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Background: Correct use of personal protective equipment is vital to minimise the risk of patients acquiring healthcare-associated infections. These measures are also important in preventing exposure to occupational infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of personal protective equipment was associated with anxiety, uncertainty and additional training requirements. This study investigated midwives' experiences using personal protective equipment during the pandemic. Methods: This systematic scoping review searched seven academic databases and grey literature. Data analysis was conducted using a thematic analysis framework. Results: A total of 16 studies were included. Four themes were found: 'fear and anxiety', 'personal protective equipment/resources', 'education and training needs' and 'communication'. Conclusions: Management and administration inconsistences, logistical issues and lack of training on personal protective equipment led to midwives' negative feedback. A gap has been identified in the exploration of midwives' experiences as personal protective equipment end-users during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Introduction: Research into patients' perception of empathy has revealed that patients with stomas feel unsupported by healthcare professionals, who can lack an understanding of how it feels to live life with a stoma. A literature review was undertaken to explore what is the evidence for best practice for teaching empathy skills to healthcare professionals and how this can be applied to caring for people with a stoma. Search strategy: Included studies were required to explore teaching empathy or measuring levels of empathy in pre- and post-graduate nurses and in healthcare professionals caring for patients with a stoma. Excluded studies were those involving paediatric and mental health nursing, as these domains of nursing were considered to differ in clinical specialism and any other healthcare professional discipline outside the nursing profession such as doctors or allied healthcare professionals. Results: Given the number of articles reporting that empathy is lacking in stoma care, it is remarkable that so little original research has been carried out in this area, specifically the lack of qualitative research. A variety of interventions were used to assess empathy in pre- and post-graduate nurses, from multiple nations with diverse cultures. Conclusions: Results from the data revealed several themes for the best practice of teaching empathy skills to healthcare professionals, including essential nurse attributes, innate nurse characteristics, nurse experience and the contribution of experiential learning.
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To examine current literature on the role of physical therapy (PT) in management of post COVID-19 related conditions and common symptomatology in adults, as well as potential guidelines for rehabilitation in the outpatient setting. PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane. Searches were conducted to examine current data related to PT interventions and their effectiveness for treating post COVID-19 conditions. Articles were evaluated for relevance based on the following criteria: articles in English, original peer reviewed articles, adult population (over 18), relevant PT interventions for rehabilitation, post-acute infection of COVID-19. Consensus agreement confirmed approximately 25% of reviewed articles. Articles were analyzed for relevance to implications regarding post COVID-19 and potential PT rehabilitation interventions. Interventions were assessed in feasibility and applicability to an outpatient clinic setting. Independent Data Extraction followed by consensus discussion was applied. Articles were examined for content regarding the latest updates on disease criteria, manifestations, new classifications, and cohorts emerging as the pandemic progresses as well as management strategies applicable to PT practice. After article analysis, the findings include a key theme that PT services helped improve overall functional mobility and symptom management in patients after an acute infection of COVID-19. An essential consideration is keeping the interventions specific to the patient and their goals while preventing exacerbations of symptoms that could lead to further setbacks. PT has a growing role in the management of post COVID-19 deficits as well as implications related to long COVID sequelae. By choosing the appropriate parameters and having awareness of the varying symptomology amongst patients, physical therapists can improve patients' functional mobility and post COVID-19 disease management. The focus of future studies should include more specific interventions related to managing conditions and finding the most effective treatment strategies. No conflicts to disclose.
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Burnout in hospice and palliative care nurses is a growing issue, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have focused specifically on burnout in this population. A scoping review was undertaken to identify what is known about burnout among hospice and palliative care nurses, and to unify disparate findings. Analysis of eight articles revealed three overarching categories: personal factors, organizational/workplace factors, and nursing professional development factors. Each category was then divided into three cross-cutting subcategories: contributory and noncontributory factors, mitigating factors, and workplace issues. Recommendations for individuals include self-care as well as self-awareness of intrinsic characteristics that can predispose one to burnout. Within the workplace, leaders are challenged to support evidence-based practice and ongoing education. Role modeling positive communication skills, effective conflict mitigation, responsiveness, promotion of equity, and workplace commitment also help to create a culture of wellness. Nursing professional development may aid in resilience-building, and promotion of self-efficacy, self-confidence, and assertiveness. Although all identified recommendations were derived from the literature, no interventional studies have been conducted to test the effects of suggested interventions. Future research should include interventional studies as well as qualitative research to capture nuanced experiences of burnout in hospice and palliative care nurses.
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Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background and Purpose.: A main component of the conceptual model of excellence in physical therapist education, introduced by Jensen et al, is a culture of excellence. A culture of excellence relies on identifying accountable faculty who set high expectations and execute systems toward ongoing improvement. Peer review of teaching (PRT) is an established system that cultivates a culture of collaboration, reflection, and excellence through feedback and collegial discourse. The purpose of this scoping review was to understand PRT implementation by 1) summarizing the program development process, 2) identifying program characteristics, 3) identifying review instruments, and 4) determining program evaluation strategies. Methods.: A scoping review was conducted using a methodological framework. With library scientist counsel, search terms were established, and 3 databases were queried for articles describing PRT programs in health care education. Articles were managed in the Covidence Systematic Review Management Software. Researchers independently screened search results for article inclusion and extracted data from included studies. Descriptive data analysis was conducted. Results.: Thirty-five articles met inclusion criteria. Seven different health care professions have published PRT articles;however, none in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education. Results indicated that most programs underwent a systematic development process, included faculty input, and sought to ensure consistency between the program purpose and characteristics. A 3-step formative process was most common. Faculty were paired systematically or used self-selection. Evaluative instruments were often program specific, guided by core competencies of teaching excellence or previously published tools. Program outcomes commonly reported positive faculty opinion of PRT and teaching improvement. Only 2 articles evaluated student metrics to assess PRT impact and effectiveness. Discussion and Conclusion.: Peer review of teaching has been successfully adopted by health care education faculty to promote teaching excellence and could be a foundation for creating a culture of excellence in DPT education. These results provide an understanding of the processes for implementing PRT to guide DPT educators establishing PRT programs.
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Food insecurity disproportionately burdens low-income households and has deleterious impacts on diet quality and health. Food system interventions are gaining in political salience, including short value chain (SVC) models of healthy food access that aim to minimize physical and social distance between producers and consumers. To evaluate, quantitatively, the influence of SVC interventions on food security, diet, and health outcomes, and characterize qualitatively-reported barriers to and facilitators of SVC participation. systematic review of English-language, peer-reviewed studies focused on low-income, US-based households. The search was executed across 9 databases in June 2021: Agricola, CAB s, CINAHL, Embase, Public Affairs Index, PubMed, Scopus, SocINDEX, and Web of Science. All references were imported into Covidence for deduplication, screening (in duplicate) and full-text review, with Excel used for data extraction. Studies were included for synthesis if they reported: relationships between SVC intervention participation and quantitative measures of food security, fruit and vegetable intake, total diet quality, or health markers (e.g., anthropometrics, clinical biomarkers), or qualitatively-reported barriers to or facilitators of SVC participation (i.e., uptake) for low-income consumers. Risk of bias was assessed using either the NHLBI Quality Assessment Tools or the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. A total of 13,458 articles were identified and screened for potential inclusion. Specific SVC interventions varied widely and included farmers market programming, community supported agriculture, produce prescriptions, and mobile markets, among other models. Among quantitative studies, food security and fruit and vegetable intake were frequent outcomes, and ones for which findings were generally promising. Measures of total diet quality and health biomarkers, though, were employed less consistently and study design often precluded causal inference. Factors influencing intervention participation varied by model. SVC healthy food access interventions hold potential to benefit low-income households and communities but more studies are needed to discern their causal influence on key outcomes and to inform optimization of their implementation for uptake and impact. None.
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There was an increase in the number (%) of operations performed in 2020, 175 patients (38%) versus mean 158 patients (29%) I P i = 0.001. This is the first Australian study looking at the association of patient's pre-operative condition and FTR of patients who underwent major abdominal surgery. Twenty patients (74.1%) had incisional hernias, four patients (14.8%) had I de novo i Spigelian hernias, two patients (7.4%) were related to blunt trauma, and one patient had a lumbar hernia (3.7%). SMALL BITE VERSUS LARGE BITE STITCHING TECHNIQUE FOR LAPAROTOMY WOUND CLOSURE: A SYSTEMATIC R... Erwin Yii, James Onggo and Ming Yii Eastern Health, VIC B Background: b Mass closure with a continuous suture using large bite stitching technique has been widely accepted for midline laparotomy wound closures. All patients undergoing a surgical procedure from 1 April 2020-2030 June 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic period) were compared to patients pre-pandemic (1 April 2019-2030 June 2019). [Extracted from the article] Copyright of ANZ Journal of Surgery is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)