Search

Background: Diagnosis requires that clinicians communicate and share patient information in an efficient manner. Advances in electronic health records (EHRs) and health information technologies have created both challenges and opportunities for such communication. Methods: We conducted a multi-method, focused ethnographic study of physicians on general medicine inpatient units in two teaching hospitals. Physician teams were observed during and after morning rounds to understand workflow, data sharing and communication during diagnosis. To validate findings, interviews and focus groups were conducted with physicians. Field notes and interview/focus group transcripts were reviewed and themes identified using content analysis. Results: Existing communication technologies and EHR-based data sharing processes were perceived as barriers to diagnosis. In particular, reliance on paging systems and lack of face-to-face communication among clinicians created obstacles to sustained thinking and discussion of diagnostic decision-making. Further, the EHR created data overload and data fragmentation, making integration for diagnosis difficult. To improve diagnosis, physicians recommended replacing pagers with two-way communication devices, restructuring the EHR to facilitate access to key information and improving training on EHR systems. Conclusions: As advances in health information technology evolve, challenges in the way clinicians share information during the diagnostic process will rise. To improve diagnosis, changes to both the technology and the way in which we use it may be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Identifying characteristics associated with struggling healthcare organisations may help inform improvement. Thus, we systematically reviewed the literature to: (1) Identify organisational factors associated with struggling healthcare organisations and (2) Summarise these factors into actionable domains. Methods Systematic review of qualitative studies that evaluated organisational characteristics of healthcare organisations that were struggling as defined by below-average patient outcomes (eg, mortality) or quality of care metrics (eg, Patient Safety Indicators). Searches were conducted in MEDLINE (via Ovid), EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Web of Science from database inception through February 8 2018. Qualitative data were analysed using framework-based synthesis and summarised into key domains. Study quality was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool. Results Thirty studies (33 articles) from multiple countries and settings (eg, acute care, outpatient) with a diverse range of interviewees (eg, nurses, leadership, staff) were included in the final analysis. Five domains characterised struggling healthcare organisations: poor organisational culture (limited ownership, not collaborative, hierarchical, with disconnected leadership), inadequate infrastructure (limited quality improvement, staffing, information technology or resources), lack of a cohesive mission (mission conflicts with other missions, is externally motivated, poorly defined or promotes mediocrity), system shocks (ie, events such as leadership turnover, new electronic health record system or organisational scandals that detract from daily operations), and dysfunctional external relations with other hospitals, stakeholders, or governing bodies. Conclusions Struggling healthcare organisations share characteristics that may affect their ability to provide optimal care. Understanding and identifying these characteristics may provide a first step to helping low performers address organisational challenges to improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact of a quality improvement project to reduce the rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury: a multicentre study with a stepped-wedge design: OASI care bundle I Sir i , We welcome Gurol-Urganci and Bidwell et al.'s evaluation of the impact of the care bundle to reduce obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) published in your August edition last year.1 The article reports much needed evidence on the efficacy of an intervention that has already taken hold in many maternity services across the country. Despite the timely nature of the article, we would like to voice our disappointment in the quality of the evidence of support for the care bundle that Gurol-Urganci and Bidwell et al.1 provide, and the recommendations made. [Extracted from the article]

OBJECTIVES : Many American police organizations respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study sought to: 1) explore variation in the role of police in OHCA across emergency medical systems and 2) identify factors influencing this variation. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative multisite case study analysis using data collected through semi-structured key informant interviews and multidisciplinary focus groups with telecommunicators, fire, police, emergency medical services, and hospital personnel across nine Michigan emergency systems of care. Sites were sampled based on return of spontaneous circulation rates, trauma region, geography, rurality, and population density. Data were analyzed to examine police role in OHCA and the organizational factors that contribute to these roles. Transcripts and coded data were explored using iterative thematic analysis and matrices. RESULTS : Interviews included approximately 160 public safety informants of varying administrative levels (i.e., field staff, mid-level managers, and leadership). Across systems, police played four on-scene roles in OHCA response: 1) early responder, 2) resuscitation team member, 3) security, and 4) information gathering. Less consistently, police performed supplementary roles as telecommunicators and cardiac arrest educators. We found that factors including administrative structure of the police agency, resources (e.g., human and material), organizational culture, medical training, deployment and response policies, nature of response environment, and relationships with other prehospital stakeholders contributed to the degree certain roles were present. CONCLUSIONS : Police serve numerous on-scene and supplementary roles in OHCA response across jurisdictions. Their roles were influenced by multiple factors at each site. Future studies may help to better understand the value of and how to optimize police engagement in OHCA response.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common, life-threatening event that is a leading cause of death in the United States. However, it is unclear how to design strategies that can be successfully implemented in emergency medical services (EMS) agencies and broader emergency response systems (such as fire, police, dispatch, and bystanders to OHCA events) in different communities to help improve daily care processes and outcomes in OHCA. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study lays the foundation for future quality improvement efforts in OHCA by identifying, understanding, and validating the best practices adopted within emergency response systems to address these life-threatening events and by addressing potential barriers to implementation of these practices. RAND researchers developed recommendations covering all levels of the prehospital OHCA incident response and the principles of change management necessary to implement those recommendations., (Copyright © 2023 RAND Corporation.)

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common, life-threatening event encountered routinely by first responders, including police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS). Current literature suggests that there is significant regional variation in outcomes, some of which may be related to modifiable factors. Yet, there is a persistent knowledge gap regarding strategies to guide quality improvement efforts in OHCA care and, by extension, survival. The Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study aims to fill these gaps and to improve outcomes., Methods and Analysis: This mixed-methods study includes three aims. In aim I, we will define variation in OHCA survival to the emergency department (ED) among EMS agencies that participate in the Michigan Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) in order to sample EMS agencies with high-survival and low-survival outcomes. In aim II, we will conduct site visits to emergency medical systems-including 911/dispatch, police, non-transport fire, and EMS agencies-in approximately eight high-survival and low-survival communities identified in aim I. At each site, key informant interviews and a multidisciplinary focus group will identify themes associated with high OHCA survival. Transcripts will be coded using a structured codebook and analysed through thematic analysis. Results from aims I and II will inform the development of a survey instrument in aim III that will be administered to all EMS agencies in Michigan. This survey will test the generalisability of factors associated with increased OHCA survival in the qualitative work to ultimately build an EPOC Toolkit which will be distributed to a broad range of stakeholders as a practical 'how-to' guide to improve outcomes., Ethics and Dissemination: The EPOC study was deemed exempt by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board. Findings will be compiled in an 'EPOC Toolkit' and disseminated in the USA through partnerships including, but not limited to, policymakers, EMS leadership and health departments., Competing Interests: Competing interests: During the study period, MA received funding from the American Heart Association for the Michigan-Resuscitation Innovation and Science Enterprise, a collaboration focused on improvement of neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Indwelling urinary and vascular catheters are valuable devices in patient care, but prolonged or unnecessary use increases the risk of infectious and noninfectious catheter harms., Methods: To understand persistent barriers to detecting and removing unnecessary catheters, researchers conducted a multimethod qualitative study that included observations and in-person interviews with clinicians working on a progressive care unit of a large hospital. Observations consisted of shadowing nurses during shift change and while admitting patients, and observing physicians during morning rounds. Observational data were gathered using unstructured field notes. Interviews were conducted using a semistructured guide, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify main themes., Results: Barriers to timely removal identified during 19 interviews with clinicians and 133 hours of field observations included physicians not routinely reviewing catheter necessity during rounds, catheters going unnoticed or hidden under clothing, common use of "Do Not Remove" orders, and little or no discussion of catheters among clinicians. Five overall themes emerged: (1) Catheter data are hard to find, not accurate, or not available; (2) Catheter removal is not a priority; (3) Confusion exists about who has authority to remove catheters; (4) There is a lack of agreement on, and awareness of, standard protocols and indications for removal; and (5) Communication barriers among clinicians create challenges., Conclusion: To address barriers and facilitate detection and timely removal, clinicians need ready access to accurate catheter data, more clearly delineated clinician roles for prompting removal, effective tools to facilitate discussions about catheter use, and standardized catheter removal protocols., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A democratic deliberation panel of veterans providing insight into veteran perspectives on resource allocation and the Veterans Choice Act showed the importance and feasibility of engaging veterans in the policy-making process., Competing Interests: Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article., (Copyright © 2020 Frontline Medical Communications Inc., Parsippany, NJ, USA.)

Context: Palliative care services (PCS) are underutilized and frequently delayed among surgical patients. Surgical residents often serve at the forefront for patient issues, including conducting conversations regarding prognosis and goals of care., Objectives: This qualitative study identifies critical barriers to palliative care referral among seriously ill surgical patients from the perspective of surgical residents., Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with surgical residents (n = 18) across the state of Michigan, which focused on experiences with seriously ill surgical patients and PCS. Inductive thematic analysis was used to establish themes based on the research objectives and data collected., Results: Four dominant themes of resident-perceived barriers to palliative care referral were identified: 1) challenges with prognostication, 2) communication barriers, 3) respect for the surgical hierarchy, and 4) surgeon mentality. Residents consistently expressed challenges in predicting patient outcomes, and verbalizing this to both attendings and families augmented this uncertainty in seeking PCS. Communicative challenges included managing discordant provider opinions and the stigma associated with PCS. Finally, residents perceived that an attending surgeon's decisive authority and mentality negatively influenced the delivery of PCS., Conclusions: Among resident trainees, unpredictable patient outcomes led to uncertainty in the timing and appropriateness of palliative care referral and further complicated communicating plans of care. Residents perceived and relied on the attending surgeon as the ultimate decision maker, wherein the surgeon's sense of responsibility to the patient was identified as a significant barrier to PCS referral. Further studies are needed to test surgeon-specific interventions to improve access to and delivery of PCS., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: An important goal of the patient-centered medical home is increasing timely access for urgent needs, while maintaining continuity. In academic primary care clinics, meeting this goal, along with training medical residents and associated professionals, is challenging., Methods: The aim of this study was to understand how academic primary care clinics provide continuity to patients requesting same-day access and identify factors that may affect site-level success. We conducted qualitative interviews from December 2013-October 2014 with primary care leadership involved with residency programs at 19 Veterans Health Administration academically-affiliated medical centers. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim. To analyze the data, we created comprehensive, structured transcript summaries for each site. Site summaries were then entered into NVivo 10 software and coded by main categories to facilitate within-case and cross-case analyses. Themes and patterns across sites were identified using matrix analysis., Results: Interviewees found it challenging to provide continuity for same-day in-person visits. Most sites took a team-based approach to ensure continuity and provide coverage for same-day access, notably using NPs, PAs, and RNs in their coverage algorithms. Further, they reported several adaptations that increased multiple types of continuity for walk-in patients, urgent care between in-person visits, and follow-up care. While this study focused on longitudinal continuity, both by individual PCPs or by a team of professionals, informational continuity and continuity of supervision, as well as, to a lesser extent, relational and management continuity, were also addressed in our interviews. Finally, most interviewees reported clinic intention to provide patient-centered, team-based care and a robust educational experience for trainees, and endeavored to structure their clinics in ways that align these two missions., Conclusions: In contending with the tension between providing continuity and educating new clinicians, clinics have re-conceptualized continuity as team-based, creating alternative strategies to same-day visits with a usual provider, coupled with communication strategies. Understanding the effect of these strategies on different types of continuity as well as patient experience and outcomes are key next steps in the further development and dissemination of effective models for improving continuity and the transition to team-based care in the academic clinic setting.

Objective: The Prevention of Hospital Infections by Intervention and Training (PROHIBIT) project included a cluster-randomised, stepped wedge, controlled study to evaluate multiple strategies to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infection. We report an in-depth investigation of the main barriers, facilitators and contextual factors relevant to successfully implementing these strategies in European acute care hospitals., Methods: Qualitative comparative case study in 6 of the 14 European PROHIBIT hospitals. Data were collected through interviews with key stakeholders and ethnographic observations conducted during 2-day site visits, before and 1 year into the PROHIBIT intervention. Qualitative measures of implementation success included intervention fidelity, adaptation to local context and satisfaction with the intervention programme., Results: Three meta-themes emerged related to implementation success: 'implementation agendas', 'resources' and 'boundary-spanning'. Hospitals established unique implementation agendas that, while not always aligned with the project goals, shaped subsequent actions. Successful implementation required having sufficient human and material resources and dedicated change agents who helped make the intervention an institutional priority. The salary provided for a dedicated study nurse was a key facilitator. Personal commitment of influential individuals and boundary spanners helped overcome resource restrictions and intrainstitutional segregation., Conclusion: This qualitative study revealed patterns across cases that were associated with successful implementation. Consideration of the intervention-context relation was indispensable to understanding the observed outcomes., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Improving access can increase the providers a patient sees, and cause coordination challenges. For initiatives that increase care across health care settings, measuring patient experiences with access and care coordination will be crucial., Objectives: Map existing survey measures of patient experiences with access and care coordination expected to be relevant to patients accessing care across settings. Preliminarily examine whether aspects of access and care coordination important to patients are represented by existing measures., Research Design: Structured literature review of domains and existing survey measures related to access and care coordination across settings. Survey measures, and preliminary themes from semistructured interviews of 10 patients offered VA-purchased Community Care, were mapped to identified domains., Results: We identified 31 existing survey instruments with 279 items representing 6 access and 5 care coordination domains relevant to cross-system care. Domains frequently assessed by existing measures included follow-up coordination, primary care access, cross-setting coordination, and continuity. Preliminary issues identified in interviews, but not commonly assessed by existing measures included: (1) acceptability of distance to care site given patient's clinical situation; (2) burden on patients to access and coordinate care and billing; (3) provider familiarity with Veteran culture and VA processes., Conclusions: Existing survey instruments assess many aspects of patient experiences with access and care coordination in cross-system care. Systems assessing cross-system care should consider whether patient surveys accurately reflect the level of patients' concerns with burden to access and coordinate care, and adequately reflect the impact of clinical severity and cultural familiarity on patient preferences.

Introduction: Smoking in pregnancy in the United Kingdom remains prevalent (11%). To encourage and support pregnant smokers to quit, midwives must be adequately trained to do so. Substantial curricular gaps have been identified in the smoking cessation training of medical, nursing, and optometry schools. This study aimed to identify the extent of smoking cessation training and assessment in UK midwifery schools., Methods: All UK undergraduate midwifery schools (n = 53) were invited to complete a web-based survey of their curricular coverage and assessment related to smoking cessation, and perceived barriers to delivering smoking cessation training., Results: Twenty-nine (55%) midwifery schools responded. Most teaching was completed in the initial year of study. All reported teaching the harmful effects of tobacco use. The majority of respondents (83%) reported training students in brief intervention delivery and ways to assist quit attempts. Only 24% of schools in this study included relapse prevention in their curriculum. The most frequently reported barriers to teaching smoking cessation were "lack of knowledge amongst staff" (17%), "no space in a crowded curriculum" (17%), and "administrative problems" (13%)., Conclusions: Midwifery schools are teaching the harmful effects of smoking and providing training on brief interventions. However, in some schools student midwives are not being sufficiently trained on relapse prevention or assessed in the practical skills necessary for delivering evidence-based interventions., Implications: Midwifery schools should revise the content and delivery of smoking cessation training to ensure midwives are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute to the challenge of smoking cessation in pregnancy., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

To increase the likelihood of successful implementation of interventions and promote dissemination across real-world settings, it is essential to evaluate outcomes related to dimensions other than Effectiveness alone. Glasgow and colleagues' RE-AIM framework specifies four additional types of outcomes that are important to decision-makers: Reach, Adoption, Implementation (including cost), and Maintenance. To further strengthen RE-AIM, we propose integrating qualitative assessments in an expanded framework: RE-AIM Qualitative Evaluation for Systematic Translation (RE-AIM QuEST), a mixed methods framework. RE-AIM QuEST guides formative evaluation to identify real-time implementation barriers and explain how implementation context may influence translation to additional settings. RE-AIM QuEST was used to evaluate a pharmacist-led hypertension management intervention at 3 VA facilities in 2008-2009. We systematically reviewed each of the five RE-AIM dimensions and created open-ended companion questions to quantitative measures and identified qualitative and quantitative data sources, measures, and analyses. To illustrate use of the RE-AIM QuEST framework, we provide examples of real-time, coordinated use of quantitative process measures and qualitative methods to identify site-specific issues, and retrospective use of these data sources and analyses to understand variation across sites and explain outcomes. For example, in the Reach dimension, we conducted real-time measurement of enrollment across sites and used qualitative data to better understand and address barriers at a low-enrollment site. The RE-AIM QuEST framework may be a useful tool for improving interventions in real-time, for understanding retrospectively why an intervention did or did not work, and for enhancing its sustainability and translation to other settings.

Objective: This study sought to understand state Medicaid agencies' experiences with implementing payment for long-acting reversible contraception devices inserted immediately postpartum., Methods: We conducted semistructured telephone interviews with Medicaid representatives from 15 agencies that have specific payment methodology for immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (IPLARC). Interviews investigated agency experiences with IPLARC policy implementation. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. We analyzed data thematically using qualitative content analysis principles., Results: Described implementation experiences fell into three major categories: 1) payer preparedness regarding payment challenges, 2) health care system awareness, attitudes, and readiness to implement IPLARC policy in clinical settings, and 3) ongoing practice improvement. Within the category of payer preparedness, major emergent themes included Medicaid's need to ensure efficient claims processing, maintain appropriate reimbursement rates, and alleviate perceived provider mistrust about payment. With respect to health care systems, themes emerged around raising clinician awareness of IPLARC coverage, managing provider misconceptions about IPLARC, and addressing gaps in provider IPLARC insertion expertise. Regarding practice improvement, a salient theme emerged around the limitations of Medicaid to engage in ongoing clinical implementation and evaluation efforts., Conclusions: These findings suggest a multistakeholder implementation framework that can guide the growing number of Medicaid agencies newly implementing IPLARC policy. As more Medicaid programs remove reimbursement barriers to IPLARC, clinicians and hospital administrators have a crucial opportunity to address clinical barriers to IPLARC and ensure real-time access among beneficiaries who desire this safe and effective approach to contraception., (Copyright © 2016 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is safe, effective and cost-saving when provided immediately postpartum but currently underutilized due to nonreimbursement by Medicaid and other insurers. The objectives of this study were to (a) determine which state Medicaid agencies provide specific reimbursement for immediate postpartum LARC and (b) identify modifiable policy-level barriers and facilitators of immediate postpartum LARC access., Study Design: We conducted semistructured telephone interviews with representatives of 40 Medicaid agencies to characterize payment methodology for immediate postpartum LARC. We coded transcripts using grounded theory and content analysis principles., Results: Three categories of immediate postpartum LARC payment methodology emerged: state Medicaid agency (a) provides separate or increased bundled payment (n=15), (b) is considering providing enhanced payment (n=9) or (c) is not considering enhanced payment (n=16). Two major themes emerged related to Medicaid decision-making about immediate postpartum LARC coverage: (a) Health effects: States with payment for immediate postpartum LARC frequently cited improved maternal/child health outcomes as motivating their reimbursements. Conversely, states without payment expressed misinformation about LARC's clinical effects and lack of advocacy from local providers about clinical need for this service. (b) Financial implications: States providing payment emphasized overall cost savings. Conversely, states without reimbursement expressed concern about immediate budget constraints and potential adverse impact on existing global payment methodology for inpatient care., Conclusions: Many states have recently provided Medicaid coverage of immediate postpartum LARC, and several other states are considering such coverage. Addressing misinformation about clinical effects and concerns about cost-effectiveness of immediate postpartum LARC may promote adoption of immediate postpartum LARC reimbursement in Medicaid agencies currently without it., Implications: Medicaid policy for reimbursement of immediate postpartum LARC is evolving rapidly across the US. Our findings suggest several concrete strategies to remove policy-level barriers and promote facilitators of immediate postpartum LARC., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Guidelines from several national professional groups and a patchwork of state laws support the option to provide confidential mental healthcare for adolescents as a way to reduce barriers to treatment. These guidelines do not, however, help doctors decide when and to what extent confidentiality might be appropriate. We propose a set of practical considerations that clinicians can use to develop and justify confidentiality and family involvement in individual cases. Use of this framework may increase clinician comfort in discussing confidentiality and mental health topics with adolescents, and thus reduce barriers to the management of mental health problems in adolescent primary care.