Factors predictive of hospital admission for children via emergency departments in Australia and Sweden: an observational cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Identifying factors predictive of hospital admission can be useful to prospectively inform bed management and patient flow strategies and decrease emergency department (ED) crowding. It is largely unknown if admission rate or factors predictive of admission vary based on the population to which the ED served (i.e., children only, or both adults and children). This study aimed to describe the profile and identify factors predictive of hospital admission for children who presented to four EDs in Australia and one ED in Sweden. METHODS: A multi-site observational cross-sectional study using routinely collected data pertaining to ED presentations made by children < 18 years of age between July 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012. Univariate and multivariate analysis were undertaken to determine factors predictive of hospital admission. RESULTS: Of the 151,647 ED presentations made during the study period, 22% resulted in hospital admission. Admission rate varied by site; the children's EDs in Australia had higher admission rates (South Australia: 26%, Queensland: 23%) than the mixed (adult and children's) EDs (South Australia: 13%, Queensland: 17%, Sweden: 18%). Factors most predictive of hospital admission for children, after controlling for triage category, included hospital type (children's only) adjusted odds ratio (aOR):2.3 (95%CI: 2.2-2.4), arrival by ambulance aOR:2.8 (95%CI: 2.7-2.9), referral from primary health aOR:1.5 (95%CI: 1.4-1.6) and presentation with a respiratory or gastrointestinal condition (aOR:2.6, 95%CI: 2.5-2.8 and aOR:1.5, 95%CI: 1.4-1.6, respectively). Predictors were similar when each site was considered separately. CONCLUSIONS: Although the characteristics of children varied by site, factors predictive of hospital admission were mostly similar. The awareness of these factors predicting the need for hospital admission can support the development of clinical pathways.

A New Perspective on Missed Nursing Care in the Emergency Department: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: This descriptive cross-sectional study describes missed nursing care, quality of care, and patient safety rated by nursing staff in emergency departments. Required patient care that is omitted or delayed (missed nursing care) is associated with poorer quality of care and increased risk for adverse events, but studies are scarce in the emergency setting. METHODS: Emergency registered nurses and nursing assistants (N=126) at 2 Swedish emergency departments participated in the study. The MISSCARE survey-Swedish version was used for data collection. RESULTS: Emergency nursing staff assessed that nursing care is frequently missed in the emergency department. More than half of the 24 nursing care items were reported as missed by over 50% of the participants, and registered nurses rated most items significantly higher compared to nursing assistants. Half of the nursing staff perceived quality of care to be good, but nearly the same proportion perceived patient safety as poor. Registered nurses viewed both quality and safety worse than nursing assistants. DISCUSSION: The present study found very high levels of missed nursing care in most nursing items. Results indicate that nursing staff in emergency departments need to prioritize between the tasks and that some tasks may not be relevant in the context. The emergency setting focuses primarily on identifying signs of urgency, assessing patients, performing interventions, and diagnostics. However, even items that seemed to be prioritized, such as reassessment of vital signs, had a surprisingly high level of missed nursing care in comparison to in-hospital wards.

Differences between Registered Nurses and nurse assistants around missed nursing care-An observational, comparative study.

BACKGROUND: From a nursing perspective, tasks that are not carried out, and the consequences of this, have been studied for over a decade. The difference between Registered Nurses (RNs) and nurse assistants (NAs) regarding qualifications and work tasks, and the profound knowledge around RN-to-patient ratios, warrants investigating missed nursing care (MNC) for each group rather than as one (nursing staff). AIM: To describe and compare RNs and NAs ratings of and reasons for MNC at in-hospital wards. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a comparative approach. RNs and NAs at in-hospital medical and surgical wards for adults were invited to answer the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version, including questions on patient safety and quality of care. RESULTS: A total of 205 RNs and 219 NAs answered the questionnaire. Quality of care and patient safety was rated as good by both RNs and NAs. Compared to NAs, RNs reported more MNC, for example, in the item 'Turning patient every 2 h' (p < 0.001), 'Ambulation three times per day or as ordered' (p = 0.018), and 'Mouth care' (p < 0.001). NAs reported more MNC in the items 'Medications administered within 30 min before or after scheduled time' (p = 0.005), and 'Patient medication requests acted on within 15 min' (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the samples concerning reasons for MNC. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that RNs' and NAs' ratings of MNC to a large extent differed between the groups. RNs and NAs should be viewed as separate groups based on their different knowledge levels and roles when caring for patients. Thus, viewing all nursing staff as a homogenous group in MNC research may mask important differences between the groups. These differences are important to address when taking actions to reduce MNC in the clinical setting.

Thoracic injuries in trauma patients: epidemiology and its influence on mortality.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic injuries are common among trauma patients. Studies on trauma patients with thoracic injuries have reported considerable differences in morbidity and mortality, and there is limited research on comparison between trauma patients with and without thoracic injuries, particularly in the Scandinavian population. Thoracic injuries in trauma patients should be identified early and need special attention since the differences in injury patterns among patient population are important as they entail different treatment regimens and influence patient outcomes. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of trauma patients with and without thoracic injuries and its influence on 30-day mortality. METHODS: Patients were identified through the Karolinska Trauma Register. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) system was used to find patients with thoracic injuries. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors [age, gender, ASA class, GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale), NISS (New Injury Severity Score) and thoracic injury] associated with 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 2397 patients were included. Of those, 768 patients (32%) had a thoracic injury. The mean (± SD, range) age of all patients (n = 2397) was 46 (20, 18-98) years, and the majority (n = 1709, 71%) of the patients were males. There was a greater proportion of patients with rib fractures among older (≥ 60 years) patients, whereas younger patients had a higher proportion of injuries to the internal thoracic organs. The 30-day mortality was 11% (n = 87) in patients with thoracic injury and 4.3% (n = 71) in patients without. After multivariable adjustment, a thoracic injury was found to be associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-3.0); as was age ≥ 60 years (OR 3.7, 95% CI 2.3-6.0), ASA class 3-4 (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.6), GCS 1-8 (OR 21, 95% CI 13-33) and NISS > 15 (OR 4.2, 2.4-7.3). CONCLUSION: Thoracic injury was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality after adjustment for relevant key variables. We also found a difference in injury patterns with older patients having a higher proportion of rib fractures, whilst younger patients suffered more internal thoracic organ injuries.

Missed nursing care in the critical care unit, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Todescribe and evaluate reported missed nursing care in the critical care context during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: A comparative cross-sectional design was used, comparing missed nursing care in three samples: before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, during the second wave of the pandemic in spring 2020, and during the third wave of the pandemic in fall 2021. SETTING: The study was conducted at critical care units at a university hospital, Sweden. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version was used to collect data along with two study-specific questions concerning perception of patient safety and quality of care. RESULTS: Significantly more overtime hours and number of days absent due to illness were reported during the pandemic. The nurse/patient ratio was above the recommended level at all data collection time points. Most missed nursing care was reported in items concerning basic care. The most reported reasons for missed nursing care in all samples concerned inadequate staffing, urgent situations, and a rise in patient volume. Most nurses in all samples perceived the level of patient safety and quality of care as good, and the majority had no intention to leave their current position. CONCLUSION: The pandemic had a great impact on the critical care workforce but few elements of missed nursing care were affected. To measure and use missed nursing care as a quality indicator could be valuable for nursing managers, to inform them and improve their ability to meet changes in patient needs with different workforce approaches in critical care settings.

A longitudinal, retrospective registry-based validation study of RETTS©, the Swedish adult ED context version.

BACKGROUND: Triage and triage related work has been performed in Swedish Emergency Departments (EDs) since the mid-1990s. The Rapid Emergency Triage and Treatment System (RETTS©), with annual updates, is the most applied triage system. However, the national implementation has been performed despite low scientific foundation for triage as a method, mainly related to the absence of adjustment to age and gender. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies of RETTS© in Swedish ED context, especially of RETTS© validity. Hence, the aim the study was to determine the validity of RETTS©. METHODS: A longitudinal retrospective register study based on cohort data from a healthcare region comprising two EDs in southern Sweden. Two editions of RETTS© was selected; year 2013 and 2016, enabling comparison of crude data, and adjusted for age-combined Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) and gender. All patients ≥ 18 years visiting either of the two EDs seeing a physician, was included. Primary outcome was ten-day mortality, secondary outcome was admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The data was analysed with descriptive, and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Totally 74,845 patients were included. There was an increase in patients allocated red or orange triage levels (unstable) between the years, but a decrease of admission, both to general ward and ICU. Of all patients, 1031 (1.4%) died within ten-days. Both cohorts demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the triage levels, i.e. a higher risk for ten-day mortality and ICU admission for patients in all triage levels compared to those in green triage level. Furthermore, significant statistically differences were demonstrated for ICU admission, crude as well as adjusted, and for adjusted data ten-day mortality, indicating that ACCI explained ten-day mortality, but not ICU admission. However, no statistically significant difference was found for the two annual editions of RETTS© considering ten-day mortality, crude data. CONCLUSION: The annual upgrade of RETTS© had no statistically significant impact on the validity of the triage system, considering the risk for ten-day mortality. However, the inclusion of ACCI, or at least age, can improve the validity of the triage system.

Do-Not-Attempt-Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions in patients admitted through the emergency department in a Swedish University Hospital - An observational study of outcome, patient characteristics and changes in DNACPR decisions.

AIMS: The aims were to examine patient and hospital characteristics associated with Do-Not-Attempt-Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions for adult admissions through the emergency department (ED), for patients with DNACPR decisions to examine patient and hospital characteristics associated with hospital mortality, and to explore changes in CPR status. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of adult patients admitted through the ED at Karolinska University Hospital 1 January to 31 October 2015. RESULTS: The cohort included 25,646 ED admissions, frequency of DNACPR decisions was 11% during hospitalisation. Patients with DNACPR decisions were older, with an overall higher burden of chronic comorbidities, unstable triage scoring, hospital mortality and one-year mortality compared to those without. For patients with DNACPR decisions, 63% survived to discharge and one-year mortality was 77%. Age and comorbidities for patients with DNACPR decisions were similar regardless of hospital mortality, those who died showed signs of more severe acute illness on ED arrival. Change in CPR status during hospitalisation was 5% and upon subsequent admission 14%. For patients discharged with DNACPR decisions, reversal of DNACPR status upon subsequent admission was 32%, with uncertainty as to whether this reversal was active or a consequence of a lack of consideration. CONCLUSION: For a mixed population of adults admitted through the ED, frequency of DNACPR decisions was 11%. Two-thirds of patients with DNACPR decisions were discharged, but one-year mortality was high. For patients discharged with DNACPR decisions, reversal of DNACPR status was substantial and this should merit further attention.

A first remotely-delivered guided brief intervention to reduce intrusive memories of psychological trauma for healthcare staff working during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Addressing the mental health needs of healthcare staff exposed to psychologically traumatic events at work during the COVID-19 pandemic is a pressing global priority. We need to swiftly develop interventions to target the psychological consequences (e.g., persistent intrusive memories of trauma). Interventions for healthcare staff must be brief, flexible, fitted around the reality and demands of working life under the pandemic, and repeatable during ongoing/further trauma exposure. Intervention delivery during the pandemic should be remote to mitigate risk of infection; e.g., here using a blend of digitalized self-administered materials (e.g., video instructions) and guided (remote) support from a researcher. This parallel groups, two-arm, randomised controlled trial (RCT) with healthcare staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic is the first evaluation of whether a digitalized form of a brief cognitive task intervention, which is remotely-delivered (guided), reduces intrusive memories. Healthcare staff who experience intrusive memories of work-related traumatic event(s) during the COVID-19 pandemic (≥2 in the week before inclusion) will be randomly allocated (1:1) to receive either the cognitive task intervention or an active (attention placebo) control, and followed up at 1-week, 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months post-intervention. The primary outcome will be the number of intrusive memories reported during Week 5; secondary and other outcomes include the number of intrusive memories reported during Week 1, and other intrusive symptoms. Findings will inform further development and dissemination of a brief cognitive task intervention to target intrusive memories.

Patient safety, quality of care and missed nursing care at a cardiology department during the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIM: To evaluate missed nursing care and patient safety during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at in-patient cardiology wards. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design with a comparative approach. METHOD: Registered nurses and nurse assistants at a cardiology department were invited to answer the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version, and questions on patient safety and quality of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were compared with a reference sample. RESULTS: A total of 43 registered nurses and nurse assistants in the COVID-19 sample and 59 in the reference sample participated. The COVID-19 sample reported significantly more overtime hours and more absence from work due to illness in comparison with the reference sample. The patient safety and quality of care were perceived significantly worse, 76.7% (N = 33) versus 94.7% (N = 54), and 85.7% (N = 36) versus 98.3% (N = 58, respectively. The COVID-19 sample reported more missed nursing care in wound care and in basic nursing.

Reaching people soon after a traumatic event: an exploratory observational feasibility study of recruitment in the emergency department to deliver a brief behavioral intervention via smartphone to prevent intrusive memories of trauma.

BACKGROUND: The current study explored how to recruit patients soon after a traumatic event, to deliver a novel intervention in a new emergency department in Sweden. This brief behavioral intervention aims to prevent intrusive memories and is delivered soon after trauma in the emergency department. In the UK, it has shown promising results. Traumatic events resulting in admission to the emergency department (e.g., road traffic accidents) may result in subsequent mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, where intrusive memories of the trauma constitute a core clinical feature. Early interventions that prevent intrusive memories after psychological trauma are lacking. Specific aims were to explore identification of eligible patients (aim 1), fitting in with emergency department staff routines to deliver the study protocol (aim 2), and using the patients' own smartphones to deliver intervention/control task (aim 3). Two changes to the previous study were (i) extending the trauma types included (ii) a new control condition, also by smartphone. METHODS: This is an explorative observational study. Data was both analyzed descriptively and using the Framework method. RESULTS: We identified several possible ways to recruit patients, and establish a sense of embeddedness in the Swedish emergency department context and a positive appreciation from staff. The study protocol was tested with 8 participants. Tasks both in the intervention and control condition were readily delivered via patients' own smartphones. CONCLUSION: Recruitment of patients and smartphone delivery of the intervention indicates initial feasibility. Researcher presence and administration of study procedures was successfully fitted to emergency department routines and well received by staff. Further pilot work is warranted, underscoring the importance of our collaboration between nursing and psychology.

Low adherence to legislation regarding Do-Not-Attempt-Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation orders in a Swedish University Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The ethical principles of resuscitation have been incorporated into Swedish legislation so that a decision to not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) entails (1) consultation with patient or relatives if consultation with patient was not possible and documentation of their attitudes; (2) consultation with other licensed caregivers; (3) documentation of the grounds for the DNACPR. Our aim was to evaluate adherence to this legislation, explore the grounds for the decision and the attitudes of patients and relatives towards DNACPR orders. METHODS: We included DNACPR forms issued after admission through the emergency department at Karolinska University Hospital between 1st January and 31st October, 2015. Quantitative analysis evaluated adherence to legislation and qualitative analysis of a random sample of 20% evaluated the grounds for the decision and the attitudes. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 3583 DNACPR forms. In 40% of these it was impossible to consult the patient, and relatives were consulted in 46% of these cases. For competent patients, consultation occurred in 28% and the most common attitude was to wish to refrain from resuscitation. Relatives were consulted in 26% and they mainly agreed with the decision. Grounds for the DNAR decision was most commonly severe chronic comorbidity, malignancy or multimorbidity with or without an acute condition. All requirements of the legislation were fulfilled in 10% of the cases. CONCLUSION: In 90% of the cases physicians failed to fulfil all requirements in the Swedish legislation regarding DNAR orders. The decision was mostly based on chronic, severe comorbidity or multimorbidity.

Nursing staff ratio and skill mix in Swedish emergency departments: A national cross-sectional benchmark study.

AIM: The aim of this study is to describe ratio and skill mix for nursing staff in Swedish emergency departments over a specific 24-h period. BACKGROUND: The link between number of patients per nursing staff and missed nursing care is well described within the in-hospital setting, showing association with negative outcomes such as increased mortality. Potential association within the emergency department setting is still unexplored. METHOD: This is a national descriptive cross-sectional benchmark study. RESULTS: The majority (n = 54; 89%) of Swedish emergency departments participated. The patients-per-registered nurse ratio varied between the shifts, from 0.3 patients to 8.8 patients (mean 3.2). The variation of patients per licenced practical nurse varied, from 1.5 to 23.5 patients (mean 5.0). The average skill mix was constant at around 60% registered nurses and 40% licenced practical nurses. CONCLUSION: The varying ratios for patient per registered nurse and licenced practical nurse in Swedish emergency departments are noteworthy. Furthermore, the patient flow and nursing staff numbers did not match one another, resulting in higher nursing staff ratios during the evening shift. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Findings can be used to improve rosters in relation to crowding, to manage the challenging recruitment and retention situation for nursing staff and to improve patient safety.

An updated national survey of triage and triage related work in Sweden: a cross-sectional descriptive and comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Triage and triage related work has been performed in Swedish Emergency Departments (EDs) since the mid-1990s. According to two national surveys from 2005 to 2011, triage was carried out with different triage scales and without guidelines or formal education. Furthermore, a review from 2010 questioned the scientific evidence for both triage as a method as well as the Swedish five level triage scale Medical Emergency Triage and Treatment System (METTS); nevertheless, METTS was applied in 65% of the EDs in 2011. Subsequently, METTS was renamed to Rapid Emergency Triage and Treatment System (RETTS©). The hypothesis for this study is that the method of triage is still applied nationally and that the use of METTS/RETTS© has increased. Hence, the aim is to describe the occurrence and application of triage and triage related work at Swedish Emergency Departments, in comparison with previous national surveys. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study with a descriptive and comparative design, an electronic questionnaire was developed, based on questionnaire from previous studies. The survey was distributed to all hospital affiliated EDs from late March to the middle of July in 2019. The data was analysed with descriptive statistics, by IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26. RESULTS: Of the 51 (75%) EDs partaking in the study, all (100%) applied triage, and 92% used the Swedish triage scale RETTS©. Even so, there was low concordance in how RETTS© was applied regarding time frames i.e., how long a patient in respective triage level could wait for assessment by a physician. Additionally, the results show a major diversion in how the EDs performed education in triage. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that triage method is nationally implemented across Swedish EDs. RETTS© is the dominating triage scale but cannot be considered as one triage scale due to the variation with regard to time frames per triage level. Further, a diversion in introduction and education in the pivotal role of triage has been shown. This can be counteracted by national guidelines in what triage scale to use and how to perform triage education.

Missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative observational study.

AIM: To evaluate frequencies, types of and reasons for missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic at inpatient wards in a highly specialized university hospital. BACKGROUND: Registered nurse/patient ratio and nursing competence are known to affect patient outcomes. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic entailed novel ways for staffing to meet the expected increased acute care demand, which potentially could impact on quality of care. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, using the MISSCARE Survey. A sample of nursing staff during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 130) was compared with a reference sample (n = 157). RESULTS: Few differences between samples concerning elements of missed care and no significant differences concerning reasons for missed care were found. Most participants perceived the quality of care and the patient safety to be good. CONCLUSION: The results may be explained by three factors: maintained registered nurse/patient ratio, patients' dependency levels and that nursing managers could maintain the staffing needs with a sufficient skill mix. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing managers impact on the occurrence of MNC; to provide a sufficient registered nurse/patient ratio and skill mix when staffing. They play an important role in anticipatory planning and during infectious disease outbreaks.

A simple cognitive task intervention to prevent intrusive memories after trauma in patients in the Emergency Department: A randomized controlled trial terminated due to COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: This randomised controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate the effects of a simple cognitive task intervention on intrusive memories ("flashbacks") and associated symptoms following a traumatic event. Patients presenting to a Swedish emergency department (ED) soon after a traumatic event were randomly allocated (1:1) to the simple cognitive task intervention (memory cue + mental rotation instructions + computer game "Tetris" for at least 20 min) or control (podcast, similar time). We planned follow-ups at one-week, 1-month, and where possible, 3- and 6-months post-trauma. Anticipated enrolment was N = 148. RESULTS: The RCT was terminated prematurely after recruiting N = 16 participants. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented recruitment/testing in the ED because: (i) the study required face-to-face contact between participants, psychology researchers, ED staff, and patients, incurring risk of virus transmission; (ii) the host ED site received COVID-19 patients; and (iii) reduced flow of patients otherwise presenting to the ED in non-pandemic conditions (e.g. after trauma). We report on delivery of study procedures, recruitment, treatment adherence, outcome completion (primary outcome: number of intrusive memories during week 5), attrition, and limitations. The information presented and limitations may enable our group and others to learn from this terminated study. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04185155 (04-12-2019).

Digitalizing a Brief Intervention to Reduce Intrusive Memories of Psychological Trauma for Health Care Staff Working During COVID-19: Exploratory Pilot Study With Nurses.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the worldwide need for simple remotely delivered (digital) scalable interventions that can also be used preventatively to protect the mental health of health care staff exposed to psychologically traumatic events during their COVID-19-related work. We have developed a brief behavioral intervention that aims to reduce the number of intrusive memories of traumatic events but has only been delivered face-to-face so far. After digitalizing the intervention materials, the intervention was delivered digitally to target users (health care staff) for the first time. The adaption for staff's working context in a hospital setting used a co-design approach. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this mixed method exploratory pilot study with health care staff who experienced working in the pandemic were to pilot the intervention that we have digitalized (for remote delivery and with remote support) and adapted for this target population (health care staff working clinically during a pandemic) to explore its ability to reduce the number of intrusive memories of traumatic events and improve related symptoms (eg, posttraumatic stress) and participant's perception of their functioning, and to explore the feasibility and acceptability of both the digitalized intervention and digitalized data collection. METHODS: We worked closely with target users with lived experience of working clinically during the COVID-19 pandemic in a hospital context (registered nurses who experienced intrusive memories from traumatic events at work; N=3). We used a mixed method design and exploratory quantitative and qualitative analysis. RESULTS: After completing the digitalized intervention once with remote researcher support (approximately 25 minutes) and a brief follow-up check-in, participants learned to use the intervention independently. All 3 participants reported zero intrusive memories during week 5 (primary outcome: 100% digital data capture). Prior to study inclusion, two or more intrusions in the week were reported preintervention (assessed retrospectively). There was a general pattern of symptom reduction and improvement in perceived functioning (eg, concentration) at follow-up. The digitalized intervention and data collection were perceived as feasible and rated as acceptable (eg, all 3 participants would recommend it to a colleague). Participants were positive toward the digital intervention as a useful tool that could readily be incorporated into work life and repeated in the face of ongoing or repeated trauma exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention when delivered remotely and adapted for this population during the pandemic was well received by participants. Since it could be tailored around work and daily life and used preventatively, the intervention may hold promise for health care staff pending future evaluations of efficacy. Limitations include the small sample size, lack of daily intrusion frequency data in the week before the intervention, and lack of a control condition. Following this co-design process in adapting and improving intervention delivery and evaluation, the next step is to investigate the efficacy of the digitalized intervention in a randomized controlled trial.

Reducing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief cognitive task intervention in the hospital emergency department: an exploratory pilot randomised controlled trial.

Intrusive memories are common after trauma, and can cause significant distress. Interventions to prevent/reduce the occurrence of this core clinical feature of posttraumatic stress disorder are needed; they should be easy to deliver, readily disseminated and scalable. A novel one-session intervention by Iyadurai et al. 2018, Molecular Psychiatry, resulted in intrusion reduction over the subsequent week. Its feasibility in a different setting and longer-term effects (>1 month) need investigation. We conducted an exploratory open-label pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the feasibility and effects of a brief behavioural intervention to reduce intrusive memories in trauma-exposed patients in a Swedish hospital emergency department (ED). Participants (final N = 41) were randomly allocated to either intervention (including memory reminder cue then visuospatial cognitive task "Tetris" with mental rotation instructions) or active control (podcast) condition within 72 h of presenting to the ED (both conditions using their smartphone). Findings were examined descriptively. We estimated between-group effect sizes for the number of intrusive memories post-intervention at week 1 (primary outcome) and week 5 (secondary outcome). Compared to the control condition, participants in the intervention condition reported fewer intrusive memories of trauma, both at week 1 and week 5. Findings extend the previous evaluation in the UK. The intervention was readily implemented in a different international context, with a mixed trauma sample, with treatment gains maintained at 1 month and associated with some functional improvements. Findings inform future trials to evaluate the capacity of the cognitive task intervention to reduce the occurrence of intrusive memories after traumatic events.

Translation, culture adaption and psychometric testing of the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version.

AIM: To translate the MISSCARE Survey into Swedish and establish its validity and reliability by evaluating its psychometric properties. BACKGROUND: Missed nursing care is defined as any aspect of required nursing care that is omitted or delayed. The consequence of missed nursing care is a threat to patient safety. The MISSCARE Survey is an American instrument measuring missed nursing care activities (part A) and its reasons (part B). METHODS: The translation was accomplished according to World Health Organization guidelines, focusing on a culture adaptation. Acceptability, construct validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were analysed. The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0) was used as reporting checklist. RESULTS: The translation and culture adaptation needed several revisions. A total of 126 nurses answered the test and retest which showed acceptability of missing data. The factor analysis revealed a lack of fit to data for the original factorial structure in part B, while further analysis provided results suggesting a modification based on omitting six items. The internal consistency for part B and its subscales showed good results. CONCLUSIONS: The MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version is a reliable and valid instrument, with good psychometric properties. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: More reliable language versions of the instrument enable national and international comparisons that could be valuable for nursing managers and/or directors of nursing who are responsible for quality of care and patient safety in the strategic care planning process.

Exploring the incidence and nature of nursing-sensitive orthopaedic adverse events: A multicenter cohort study using Global Trigger Tool.

BACKGROUND: For decades, patient safety has been recognized as a critical global healthcare issue. However, there is a gap of knowledge of all types of adverse events sensitive to nursing care within hospitals in general and within orthopaedic care specifically. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to explore the incidence and nature of nursing-sensitive adverse events following elective or acute hip arthroplasty at a national level. DESIGN: A retrospective multicenter cohort study. OUTCOME VARIABLES: Nursing-sensitive adverse events, preventability, severity and length of stay. METHODS: All patients, 18 years or older, who had undergone an elective (degenerative joint disease) or acute (fractures) hemi or total hip arthroplasty surgery at 24 hospitals were eligible for inclusion. Retrospective reviews of weighted samples of 1998 randomly selected patient records were carried out using the Swedish version of the Global Trigger Tool. The patients were followed for readmissions up to 90 days postoperatively throughout the whole country regardless of index hospital. RESULTS: A total of 1150 nursing-sensitive adverse events were identified in 728 (36.4%) of patient records, and 943 (82.0%) of the adverse events were judged preventable in the study cohort. The adjusted cumulative incidence regarding nursing-sensitive adverse events for the study population was 18.8%. The most common nursing-sensitive adverse event types were different kinds of healthcare-associated infections (40.9%) and pressure ulcers (16.5%). Significantly higher proportions of nursing-sensitive adverse events were found among female patients compared to male, p < 0.001, and patients with acute admissions compared to elective patients, p < 0.001. Almost half (48.5%) of the adverse events were temporary and of a less severe nature. On the other hand, 592 adverse events were estimated to have contributed to 3351 extra hospital days. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the magnitude of nursing-sensitive adverse events. We found that nursing-sensitive adverse events were common, in most cases deemed preventable and were associated with different kinds of adverse events and levels of severity in orthopaedic care. Registered nurses play a vital role within the interdisciplinary team as they are the largest group of healthcare professionals, work 24/7 and spend much time at the bedside with patients. Therefore, nursing leadership at all hospital levels must assume responsibility for patient safety and authorize bedside registered nurses to deliver high-quality and sustainable care to patients.

Prearrest prediction of favourable neurological survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest: The Prediction of outcome for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (PIHCA) score.

BACKGROUND: A prearrest prediction tool can aid clinicians in consolidating objective findings with clinical judgement and in balance with the values of the patient be a part of the decision process for do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) orders. A previous prearrest prediction tool for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) have not performed satisfactory in external validation in a Swedish cohort. Therefore our aim was to develop a prediction model for the Swedish setting. METHODS: Model development was based on previous external validation of The Good Outcome Following Attempted Resuscitation (GO-FAR) score, with 717 adult IHCAs. It included redefinition and reduction of predictors, and addition of chronic comorbidity, to create a full model of 9 predictors. Outcome was favourable neurological survival defined as Cerebral Performance Category score 1-2  at discharge. The likelihood of favourable neurological survival was categorised into very low (<1%), low (1-3%) and above low (>3%). RESULTS: We called the model the Prediction of outcome for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (PIHCA) score. The AUROC was 0.808 (95% CI 0.807-0.810) and calibration was satisfactory. With a cutoff of 3% likelihood of favourable neurological survival sensitivity was 99.4% and specificity 8.4%. Although specificity was limited, predictive value for classification into ≤3% likelihood of favorable neurological survival was high (97.4%) and false classification into ≤3% likelihood of favourable neurological survival was low (0.6%). CONCLUSION: The PIHCA score has the potential to be used as an objective tool in prearrest prediction of outcome after IHCA, as part of the decision process for a DNAR order.