A systematic review of triage-related interventions to improve patient flow in emergency departments

Background Overcrowding in emergency departments is a worldwide problem. A systematic literature review was undertaken to scientifically explore which interventions improve patient flow in emergency departments. Methods A systematic literature search for flow processes in emergency departments was followed by assessment of relevance and methodological quality of each individual study fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Studies were excluded if they did not present data on waiting time, length of stay, patients leaving the emergency department without being seen or other flow parameters based on a nonselected material of patients. Only studies with a control group, either in a randomized controlled trial or in an observational study with historical controls, were included. For each intervention, the level of scientific evidence was rated according to the GRADE system, launched by a WHO-supported working group. Results The interventions were grouped into streaming, fast track, team triage, point-of-care testing (performing laboratory analysis in the emergency department), and nurse-requested x-ray. Thirty-three studies, including over 800,000 patients in total, were included. Scientific evidence on the effect of fast track on waiting time, length of stay, and left without being seen was moderately strong. The effect of team triage on left without being seen was relatively strong, but the evidence for all other interventions was limited or insufficient. Conclusions Introducing fast track for patients with less severe symptoms results in shorter waiting time, shorter length of stay, and fewer patients leaving without being seen. Team triage, with a physician in the team, will probably result in shorter waiting time and shorter length of stay and most likely in fewer patients leaving without being seen. There is only limited scientific evidence that streaming of patients into different tracks, performing laboratory analysis in the emergency department or having nurses to request certain x-rays results in shorter waiting time and length of stay.

Upplevelser av bemötande i vården hos patienter med fibromyalgi- en litteraturöversikt

Bakgrund: Fibromyalgi är ett långvarigt kroniskt smärttillstånd som grundar sig på individens subjektiva smärtupplevelse. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva hur patienter med fibromyalgi upplevt bemötande i vården. Metod: Denna litteraturöversikt baseras på tretton vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet resulterade i två huvudkategorier "Patienters upplevelser av bemötande" och "Kunskap och stöd från vårdpersonalen". Patienterna med fibromyalgi upplever dåligt bemötande och att vårdpersonal saknar kunskap om både diagnos och behandling av fibromyalgi. I vården upplever dessa patienter misstro och att de blir dåligt bemötta när de söker för sina smärtsymtom. Patienter med fibromyalgidiagnos önskar ett personcentrerat bemötande och mer tid av sina läkare. Slutsatser: Litteraturöversikten visar att patienter med fibromyalgi i stor utsträckning uppger att de upplever dåligt bemötande, okunskap och brist på engagemang i vården. Framtida forskningen bör fokusera på hur vården kan arbeta mer personcentrerat i denna patientgrupp till exempel genom interventionsstudier.

Faktorer som påverkar patienters upplevelse av omvårdnad under sin vistelse på akutmottagning. : - En litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: På en akutmottagning kommer patienter i olika tillstånd och behov. Det är sjuksköterskan som ofta gör de första bedömningarna och därför är det av stor vikt att bemötandet från sjuksköterskan är positivt för att skapa trygghet. Ökat patientflöde och långa väntetider är några faktorer som är påvisade att kunna påverka upplevelsen för patienterna av sin vistelse på akutmottagningen. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att beskriva faktorer som påverkar patienters upplevelse av omvårdnad under sin vistelse på akutmottagning. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en litteraturöversikt. Databaserna CINAHL och PubMed användes för att söka efter artiklar. Resultat: Sex underkategorier valdes ut: bemötande, delaktighet, information, väntetid, kommunikation och kontinuitet, sjuksköterskans kunskap och kompetens. Resultatet visade att många patienter ansåg att sjuksköterskan var skicklig i sina arbetsuppgifter och var nöjda med bemötandet från sjuksköterskan, men att långa väntetider och bristande information påverkade upplevelsen av omvårdnad. Det fanns en tydlig önskan över att få mer information om sin väntetid, behandling och undersökningar. Brister i detta, skapade en otrygghet och en känsla av vara bortglömd hos patienterna. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor på en akutmottagning behöver besitta en stor kommunikationsförmåga. Detta för att kunna ge patienterna en så bra upplevelse som möjligt. Slutsatser av resultatet har påvisat att det krävs förbättring inom flera områden för att ge patienter en bättre upplevelse av omvårdnaden under sin vistelse på akutmottagningen.

Perceptions of European medical staff on the facilitators and barriers to physical closeness between parents and infants in neonatal units

AIM: Studies have provided insights into factors that may facilitate or inhibit parent-infant closeness in neonatal units, but none have specifically focused on the perspectives of senior neonatal staff. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions and experiences of consultant neonatologists and senior nurses in five European countries with regard to these issues. METHODS: Six small group discussions and three one-to-one interviews were conducted with 16 consultant neonatologists and senior nurses representing nine neonatal units from Estonia, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden. The interviews explored facilitators and barriers to parent-infant closeness and implications for policy and practice and thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Participants highlighted how a humanising care agenda that enabled parent-infant closeness was an aspiration, but pointed out that neonatal units were at different stages in achieving this. The facilitators and barriers to physical closeness included socio-economic factors, cultural norms, the designs of neonatal units, resource issues, leadership, staff attitudes and practices and relationships between staff and parents. CONCLUSION: Various factors affected parent-infant closeness in neonatal units in European countries. There needs to be the political motivation, appropriate policy planning, legislation and resource allocation to increase measures that support closeness agendas in neonatal units. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Personcentrerad omvårdnad vid demens : En deskriptiv kvalitativ studie

Bakgrund: Demens är en av de stora folksjukdomarna och vårdpersonal möter dessa personer med demens både inom akutsjukvård och kommunal vård. På slutet av sitt liv bor de flesta personer som drabbats av demens på institution. Personcentrerad vård beskrivs vara gynnsamt i vården av personer med demens och personalens erfarenhet av detta har stor betydelse. Syfte: Syftet var att studera sjuksköterskors, enhetschefers och undersköterskors erfarenhet av personcentrerad omvårdnad inom kommunal hälso och sjukvård. Metod: Designen var en deskriptiv studie med kvalitativ ansats som har analyserats med hjälp av en induktiv innehållsanalys. Deltagarna som inkluderades i intervjustudien kom från samma kommun. Det var tio personer och bestod av fyra sjuksköterskor, fyra undersköterskor och två enhetschefer. De valdes ut av verksamhetschefen där inklusionskriteriet var att ha arbetat med personer med demens i minst fem år. Resultat: I resultatet framkom fyra kategorier och 12 subkategorier. Personcentrerad omvårdnad ansågs relevant i samband med god omvårdnad av personer med demens. I arbetet med personcentrerad vård var fokus att; anpassa sig till personen med demens, att se till dennes identitet och personlighet. Vidare lades vikt vid anhörigas deltagande, bemötande och ett gemensamt arbetssätt, vilket bestod av att identifiera behov och se personen bakom sjukdomen. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att de flesta intervjupersonerna hade liknande erfarenheter i att arbeta med personer med demens. Det framkom i studien att bemötandet hade stor betydelse i omvårdnaden. Fokus i personcentrerad omvårdnad var de redovisade kategorierna och dess innehåll och ansågs betydelsefull och nödvändig för att personer med demens får ett så bra och värdigt liv som möjligt efter sjukdomsdebuten.

Omvårdnad på akutmottagning

Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva patientens upplevelse av besöket på akutmottagningen samt vilka faktorer som påverkade upplevelsen. Syftet var även att beskriva vilka faktorer som möjliggör och hindrar sjuksköterskan att arbeta utifrån ett omvårdnadsperspektiv. Studien genomfördes som en systematisk litteraturstudie där 10 artiklar granskades och låg till grund för resultatet vilket visade att patientens upplevelse och faktorer som påverkade upplevelsen av besöket på akutmottagningen var sjuksköterskans omvårdnad, väntetider, akutmottagningens miljö samt vårdpersonalens information och kommunikation. För att sjuksköterskan skulle ha möjlighet att arbeta utifrån ett omvårdnadsperspektiv krävdes vissa kunskaper hos sjuksköterskan, bland annat att ha bred kunskap inte bara i omvårdnad utan även inom medicinska sjukdomar, för att bättre förstå patientens situation. Att vara emotionellt involverad, känna ansvar, ta egna initiativ, vara öppen och lyhörd, genuint intresserad och involverad av patienten och göra det där "lilla extra" gjorde att sjuksköterskan kunde arbeta utifrån ett omvårdnadsperspektiv. Det som hindrade omvårdnad var tidsbrist, att läkaren tog tid på sig för beslut, prioritering av medicinska och praktiska göromål, brist på specifik kunskap gällande geriatrik och demenssjukdomar samt svåra situationer och dödsfall alldeles innan sjuksköterskan skulle gå in till nästa patient.

Factors associated with evidence-based practice among registered nurses in Sweden : a national cross-sectional study

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is emphasized to increase the quality of care and patient safety. EBP is often described as a process consisting of distinct activities including, formulating questions, searching for information, compiling the appraised information, implementing evidence, and evaluating the resulting practice. To increase registered nurses' (RNs') practice of EBP, variables associated with such activities need to be explored. The aim of the study was to examine individual and organizational factors associated with EBP activities among RNs 2 years post graduation. Methods: A cross-sectional design based on a national sample of RNs was used. Data were collected in 2007 from a cohort of RNs, included in the Swedish Longitudinal Analyses of Nursing Education/Employment study. The sample consisted of 1256 RNs (response rate 76%). Of these 987 RNs worked in healthcare at the time of the data collection. Data was self-reported and collected through annual postal surveys. EBP activities were measured using six single items along with instruments measuring individual and work-related variables. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: Associated factors were identified for all six EBP activities. Capability beliefs regarding EBP was a significant factor for all six activities (OR = 2.6 - 7.3). Working in the care of older people was associated with a high extent of practicing four activities (OR = 1.7 - 2.2). Supportive leadership and high collective efficacy were associated with practicing three activities (OR = 1.4 - 2.0). Conclusions: To be successful in enhancing EBP among newly graduated RNs, strategies need to incorporate both individually and organizationally directed factors.

Kvinnors behov av stöd vid bröstcancer : - En litteraturöversikt

Bakgrund Bröstcancer är den vanligaste typen av cancer hos kvinnor över hela världen. De som drabbas av bröstcancer har olika förutsättningar att hantera sin situation. Många av kvinnorna upplever en emotionell kris i samband med diagnosen och med hjälp av stöd från sjukvården kan patienten finna mening i sin situation. Syfte Syftet är att sammanställa aktuell forskning om bröstcancerdrabbade kvinnors effekter av stöd under diagnosperioden. Metod En litteraturöversikt som sammanställer aktuell forskning inom det valda omvårdnadsområdet. Resultat I resultatet framkom att kvinnorna behöver ett stöd i form av kommunikation, information samt ett emotionellt stöd från vårdpersonal. Stödet ska utformas efter patientens unika situation och när sjukvården är tillgänglig för patienterna minskas deras stress. Patienterna upplevde stöd under diagnosperioden då sjuksköterskan erhöll god förmåga att bemöta och kommunicera på ett adekvat sätt. Slutsats Studien visar att det krävs en god relation mellan bröstcancer drabbade kvinnor och vårdaren för att kvinnorna ska känna stöd.

Sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att ge personcentrerad vård till personer med demenssjukdom : En litteraturstudie

Background: Dementia impairs cognitive functions, such as memory and speech, changing a person’s life forever. Providing person-centred care to these persons intend to retain their identities, dignity and autonomy. Such care demands time, devotion and good knowledge of the caring nurse. Dementia is expected to increase in the future and therefore nurses will have to face new challenges. Aim: To describe nurses’ experience of providing person-centred care for people with dementia. Method: A literature review of 15 articles, published between 2009-2016, that have been read and analysed through content-analysis. Results: Nurses experience a positive change in their attitudes, when providing person-centred care to people with dementia, as they gained better understanding of their patients’ dignity and integrity. Education, training and support from management were seen as key factors for providing up-to-date care. Time was viewed as a hindrance for person-centred care, and often led to nurses prioritizing other routines. Two common outcomes of person-centred care were increased satisfaction as well as emotional burnout. Conclusion: Since dementia is increasing and nurses find person-centred care time-consuming, there is a risk of such care becoming poor. To prevent this nurses need good leadership and education.

Assessing feasibility and acceptability of study procedures : getting ready for implementation of national stroke guidelines in out-patient health care

BACKGROUND: Even though Swedish national guidelines for stroke care (SNGSC) have been accessible for nearly a decade access to stroke rehabilitation in out-patient health care vary considerably. In order to aid future interventions studies for implementation of SNGSC, this study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of study procedures including analysis of the context in out-patient health care settings. METHODS: The feasibility and acceptability of recruitment, observations and interviews with managers, staff and patients were assessed, as well as the feasibility of surveying health care records. RESULTS: To identify patients from the the hospitals was feasible but not from out-patient care where a need to relieve clinical staff of the recruitment process was identified. Assessing adherence to guidelines and standardized evaluations of patient outcomes through health care records was found to be feasible and suitable assessment tools to evaluate patient outcome were identified. Interviews were found to be a feasible and acceptable tool to survey the context of the health care setting. CONCLUSION: In this feasibility study a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures and measures were tested. The results indicate what can be used as a set of feasible and acceptable data collection procedures and suitable measures for studying implementation of stroke guidelines in an out-patient health care context.

När Viljan inte finns att Leva : Suicidbenägenhet ur ett sjuksköterske- och patient perspektivEn systematisk litteraturstudie

Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturstudie var att undersöka vilka attityder sjuksköterskor hade gentemot suicidala patienter, vilka upplevelser patienter hade efter ett suicidförsök och hur de upplevde omvårdnaden de fick. I syftet ingick även att undersöka vilka kunskaper som en sjuksköterska behöver ha i mötet med suicidala personer. Sökning av artiklar har gjorts på databaserna Elin@Dalarna och Blackwell Synergy där sökorden attitudes, care, caring, nursing, nurse, suicide användes i olika kombinationer. Artiklarna skulle vara vetenskapliga, inte publicerade före 1997 och svara på syfte och frågeställning. För att säkerställa att kvalitén på artiklarna var god granskades de med hjälp av en granskningsmall. Sammanlagt ligger tretton artiklar till grund för resultatet i denna litteraturstudie. Resultatet visade att sjuksköterskor ofta hade en negativ attityd i arbetet med suicidpatienter, och sjuksköterskor på akuta avdelningar tenderade att vara mera negativa än de på psykiatriska avdelningar. Suicidpatientens personlighet hade betydelse för vilken attityd sjuksköterskan hade. Utbildning visade sig medföra en mera positiv inställning. Resultatet visade också att suicidpatienter ofta kände skam och känslor av misslyckande efter suicidförsök. Attityden sjuksköterskan visade påverkade patientens väg tillbaka. Det var viktigt för dem att bli sedd, lyssnad på och inte bli fördömd. Litteraturstudien visade att sjuksköterskor behöver kunskap och utbildning för att kunna möta denna patientgrupp för att ge bästa tänkbara omvårdnad i behandlingsarbetet.

Improving continence services for older people from the service-providers’ perspective : a qualitative interview study

Objective: To examine in depth the views and experiences of continence service leads in England on key service and continence management characteristics in order to identify and to improve our understanding of barriers to a good-quality service and potential facilitators to develop and to improve services for older people with urinary incontinence (UI). Design: Qualitative semistructured interviews using a purposive sample recruited across 16 continence services. Setting: 3 acute and 13 primary care National Health Service Trusts in England. Participants: 16 continence service leads in England actively treating and managing older people with UI. Results: In terms of barriers to a good-quality service, participants highlighted a failure on the part of commissioners, managers and other health professionals in recognising the problem of UI and in acknowledging the importance of continence for older people and prevalent negative attitudes towards continence and older people. Patient assessment and continence promotion regardless of age, rather than pad provision, were identified as important steps for a good-quality service for older people with UI. More rapid and appropriate patient referral pathways, investment in service capacity, for example, more trained staff and strengthened interservice collaborations and a higher profile within medical and nurse training were specified as being important facilitators for delivering an equitable and highquality continence service. There is a need, however, to consider the accounts given by our participants as perhaps serving the interests of their professional group within the context of interprofessional work. Conclusions: Our data point to important barriers and facilitators of a good-quality service for older people with UI, from the perspective of continence service leads. Further research should address the views of other stakeholders, and explore options for the empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of identified service facilitators.

Swedish translation and psychometric testing of the safety attitudes questionnaire (operating room version)

Background: Tens of millions of patients worldwide suffer from avoidable disabling injuries and death every year. Measuring the safety climate in health care is an important step in improving patient safety. The most commonly used instrument to measure safety climate is the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). The aim of the present study was to establish the validity and reliability of the translated version of the SAQ. Methods: The SAQ was translated and adapted to the Swedish context. The survey was then carried out with 374 respondents in the operating room (OR) setting. Data was received from three hospitals, a total of 237 responses. Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the instrument. Results: The Cronbach's alpha values for each of the factors of the SAQ ranged between 0.59 and 0.83. The CFA and its goodness-of-fit indices (SRMR 0.055, RMSEA 0.043, CFI 0.98) showed good model fit. Intercorrelations between the factors safety climate, teamwork climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of management, and working conditions showed moderate to high correlation with each other. The factor stress recognition had no significant correlation with teamwork climate, perception of management, or job satisfaction. Conclusions: Therefore, the Swedish translation and psychometric testing of the SAQ (OR version) has good construct validity. However, the reliability analysis suggested that some of the items need further refinement to establish sound internal consistency. As suggested by previous research, the SAQ is potentially a useful tool for evaluating safety climate. However, further psychometric testing is required with larger samples to establish the psychometric properties of the instrument for use in Sweden.

What is important for you? A qualitative interview study of living with diabetes and experiences of diabetes care to establish a basis for a tailored Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for the Swedish National Diabetes Register

OBJECTIVES: There is a growing emphasis on the perspective of individuals living with diabetes and the need for a more person-centred diabetes care. At present, the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) lacks patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) based on the perspective of the patient. As a basis for a new PROM, the aim of this study was to describe important aspects in life for adult individuals with diabetes. DESIGN: Semistructured qualitative interviews analysed using content analysis. SETTING: Hospital-based outpatient clinics and primary healthcare clinics in Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: 29 adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=15) and type 2 DM (n=14). INCLUSION CRITERIA: Swedish adults (≥18 years) living with type 1 DM or type 2 DM (duration ≥5 years) able to describe their situation in Swedish. Purposive sampling generated heterogeneous characteristics. RESULTS: To live a good life with diabetes is demanding for the individual, but experienced barriers can be eased by support from others in the personal sphere, and by professional support from diabetes care. Diabetes care was a crucial resource to nurture the individual's ability and knowledge to manage diabetes, and to facilitate life with diabetes by supplying support, guidance, medical treatment and technical devices tailored to individual needs. The analysis resulted in the overarching theme 'To live a good life with diabetes' constituting the two main categories 'How I feel and how things are going with my diabetes' and 'Support from diabetes care in managing diabetes' including five different categories. CONCLUSIONS: Common aspects were identified including the experience of living with diabetes and support from diabetes care. These will be used to establish a basis for a tailored PROM for the NDR.

New graduate nurses' developmental trajectories for capability beliefs concerning core competencies for healthcare professionals : A national cohort study on patient-centered care, teamwork and evidence-based practice.

Background: This study aimed to describe the developmental trajectories of registered nurses' capability beliefs during their first 3 years of practice. The focus was on three core competencies for health professionals-patient-centered care, teamwork, and evidence-based practice. Methods: A national cohort of registered nurses (n = 1,205) was recruited during their nursing education and subsequently surveyed yearly during the first 3 years of working life. The survey included 16 items on capability beliefs divided into three subscales for the assessment of patient-centered care, teamwork, and evidence-based practice, and the data were analyzed with linear latent growth modeling. Results: The nurses' capability beliefs for patient-centered care increased over the three first years of working life, their capability beliefs for evidence-based practice were stable over the 3 years, and their capability beliefs for teamwork showed a downward trend. Linking evidence to action: Through collaboration between nursing education and clinical practice, the transition to work life could be supported and competence development in newly graduated nurses could be enhanced to help them master the core competencies. Future research should focus on determining which factors impact the development of capability beliefs in new nurses and how these factors can be developed by testing interventions.