were obtained by interviewing 10 Dutch nursing experts in the field of cognitive function in older patients. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed by two independent researchers. All the respondents stated that daily observation of cognitive function yields valuable information. The concept of cognitive function was operationalised differently by institute and by nurse. Observation and reporting methods varied, as did the goals set by the nurses. Nurses reported using many days of observation to reach final judgements. Observations of cognitive functioning should include several cognitive domains, be restricted to a few days of observation and aim to both contribute to medical diagnoses and guide nursing interventions.

Contains fulltext : 52120.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Patients with leg ulceration often have long lasting and recurrent wounds. The treatment exists mainly of wound-care and compression therapy. International literature shows several indications of problems in relation to leg ulceration, but no studies were performed to give a comprehensive overview of all problems identified and care received related to these problems. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to describe leg ulcer-related problems in patients with leg ulcers based on venous insufficiency or a mixed aetiology. Furthermore, an inventory of current care and care deficits in the care for leg ulcer patients was made. METHODS: The study had a descriptive, cross-sectional design. A sample of 141 patients was taken from the population of outpatient clinics of seven hospitals in the Netherlands. Data were collected through patient interviews, questionnaires and wound-observations. Medical information was provided by the dermatologist or derived from the patients' medical file. RESULTS: The study identified a number of serious problems. Main problems were pain (85%), outdoor mobility (47%) and problems in finding appropriate footwear (60%). Statistical analysis showed no differences between patients with ulcers based on a venous aetiology and ulcers based on mixed aetiology. Fifty to seventy percent of the patients did not receive any care in relation to these problems. Only a rather small proportion of the patients, however, regarded the help as insufficient. CONCLUSION: Care at outpatient clinics is mainly focused on wound care and compression therapy. Pain treatment and care related to problems encountered by patients appears to be insufficient. This is not only affecting the patient's quality of life, but is likely to affect also the healing process and prevention of leg ulcers. Nurses and dermatologist should take their responsibilities in this matter.

AIM: This protocol describes a systematic review that evaluates the effects of physician substitution by mid-level providers (nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses) in primary healthcare for older people and long-term care facilities. The secondary aim is to describe facilitators and barriers to the implementation of physician substitution in these settings. BACKGROUND: Healthcare for older people is undergoing major changes, due to population ageing and reforms that shift care to the community. Besides, relatively few medical students are pursuing careers in healthcare for older people. Innovative solutions are needed to guarantee the quality of healthcare and to contain costs. A solution might be shifting care from physicians to mid-level providers. To date, no systematic review on this topic exits to guide policymaking. DESIGN: A quantitative systematic literature review using Cochrane methods. METHODS: The following databases will be searched for original research studies that quantitatively compare care provided by a physician to the same care provided by a mid-level provider: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL and Web of Science. Study selection, data extraction and quality appraisal will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Data synthesis will consist of a qualitative analysis of the data. Funding of the review was confirmed in August 2013 by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands. DISCUSSION: This review will contribute to the knowledge on effects of physician substitution in healthcare for older people and factors that influence the outcomes. This knowledge will guide professionals and policy administrators in their decisions to optimize healthcare for older people.

Item does not contain fulltext OBJECTIVES: To develop a questionnaire, the Geriatric In-hospital Nursing Care Questionnaire (GerINCQ), to measure, in an integrated way, the care that older adults receive in the hospital and nurses' attitudes toward and perceptions about caring for older adults. DESIGN: Questionnaire development. SETTING: Twelve university and teaching hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen experienced geriatric nurses and three geriatricians from 12 hospitals evaluated an initial version of the questionnaire. Two hundred seventy-one nurses, primarily registered nurses from 11 geriatric, medical, and surgical departments in six hospitals, validated the final questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS: Items from two published instruments were extracted for use in the questionnaire. Content validity was confirmed using the Delphi technique with an expert panel. Internal consistency was measured by calculating Cronbach alpha; intrarater reliability was measured using test-retest correlations and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs); differences between hospital departments were analyzed using analysis of variance. Sensitivity to detect before-and-after changes with implementation of a geriatric care program was determined using the Student t-test. RESULTS: Consensus was reached after three Delphi rounds. The GerINCQ is a self-administered questionnaire to be filled out by hospital nurses that comprises five subscales with 67 items. It has good content validity (each item content validity index >0.9) and good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.86). Intrarater reliability revealed high test-retest results (ICC = 0.87). The questionnaire detected significant differences between nurses in three types of hospital departments (medical, surgical, and geriatric (P < .01). The GerINCQ was sensitive to changes after an educational program (P < .02) and had a large effect size (0.5). CONCLUSION: The GerINCQ is a reliable and valid tool and is sensitive to change over time. It is clinically relevant because it provides a quantitative measure of hospital nurses' geriatric practices, attitudes, and perceptions. Moreover, the GerINCQ is suitable for monitoring progress after implementation of geriatric improvement programs.

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Contains fulltext : 47601.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a therapy that changes life radically and often means lifelong dependence on parenteral feeding. The aim of this study was to gain insight into problems experienced by adult patients who were dependent on long-term HPN. METHODS: A survey was performed on all patients at the ambulatory care clinics of two university centres. We used two techniques: written questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires addressed fatigue (CIS), quality of sleep, anxiety, depression (BDI), social impairment (subscale SIP68), and sexual functioning. Data were analysed descriptively. Structured interviews inquired about the negative influence of HPN dependence on daily life. These data were quantified by content analysis. RESULTS: The response rate was 76% (n = 48). Questionnaire results: all the respondents had multiple physical symptoms, which they attributed to the underlying disease. Furthermore, severe fatigue (63%), sleeping disorders, (severe) depression (65%), social impairment (55%), and sexual disorders (33%) were present. Quality of life (QoL) correlated with fatigue, sleeping disorders, anxiety, depression, and social impairment (P

Contains fulltext : 174303.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) INTRODUCTION: In developed countries, substituting physicians with nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurses (physician substitution) occurs in nursing homes as an answer to the challenges related to the ageing population and the shortage of staff, as well as to guarantee the quality of nursing home care. However, there is great diversity in how physician substitution in nursing homes is modelled and it is unknown how it can best contribute to the quality of healthcare. This study aims to gain insight into how physician substitution is modelled and whether it contributes to perceived quality of healthcare. Second, this study aims to provide insight into the elements of physician substitution that contribute to quality of healthcare. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study will use a multiple-case study design that draws upon realist evaluation principles. The realist evaluation is based on four concepts for explaining and understanding interventions: context, mechanism, outcome and context-mechanism-outcome configuration. The following steps will be taken: (1) developing a theory, (2) conducting seven case studies, (3) analysing outcome patterns after each case and a cross-case analysis at the end and (4) revising the initial theory. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The research ethics committee of the region Arnhem Nijmegen in the Netherlands concluded that this study does not fall within the scope of the Dutch Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (WMO) (registration number 2015/1914). Before the start of the study, the Board of Directors of the nursing home organisations will be informed verbally and by letter and will also be asked for informed consent. In addition, all participants will be informed verbally and by letter and will be asked for informed consent. Findings will be disseminated by publication in a peer-reviewed journal, international and national conferences, national professional associations and policy partners in national government.

Contains fulltext : 79916.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Daily observation by nurses of the cognitive function of patients is of high ecological validity because cognitive functioning is observed in a natural setting around the clock. AIM: To evaluate why and how geriatric nurses observe the cognitive functioning of their patients. DESIGN: Survey. METHODS: A self-developed questionnaire was administered to a purposeful sample of nurses working on geriatric wards of seven acute care hospitals. The questions were open-ended. Data were analysed through content analysis. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 97 nurses (response rate 77%). Categorisation of the many objectives reported by the nurses revealed four themes: to tailor nursing interventions (51%), to determine discharge arrangements (46%), to support medical diagnosis and therapy (43%) and to map specific elements of functional capacity (34%). Nurses reported also many different domains to observe (mode 2; range 0-7), only 73% of which were actual cognitive domains. The most commonly mentioned cognitive domain was psychomotor behaviour (63%), followed by executive functions (48%), language (37%), attention (33%), thinking (25%) and consciousness (20%). CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric nurses not only made daily observations of their patients' cognitive functioning to support medical diagnoses, but also to guide nursing interventions and determine discharge arrangements. The assessment domains varied fairly widely, because the participants' understanding of the concept cognitive functioning was vague, incomplete and often incorrect. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This is the first study that investigated why geriatric nurses make daily observations of their patients' cognitive functioning. In addition, we explored their understanding of the concept of cognitive functioning. Based on the fact that the content of an assessment is determined by its aim, the objectives to perform daily observations have to be clear and stated explicitly. To observe patients in an unambiguous way, it will be necessarily to develop a validated observation scale.

Contains fulltext : 50398.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is offered to patients who are unable to absorb sufficient nourishment from normal oral food intake or tube feeding. Major causes include severe motility disorders and limited resorption surface in the small intestine. HPN is a lifesaving therapy but has severe consequences on daily life. The aim of this study was to make an inventory of the problems experienced by patients receiving HPN. METHODS: Open interviews were held with 48 patients from the 2 major centers for HPN in the Netherlands, centered around the question: Which 3 HPN problems have the most severe impact on your daily life? Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The respondents mentioned 7 central problems: negative emotions, physical problems, social limitations, dependence on others, incapability, complications, and patient-care provider problems. In addition, practical problems were mentioned: sleeping problems, financial problems, and the "hospital atmosphere" at home. The latter issues formed less of a problem for the patients. CONCLUSION: The main underlying elements in the lives of many HPN patients appeared to be loss, longing, and grief. In contrast, a smaller proportion of the patients expressed that they had clearly adapted to life with HPN. By means of the HPN, they were still alive and enjoying all the things they could still do.

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Contains fulltext : 57599.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Current nursing care for leg ulcer patients often focuses on wound care and providing compression therapy. Nurses perceive leg ulcer patients as 'under-served' with regard to problems patients experience in daily life. An overview of patient problems is a first and essential step in the development of comprehensive nursing care. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To gather information about the impact of leg ulcers on patient's daily life as described in quantitative and qualitative studies. DESIGN: Systematic literature review. METHODS: Medline and Cinahl databases were searched for venous leg ulcer studies, up to 2002; this was followed by the 'snowball method'. Studies were selected in accordance with preset criteria. RESULTS: A total of 37 studies was included. All studies report that leg ulcers pose a threat to physical functioning. Furthermore, a negative impact on psychological functioning is reported and, to a lesser degree, on social functioning. Major limitations are pain and immobility, followed by sleep disturbance, lack of energy, limitations in work and leisure activities, worries and frustrations and a lack of self-esteem. Patients have a significantly poorer quality of life compared with healthy people. Finally, patients report problems with regard to follow-up treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Having a leg ulcer has a major impact on a patient's life. There are indications of under-treatment of pain. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Keeping in mind that leg ulceration is notorious for its chronic character, the negative impact on patient's life implies that many patients suffer over longer periods of time. This emphasizes the need to focus on quality of life aspects in patient care. There is much to gain, especially concerning pain and mobility. The development of comprehensive care programmes is essential.

Using ICIDH-2 in the classification of nursing diagnoses: results from two pilot studies Background. As an International Classification of Functioning and Disability, the ICIDH-2 is potentially relevant to the work of all health care professionals. Nurses, however, had little involvement in the development of this classification and have no tradition of using it. Aim. Two pilot studies were designed to explore the fit between ICIDH-2 and the nursing domain. Methods. In the first study, experts (n=2) and nurses (n=9) were asked to identify and classify patient problems that they observed on a video taped case. In the second study, problem statements from nursing diagnoses (n=199) that had been retrieved from patient files were classified using ICIDH-2. Each problem statement was classified by a panel of three individuals. Results and conclusion. Results from the two studies suggest that the ICIDH-2 is certainly relevant to the nursing discipline and allows a large majority of nursing diagnoses to be classified. It is recommended that nurses take an active role in the ongoing development of the ICIDH in order to further improve its usefulness to the nursing profession. Limitations. The studies were small-scale pilots performed in a single medical centre. Preliminary insight resulted from these pilots, but more research is needed.