Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic for Community-Dwelling Stroke Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Stroke survivors constantly feel helpless and unprepared after discharge from hospitals. More flexible and pragmatic support are needed for their optimized recovery. We examined the effects of a virtual multidisciplinary stroke care clinic on survivors' health and self-management outcomes. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Survivors were recruited from 10 hospitals and randomized at 1:1 ratio into the intervention or the control groups. Intervention group participants received the Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic service (monthly online consultations with a nurse, follow-up phone calls, and access to an online platform). Control group participants received the usual care. Outcomes of self-efficacy (stroke self-efficacy questionnaire; primary), self-management behaviors (Stroke Self-Management Behaviors Performance Scale), social participation (reintegration to normal living index), and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale; secondary) were measured at baseline, and 3 and 6 months after commencing the intervention (post-randomization). A generalized estimating equations model was used to compare the differential changes in outcomes at 3 and 6 months with respect to baseline between 2 groups. RESULTS: Between July 2019 and June 2022, 335 eligible participants were enrolled in the study. Participants (intervention group; n=166) showed significantly greater improvements in outcomes of self-efficacy (group-by-time interaction regression coefficient, B=4.60 [95% CI, 0.16 to 9.05]), social participation (B=5.07 [95% CI, 0.61 to 9.53]), and depression (B=-2.33 [95% CI, -4.06 to -0.61]), and no significant improvement in performance of self-management behaviors (B=3.45, [95% CI, -0.87 to 7.77]), compared with the control group (n=169) right after the intervention (6 months after its commencement). Hedges' g effect sizes of the intervention on outcomes: 0.19 to 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide some positive evidence on the usefulness of the Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic service. The effect sizes are regarded as small to medium, which may not be of clinical relevance. The baseline levels in outcomes were in favor of the control group, the intervention effects might be overestimated. The service must be tested further to determine its effectiveness. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn; Unique identifier: ChiCTR1800016101.

Understanding the priorities in life beyond the first year after stroke: Qualitative findings and non-participant observations of stroke survivors and service providers.

ABSTRACTLong-term unmet health needs are associated with a lower quality of life in stroke survivors. Survivors' priorities in living their lives and health professionals' recognition influence survivors' perceptions of their needs. From the perspectives of survivors and service providers, this study investigated survivors' long-term priorities for continuing their lives after stroke. A qualitative study was conducted with a convenience sample of 40 stroke survivors and a purposive sample of 11 providers who had worked with survivors for more than five years and were currently managers of community-based stroke care services or leaders of volunteer groups. Following the survivors' interviews, non-participant observations of a random day's activities were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim. Survivors' and providers' data were analyzed separately and then together thematically. Five themes emerged: healing the mind in order to move forward, optimizing adaptations and maintaining physical function, living a safe and cost-effective life, returning to work, and giving back to society. Community-based services can be improved to offer more at-home, technology-supported psychological and self-management interventions, barrier-free and one-stop services, and opportunities for employment and volunteering. It would be worthwhile to invest in conducting public education to promote social inclusion and strengthening collaboration between academic and community organizations.

Lessons from the COVID-19 epidemic in Hubei, China: Perspectives on frontline nursing.

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 has been an ordeal for nurses worldwide. It is crucial to understand their experiences at the frontline, attempt to allay their concerns, and help inform future pandemic response capabilities. Aims: To explore nurses' lived experiences at the frontline in order to identify and address their concerns and help enhance future responses to infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 registered nurses who came to Hubei from different parts of China to care for patients with COVID-19. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis. Results: Six major themes emerged: emotional turmoil due to personal and professional concerns, quality issues with personal protective equipment and associated physical discomfort, witnessing and managing patient distress, readiness of emergency response mechanisms in the health system, collective community awareness and preparedness, and heightened professional pride and confidence in future epidemic control. Discussion: Nurses were placed in challenging and unfamiliar situations to deal with unexpected and unpredictable events which caused considerable psychological and physical distress. Support in the form of government edicts, hospital management policies, community generosity and collegiality was highly welcomed by the nurses. Policy makers and managers should ensure that nurses are provided with the support and resources necessary for dealing with large-scale infectious disease outbreaks. Priority should be given to risk assessment, infection prevention and control, and patient and staff health and safety.

Validation of a translated Chinese version of the Participation Strategies Self-Efficacy Scale: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To examine the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Participation Strategies Self-Efficacy Scale (PS-SES) among stroke survivors. METHODS: The PS-SES was translated into Chinese. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 336 stroke survivors recruited from the neurology departments of five hospitals in China. Reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity of the scale were determined. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the PS-SES (PS-SES-C) showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, with a Cronbach's α of 0.98 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.79. There was a moderate to strong positive correlation between the PS-SES-C and Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (r = 0.59, p < .001), positive correlations between the PS-SES-C and Chinese versions of the Modified Barthel Index (r = 0.59, p < .001), Rivermead Mobility Index (r = 0.70, p < .001), and Reintegration to Normal Living Index (r = 0.70, p < .001), and a negative correlation between the PS-SES-C and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (r = -0.63, p < .001). Known-group validity and factorial validity were also supported. CONCLUSIONS: The PS-SES-C is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing self-efficacy in managing the participation of Chinese stroke survivors.Implications for rehabilitationSelf-efficacy significantly predicts activity and participation in stroke survivors and is a major outcome measure in many stroke rehabilitation programmes.The translated Chinese version of the Participation Strategies Self-efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate stroke survivors' self-efficacy in managing participation.The Chinese version of the Participation Strategies Self-efficacy Scale can be used to assess stroke recovery among the Chinese population in clinical and research settings.

User engagement in the development of a home-based virtual multidisciplinary stroke care clinic for stroke survivors and caregivers: a qualitative descriptive study.

PURPOSE: To understand the user expectations and the facilitators and barriers of using a virtual multidisciplinary stroke care clinic ("virtual clinic"). METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study involving two rounds of face-to-face semi-structured interviews per participant was conducted. We purposively recruited ten participants in Hong Kong who were receiving traditional stroke rehabilitation. The first interview was conducted to explore participants' expectations. The second interview was conducted after a 4-week trial of the virtual clinic. Both interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings were translated from Cantonese into English. RESULTS: Before using the virtual clinic, the participants perceived a need for (i) information communication technology guidance and support, (ii) familiar hardware and applications, and (iii) services to meet psychosocial needs. Facilitators identified by the participants included (i) feeling safe and supported, (ii) willingness to learn, adapt to, and use the new service, and (iii) ease of use with a flexible schedule. Issues relating to (i) internet connectivity, (ii) hardware, and (iii) interface and design were perceived barriers to the use of the clinic. CONCLUSION: This study provides findings of users' expectations of using telehealth services. Their perspectives on facilitators and barriers may increase the adoption of the newly developed telehealth service.Implications for rehabilitationTo implement telehealth as part of post-stroke care, it is important to ensure that stroke survivors and caregivers have the necessary information and communication technology support and infrastructure to engage in two-way interactions.Stroke survivors and caregivers may be inclined to use telehealth services due to ease of use, having flexibility in scheduling consultation sessions, do not need to travel to the clinic, useful online content, and remote blood pressure monitoring.Addressing the barriers of using telehealth services (e.g., hardware issues, internet connectivity issues, and user interface to facilitate the reading of information on the website) can improve the usability and acceptance to ensure the successful adoption of telehealth as part of post-stroke recovery.

Diagnostic accuracy of end-tidal carbon dioxide detection in determining correct placement of nasogastric tube: An updated systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Misplacement of the nasogastric tube in the respiratory tract could cause serious complications and even death. Thus, nasogastric tube verification is necessary for optimal patient safety and comfort. Although end-tidal carbon dioxide detection is considered an effective approach to determine nasogastric tube location, there is a paucity of up-to-date evidence. OBJECTIVES: To review the diagnostic accuracy of end-tidal carbon dioxide detection in determining inadvertent airway intubation and verifying correct placement of nasogastric tubes. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched clinical trials that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of colorimetric capnometry or capnography in detecting nasogastric tubes located in the airway and differentiating between inadvertent airway intubation and correct nasogastric tube placement in any adult care setting. Four English language databases - Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL - and four Chinese language databases - China Biomedical Literature Database, WanFang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Airiti Library - were searched from July 2009 to March 2021. Clinical trial registration databases and reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews were also searched. Two reviewers extracted the data of all included studies using a data extraction form. Two reviewers assessed the methodological quality independently with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. We conducted meta-analysis using the hierarchical bivariate model and estimated the pool sensitivity and specificity of capnography and colorimetric capnometry. Forest plots were generated to display the results. Heterogeneity was investigated by meta-regression. The certainty of evidence was evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework. RESULTS: Of 1,155 records identified, seven new studies were added to this update and a total of 16 studies were analysed in the systematic review. The total absolute number of true positive, false negative, true negative, and false positive observations were 142, 6, 1,500, and 65 respectively. Low to very low certainty of evidence indicated that the use of colorimetric capnometry or capnography is potentially an effective method in differentiating between respiratory and nasogastric tube placement for critically ill adult patients. Pooled results (13 studies, 1,541 intubations) for sensitivity and specificity were 0.96 (95% confidence interval [0.88, 0.99]) and 0.99 (95% confidence interval [0.96, 1.00]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Colorimetric capnometry and capnography may have the potential to be of high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of inadvertent airway nasogastric tube placements in critically ill adults. More evidence is required to generalize the updated findings to different types of patients and settings.

Nurses' experiences of caring for people with COVID-19 in Hong Kong: a qualitative enquiry.

OBJECTIVES: Nurses are the largest group of healthcare workers on the front line of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. An understanding of their nursing experiences, the challenges they encountered and the strategies they used to address them may inform efforts to better prepare and support nurses and public health measures when facing a resurgence of COVID-19 or new pandemics. This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurses caring for people with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 in Hong Kong. DESIGN: A qualitative study was conducted using individual, semistructured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis. SETTING: Participants were recruited from acute hospitals and a public health department in Hong Kong from June 2020 to August 2020. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of registered nurses (N=39) caring for people with COVID-19 in Hong Kong were recruited. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the nurses had a master's degree and over a third had 6-10 years of nursing experience. Around 40% of the nurses cared for people with COVID-19 in isolation wards and a quarter performed COVID-19-related work for 31-40 hours/week. Most (90%) had training in COVID-19 and three-quarters had experience of working in infection control teams. Six key themes emerged: confronting resource shortages; changes in usual nursing responsibilities and care modes; maintaining physical and mental health; need for effective and timely responses from relevant local authorities; role of the community in public health protection and management; and advanced pandemic preparedness. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that nurses possessed resilience, self-care and adaptability when confronting resource shortages, changing nursing protocols, and physical and mental health threats during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, coordinated support from the clinical environment, local authorities and community, and advanced preparedness would likely improve nursing responses to future pandemics.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a virtual multidisciplinary stroke care clinic for community-dwelling stroke survivors and caregivers: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The virtual multidisciplinary stroke care clinic (VMSCC) is the first nurse-led clinic developed to offer support to community-dwelling stroke survivors and caregivers, and to promote poststroke recovery. This two-arm randomised controlled trial will evaluate its effectiveness on survivors' self-efficacy (SE), survivors' and caregivers' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cost-effectiveness on emergency admissions and length of readmission hospital stay. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A consecutive sample of 384 stroke survivor-caregiver dyads will be recruited from four hospitals. An online platform that embraces readily accessible and reliable information will be developed. Participants randomly assigned to the intervention group will receive usual care plus the VMSCC service. The service includes access to a tablet containing 30 videos demonstrating appropriate self-care strategies, communication with a registered nurse monthly through video and telephone calls and regular blood pressure monitoring. Primary outcomes include survivors' SE in self-management and survivors' and caregivers' HRQoL. Secondary outcomes include survivors' performance of self-management behaviours, depression and social participation; and caregivers' coping strategies, satisfaction with caring and depression. Data will be collected at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months after commencing the intervention. Survivors' and caregivers' satisfaction with the service will be assessed at 6-month follow-up. Multivariable regressions and generalised estimating equations model will be conducted. Survivors' emergency admissions and length of hospital stay will be evaluated during the 6-month follow-up period. Cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed on the average total cost incurred. DISCUSSION: The results will inform stakeholders about incorporating the VMSCC service into current stroke rehabilitation service. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was approved by the Joint Chinese University of Hong Kong-New Territories East Cluster Clinical Research Ethics Committee (CREC Ref. No.: 2017.660). All participants will provide written informed consent. Results will be disseminated through scientific publications, and presentations at local and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1800016101; Pre-results.