Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Paolo Landa, Jean-Denis Lalonde, Frederic Bergeron, Said Abasse Kassim, Andre Cote, Jean-Baptiste Gartner, Elena Tanfani, Marina Resta
Summary: This article presents a systematic literature review aiming to map and aggregate existing literature and evidence on primary care in the Quebec Public Health Care System. The review will analyze health care policies, outcomes, costs, and management of primary health care services in the last two decades. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, and discussions with stakeholders.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Man Qing Leong, Cher Wee Lim, Yi Feng Lai
Summary: This study systematically reviewed the safety and effectiveness of Hospital-at-Home (HaH) programs, and found that for suitable patients, HaH generally results in similar or improved clinical outcomes compared with inpatient treatment. The study suggests that HaH programs should receive more attention in health systems facing capacity constraints and rising costs, with a potential prioritization of admission avoidance (AA) models over early-supported discharge (ESD).
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ruby Lipson-Smith, Luis Pflaumer, Marie Elf, Sarah-May Blaschke, Aaron Davis, Marcus White, Heidi Zeeman, Julie Bernhardt
Summary: This study aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesise existing design evidence for inpatient stroke rehabilitation facilities. Results suggest that attractive and accessible communal areas are important for patient activity and well-being, highlighting the need for further targeted research in this area.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Rong Huang, Hongxiu Li, Reima Suomi, Chenglong Li, Teijo Peltoniemi
Summary: This paper provides an overview of the antecedents and consequences of intelligent physical robot use in health care and proposes potential future research agendas. The study found that the use of intelligent physical robots in health care is influenced by factors related to individuals, organizations, and robots, and has both non-health-related and health-related consequences for individual users. An integrative framework is proposed to understand the antecedents and consequences of intelligent physical robot use in health care.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Monica L. Taylor, Emma E. Thomas, Centaine L. Snoswell, Anthony C. Smith, Liam J. Caffery
Summary: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has the potential to reduce acute care use for patients with cardiovascular disease and COPD, with mixed results in other disease conditions. Further analysis is needed to understand the variation in RPM interventions across different populations and disease conditions. Additional studies are required to determine the overall effectiveness of RPM in reducing acute hospital usage.
Review
Nursing
Khairul Dzakirin Bin Rusli, Apphia Jia Qi Tan, Shu Fen Ong, Shaun Speed, Ying Lau, Sok Ying Liaw
Summary: This study aims to identify and consolidate the available evidence on nursing-related competencies for home-based care. The review identified ten competencies related to home-based nursing care, which could be used for evaluating nurses' competence level or for developing appropriate professional education. The study also highlights the scope of nursing practice in home-based care and the importance of standardization.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Erin M. Mobley, Diana J. Moke, Joel Milam, Carol Y. Ochoa-Dominguez, Julia Stal, Halle Mitchell, Naghmeh Aminzadeh, Maria Bolshakova, Raymond Mailhot B. Vega, Jennifer Dinalo, Aneesa Motala, Susanne Hempel
Summary: This article reviewed the disparities in survivorship care for childhood cancer survivors. The study found significant differences in survivorship care associated with race, ethnicity, and insurance status. Other factors such as employment, income, education, cancer diagnosis, and geographic area also warrant further investigation.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Karla Canuto, Robyn Preston, Sam Rannard, Catrina Felton-Busch, Lynore Geia, Lee Yeomans, Nalita Turner, Quitaysha Thompson, Karen Carlisle, Rebecca Evans, Megan Passey, Sarah Larkins, Michelle Redman-MacLaren, Jane Farmer, Melody Muscat, Judy Taylor
Summary: This systematic review explores the characteristics, contextual influences, group processes, theoretical approaches, and implications of women's groups (WGs) in improving maternal and child health outcomes. The review identifies the need for a framework to categorize the methods through which WGs achieve their outcomes and emphasizes the importance of considering the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in understanding the effectiveness of WGs. The review adds to existing knowledge about the functioning of WGs in improving maternal and child health in diverse settings.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Bradley Christian, Ajesh George, Prabhakar Veginadu, Amy Villarosa, Yuka Makino, Warrick Junsuk Kim, Mohd Masood, Rachel Martin, Yuriko Harada, Maria Carmela Mijares-Majini
Summary: This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to integrate oral health into primary care. The majority of studies support integration strategies, which result in improvements in various aspects such as referral pathways, operating efficiencies, and dental care outcomes.
Review
Ethics
Anne Kari Tolo Heggestad, Morten Magelssen, Reidar Pedersen, Elisabeth Gjerberg
Summary: The transfer of responsibilities from hospitals to community-based settings has resulted in home-based care providers having more tasks and responsibilities with limited resources. Ethical challenges in home-based care include autonomy, balancing ethical principles, intensity of care decisions, priority settings, truth-telling, and professional role balancing. These challenges are similar to those in institutional healthcare and social care settings, with some significant differences highlighted.
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
H. McCauley, K. Lowe, N. Furtado, V Mangiaterra, N. van den Broek
Summary: This study identified essential components of ANC and developed signal functions for prevention and management of various conditions. The results include 28 essential components of ANC and 15 signal functions, addressing infectious diseases, maternal conditions, fetal monitoring, obstetric complications, and health promotion. The developed signal functions can be used for monitoring and evaluating the content and quality of ANC, with recommendations for country adaptation and validation.
BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Robert M. Zimbroff, Katherine A. Ornstein, Orla C. Sheehan
Summary: Despite the growing demand for home-based primary care, there are still significant service gaps and many areas for further research. Recent studies have found a diverse scope of practice, successful use of interdisciplinary teams, positive outcomes, and increasing interest in telehealth in HBPC.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tania Lognon, Karine Plourde, Emmanuelle Aubin, Anik M. C. Giguere, Patrick M. Archambault, Dawn Stacey, France Legare
Summary: This study aimed to identify decision aids (DAs) developed for home and community care, assess their adherence to international criteria, and explore the involvement of interprofessional teams in their development and use. The findings showed that DAs addressed various decision points, particularly those related to older adults, but there was limited evidence of interprofessional team involvement in the development and use of DAs in home and community care settings.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Nathalie Baungaard, Pia Ladeby Skovvang, Elisabeth Assing Hvidt, Helle Gerbild, Merethe Kirstine Andersen, Jesper Lykkegaard
Summary: This study aims to explore the definition of "defensive medicine" in European medical literature and identify the motives stated therein.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Stacey Rand, Nick Smith, Karen Jones, Alan Dargan, Helen Hogan
Summary: The study aimed to explore the collection and application of safety data in older adult care homes through a scoping review of international literature. Findings revealed potential gaps in safety indicators in care homes, such as user experience and abusive or neglectful care practices.
Article
Management
Sonya Crowe, Martin Utley
Summary: Operational researchers in healthcare face challenges related to flexibility, team maturity, organizational motivations, intuition, altruism, and creative risk-taking, all of which can impact the success of their work. Understanding these behavioral factors is crucial for achieving effective operational research outcomes in the field of healthcare.
JOURNAL OF THE OPERATIONAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Julie A. Taylor, Sonya Crowe, Ferran Espuny Pujol, Rodney C. Franklin, Richard G. Feltbower, Lee J. Norman, James Doidge, Doug William Gould, Christina Pagel
Summary: Linking data sets from clinical and national audits, national registries, and other NHS encounter data can improve healthcare services, but the process of obtaining linked national data sets is challenging. The study for LAUNCHES QI faced challenges such as large amounts of information required, lack of clarity on processes, and resource constraints, leading to an extended timeframe of 2.5 years for data acquisition. Streamlining the application process for accessing data and providing clarity to data controllers could facilitate governance and accelerate scientific studies and healthcare improvements.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Elena Hadjicosta, Rodney Franklin, Anna Seale, Oliver Stumper, Victor Tsang, David R. Anderson, Christina Pagel, Sonya Crowe, Ferran Espuny Pujol, Deborah Ridout, Kate L. Brown
Summary: The study found that treatment pathways and survival rates for patients with functionally univentricular hearts are complex and variable, but nearly 80% of children survived to 10 years. Longer-term analyses based on diagnosis can provide information for parents, patients, and clinicians, driving practice improvements for complex CHD.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ferran Espuny Pujol, Christina Pagel, Katherine L. Brown, James C. Doidge, Richard G. Feltbower, Rodney C. Franklin, Arturo Gonzalez-Izquierdo, Doug W. Gould, Lee J. Norman, John Stickley, Julie A. Taylor, Sonya Crowe
Summary: This study linked five national data sets to create longitudinal healthcare trajectories for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), enabling a more comprehensive analysis of patient journeys and outcomes. The results showed successful linkage of four national data sets, providing valuable insights for future research.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Ferran Espuny Pujol, Rodney C. Franklin, Sonya Crowe, Kate L. Brown, Lorna Swan, Christina Pagel, Kate M. English
Summary: This study assessed the transfer of patients from paediatric cardiac to adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) services in England and found that majority of patients with moderate or severe CHD transfer to adult services. Patients who do not transfer undergo fewer elective CHD procedures over the following decade.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Zella King, Joseph Farrington, Martin Utley, Enoch Kung, Samer Elkhodair, Steve Harris, Richard Sekula, Jonathan Gillham, Kezhi Li, Sonya Crowe
Summary: Machine learning for hospital operations is not well studied. In this study, a prediction pipeline using live electronic health records from a UK teaching hospital's emergency department was developed to generate short-term probabilistic forecasts of emergency admissions. The models achieved good predictive performance depending on the elapsed visit time at the point of prediction.
NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Management
Sonya Crowe, Luca Grieco, Tom Monks, Brad Keogh, Marion Penn, Mike Clancy, Samer Elkhodair, Cecilia Vindrola-Padros, Naomi J. Fulop, Martin Utley
Summary: Hospital emergency department overcrowding is a global issue. Most previous studies focus on bespoke models for improvement but ignore the organizational context and have limited impact. This study introduces a configurable approach that combines quantitative modeling, qualitative analysis, and assessment of the implementation context, which successfully informed strategy in one hospital and had mixed results in three other hospitals.
JOURNAL OF THE OPERATIONAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Meetali Kakad, Martin Utley, Fredrik A. A. Dahl
Summary: Finding alternatives to acute hospital admission is a priority, and Norway's decentralised municipal acute units (MAUs) were established to divert low-acuity patients away from hospitals. However, MAUs have faced criticism for low occupancy and not relieving pressures on hospitals. Through a simulation model, we found that merging MAUs alone may not substantially increase mean occupancy, but it offers potential for bed capacity reduction without affecting service provision. Our work has relevance for other admissions avoidance units and provides a method for estimating unconstrained demand for beds in absence of historical data.
Article
Health Policy & Services
Guillaume Lame, Sonya Crowe, Matthew Barclay
Summary: This paper reviews evaluation standards in healthcare improvement research, highlights the lack of robust evaluation of healthcare operational research, and proposes possible ways for building better empirical evaluations.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jo Wray, Christina Pagel, Adrian H. Chester, Fiona Kennedy, Sonya Crowe
Summary: The global healthcare system has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to major changes in care delivery. This study focused on the perspectives of patients with CHD and their parents/carers, highlighting disruptions to care delivery, inconsistent advice and messaging, and varying communication from healthcare professionals.
