Article
Oncology
Sarah J. Mah, Hsien Seow, Kara Schnarr, Clare J. Reade, Anastasia Gayowsky, Kelvin K. W. Chan, Aynharan Sinnarajah
Summary: The quality of end-of-life care for gynecologic cancer patients in Ontario has shown improvement over time, with fewer patients dying in hospitals and an increased utilization of supportive care. However, a significant proportion of patients still receive aggressive care in the final 30 days of life.
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Emel Yorganci, Elizabeth L. Sampson, Juliet Gillam, Jesutofunmi Aworinde, Javiera Leniz, Lesley E. Williamson, Rachel L. Cripps, Robert Stewart, Katherine E. Sleeman
Summary: A systematic review of QIs for the care of older people and people with dementia nearing the end of life revealed that most QIs had poor or moderate psychometric properties and were not designed for use with routinely collected electronic datasets. It is important to improve infrastructure for data availability and use robust QIs to enhance understanding of care provided to this population.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Miia Rahja, Tracy Air, Susannah Ahern, Stephanie A. Ward, Gillian E. Caughey, Janet K. Sluggett, Monica Cations, Xiaoping Lin, Kasey Wallis, Maria Crotty, Maria C. Inacio
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of primary and secondary care clinical quality indicators (CQIs) for Australians with dementia using government subsidized aged care. The results showed an increase in incidence of all CQIs except for medication reviews. Being female, older, having fewer comorbidities, and living outside a major city were associated with lower likelihood of using the services.
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Katherine Bailey, Stephanie Lee, Thomas de Los Reyes, Lisha Lo, Jan Willem Gorter, Alene Toulany
Summary: This systematic review aims to identify quality indicators for successful transition to adult care across chronic physical and/or mental illnesses. The extracted quality indicators will offer insights that can be used to measure and evaluate transition success across conditions, and will be disseminated through various channels including workshops and peer-reviewed publications. Further prioritization of quality indicators will be conducted through a Delphi study involving patients, caregivers, and providers.
Article
Oncology
Amanda Farah Khan, Hsien Seow, Rinku Sutradhar, Stuart Peacock, Kelvin Kar-Wing Chan, Fred Burge, Kim McGrail, Adam Raymakers, Beverley Lawson, Lisa Barbera
Summary: The study found a significant decrease in in-hospital deaths and an increase in supportive care utilization in Ontario, while BC and Nova Scotia had varying rates of different care measures.
Article
Dermatology
Anna Langenbruch, Nicole Mohr, Valerie Andrees, Ihno Kessens, Adam Reich, Magdalena Czarnecka-Operacz, Luis Puig, Esteban Dauden, Lars Iversen, Matthias Augustin
Summary: The PsoBarrier EU study compared the quality and processes of psoriasis care in four European countries using validated quality indicators. Patients in Poland had the most severe psoriasis and lowest health-related quality of life. Variations in quality of care may be explained by differences in healthcare systems and barriers to accessing treatments.
ACTA DERMATO-VENEREOLOGICA
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Lee A. Hugar, Jonathan G. Yabes, Pauline Filippou, Elizabeth M. Wulff-Burchfield, Samia H. Lopa, John Gore, Benjamin J. Davies, Bruce L. Jacobs
Summary: This study aimed to quantify the proportion of patients with bladder cancer receiving high-intensity end-of-life care, identify associated risk factors, and assess the impact of palliative care. Results showed that 45% of patients received high-intensity care, with a decrease over time; these patients often had comorbidities, advanced bladder cancer, and nonbladder cancer cause of death. Additionally, they more often received palliative care, but further from bladder cancer diagnosis.
UROLOGIC ONCOLOGY-SEMINARS AND ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Yoshiko Kitamura, Hisao Nakai
Summary: Disasters caused by natural phenomena are becoming more frequent and devastating. The increasing number of cancer survivors have a vulnerable need for continuous and high-level care, which worsens during disasters. While more evidence is being gathered on the needs of cancer survivors, little is known about cancer care in disaster settings. Therefore, a narrative literature review was conducted to outline existing evidence, identify knowledge gaps, and clarify key concepts necessary for research in the quality of care for cancer survivors during and after disasters.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Anna Kristina Kraft, Klaus Berger
Summary: This review identified six quality indicators for the assessment of care for patients with MS, based on evidence from 6 sources and a total of 226 quality indicators. Out of these, 147 indicators were included in the assessment, and the six identified indicators describe five important characteristics of high-quality care for MS patients.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Viktoria Peters-Nehrenheim, Mike Rommerskirch-Manietta, Daniel Purwins, Martina Roes, Huerrem Tezcan-Guentekin
Summary: This planned scoping review aims to explore and systematically investigate the care preferences of older migrants and minority ethnic groups. It will be the first review to synthesize literature on this topic, providing important insights for person-centred care.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aline Stolk-Vos, Dirk De Korne, Ecosse Lamoureux, Charity Wai, Jan J. Busschbach, Joel Joris van de Klundert
Summary: This study compares quality dimensions and indicators for cataract care in Singapore and The Netherlands, finding that there can be a common international core in quality measurement instruments, but it emphasizes the importance of adopting a country-specific multi-stakeholder approach to defining and measuring quality.
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Leah V. Estrada, Mansi Agarwal, Patricia W. Stone
Summary: This systematic review identified disparities in end-of-life care for racial/ethnic minority residents in nursing homes, with minority residents less likely to complete advance care planning, more likely to experience end-of-life hospitalizations, and experiencing worse pain and symptom management. Further research using recent data is needed to address these disparities and improve care for minority residents.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Anna Kristina Kraft, Klaus Berger
Summary: A review identified six reports with a total of 226 quality indicators for MS care. After assessment, 147 indicators were included, with six high-quality indicators describing important characteristics of high-quality care for MS patients. These findings provide a starting point for the development of comprehensive sets of quality indicators in MS.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Marta Maes-Carballo, Yolanda Gomez-Fandino, Ayla Reinoso-Hermida, Carlos Roberto Estrada-Lopez, Manuel Martin-Diaz, Khalid Saeed Khan, Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas
Summary: The study identified 89 QIs from 22 selected documents, covering various aspects of breast cancer care. Most countries have not established national clinical pathways or integrated health care processes for breast cancer care, leading to heterogeneity in QIs for evaluating care quality.
Article
Oncology
Catherine L. Goldie, Paul Nguyen, Andrew G. Robinson, Craig E. Goldie, Colleen E. Kircher, Timothy P. Hanna
Summary: While improvements in the use of supportive rather than aggressive care were noted for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, established Canadian benchmarks were not met. Male patients and those with greater comorbidity tended to receive more aggressive end-of-life care, while older patients tended to receive more supportive care, and patients from rural areas were more likely to receive aggressive care.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Majid Taghavi, Grace Johnston, Robin Urquhart, David Henderson, Cheryl Tschupruk, Beth Tupala
Summary: The study developed a workforce planning model for community-based palliative care specialist teams based on population need, using operations research. The model indicated an immediate need for a 64% increase in specialist palliative care staff, with a further 13.1% increase required over the next 20 years. Trained primary palliative care providers currently only meet 3.7% of the need, but are expected to meet 20.3% by 2038 with their expansion.
JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Hsien Seow, Tara Stevens, Lisa C. Barbera, Fred Burge, Kimberlyn McGrail, Kelvin K. W. Chan, Stuart J. Peacock, Rinku Sutradhar, Dawn M. Guthrie
Summary: This study identified a gap in understanding the psychosocial needs of cancer patients at the end of life in a homecare setting. The research found that psychosocial symptoms worsened close to death in cancer patients receiving home care, with physical symptoms such as uncontrolled pain significantly impacting the presence of psychosocial symptoms.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Grace Warner, Emily Kervin, Barb Pesut, Robin Urquhart, Wendy Duggleby, Taylor Hill
Summary: Implementing community-based innovations for older adults with serious illness requires partnerships between health and community. The Nav-CARE program, an evidence-based innovation, involves trained volunteer navigators to advocate, facilitate connections, access resources, and promote engagement of older adults within their communities. Using the CFIR framework, this study explored organizational and community barriers and facilitators to Nav-CARE implementation, highlighting the importance of assessing Outer Setting factors in implementing community-based programs for successful outcomes.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sharon Johnston, William Hogg, Sabrina T. Wong, Fred Burge, Sandra Peterson
Summary: This study assessed the preferences, response rates, and mode effects of automated patient surveys using phone and email modalities in primary care practices. Results showed that email administration was more preferred and had higher response rates compared to phone surveys, especially as income group rose.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Christopher J. Longo, Margaret Fitch, Jonathan M. Loree, Linda E. Carlson, Donna Turner, Winson Y. Cheung, Darin Gopaul, Janet Ellis, Jolie Ringash, Maria Mathews, Jim Wright, Christiaan Stevens, David D'Souza, Robin Urquhart, Tuhin Maity, Fanor Balderrama, Evette Haddad
Summary: In our Canadian sample, 33% of patients experience high levels of financial burden, with severity of burden being higher for those with lower household incomes.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Anna R. Gagliardi, Juan Pablo Diaz Martinez, G. Ross Baker, Lesley Moody, Kerseri Scane, Robin Urquhart, Walter P. Wodchis
Summary: The study examined the attributes of hospital patient engagement capacity related to clinical quality measures. Most hospitals involved patients in various departments for planning, evaluation/quality improvement, and service delivery activities. The findings suggest that hospitals can create favorable patient engagement conditions by deploying patient engagement widely and actively engaging patients.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Correction
Oncology
Christopher J. Longo, Margaret I. Fitch, Jonathan M. Loree, Linda E. Carlson, Donna Turner, Winson Y. Cheung, Darin Gopaul, Janet Ellis, Jolie Ringash, Maria Mathews, Jim Wright, Christiaan Stevens, David D'Souza, Robin Urquhart, Tuhin Maity, Fanor Balderrama, Evette Haddad
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Robin Urquhart, Cynthia Kendell, Evelyn Cornelissen, Byron J. Powell, Laura L. Madden, Glenn Kissmann, Sarah A. Richmond, Jacqueline L. Bender
Summary: The study identified seven determinants, six processes, and three implementation outcomes influencing the sustainability of cancer survivorship innovations. Necessary factors include management support, organizational and system-level priorities, and key people and expertise.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sheila N. Garland, Josee Savard, Kathryn Dalton, Nyissa A. Walsh, Melanie Seal, Joshua Rash, Sondria Browne, Robin Urquhart, John Thoms, Veeresh Gadag, Kara Laing
Summary: Literature suggests that cognitive-behaviour therapy for insomnia may improve cognitive impairment in cancer survivors, but further research is needed. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of videoconference-delivered CBT-I treatment for improving PCI in cancer survivors.
CONTEMPORARY CLINICAL TRIALS
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Natalie N. Anderson, G. Ross Baker, Lesley Moody, Kerseri Scane, Robin Urquhart, Walter P. Wodchis, Anna R. Gagliardi
Summary: Patient engagement in healthcare planning and improvement is increasing, but evidence-based guidance for this in hospital settings is lacking. This study explored how hospitals can optimize patient engagement through collaboration, blended approaches, and consultation. Results showed concrete strategies for hospitals to improve patient engagement for planning and improvement, with ongoing research needed to recruit diverse patients and find the best balance between consultation and collaboration.
HEALTH EXPECTATIONS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Hsien Seow, Lisa C. Barbera, Kimberlyn McGrail, Fred Burge, Dawn M. Guthrie, Beverley Lawson, Kelvin K. W. Chan, Stuart J. Peacock, Rinku Sutradhar
Summary: This study found that receiving early palliative care reduced average health system costs in the last month of life, especially through avoided hospitalizations.
JCO ONCOLOGY PRACTICE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
David Forner, Sarah Murnaghan, Geoffrey Porter, Ross J. Mason, Paul Hong, S. Mark Taylor, James Bentley, Gregory Hirsch, Christopher W. Noel, Matthew H. Rigby, Martin Corsten, Jonathan R. Trites, Victoria Taylor, Cynthia Kendell, Margaret Jorgensen, Robin Urquhart
Summary: This study investigated the psychosocial distress associated with waiting for cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that patients commonly experienced anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. Six key themes were identified, including uncertainty, life changes, coping strategies, communication, experience, and health services. Individualized coping strategies and effective communication with healthcare teams can partially alleviate these symptoms.
Article
Transplantation
Matthew J. Weiss, Kristina Krmpotic, Tim Cyr, Sonny Dhanani, Melanie Dieude, Jade S. Dirk, David Hartell, Cynthia Isenor, Lee James, Amanda Lucas, Chelsea Patriquin, Christy Simpson, Victoria L. Sullivan, Karthik K. Tennankore, Jennifer Thurlow, Robin Urquhart, Hans Vorster, Stephen D. Beed
Summary: This research project will evaluate the comprehensive impact of the deceased organ donation legislation and health system transformation in Nova Scotia, funded by Health Canada, to inform stakeholders at provincial, national, and international levels. A rigorous academic framework will be established to assess this significant health system transformation.
TRANSPLANTATION DIRECT
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Soleil Chahine, Gordon Walsh, Robin Urquhart
Summary: This study identifies anxiety, fear, depression, and changes in sexual intimacy as major concerns for cancer survivors. Sociodemographic factors, healthcare provider access, and follow-up care impact the degree to which survivors' needs are met.
Review
Oncology
Tanya Lazor, Claire De Souza, Robin Urquhart, Eva Serhal, Anna R. Gagliardi
Summary: The study found no specific guidelines for the clinical assessment or management of anxiety and distress among children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment or HSCT, highlighting a lack of evidence-based guidance for clinicians on managing these specific symptoms. Future research should focus on developing high-quality guidelines with specific recommendations for the clinical assessment and management of anxiety and distress in pediatric oncology and HSCT.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2021)