A Hospital-based Managed Alcohol Program in a Canadian Setting.

OBJECTIVES: A managed alcohol program (MAP) is a harm reduction strategy that provides regularly, witnessed alcohol to individuals with a severe alcohol use disorder. Although community MAPs have positive outcomes, applicability to hospital settings is unknown. This study describes a hospital-based MAP, characterizes its participants, and evaluates outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of MAP participants was conducted at an academic hospital in Vancouver, Canada, between July 2016 and October 2017. Data included demographics, alcohol/substance use, alcohol withdrawal risk, and MAP indication. Outcomes after MAP initiation included the change in mean daily alcohol consumption and liver enzymes. RESULTS: Seventeen patients participated in 26 hospital admissions: 76% male, mean age of 54 years, daily consumption prehospitalization of a mean 14 alcohol standard drinks, 59% reported previous nonbeverage alcohol consumption, and 41% participated in a community MAP. Most participants were high risk for severe, complicated alcohol withdrawal and presented in moderate withdrawal. Continuation of community MAP was the most common indication for hospital-based MAP initiation (38%), followed by a history of leaving hospital against medical advice (35%) and hospital illicit alcohol use (15%). Hospital-based MAP resulted in a mean of 5 fewer alcohol standard drinks daily compared with preadmission ( P = 0.002; 95% confidence interval, 2-8) and improvement in liver enzymes, with few adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a hospital-based MAP may be an effective safe approach to reduce harms for some individuals with severe alcohol use disorder. Further study is needed to understand who benefits most from hospital-MAP and potential benefits/harms following hospital discharge.

The Surprise Question and Serious Illness Conversations: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Serious Illness Conversations aim to discuss patient goals. However, on acute medicine units, seriously ill patients may undergo distressing interventions until death. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility of using the Surprise Question, "Would you be surprised if this patient died within the next year?" to identify patients who would benefit from early Serious Illness Conversations and study any changes in the interdisciplinary team's beliefs, confidence, and engagement as a result of asking the Surprise Question. DESIGN: A prospective cohort pilot study with two Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. PARTICIPANTS/CONTEXT: Fifty-eight healthcare professionals working on Acute Medicine Units participated in pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The intervention involved asking participants the Surprise Question for each patient. Patient charts were reviewed for Serious Illness Conversation documentation. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethical approval was granted by the institutions involved. FINDINGS: Equivocal overall changes in the beliefs, confidence, and engagement of healthcare professionals were observed. Six out of 23 patients were indicated as needing a Serious Illness Conversation; chart review provided some evidence that these patients had more Serious Illness Conversation documentation compared with the 17 patients not flagged for a Serious Illness Conversation. Issues were identified in equating the Surprise Question to a Serious Illness Conversation. DISCUSSION: Appropriate support for seriously ill patients is both a nursing professional and ethical duty. Flagging patients for conversations may act as a filtering process, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on conversations with patients who need them most. There are ethical and practical issues as to what constitutes a "serious illness" and if answering "no" to the Surprise Question always equates to a conversation. CONCLUSION: The barriers of time constraints and lack of training call for institutional change in order to prioritise the moral obligation of Serious Illness Conversations.

Exploring the experience of inpatients with severe alcohol use disorder on a managed alcohol program (MAP) at St. Paul's Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Managed alcohol programs are a harm reduction approach for people with severe alcohol use disorder that provide alcohol in a structured setting. We examined the patient experience of receiving alcohol after the implementation of a hospital-based managed alcohol program. METHODS: Using an interpretative descriptive methodology, we conducted interviews with five patients. The criteria for enrollment included continuation of community managed alcohol program or provision of alcohol for stabilization in hospital and ability to provide consent. RESULTS: Five themes emerged in the analysis: (1) Reasons for alcohol use highlighting factors leading to alcohol consumption; (2) I'm very appreciative indicating participant's perception of hospital-based managed alcohol program; (3) From just vibrating to calm and It's kinda like a pacifier for me recognizing the impact of hospital-based managed alcohol program on managing withdrawal and on psychological health; (4) I have no need to go anywhere at all demonstrating engagement in healthcare; and (5) Might be nice to have a selection for other people indicating the need for a broader selection of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: This study helped to explore the effectiveness of a hospital-based managed alcohol program as experienced by the patients. Overall, participants had a positive experience on hospital-based managed alcohol program. Their perceptions can be used to inform implementation of managed alcohol programs in other hospital settings.

Implementing nutrition diagnosis at a multisite health care organization.

The American Dietetic Association Nutrition Care Process (NCP) is designed to improve patient care and interdisciplinary communication through the consistent use of standardized nutrition language. Supported by Dietitians of Canada, the NCP has been gaining prominence across Canada. In spring 2009, registered dietitians at Providence Health Care, an academic, multisite health care organization in Vancouver, British Columbia, began using the NCP with a focus on nutrition diagnosis. The success of nutrition diagnosis at Providence Health Care has depended on support from the Clinical Nutrition Department leadership, commitment from the NCP champions, regularly scheduled lunch-and-learn sessions, revised nutrition assessment forms with a section for nutrition diagnosis statements, and the Pocket Guide for International Dietetics & Nutrition Terminology (IDNT) Reference Manual. Audit results from June through August 2010 showed a 92% nutrition diagnosis completion rate for acute-care and long-term care sites within Providence Health Care. Ongoing audits will be used to evaluate the accuracy and quality of nutrition diagnosis statements. This evaluation will allow Providence Health Care dietitians to move forward with nutrition intervention.