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Effect of a Brief Outreach Educational Intervention on the Translation of Acute Poisoning Treatment Guidelines to Practice in Rural Sri Lankan Hospitals: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 8, p e71787 (2013), PLoS ONE
- Publication Year :
- 2013
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2013.
-
Abstract
- Background In developing countries, including Sri Lanka, a high proportion of acute poisoning and other medical emergencies are initially treated in rural peripheral hospitals. Patients are then usually transferred to referral hospitals for further treatment. Guidelines are often used to promote better patient care in these emergencies. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN73983810) which aimed to assess the effect of a brief educational outreach (‘academic detailing’) intervention to promote the utilization of treatment guidelines for acute poisoning. Methods and Findings This cluster RCT was conducted in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. All peripheral hospitals in the province were randomized to either intervention or control. All hospitals received a copy of the guidelines. The intervention hospitals received a brief out-reach academic detailing workshop which explained poisoning treatment guidelines and guideline promotional items designed to be used in daily care. Data were collected on all patients admitted due to poisoning for 12 months post-intervention in all study hospitals. Information collected included type of poison exposure, initial investigations, treatments and hospital outcome. Patients transferred from peripheral hospitals to referral hospitals had their clinical outcomes recorded. There were 23 intervention and 23 control hospitals. There were no significant differences in the patient characteristics, such as age, gender and the poisons ingested. The intervention hospitals showed a significant improvement in administration of activated charcoal [OR 2.95 (95% CI 1.28–6.80)]. There was no difference between hospitals in use of other decontamination methods. Conclusion This study shows that an educational intervention consisting of brief out-reach academic detailing was effective in changing treatment behavior in rural Sri Lankan hospitals. The intervention was only effective for treatments with direct clinician involvement, such as administering activated charcoal. It was not successful for treatments usually administered by non-professional staff such as forced emesis for poisoning. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN73983810 ISRCTN73983810
- Subjects :
- Non-Clinical Medicine
Antidotes
lcsh:Medicine
Toxicology
law.invention
Academic detailing
0302 clinical medicine
Randomized controlled trial
law
Outcome Assessment, Health Care
Cluster Analysis
Quality of Care
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
lcsh:Science
Pralidoxime Compounds
Evidence-Based Medicine
Multidisciplinary
Poisoning
3. Good health
Hospitalization
Outreach
Health Education and Awareness
Charcoal
Acute Disease
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Health Services Research
Public Health
Research Article
medicine.medical_specialty
Education, Continuing
Referral
Clinical Research Design
Hospitals, Rural
030231 tropical medicine
Developing country
Disease cluster
03 medical and health sciences
Intervention (counseling)
Humans
Clinical Trials
Sri Lanka
Treatment Guidelines
Health Care Policy
business.industry
lcsh:R
Communication in Health Care
Guideline
Personnel, Hospital
Medical Education
Emergency medicine
lcsh:Q
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19326203 and 73983810
- Volume :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....85b8b64bc3a40603cda51bff0d618f0b