[Fatigue, quality of life, and use of healthcare resources in children with complex chronic diseases].

BACKGROUND: The objective was to assess fatigue in children with complex chronic diseases (CCCDs) and analyze its relationship with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, use of healthcare services, and quality of life (QoL). METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out in CCCDs attended in a tertiary hospital during 2016. Fatigue (PedsFacit-F questionnaire) and quality of life (PedsQL) were determined, and the following variables were registered: use of health resources, disease group, time with disease, and educational level and type of employment of the parents. A multiple regression model was developed to predict the use of healthcare resources. RESULTS: Seventy children were included in this study; mean age 10.5 years (range: 8-17), 41.4% girls, and cancer was the most frequent group disease (28.6%). Annual use of healthcare resources (38.86; SD: 30.73) increased with fatigue (r=-0.292; p=0.015). Higher levels of fatigue were determined for children with cancer (24.9; SD: 10.7) in comparison to other pathologies, while lower levels were found for heart diseases (44.5; SD: 7.9). The QoL perceived by CCCDs (20.6; SD: 16.5) directly correlated (p<0.001) with that of their parents (22.8; SD: 16.8); a correlation with fatigue was seen in both cases (r=0.528 and r= 0.441; p<0.0001). The adjusted effect of higher levels of fatigue (lower scores), lower length of disease duration, and higher level of education of the mother, predicted greater use of healthcare resources. CONCLUSION: CCCDs with higher fatigue levels use healthcare resources more often and perceive a worse QoL. This should be considered when providing care to this population.

Fatiga, calidad de vida y utilización de recursos sanitarios en niñoscon enfermedades crónicas complejas / Fatigue, quality of life and health resource utilisation in children with complex chronic diseases

Fundamento: Nuestro objetivo fue determinar la fatiga en niños con enfermedades crónicas complejas (NECC) y analizar su asociación con características clínicas, sociodemográficas, utilización de servicios de salud y calidad de vida. Material y método: Estudio transversal realizado en NECC atendidos en un hospital terciario durante 2016. Se determinaron la fatiga (cuestionario PedsFacit-F) y la calidad de vida (cuestionario PedsQL), y se recogieron las variables uso de recursos sanitarios, grupo de enfermedad, tiempo con la enfermedad, y nivel de estudios y ocupación profesional de los progenitores. Se elaboró un modelo de regresión múltiple para predecir el uso de recursos. Resultados: Se incluyeron 70 niños, edad media 10,5 años (rango: 8-17), 41,4% niñas; la enfermedad oncológica fue la más frecuente (28,6%). El uso anual de recursos sanitarios (38,86; DE: 30,73) aumentó con la fatiga (r=-0,292; p=0,015). Las enfermedades oncológicas causaron más fatiga (24,9; DE: 10,7) que otras patologías y las cardiológicas menos (44,5; DE: 7,9). La calidad de vida percibida por NECC (20,6; DE: 16,5) correlacionó directa y significativamente (p<0,001) con la de sus progenitores (22,8; DE: 16,8); ambas se correlacionaron con la fatiga (r=0,528 y r=0,441; p<0,0001). El modelo de regresión lineal mostró que el efecto ajustado de mayor fatiga (menor puntuación), menor tiempo con la enfermedad y mayor nivel de estudios de la madre predijeron mayor uso de recursos de salud. Conclusión: Los NECC con mayor fatiga hacen mayor uso de los recursos sanitarios, y perciben una peor calidad de vida, aspectos que deberían tenerse en cuenta a la hora de prestar atención a esta población.(AU)

Background: The objective was to assess fatigue in children with complex chronic diseases (CCCDs) and analyze its relationship with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, use of health care services, and quality of life (QoL). Methods.: Cross-sectional study carried out in CCCDs attended in atertiary hospital during 2016. Fatigue (PedsFacit-F questionnaire) and quality of life (PedsQL) were determined, and the following variables were registered: use of health resources, disease group, time with disease, and educational level and type of employment of the parents. A multiple regression model was developed to predict the use of healthcare resources. Results: Seventy children were included in this study; mean age 10.5 years (range: 8-17), 41.4% girls, and cancer was the most frequent group disease (28.6%). Annual use of healthcare resources (38.86; SD: 30.73) increased with fatigue (r= -0.292; p= 0.015). High-er levels of fatigue were determined for children with cancer (24.9; SD: 10.7) in comparison to other pathologies, while lower levels were found for heart diseases (44.5; SD: 7.9). The QoL perceived by CCCDs (20.6; SD: 16.5) directly correlated (p <0.001) with that of their parents (22.8; SD: 16.8); a correlation with fatigue was seen in both cases (r= 0.528 and r= 0.441; p <0.0001). The adjusted effect of higher levels of fatigue (lower scores), lower length of diseaseduration, and higher level of education of the mother, predicted greater use of healthcare resources. Conclusion: CCCDs with higher fatigue levels use healthcare resources more often and perceive a worse QoL. This should be con-sidered when providing care to this population.(AU)

[Analysis of economic cost of missed outpatient appointments]. / Análisis del coste económico del absentismo de pacientes en consultas externas.

AIM: To estimate the economic costs of missed Outpatient appointments by the Costa del Sol Health Agency (ASCS). METHOD: An analysis was performed on the costs arising from missed outpatient appointments (first appointment and examinations) of each of the specialities in the Centres belonging to the ASCS. A formula was used to determine the unit cost per appointment and per centre and speciality. This involved the direct imputation of the controllable costs and the indirect imputation of the service costs, together with an estimated cost of re-appointments based on a previous case-control study. RESULTS: The cost of missed appointments per centre in the Costa del Sol Hospital was €2,475,640, with a failure rate of 14.2% (256,377 appointments). In the Benalmádena High Resolution Hospital it was €515,936, with an absence rate of 12.2% (44,848 appointments), and in the Mijas High Resolution Centre, a cost of €395,342 with an absence rate of the 13.5% (99,536 appointments). The mean extra cost of a re-appointment was €12.95. The specialities with a higher medium cost were Digestive Diseases, Internal Medicine, and Rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: The economic cost of patients not turning up for scheduled appointments in the ASCS was greater than 3 million Euros for a non-attendance rate of the 13.8%, with Mijas High Resolution Centre being the centre that showed the lowest mean unitary cost per medical appointment.

The dynamic experience of pain in burn patients: A phenomenological study.

Although pain is one of the main sources of suffering during the acute phase and rehabilitation in burn patients, it remains as a major challenge for burn care, and clinical management not always correlates with the experience felt by patients. The aim of this study was to understand the experience of pain from people who has suffered severe burns, to identify personal strategies used to cope with this challenging event. A qualitative phenomenological study with purposive sampling was carried out with severe burn patients admitted to a Burn Unit. Through individual in-depth interviews, verbatim transcription and content analysis, two main categories were isolated: a dynamic and changing experience of pain, from the onset to the hospital discharge, and diverse strategies developed by patients to cope with pain, being distraction the most frequently used. Pain experienced acquires its maximum intensity during wound care, and divergent patients' opinions about sedation are present. This study highlights how understanding subjective experiences is an invaluable aid to improve care in pain assessment and management. Furthermore, it points out the need to guarantee patient involvement in the organization and improvement of burn care, inasmuch as traditional professional centered approach is not ensuring an optimal management.

Using knowledge as the basis for evidence-based practice in primary care nurses.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the perception of primary care nurses regarding the need and use of knowledge from research, as a basis for evidence-based practice in their workplace. Additionally, the study aimed to determine which factors might hinder or enable implementation into daily practice. BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice involves integrating best results in research with clinical experience, which enables us to provide a higher quality of care, as well as to optimize the care given. International studies show that nurses feel that there are still many barriers that hinder their doing research and incorporating new findings into clinical practice; although in the field of primary care, few studies have been carried out. METHODS: This descriptive qualitative study design used focus groups to collect data. This study was carried out in Spanish primary care centres. Forty-six registered nurses took part in this study and were divided into five focus groups. RESULTS: Three significant themes emerged: awareness of the need to use research, nurses as knowledge-generation agents and motivation to use research despite barriers. LIMITATIONS: A limited number of participants and a convenience sample were used. CONCLUSION: Nurses recognize that professional health care must be based on evidence obtained from daily work - both originated by their colleagues and by themselves - and they are willing to work on it although they perceive a lack of competence for this purpose and demand support from their institutions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Primary care institutions should empower nursing coordinators as leaders of evidence-based practice and implicate clinical nurses from the beginning on the implementation of guidelines.

Effectiveness of Food-Based Fortification in Older People. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Early intervention with nutritional support has been found to stop weight loss in older people malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Enriched food could be a more attractive alternative to improve meals, than conventional oral nutritional supplements. AIMS: To determine the effectiveness of food-based fortification to prevent risk of malnutrition in elderly patients in community or institutionalized elderly patients. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted of randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and interrupted time series including a longitudinal analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Elderly patients who are institutionalized, hospitalized or community-dwelling, with a minimum average age of 65 years. All type of patient groups, with the exception of people in critical care, or those who were recovering from cancer treatment, were included. INTERVENTION: Studies had to compare food-based fortification against alternatives. Studies that used oral nutritional supplementation such as commercial sip feeds, vitamin or mineral supplements were excluded. The search was conducted in Cochrane, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, and Cuiden. An independent peer review was carried out. RESULTS: From 1011 studies obtained, 7 were included for the systematic review, with 588 participants. It was possible to perform meta-analysis of four studies that provided results on caloric and protein intake. Food-based fortification yielded positive results in the total amount of ingested calories and protein. Nevertheless, due to the small number of participants and the poor quality of some studies, further high quality studies are required to provide reliable evidence. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Despite the limited evidence, due to their simplicity, low cost, and positive results in protein and calories intake, simple dietary interventions based on the food-based fortification or densification with protein or energy of the standard diet could be considered in patients at risk of malnutrition.

[Determinants and economic cost of patient absenteeism in outpatient departments of the Costa del Sol Health Agency]. / Factores determinantes y coste económico del absentismo de pacientes en consultas externas de la Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol.

BACKGROUND: To identify factors related to the people, the process and the context that determine patient compliance with their appointments in the ambulatory outpatient services in the Costa del Sol Health Care Agency; and to obtain the profile of patients who fail to keep their appointments, the reasons for this failure and an estimation of its economic cost. METHODS: Observational multicenter case-control study, through a survey carried out on patients with an appointment in the ambulatory outpatient services during 2013 and 2014, and analysis of the cost per appointment. RESULTS: In total, 882 patients participated in the study (294 cases and 588 controls). The main reasons for missing an appointment were forgetting about it (29, 6%; n=87), and failure in communication (16%; n=47). A shorter time period before the appointment and older age were significantly associated with fewer absences, as well as the fact of having attended more consultations in the past year. The economic cost was more than 3 million euros for a non-attendance rate of 13.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Young patients who usually do not visit outpatient clinics are at greatest risk of absence from scheduled appointments in our health area. The main reasons for absenteeism are preventable and interventions such as improved communication procedures or appointment reminder systems could be beneficial.

[Consequences of errors in the translation of questionnaires: Spanish version of Downton index]. / Consecuencias de los errores en la traducción de cuestionarios: versión española del índice Downton.

UNLABELLED: The application of screening tools to detect the risk of falls in hospitalized patients is in general use. During the development of a systematic review a serious disparity in three items of the Spanish version of the Downton index was detected, compared to the original version. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of this error and to compare the estimated risk of falls with each of these versions, its validity and internal consistency. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study in acute hospitalised patients was performed during 2011 in Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella. The patients' risk of falling was assessed by the Spanish version of the Downton index, and then it was re-calculated according to the items in the original version. Sensitivity, specificity and Cronbach's alpha were calculated. RESULTS: Application of the original version of the index reduced the number of patients classified as "high risk" of falling by 24.2%. With the Spanish version of the tool, the possibility of being classed as "high risk" of falling was considerably 3.3 times higher (OR: 3.3). Both versions of the Downton index showed low accuracy and diagnostic validity. The sensitivity of the original scale was 28% and specificity of 82%. Its internal consistency was low (Cronbach's alpha: .51). CONCLUSIONS: The Downton index, given its poor accuracy and diagnostic validity, low internal consistency, and the significant error observed in its Spanish translation, is not the most appropriate tool to assess the risk of falls in hospitalised acute patients.

Competency frameworks for advanced practice nursing: a literature review.

AIM: This paper describes a literature review that identified common traits in advanced practice nursing that are specific to competency development worldwide. BACKGROUND: There is a lack of international agreement on the definition of advanced practice nursing and its core competencies. Despite the lack of consensus, there is an ongoing process worldwide to establish and outline the standards and competencies for advanced practice nursing roles. INTRODUCTION: International agencies, such as the International Council of Nurses, have provided general definitions for advanced practice nursing. Additionally, a set of competency standards for this aim has been developed. METHODS: A literature review and a directed search of institutional websites were performed to identify specific developments in advanced practice nursing competencies and standards of practice. To determine a competency map specific to international advanced practice nursing, key documents were analysed using a qualitative approach based on content analysis to identify common traits among documents and countries. RESULTS: The review process identified 119 relevant journal articles related to advanced practice nursing competencies. Additionally, 97 documents from grey literature that were related to advanced practice nursing competency mapping were identified. From the text analysis, 17 worldwide transversal competency domains emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the variety of patterns in international advanced practice nursing development, essential competency domains can be found in most national frameworks for the role development of international advanced practice nursing. These 17 core competencies can be used to further develop instruments that assess the perceived competency of advanced practice nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: The results of this review can help policy developers and researchers develop instruments to compare advanced practice nursing services in various contexts and to examine their association with related outcomes.

[Opinions of healthcare professionals on the definition of severe mental illness: a qualitative study]. / Opiniones de los profesionales del ámbito sanitario acerca de la definición de trastorno mental grave. Un estudio cualitativo.

BACKGROUND: Over the years, a number of definitions of severe mental illness (SMI) have been proposed and substantial controversy about the definition still remains. The aim of this study was to evaluate the views of a group of mental health professionals on the appropriate criteria for defining SMI. METHODOLOGY: This was a qualitative study, based on five focus groups with mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, general practitioners, monitors and social workers) from Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga, Spain. A content analysis was performed on the transcriptions by three independent researchers. RESULTS: The professionals agreed that a certain degree of dysfunctionality must be present for a definition of SMI. There was some disagreement between the different categories of professionals regarding the inclusion of dimensions such as diagnosis, family and social support, use of healthcare resources and duration of the illness as necessary and sufficient criteria for the definition of SMI. From the professionals' discourse, some personal patient variables such as age of onset of illness, lack of insight and level of education emerged as relevant for the definition of SMI. CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the dimensions considered in the literature, the interviewed mental health professionals discussed other criteria that could be taken into account in the definition of SMI. Perceptions differ between categories of professional and work settings in which they operate.

Perception of Spanish primary healthcare nurses about evidence-based clinical practice: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Although evidence-based clinical practice constitutes a priority for healthcare services in many countries within the last few years, there is a general lack of implementation of evidence-based clinical practice in nursing care, especially in primary health care. Few qualitative studies concerning the influencing factors on evidence-based clinical practice for community nurses have been carried out. AIM: This study examined the perception of nurses in Spanish primary health care with regard to the knowledge, advantages and barriers within the application process with evidence-based clinical practice. METHODS: We used a descriptive qualitative study with focus groups to collect data. Forty-six primary care nurses took part in this study and they were distributed into five focus groups. RESULTS: Five main topics arose from the results achieved: knowledge and development of evidence-based clinical practice, evidence searching, evidence dissemination, advantages of use of evidence-based clinical practice, and barriers for its application and implementation. Participants had a positive attitude towards evidence-based practice, although they used this infrequently because of lack of competence and organizational support for its application. CONCLUSION: Our participants are increasingly determined to take into account evidence within the decision-making processes in their usual clinical practice. We consider it advisable to develop specialized training strategies as well as provide necessary resources for the implementation of evidence-based clinical practice duly adapted to the field of primary health care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: This study highlights the existing gap in translating knowledge to practice and its potential implications in the effectiveness of nursing interventions and decision making in primary health care, and thus its implications for education policy.

[Utility and validity of indicators from the Nursing Outcomes Classification as a support tool for diagnosing Ineffective Self Health Management in patients with chronic conditions in primary health care]. / Utilidad y validez de un instrumento basado en indicadores de la Nursing Outcomes Classification como ayuda al diagnóstico de pacientes crónicos de At.

BACKGROUND: Self-care and management of therapeutic regime (drugs adherence, preventive behaviours and development of healthy life-styles) are key components for managing chronic diseases. Nursing has standardized languages which describe many of these situations, such as the diagnosis "Ineffective Self Health Management" (ISHM) or many of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) indicators. The aims of this study were to determine the interobserver reliability of a NOC-based instrument for assessment and aid in diagnosis of the ISHM in patients with chronic conditions in Primary Health Care, to determine its diagnostic validity and to describe the prevalence of patients with this problem. METHODS: Cross-sectional validation study developed in the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz and Almería from 2006 to 2009. Each patient was assessed by 3 independent observers: the first two observers evaluated scoring of the NOC indicators and the third one acted as the "gold-standard". RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-eight patients were included, 37.7% of them with more than one chronic condition. NOC indicators showed a high interobserver reliability (ICC>0,70) and a consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.81). With a cut-point of 10.5, sensitivity was 61% and specificity 85%, and the area under the curve was 0.81 (CI95%: 0.77 to 0.85). The prevalence of patients with ISHM was 36% (CI 95%: 34 to 40). CONCLUSIONS: The use of NOC indicators allows evaluation of management of the therapeutic regime in people with chronic conditions with a satisfactory validity and it provides new approaches for dealing with this problem.

Utilidad y validez de un instrumento basado en indicadores de la Nursing Outcomes Classification como ayuda al diagnóstico de pacientes crónicos de Atención Primaria con gestión ineficiente de la salud propia / Utility and validity of indicators from the Nursing Outcomes Classification as a support tool for diagnosing Ineffective Self Health Management in patients with chronic conditions in Primary Health Care

Fundamento. El autocuidado y el manejo del régimen terapéutico por parte del paciente (adherencia a su medicación, conductas preventivas y desarrollo de estilos de vida saludables) son componentes clave del abordaje de las enfermedades crónicas. La enfermería dispone de lenguajes estandarizados para describir muchas de estas situaciones, como el diagnóstico ”gestión ineficiente dela propia salud” (GIPS) o muchos indicadores de la Clasificación de Resultados de Enfermería (NOC). Los objetivos de este estudio, pretenden conocer la fiabilidad inter observador de un instrumento de valoración y ayuda al diagnóstico de la GIPS en pacientes crónicos que acuden a consultas de Atención Primaria, basado en indicadores NOC, además de determinar su validez diagnóstica y describir la prevalencia de pacientes con este problema. Material y métodos. Estudio observacional transversal de validación, en las provincias de Málaga, Cádiz y Almería durante los años 2006 a 2009. Cada paciente era valorado por 3 observadores de forma independiente: una pareja evaluaba la puntuación de los distintos indicadores y un tercer observador experto actuaba como patrón oro .Resultados. Doscientos veintiocho pacientes fueron incluidos, con un 37,7% de ellos con más de un proceso crónico concomitante. Los indicadores NOC mostraron una alta fiabilidad inter observador (CCI>0,70) y una consistencia interna buena (alfa de Cronbach:0,81). Con un punto de corte en 10,5, se obtuvo una sensibilidad del61% y una especificidad del 85%, con un área bajo la curva de 0,81(IC95%: 0,77 a 0,85). La prevalencia de pacientes con GIPS fue del36% (IC 95%: 34 a 40).Conclusiones. El uso de indicadores de la NOC permite valorar el manejo del régimen terapéutico en pacientes crónicos, con una validez aceptable y aporta nuevos enfoques para el abordaje de este problema(AU)

Background. Self-care and management of therapeutic regime(drugs adherence, preventive behave ours and development of healthy life-styles) are key components for managing chronic diseases. Nursing has standardized languages which describe many of these situations, such as the diagnosis “Ineffective Self Health Management” (ISHM) or many of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) indicators. The aims of this study were to determine the inter observer reliability of a NOC-based instrument for assessment and aid in diagnosis of the ISHM in patients with chronic conditions in Primary Health Care, to determine its diagnostic validity and to describe the prevalence of patients with this problem. Methods. Cross-sectional validation study developed in the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz and Almería from 2006 to 2009. Each patient was assessed by 3 independent observers: the first twoobservers evaluated scoring of the NOC indicators and the third one acted as the “gold-standard”. Results. Two hundred and twenty-eight patients were included,37.7% of them with more than one chronic condition. NOC indicators showed a high inter observer reliability (ICC>0,70) and a consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.81). With a cut-point of 10.5,sensitivity was 61% and specificity 85%, and the area under the curve was 0.81 (CI95%: 0.77 to 0.85). The prevalence of patients with ISHM was 36% (CI 95%: 34 to 40).Conclusions. The use of NOC indicators allows evaluation of management of the therapeutic regime in people with chronic conditions with a satisfactory validity and it provides new approaches for dealing with this problem(AU)

The association between nursing diagnoses, resource utilisation and patient and caregiver outcomes in a nurse-led home care service: longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The information generated by nurses through standardised nursing languages is insufficiently evaluated and exploited, mainly in home care services, as is its potential impact on outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To find out how often nursing diagnoses are made during nursing home care visits, and to explore their relation with use of resources, mortality, institutionalisation and satisfaction. DESIGN: Observational, longitudinal follow-up study. SETTINGS: Home care services delivered by Primary Healthcare Districts in Málaga, Costa del Sol, Almería and Granada, in Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Patients and caregivers who initiated the Home Care Programme. METHODS: The accumulated incidence of nursing diagnosis was analysed over 34 months of follow-up. Diagnoses were made by nurse case managers in their daily practice. Several regression models were devised to analyse their linkage with the use of resources, mortality, institutionalisation and satisfaction. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-seven subjects were included (129 patients and 118 caregivers). 93.8 had been diagnosed (2.8 diagnoses per subject). Risk of caregiver strain and mobility impairment accounted for 40% of total home visits (p=0.033). Significant differences were observed in the use of physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. The home visits for caregivers were, in 78% of cases, due to the recipient's baseline functional status. No relation was detected for institutionalisation or for patient satisfaction. There was a higher rate of anxiety diagnosed in the caregiver when the recipient was at greater risk for mortality (RR: 2.08 CI 95%: 1.26-3.42) (p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm results from other studies which find nursing diagnoses to be sound predictors of resources use. Their synergy with other case-mix systems in home care should be investigated.

Effectiveness of a nurse-led case management home care model in Primary Health Care. A quasi-experimental, controlled, multi-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Demand for home care services has increased considerably, along with the growing complexity of cases and variability among resources and providers. Designing services that guarantee co-ordination and integration for providers and levels of care is of paramount importance. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a new case-management based, home care delivery model which has been implemented in Andalusia (Spain). METHODS: Quasi-experimental, controlled, non-randomised, multi-centre study on the population receiving home care services comparing the outcomes of the new model, which included nurse-led case management, versus the conventional one. Primary endpoints: functional status, satisfaction and use of healthcare resources. Secondary endpoints: recruitment and caregiver burden, mortality, institutionalisation, quality of life and family function. Analyses were performed at base-line, and at two, six and twelve months. A bivariate analysis was conducted with the Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney's U, and the chi squared test. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were performed to compare survival and institutionalisation. A multivariate analysis was performed to pinpoint factors that impact on improvement of functional ability. RESULTS: Base-line differences in functional capacity - significantly lower in the intervention group (RR: 1.52 95%CI: 1.05-2.21; p = 0.0016) - disappeared at six months (RR: 1.31 95%CI: 0.87-1.98; p = 0.178). At six months, caregiver burden showed a slight reduction in the intervention group, whereas it increased notably in the control group (base-line Zarit Test: 57.06 95%CI: 54.77-59.34 vs. 60.50 95%CI: 53.63-67.37; p = 0.264), (Zarit Test at six months: 53.79 95%CI: 49.67-57.92 vs. 66.26 95%CI: 60.66-71.86 p = 0.002). Patients in the intervention group received more physiotherapy (7.92 CI95%: 5.22-10.62 vs. 3.24 95%CI: 1.37-5.310; p = 0.0001) and, on average, required fewer home care visits (9.40 95%CI: 7.89-10.92 vs.11.30 95%CI: 9.10-14.54). No differences were found in terms of frequency of visits to A&E or hospital re-admissions. Furthermore, patients in the control group perceived higher levels of satisfaction (16.88; 95%CI: 16.32-17.43; range: 0-21, vs. 14.65 95%CI: 13.61-15.68; p = 0,001). CONCLUSION: A home care service model that includes nurse-led case management streamlines access to healthcare services and resources, while impacting positively on patients' functional ability and caregiver burden, with increased levels of satisfaction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN44054549.

Recursos humanos en los Servicios de Salud: ¿decisiones políticas o política de decisiones? / Health care staff: political decisions or policy of decision making?

No disponible

Enfermería basada en evidencias. Aportaciones y propuestas / Nursing based in evidences: contributions and proposals

Este texto recoge las conclusiones de la 1º Reunión sobre Enfermería Basada en la Evidencia (Granada, 29 de noviembre de 2002) una vez que ha sido sometido a consenso entre los participantes. Los temas de trabajo y los objetivos centrales de este foro fueron cuatro: evaluar la actividad realizada en España sobre la Enfermería Basada en la Evidencia, dar a conocer los distintos grupos que están trabajando sobre la evidencia en enfermería en España, proponer estrategias conjuntas de trabajo para el futuro y definir un marco de referencia para la enfermería española acorde con las líneas de desarrollo internacionales. Las recomendaciones y propuestas derivadas de la Reunión se han agrupado en cuatro grandes preguntas que remiten a cada uno de los objetivos planteados en la convocatoria: ¿Cuál es el marco de referencia de la evidencia científica en la Enfermería como disciplina?, ¿Qué es lo que se ha realizado en España sobre Enfermería Basada en la Evidencia?, ¿Cuáles son las líneas prioritarias de trabajo?, y ¿Qué aporta el concepto de evidencia científica a la práctica de los cuidados? (AU)