Validation of nursing documentation regarding in-hospital falls: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital fall incidents are common and sensitive to nursing care. It is therefore important to have easy access to valid patient data to evaluate and follow-up nursing care. The aim of the study was to validate the nursing documentation, using a specific term in the registered nurses´ (RNs´) discharge note, regarding inpatient falls according to the outcome of a digitalized data extraction tool and the discharge note itself. METHODS: At a teaching hospital, 31,571 episodes of care were eligible for inclusion in this retrospective cohort study. A stratified sampling including five groups was used, two with random sampling and three with total sampling. In total, 1232 episodes of care were reviewed in the electronic patient record using a study-specific protocol. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: In total, 590 episodes of care in the study cohort included 714 falls. When adjusted for the stratified sampling the cumulative incidence for the study population was 1.9%. The positive predictive value in total for the data extraction tool regarding the presence of any fall, in comparison with the record review, was 87.4%. Discrepancies found were, for example, that the RNs, at discharge, stated that the patient had fallen but no documented evidence of that could be detected during admission. It could also be the opposite, that the RNs correctly had documented that no fall had occurred, but the data extraction tool made an incorrect selection. When the latter had been withdrawn, the positive predictive value was 91.5%. Information about minor injuries due to the fall was less accurate. In the group where RNs had stated that the patient had fallen without injury, minor injuries had actually occurred in 28.3% of the episodes of care. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a specific term regarding fall in the RNs´ discharge note seems to be a valid and reliable data measurement and can be used continuously to evaluate and follow-up nursing care.

Objective evaluation by reflectance spectrophotometry can be of clinical value for the verification of blanching/non blanching erythema in the sacral area.

Early detection of non blanching erythema (pressure ulcer category I) is necessary to prevent any further skin damage. An objective method to discriminate between blanching/non blanching erythema is presently not available. The purpose of this investigation was to explore if a non invasive objective method could differentiate between blanching/non blanching erythema in the sacral area of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Seventy-eight patients were included. The sacral area of all patients was assessed using (i) conventional finger-press test and (ii) digital reading of the erythema index assessed with reflectance spectrophotometry. The patients were examined at admission and during 5 days postsurgery. Reflectance spectrophotometry measurements proved able to discriminate between blanching/non blanching erythema. The reliability, quantified by the intra-class correlation coefficient, was excellent between repeated measurements over the measurement period, varying between 0·82 and 0·96, and a significant change was recorded in the areas from day 1 to day 5 (P < 0·0001). The value from the reference point did not show any significant changes over the same period (P = 0·32). An objective method proven to identify early pressure damage to tissue can be a valuable tool in clinical practice.

Design, application and impact of quality improvement 'theme months' in orthopaedic nursing: a mixed method case study on pressure ulcer prevention.

BACKGROUND: While there is growing awareness of quality problems in healthcare systems, it remains uncertain how best to accomplish and sustain improvement over time. OBJECTIVE: To report on the design and application of quality improvement theme months in orthopaedic nursing, and evaluate the impact on pressure ulcer as an example. DESIGN: Retrospective mixed method case study with time series diagrams. SETTING: An orthopaedic department at a Swedish university hospital. METHOD: The interventions were led by nursing teams and focused on one improvement theme at a time in two-month cycles, hence the term 'improvement theme months'. These included defined objectives, easy-to-use follow-up measurement, education, changes to daily routines, "reminder months" and data feedback. The study draws on retrospective record data regarding one of the theme topics, pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevalence, in 2281 orthopaedic admissions during January 2007-October 2010 through point prevalence measurement one-day per month. Data were analysed in time series diagrams and through comparison to annual point prevalence data from mandatory county council-wide measurements prior to, during and after interventions from 2003 to 2010. By using document analysis we reviewed concurrent initiatives at different levels in the healthcare organisation and related them to the improvement theme months and their impact. RESULTS: The 46 monthly point prevalence samples ranged from 28 to 66 admissions. Substantial improvements were found in risk assessment rates for pressure ulcers both in the longitudinal follow-up (p<0.001) and in the annual county council-wide measurements. A reduction in pressure ulcer rate was observed in the annual county council-wide measurements. In the longitudinal data, wider variation in the pressure ulcer rate was seen (p<0.067); however, there was a significant decrease in pressure ulcer rates during the final ten-month period in 2010, compared to the baseline period in 2007 (p=0.004). Improvements were moderate the first years and needed reinforcement to be maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The theme month design and the way it was applied in this case showed potential, contributing to reduced pressure ulcer prevalence, as a way to conduct quality improvement initiatives in nursing. For sustainable improvement, multi component interventions are needed with regular monitoring and reminder efforts.

Hip fracture and pressure ulcers - the Pan-European Pressure Ulcer Study - intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors.

Pressure ulcers (PU) in patients with hip fracture remain a problem. Incidence of between 8.8% and 55% have been reported. There are few studies focusing on the specific patient-, surgery- and care-related risk indicators in this group. The aims of the study were: - to investigate prevalence and incidence of PU upon arrival and at discharge from hospital and to identify potential intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for development of PU in patients admitted for hip fracture surgery, - to illuminate potential differences in patient logistics, surgery, PU prevalence and incidence and care between Northern and Southern Europe. Consecutive patients with hip fracture in six countries, Sweden, Finland, UK (North) and Spain, Italy and Portugal (South), were included. The patients were followed from Accident and Emergency Department and until discharge or 7 days. Prevalence, PU at discharge and incidence were investigated, and intrinsic and extrinsic risk indicators, including waiting time for surgery and duration of surgery were recorded. Of the 635 patients, 10% had PU upon arrival and 22% at discharge (26% North and 16% South). The majority of ulcers were grade 1 and none was grade 4. Cervical fractures were more common in the North and trochanteric in the South. Waiting time for surgery and duration of surgery were significantly longer in the South. Traction was more common in the South and perioperative warming in the North. Risk factors of statistical significance correlated to PU at discharge were age >or=71 (P = 0.020), dehydration (P = 0.005), moist skin (P = 0.004) and total Braden score (P = 0.050) as well as subscores for friction (P = 0.020), nutrition (P = 0.020) and sensory perception (P = 0.040). Comorbid conditions of statistical significance for development of PU were diabetes (P = 0.005) and pulmonary disease (P = 0.006). Waiting time for surgery, duration of surgery, warming or non warming perioperatively, type of anaesthesia, traction and type of fracture were not significantly correlated with development of PU.