Expectations and needs of patients with esophageal cancer during curative treatment regarding self-management, self-management support and eHealth: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Self-management is an essential component of the curative treatment trajectory of esophageal cancer patients. The aims of this study were to explore expectations and needs of esophageal cancer patients during curative treatment regarding self-management, relevant aspects of self-management in which they need additional support, and to explore their willingness to use eHealth. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with esophageal cancer patients, who had been treated with neoadjuvant chemo(radio)therapy followed by surgery, maximally 1 year after surgery. Based on the general model of self-management, the following themes were discussed: experience-based knowledge, contribution to care, living with the condition, and organization of care and support. A stepwise systematic text condensation guided the data analysis. RESULTS: All four domains of the general model of self-management were identified. All participants described a remarkable difference between the pre-operative pathway, when it felt like they were taken by the hand, and the postoperative pathway, when it felt like they were thrown into the deep end. They adjusted to their new life situation by learning new experiences, while dealing with their diminished confidence in their bodies. Patients expressed the need for support from different sources, and were open to the idea of using eHealth in addition to usual care. (digital) Self-management support should be easily accessible, person-centered, confidential, and include personal contact. CONCLUSION: Differences were found among esophageal cancer patients regarding self-management, self-management support and eHealth for self-management purposes, indicating there is no one approach that will meet the needs of all patients at all times.

Worry as Important "Feelers" in Clinical Anesthesia Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PURPOSE: Worry is an intuitive sense that goes beyond logical reasoning and is valuable in situations where patients' conditions are rapidly changing or when objective data may not fully capture the complexity of a patient's situation. Nurse anesthetists' subjective reasons for worry are quite vague as they are valued inconsistently and not accurately expressed. This study aimed to identify factors playing a role in the emergence of worry during anesthesia practice to clarify its concept. DESIGN: Mixed-methods design consisting of quantitative online surveys followed by qualitative focus group interviews including Dutch nurse anesthetists. METHODS: Both quantitative and qualitative thematic analyses were performed, followed by data and methodological triangulation to enhance the validity and credibility of findings and mitigate the presence of bias. FINDINGS: Surveys (N = 102) were analyzed, and 14 nurse anesthetists participated in the focus group interviews. A total of 89% of the survey respondents reported that at least once have had the feeling of worry, of which 92% use worry during clinical anesthesia practice. Worry was mentioned to be a vital element during anesthesia practice that makes it possible to take precautionary actions to change the anesthetic care plan in a changing situation or patient deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: While a clear definition of worry could not be given, it is a valuable element of anesthesia practice as it serves as a catalyst for critical thinking, problem-solving, clinical reasoning, and decision-making. Use of the feeling of worry alongside technological systems to make an informed decision is crucial. Technology has significantly improved the ability of health care providers to detect and respond to patient deterioration promptly, but it is crucial for nurse anesthetists to use their feeling of worry or intuition alongside technological systems and evidence-based practice to ensure quick assessments or judgments based on experience, knowledge, and observations in clinical practice.

The impact of the catheter to vein ratio on peripheral intravenous cannulation success, a post-hoc analyses.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous cannulation is usually the first procedure performed in modern healthcare, although establishing peripheral intravenous access is challenging in some patients. The impact of the ratio between venous diameter and the size of the inserted catheter (catheter to vein ratio, CVR) on the first attempt success rate can be of added value in clinical. This study tries to give insight into the consideration that must be made when selecting the target vein and the type of catheter, and proved the null hypothesis that an optimal CVR would not be associated with increased first attempt cannulation success. METHODS: This was a post-hoc analyses on adult patients admitted for peripheral intravenous cannulation. Intravenous cannulation was performed according to practice guidelines, by applying the traditional landmark approach. The CVR was calculated afterwards for each individual patient by dividing the external diameter of the inserted catheter by the diameter of the target vein, which was multiplied by 100%. RESULTS: In total, 610 patients were included. The median CVR was 0.39 (0.15) in patients with a successful first attempt, whereas patients with an unsuccessful first attempt had a median CVR of 0.55 (0.20) (P<0.001). The optimal cut-off point of the CVR was 0.41. First attempt cannulation was successful in 92% of patients with a CVR<0.41, whereas as those with a CVR>0.41 had a first attempt success rate of 65% (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This first introduction of the CVR in relation to cannulation success should be further investigated. Although, measuring the venous diameter or detection of a vein with a specific diameter prior to cannulation may increase first attempt cannulation success.

Comparison of the dilatory effect of three strategies on peripheral veins of the upper extremity in adults.

BACKGROUND: Dilated veins are associated with increased success of peripheral intravenous cannulation, due to their improved visibility and palpability. We compared three strategies to achieve venodilation (tourniquet, electrical stimulation, or a combined strategy) on increase in venous size. METHODS: A total of 54 volunteers participated in this cross-over observational study with healthy adults, measuring venous cross-sectional area and diameter at six different sites of the upper extremity. Measurements were performed with ultrasound after performing any dilation strategy and compared with non-dilated venous size. An increased cross-sectional area of 25 square millimeters was denoted as clinically relevant, which was detected with paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, or ANOVA. RESULTS: The cephalic vein was the greatest at all sites (t=12.43, df=39, P<0.001 for the cross-sectional area), but the largest increase in venous size was obtained in the basilic vein (t=12.11, df=39, P<0.001 for the cross-sectional area). The largest increase in venous size was obtained after electrical stimulation followed by tourniquet application at all measurement sites. The basilic vein increased by with 44% in cross-sectional area and 21% in diameter, which were 37% and 17% for the cross-sectional area and diameter of the cephalic vein. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the largest sized veins are situated in the upper arm, of which the cephalic vein has the largest cross-sectional area and diameter. The combination of electrical stimulation followed by tourniquet application resulted in the greatest increase in venous size and is therefore considered as the most effective to improve peripheral intravenous cannulation success.

The Modified A-DIVA Scale as a Predictive Tool for Prospective Identification of Adult Patients at Risk of a Difficult Intravenous Access: A Multicenter Validation Study.

Peripheral intravenous cannulation is the most common invasive hospital procedure but is associated with a high failure rate. This study aimed to improve the A-DIVA scale (Adult Difficult Intra Venous Access Scale) by external validation, to predict the likelihood of difficult intravenous access in adults. This multicenter study was carried out throughout five hospitals in the Netherlands. Adult participants were included, regardless of their indication for intravenous access, demographics, and medical history. The main outcome variable was defined as failed peripheral intravenous cannulation on the first attempt. A total of 3587 participants was included in this study. The first attempt success rate was 81%. Finally, five variables were included in the prediction model: a history of difficult intravenous cannulation, a difficult intravenous access as expected by the practitioner, the inability to detect a dilated vein by palpating and/or visualizing the extremity, and a diameter of the selected vein less than 3 millimeters. Based on a participant's individual score on the A-DIVA scale, they were classified into either a low, moderate, or high-risk group. A higher score on the A-DIVA scale indicates a higher risk of difficult intravenous access. The five-variable additive A-DIVA scale is a reliable and generalizable predictive scale to identify patients at risk of difficult intravenous access.

Is it economically viable to employ the nurse practitioner in general practice?

AIMS: This article provides insight into the potential economic viability of nurse practitioner employment in Dutch general practices. BACKGROUND: General practitioners face the challenging task of finding the most efficient and effective mix of professionals in general practice to accommodate future care demands within scarce health care budgets. To enable informed decision-making about skill mix issues, economic information is needed. DESIGN: Discursive paper. METHOD: A descriptive and explorative design was chosen to study the economic viability of nurse practitioner employment in general practice. The conditions under which the nurse practitioner is able to earn back his/her own cost of employment were identified. Preferences and expectations of general practitioners and health insurers about nurse practitioner reimbursement were made transparent. RESULTS: Although general practitioners and health insurers acknowledge the importance of the nurse practitioner in accommodating primary care demands, they have polarised views about reimbursement. The employment of nurse practitioners is seldom economically viable in current practices. It requires a reallocation of (80% of) the general practitioner's freed up time towards practice growth (12% number of patients). CONCLUSION: The economic viability of the nurse practitioner has proven difficult to achieve in every day health care practice. This study provided insight into the complex interaction of the (cost) parameters that result in economic viability and feeds a further discussion about the content of the nurse practitioner role in general practice based on optimal quality of care vs. efficiency. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Effective and efficient health care can only be provided if the actual care needs of a population provide the basis for deciding which mix of professionals is best equipped to deal with the changing and increasing demand of care. A macro-level intervention is needed to help a broad-scale introduction of the nurse practitioner in general practice.

The value of nurse practitioners in Dutch general practices.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems are faced with a changing and increasing demand for care. Against the background of the need to increase service capacity and to improve access to primary care, a project was initiated to introduce the nurse practitioner (NP) role into Dutch general practices. OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of the NP by describing NP roles and their concordance with the initial concepts of the NP training programme. METHODS: An observational longitudinal design, using mixed methods, was conducted between March 2004 and June 2008. A convenience sample of seven NPs and seven teaching general practitioners (GPs), together constituting seven experimental groups, was used. Project documentation and data from consultations between NPs and GPs were collected. Twenty-nine interviews were performed, focusing on NP roles, competencies of NPs and collaboration between professionals. RESULTS: As was anticipated, all NPs have patients with common complaints as their main focus, as well as managing the quality of care projects. Differences between NPs are reported in the percentages of time spent in performing home visits, caring for older people, patient related activities and non-patient related activities. CONCLUSION: NPs contribute to the accessibility and availability of primary care as well as to collaboration in and quality of primary care. The roles they adopt are influenced by practice needs and financial incentives. It is not clear to what degree NPs have to perform activities to improve quality of care and further research is necessary to define NP core competencies.

Economic evaluation of nurse practitioners versus GPs in treating common conditions.

BACKGROUND: As studies evaluating substitution of care have revealed only limited evidence on cost-effectiveness, a trial was conducted to evaluate nurse practitioners as a first point of contact in Dutch general practices. AIM: To estimate costs of GP versus nurse practitioner consultations from practice and societal perspectives. DESIGN OF STUDY: An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial between May and October 2006, wherein 12 nurse practitioners and 50 GPs working in 15 general practices (study practices) participated. Consultations by study practices were also compared with an external reference group, with 17 GPs working in five general practices without the involvement of nurse practitioners. METHOD: Direct costs within the healthcare sector included resource use, follow-up consultations, length of consultations, and salary costs. Costs outside the healthcare sector were productivity losses. Sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Direct costs were lower for nurse practitioner consultations than for GP consultations at study practices. This was also the case for direct costs plus costs from a societal perspective for patients aged <65 years. Direct costs of consultations at study practices were lower than those of reference practices, while practices did not differ for direct costs plus costs from a societal perspective for patients aged <65 years. Cost differences are mainly caused by the differences in salary. CONCLUSION: By involving nurse practitioners, substantial economic 'savings' could be used for redesigning primary care, to optimise the best skill mix, and to cover the full range of primary care activities.

Nurse practitioners substituting for general practitioners: randomized controlled trial.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study conducted to evaluate process and outcomes of care provided to patients with common complaints by general practitioners or specially trained nurse practitioners as first point of contact. BACKGROUND: Studies in the United States of America and Great Britain show that substituting nurse practitioners for general practitioners results in higher patient satisfaction and higher quality of care. As the American and British healthcare system and settings differ from that in The Netherlands, a Dutch trial was conducted. METHODS: A total of 1501 patients in 15 general practices were randomized to consultation by a general practitioner or a nurse practitioner. Data were collected over a 6-month period in 2006 by means of questionnaires, extracting medical records from practice computer systems and recording the length of consultations. FINDINGS: In both groups, the patients highly appreciated the quality of care. No statistically significant differences were found in health status, medical resource consumption and compliance of practical guidelines in primary care in The Netherlands. Patients in the NP intervention group were more often invited to re-attend, had more follow-up consultations and their consultations took statistically significantly longer. CONCLUSION: Nurse practitioners and general practitioners provide comparable care. Our findings support an increased involvement of specially trained nurse practitioners in the Dutch primary care and contribute to knowledge of the effectiveness of care provision by nurse practitioners from a national and international perspective.

Critical appraisal of the literature on economic evaluations of substitution of skills between professionals: a systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Substitution of skills has been introduced to increase health service efficiency, but little evidence is available about its cost-effectiveness. This systematic review aims to identify economic evaluations of substitution between professionals, to assess the quality of the study methods applied and to value the results for decision making. METHODS: Publications between January 1996 and November 2006 were searched in Medline, Cochrane, Cinahl, database of Health Technology Assessments, EPOC and Embase. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cost-benefit analysis, interrupted time series design and systematic reviews were selected. The methodological quality of the papers was reviewed, using the critical appraisal of Drummond and the EPOC list. RESULTS: Eleven studies were finally included of 7605 studies: three cost-effectiveness studies, three cost-minimization studies and five studies related to partial economic evaluations. Small numbers of participating professionals and several limitations in the cost valuation and the measurement of costs were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Several potential limitations influence the validity and generalizability. Full economic evaluations per se are of limited value for making decisions about substitution of skills. The tenuous relationship between structural, process and outcome variables is not sufficient investigated. For meaningfully placing the costs and consequences of substitution of skills in the context of health care and generating relevant data for decision making, it is strongly recommended to combine an economic evaluation (RCT) with an observational longitudinal study.