Do concussion clinicians use clinical practice guidelines?

OBJECTIVE: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) synthesize research evidence for health professionals and improve consistency of clinical care. However, it is unclear if concussion clinicians use them in their practice. We aimed to describe which CPGs New Zealand clinicians used and facilitators and barriers to uptake of these resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used snowballing recruitment methods to survey New Zealand concussion clinicians. Descriptive statistics and qualitative description were used to evaluate survey responses. RESULTS: Ninety-six clinicians took part in the survey. A majority (70%) indicated they were aware of and had used at least one concussion CPG. Facilitators and barriers to using CPGs related to clinician experience, nature of the CPG, the work context, characteristics of clients and whether strategies were provided to encourage their use. CONCLUSIONS: Participants viewed concussion CPGs as helpful tools for informing clinical practice. That less experienced clinicians were less likely to use concussion CPGs than more experienced clinicians suggests there is an opportunity to develop strategies to improve the uptake of CPGs among newer clinicians. This and other areas of further research include how well CPGs capture relevant cultural factors and the role of case complexity in clinicians' willingness to use concussion CPGs.

Effective Surgical Teams: An Integrative Literature Review.

It is imperative to understand the factors that contribute to effective surgical teams. The aim of this integrative review was to evaluate the aids and barriers for perioperative teams in functioning effectively, preventing adverse events, and fostering a culture of safety. The literature search was undertaken of 15 databases, which resulted in 70 articles being included. It was found perioperative teamwork was not widely understood. Findings indicated barriers to effective surgical teams comprised of confusion in tasks and responsibilities, existing hierarchies and prevailing misconceptions and understanding among team members. Although numerous quality initiatives exist, the introduction of protocols and checklists, team effectiveness in the perioperative setting is still insufficient and challenges in establishing effective surgical teams continue. Further research is recommended to obtain a comprehensive perception of environmental influences and barriers surgical teams encounter in the delivery of safe quality care.

Psychological health and resilience: the impact of significant earthquake events on tertiary level professional students. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The effect of natural disasters internationally is linked to intensity and duration and the impact of these events for tertiary level professional students is not clearly understood. Following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in New Zealand in 2010 (with aftershocks lasting 27 months) a number of tertiary nursing students experienced significant disruption to their studies. AIM: To compare the psychological health, resilience and the impact on learning for three cohorts of students engaged in tertiary nursing education during this time. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling was used for three cohorts of learners. An online survey was completed (n = 290) and included: Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale; PTSD Checklist; Work and Social Adjustment Scale; Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found across the psychometric scales with regard to relationship status. Whilst an increase in self-reported physical and mental health issues prior to and following the earthquakes were noted, mitigating factors were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: In order to support psychological health amongst nursing students, tertiary education systems need to plan for sustainable learning. The importance of facilitating future orientation within organisations is necessary to develop resilience amongst staff and students, which, in turn, will enable on-going education during significant disaster events.

A nurse-led education and cognitive behaviour therapy-based intervention among adults with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and escalating health care costs. Research has consistently demonstrated the importance of glycaemic control in delaying the onset, and decreasing the incidence, of both the short-term and long-term complications of diabetes. Although glycaemic control is difficult to achieve and challenging to maintain, it is key to reducing negative disease outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether a nurse-led educational intervention alone or a nurse-led intervention using education and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) was effective in reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ) in people living with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes compared to usual care. METHODS: Adults over the age of 18 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and HbA1c outside of the recommended range (4%-7%, 20-53 mmol/mol) for 12 months or more, were eligible to participate. Participants were randomised to either a nurse-led education intervention, a nurse-led education plus ACT intervention, or a usual care. One hundred and eighteen participants completed baseline data collection (N = 34 education group, N = 39 education plus ACT, N = 45 control group). An intention to treat analysis was used. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction in HbA1c in the education intervention group was found (P = .011 [7.48, 8.14]). At 6 months, HbA1c was reduced in both intervention groups (education group -0.21 and education and ACT group -0.04) and increased in the control group (+0.32). A positive change in HbA1c (HbA1c reduced) was noted in 50 participants overall. Twice as many participants in the intervention groups demonstrated an improvement as compared to the control group (56% of the education group, 51% education plus ACT, and 24% control group. CONCLUSIONS: At 6 months post intervention, HbA1c was reduced in both intervention groups with a greater reduction noted in the nurse-led education intervention.

Qualitative meta-synthesis: the experience of chronic pain across conditions.

AIM: To synthesize qualitative descriptions of the experience of chronic pain across conditions. BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a transdiagnostic symptom in that while somatic pathology plays a role in activating pain pathways, psychological and social factors contribute to the experience of pain over time. The treatment of the underlying condition may require both biomedical intervention and biopsychosocial approaches. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis using Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) developed by Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group to evaluate the strength of the evidence. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and Ovid Medline from 2000-2015. REVIEW METHODS: Following a systematic search strategy all papers were assessed in relation to inclusion criteria and quality. Themes were extracted from each study and a meta-synthesis conducted before completing an evaluation of confidence in the findings. RESULTS: Forty-one papers exploring the experience of chronic pain were included in the review. Five meta-themes were identified across the studies: 1) the body as obstacle; 2) invisible but real; 3) disrupted sense of self; 4) unpredictability; and 5) keeping going. There was high confidence in the evidence for three themes: 'the body as obstacle'; 'disrupted sense of self' and 'keeping going'; and moderate confidence in the evidence for 'invisible but real' and 'unpredictability'. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this review suggest there are similarities in the experience of chronic pain across a range of conditions that have implications for the development of transdiagnostic pain management strategies and interventions.

Living with sub-optimal glycaemic control: the experiences of Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and education.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of diagnosis and education for people living with Type 2 diabetes who have sub-optimal glycaemic control. BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is a global concern. Many people have difficulty maintaining optimal glycaemic control with up to 50% having HbA1c levels higher than recommended. A range of factors that have been suggested as possibly contributing to this, however, little is known about how their experience of diagnosis, education and support to attempt to understand the context of their self-management practices. DESIGN: A qualitative thematic analysis of interviews conducted with people with sub-optimal glycaemic control prior to their participation in an intervention study. METHOD: Thirty participants taking part in a psychosocial/educational intervention for people with sub-optimal glycaemic control were interviewed in 2012 before the intervention commenced. These interviews explored each participant's experience of the diagnosis and associated education. The interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis was conducted. FINDINGS: Almost all the participants had been shocked at receiving the diagnosis and felt it had been a moral indictment on their lifestyle. Many had been given the impression that they had a mild form of diabetes and most had been given very little information on self-management that they had found useful. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that for the participants there was a considerable gap between the rhetoric of person-centred services and the reality of the experiences of diagnosis and education for the self-management of Type 2 diabetes.

A nurse-led interdisciplinary approach to promote self-management of type 2 diabetes: a process evaluation of post-intervention experiences.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Self-management of type 2 diabetes through diet, exercise and for many medications, are vital in achieving and maintaining glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. A number of interventions have been designed to improve self-management, but the outcomes of these are rarely explored from a qualitative angle and even fewer through a process evaluation. METHOD: A process evaluation was conducted using a qualitative design with participants randomized to an intervention. Seventy-three people living with type 2 diabetes and hyperglycaemia for a minimum of 1 year, randomized to one of two interventions (n = 34 to an education intervention and n = 39 to an education and acceptance and commitment therapy intervention) completed stage one of the process evaluation, immediately following the intervention through written feedback guided by open-ended questions. A purposive sample of 27 participants completed semi-structured interviews at 3 and 6 months post intervention. Interview data were transcribed and data analysed using a thematic analysis. RESULTS: The majority of participants described an increase in knowledge around diabetes self-management and an increased sense of personal responsibility. Participants also described changes in self-management activities and reflected on the challenges in instigating and maintaining change to improve diabetes management. CONCLUSION: The complexities of implementing change in daily life to improve glycaemic control indicate the need for ongoing support post intervention, which may increase and maintain the effectiveness of the intervention.

Signs and symptoms associated with synthetic cannabinoid toxicity: systematic review.

AIMS: Use of synthetic cannabinoids is associated with significant physical and psychological harms. This research quantified reported toxicities from published reports and assessed the influence of size of the reported study population on rates of symptom reporting. METHODS: Systematic review of published case reports and case series of toxicity associated with use of synthetic cannabinoids. RESULTS: Symptoms associated with synthetic cannabinoid toxicity were reported for 3695 individuals, predominantly young males. Symptoms included physiological (e.g. tachycardia, hypertension, nausea/vomiting), emotional (e.g. agitation, irritability, paranoia), behavioural (e.g. drowsiness, aggression) and perceptual (e.g. hallucinations) domains. Most common symptoms were tachycardia (30.2% of cases), agitation (13.5%), drowsiness (12.3%), nausea/vomiting (8.2%) and hallucinations (7.6%). Death or serious medical complications were uncommon (e.g. death 0.2%, stroke 0.1%, myocardial infarction 0.09%). Case reports/smaller case series (n<10) reported statistically significantly higher rates for 29/34 symptoms than larger case series (n≥10), which could represent selection bias. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of synthetic cannabinoid toxicity are variable and cover a number of physical and psychological domains. Symptom reporting varies by study population size. Due to the variable presenting symptoms of synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, clinicians in emergency services should consider synthetic cannabinoid toxicity when evaluating young adult male patients presenting with unexplained agitation or cardiovascular symptoms.