ADAMS project: a genetic Association study in individuals from Diverse Ancestral backgrounds with Multiple Sclerosis based in the UK.

PURPOSE: Genetic studies of multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility and severity have focused on populations of European ancestry. Studying MS genetics in other ancestral groups is necessary to determine the generalisability of these findings. The genetic Association study in individuals from Diverse Ancestral backgrounds with Multiple Sclerosis (ADAMS) project aims to gather genetic and phenotypic data on a large cohort of ancestrally-diverse individuals with MS living in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with self-reported MS from diverse ancestral backgrounds. Recruitment is via clinical sites, online (https://app.mantal.co.uk/adams) or the UK MS Register. We are collecting demographic and phenotypic data using a baseline questionnaire and subsequent healthcare record linkage. We are collecting DNA from participants using saliva kits (Oragene-600) and genotyping using the Illumina Global Screening Array V.3. FINDINGS TO DATE: As of 3 January 2023, we have recruited 682 participants (n=446 online, n=55 via sites, n=181 via the UK MS Register). Of this initial cohort, 71.2% of participants are female, with a median age of 44.9 years at recruitment. Over 60% of the cohort are non-white British, with 23.5% identifying as Asian or Asian British, 16.2% as Black, African, Caribbean or Black British and 20.9% identifying as having mixed or other backgrounds. The median age at first symptom is 28 years, and median age at diagnosis is 32 years. 76.8% have relapsing-remitting MS, and 13.5% have secondary progressive MS. FUTURE PLANS: Recruitment will continue over the next 10 years. Genotyping and genetic data quality control are ongoing. Within the next 3 years, we aim to perform initial genetic analyses of susceptibility and severity with a view to replicating the findings from European-ancestry studies. In the long term, genetic data will be combined with other datasets to further cross-ancestry genetic discoveries.

Evaluation of a Sepsis Alert in the Pediatric Acute Care Setting.

BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis can cause significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. Early recognition and treatment are vital to improving patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of a best practice alert in improving recognition of sepsis and timely treatment to improve mortality in the pediatric acute care setting. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team adapted a sepsis alert from the emergency room setting to facilitate identification of sepsis in acute care pediatric inpatient areas. The sepsis alert included clinical decision support to aid in timely treatment, prompting the use of intravenous fluid boluses, and antibiotic administration. We compared sepsis-attributable mortality, time to fluid and antibiotic administration, proportion of patients who required transfer to a higher level of care, and antibiotic days for the year prior to the sepsis alert (2017) to the postimplementation phase (2019). RESULTS: We had 79 cases of severe sepsis in 2017 and 154 cases in 2019. Of these, we found an absolute reduction in both 3-day sepsis-attributable mortality (2.53 vs. 0%) and 30-day mortality (3.8 vs. 1.3%) when comparing the pre- and postintervention groups. Though our analysis was underpowered due to small sample size, we also identified reductions in median time to fluid and antibiotic administration, proportion of patients who were transferred to the intensive care unit, and no observable increase in antibiotic days. CONCLUSION: Electronic sepsis alerts may assist in improving recognition of sepsis and support timely antibiotic and fluid administration in pediatric acute care settings.

Continuous Albuterol in Pediatric Acute Care: Study Demonstrates Safety Outside the Intensive Care Unit.

There are little data to support the use of continuous aerosolized albuterol (CAA) in the non-intensive care unit (ICU) or non-emergency department (ED) setting for pediatric asthma patients. A 2014 study demonstrated low rates of adverse outcomes associated with administration of CAA on the acute care unit; however, the authors do not describe additional outcomes. We sought to determine whether administration of CAA within a respiratory cohort on an acute care floor was feasible and safe. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study evaluates data 1 year before and after (2014-2016) the initiation of CAA on the acute care inpatient unit for asthma patients 2-18 years of age. Outcome measures included ED and hospital length of stay (LOS), readmission rate, rapid response team activations, and transfers to ICU. Use of chest x-rays, viral studies, and hospital charges were also studied. RESULTS: Seven hundred thirty-two patients met study criteria. Population demographics and severity of acute presentation were similar pre- and poststudy. ED LOS decreased poststudy, whereas overall hospital LOS was unchanged. Fifteen-day readmission rate decreased in the poststudy group. Only 4 rapid response activations occurred in the poststudy population. The poststudy group utilized fewer chest x-rays and viral studies. There was no change in overall hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS: With appropriate resources and safety processes in place, care of pediatric patients with status asthmaticus receiving CAA on an acute care unit, outside of the ICU, resulted in improved ED LOS with evidence of lower resource utilization and rare adverse outcomes.

Can follow-up phone calls improve patients self-monitoring of blood glucose?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of follow-up phone calls in improving frequency of glucose monitoring over a three month period in two groups of patients with type 2 diabetes with the goal to lower haemoglobin A1C. BACKGROUND: Telephone intervention has been successfully used in improving adherence to diabetes self-management and other chronic disease conditions. DESIGN: A quality improvement study. METHODS: Forty one Type 2 diabetic patients with HA1C ≥7·5% were included in the study. The patients were assigned to two groups. The first group of patients received standard diabetic care (Group 1) and the second group of patients (Group 2) received standard diabetic care plus follow-up phone calls within two weeks after a monthly clinic visit over a three month period. A haemoglobin A1C if indicated was done at the initial study visit. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline haemoglobin A1C between the two groups or the three month haemoglobin A1C of the two groups. There were no statistically significant differences in mean haemoglobin A1C change between Group 1 and Group 2. The analysis revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between groups in the number of patients who kept logs of their blood glucose readings throughout the study. CONCLUSION: The intervention using telephone follow-up calls did not show a statistically significant improvement in overall HA1C, but there was a clinically significant change in HA1C in the group of patients that received follow-up phone calls. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The clinical significance of the change in A1C in the follow-up phone call group (Group 2) supports that frequent contact by telephone may likely improve adherence to diabetes self-management.

Fear of blood draw and total draw time combine to predict vasovagal reactions among whole blood donors.

BACKGROUND: Fear of blood draws is a predictor of vasovagal reaction risk among whole blood donors, and this relationship is particularly evident among less experienced donors. This study examines the combined effect of donor fear and total blood draw time on vasovagal reactions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: After successfully completing the blood donor health screening, 2730 whole blood donors attending high school drives were asked about their fear of having blood drawn. Donor reports of fear versus no fear were combined with total blood draw time to predict phlebotomist ratings of donor vasovagal reactions. RESULTS: Both fear and draw time were significant predictors of vasovagal reactions, with observed reaction rates of 31.2% for fearful donors whose blood draw lasted 10 minutes or more versus 5.0% for nonfearful donors whose draw lasted less than 6 minutes. Binomial regression analyses revealed that fear remained a significant predictor of reaction rates across all blood draw intervals examined (odds ratio, 2.8-4.1; all p < 0.001) and that these effects were maintained after controlling for donor sex, weight, estimated blood volume, pulse rate, and donation status. CONCLUSION: This report shows that both fear and blood draw time increase vasovagal reaction rates, and the two are additive. These findings suggest that fearful donors should be the focus of special attention to reduce their distress before donation as well as careful observation throughout the draw.

Fear of blood draws, vasovagal reactions, and retention among high school donors.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that fear of having blood drawn is one of the strongest known predictors of vasovagal reactions among high school blood donors. This report examines the combined effects of donor fear and experience of vasovagal reactions on repeat donation attempts among high school blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Immediately after completing the blood donor health screening, 1715 high school students were asked about their fear of having blood drawn. The donor record was then used to collect information regarding their experience of vasovagal reactions at the time of donation as well as their subsequent donation attempts within the following year. RESULTS: Fear of having blood drawn and the experience of a vasovagal reaction each contributed to donor attrition, with only 33.2% of fearful donors who experienced a vasovagal reaction returning in the following year compared to 56.7% of nonfearful nonreactors. Path analyses demonstrated that fear has an indirect effect (through vasovagal reactions) on repeat donations among first-time donors and both direct and indirect effects on repeat donation attempts among experienced donors. CONCLUSION: Among high school blood donors, fear of having blood drawn has both a direct negative effect on donor retention and an indirect negative effect by increasing the risk of vasovagal reactions. Accordingly, targeted efforts to reduce donor fear may be particularly efficient in promoting long-term donor loyalty among our youngest donors.

How afraid are you of having blood drawn from your arm? A simple fear question predicts vasovagal reactions without causing them among high school donors.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated in a group of mostly experienced blood donors that fear of blood draws was a significant predictor of vasovagal reactions. Importantly, being asked about one's fear immediately before donation did not increase reaction rates. This study further evaluates the relationship between fear and reactions among high school blood donors, who are known to be at a relatively greater risk for vasovagal reactions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Immediately after completing the blood donor health screening, 17- and 18-year-old high school students were asked about their fear of having blood drawn. Based on a random selection, the fear question was administered in approximately half of the schools, resulting in a final sample of 1715 donors who did and 1692 donors who did not answer the fear question. RESULTS: Fear was a significant predictor of donor reactions and remained a significant independent predictor (along with estimated blood volume and donor sex) in a logistic regression analysis. There was no difference in the proportion of reactions observed between those who did and did not answer the predonation fear question. CONCLUSION: Consistent with previous evidence in older and more experienced blood donors, these findings indicate that assessing fear of blood draws may help to identify those who are most likely to experience vasovagal reactions among young donors without increasing the frequency of such reactions.

Assessment of donor fear enhances prediction of presyncopal symptoms among volunteer blood donors.

BACKGROUND: Fear is an important contributor to the risk of presyncopal reactions to blood donation. However, concern that asking donors about their fears may increase the risk of reactions is a potential impediment to incorporating fear assessment into donor screening. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Before donation, participants responded to a series of questions that either did (n = 488) or did not (n = 494) include questions related to fear of seeing blood drawn. Immediately after donation all participants provided ratings of presyncopal reactions. RESULTS: Among those asked predonation fear questions, fear was most strongly related to presyncopal symptoms when compared against other donor characteristics (e.g., age, number of prior donations, body mass index, estimated blood volume, blood pressure, and pulse). However, Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that being asked about fear before donation was not associated with higher reports of presyncopal reactions for the sample as a whole, nor among novice donors. Further, regression analyses indicated that fear remained a significant predictor of presyncopal reactions in final models that included age and number of prior donations as significant predictors. CONCLUSION: Predonation assessment of fear of blood draws may help to identify donors who are most likely to benefit from brief interventions designed to enhance donor coping, reduce risk of presyncopal reactions, and increase donor retention.

Teaching evidence-based practice skills in a hospital.

Nurses and allied health professionals have the unique opportunity to become empowered through evidence-based practice (EBP) to make significant differences in the lives of patients and their families. Best practices in patient care occur only when staff continually ask questions about treatments and care, search for and evaluate the evidence to support or refute traditional practices, implement best evidence, and evaluate the effectiveness of the evidence as it applies to nursing care. This article presents the establishment of a formal program to teach EBP skills to pediatric nurses and other health care providers at a major children's hospital.

Creating an evidence-based practice environment: one hospital's journey.

There is increasing effort in promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) that supports the best possible care to patients and families. This article describes essential concepts for developing an environment of EBP and its implementation at a large pediatric hospital. Essential components for creating an EBP environment include vision, engagement, integration, and evaluation. An institutional initiative to decrease procedure-related pain demonstrates how EBP is used to improve clinical care.

Creating an evidence-based practice environment: one hospital's journey.

There is increasing effort in promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) that supports the best possible care to patients and families. This article describes essential concepts for developing an environment of EBP and its implementation at a large pediatric hospital. Essential components for creating an EBP environment include vision, engagement, integration, and evaluation. An institutional initiative to decrease procedure-related pain demonstrates how EBP is used to improve clinical care.