Assessment of the Diagnostic Accuracy and Reliability of the HEART Score Calculated by Ambulance Nurses Versus Emergency Physicians.

Chest pain is a common complaint for consultation of emergency medical services worldwide. Currently, ambulance nurses (AN) base their decision to transport a patient to the hospital on their own professional experience. The HEART score could improve prehospital risk stratification and patient treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate the interrater reliability and predictive accuracy of the HEART score between AN and emergency physicians (EP). A retrospective analysis on data of 569 patients 18 years and older included in two prehospital HEART score studies. The endpoints are interrater reliability (intraclass correlation [ICC]) and predictive accuracy for major adverse cardiac events within 30 days of the HEART score calculated by AN versus EP. Predictive accuracy is sensitivity, specificity, positive predicted value (PPV) and negative predicted value (NPV). Interrater reliability was good for total HEART score (ICC 0.78; 95% CI 0.75-0.81). However, focusing on the decision to transport a patient, the ICC dropped to 0.62 (95% CI 0.62-0.70). History and Risk factors caused the most variability. Predictive accuracy of HEART differed between AN and EP. The HEART score calculated by AN was sensitivity 91%, specificity 38%, PPV 26%, and NPV 95%. The HEART score calculated by EP was sensitivity 98%, specificity 32%, PPV -26%, and NPV 99%. With a cut-off value of 0-2 for a low HEART score, predictive accuracy significantly improved for the HEART score calculated by AN: sensitivity 98%, specificity 18%, PPV 22%, and NPV 98%. Our study shows a moderate interrater reliability and lower predictive accuracy of a HEART score calculated by AN versus EP. AN underestimate the risk of patients with acute chest pain, with the largest discrepancies in the elements History and Risk factors. Reconsidering the cut-off values of the low-risk HEART category, as well as a carefully developed training program, will possibly lead to a higher interrater reliability of the HEART score and higher predictive accuracy used by AN.

Delayed versus immediate oxytocin infusion after amniotomy for induction of labour: A randomised controlled pilot trial.

OBJECTIVE: To get a preliminary understanding of the amniotomy-to-delivery interval, patients' experiences and risks by awaiting spontaneous contractions after amniotomy and to explore the need and feasibility for a larger randomised controlled trial. METHODS: We performed a randomised controlled pilot trial in a peripheral teaching hospital in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Women with term, singleton pregnancy in vertex position undergoing labour induction for one of the five following indications: prolonged pregnancy, mild hypertensive disorders, diabetes, expected macrosomia, maternal request, were randomised to amniotomy with 12-hours delayed oxytocin (DO), or amniotomy with immediate oxytocin (IO). RESULTS: A total of 64 women was included in the analysis. The median amniotomy-to-delivery interval for the DO-group was 15 h (IQR 8-21), and 6 h (IQR 5-11) for the IO-group (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.70), with equal patient reported childbirth perception in the overall group (P=0.43). Parous women reported a significantly less positive perception of labour (P=0.02) and used pain relief more often (RR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.05-8.19) in the DO-group. The proportion of women delivered within 24 h was not significantly different between groups (RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.05-1.83). Other delivery and neonatal outcomes did not differ significantly between groups, possibly due to being underpowered. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results show that amniotomy-to-delivery interval was prolonged with 9 h in the DO-group, with equal patient reported childbirth perception in the overall group. Parous women have a less positive perception of their delivery and used pain relief more often when oxytocin was delayed. Delaying oxytocin infusion after amniotomy should be further investigated in an adequately powered randomised trial.

Reliability and Construct Validity of the 6-Minute Racerunner Test in Children and Youth with Cerebral Palsy, GMFCS Levels III and IV.

AIM: To determine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of a novel 6-Minute Racerunner Test (6MRT) in children and youth with cerebral palsy (CP) classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and IV. The racerunner is a step-propelled tricycle. METHODS: The participants were 38 children and youth with CP (mean age 11 y 2 m, SD 3 y 7 m; GMFCS III, n = 19; IV, n = 19). Racerunner capability was determined as the distance covered during the 6MRT on three occasions. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and smallest detectable differences (SDD) were calculated to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The ICC for tests 2 and 3 were 0.89 (SDD 37%; 147 m) for children in level III and 0.91 for children in level IV (SDD 52%; 118 m). When the average of two separate test occasions was used, the SDDs were reduced to 26% (104 m; level III) and 37% (118 m; level IV). For tests 1 to 3, the mean distance covered increased from 345 m (SD 148 m) to 413 m (SD 137 m) for children in level III, and from 193 m (SD 100 m) to 239 m (SD 148 m) for children in level IV. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest high test-retest reliability. However, large SDDs indicate that a single 6MRT measurement is only useful for individual evaluation when large improvements are expected, or when taking the average of two tests. The 6MRT discriminated the distance covered between children and youth in levels III and IV, supporting construct validity.

Routine outcome monitoring and process quality in mental health care: a descriptive study in daily practice.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) is used to improve quality of health care by improving the process of care. ROM was introduced nationwide in mental health care in the Netherlands with the primary goal of enhancing the quality of treatment. This study aims to establish the impact of ROM on the process quality of treatment in the daily practice of secondary mental health care in the Netherlands. METHODS: Two cohorts from the same treatment programme were identified, before and after implementation of ROM. Data on patient characteristics, presence of baseline ROM measurement and indicators of the quality of the treatment process were retrieved from the electronic health care information system. Patient data were collected until 6 months after enrolment in the treatment programme. The magnitude of the effect of ROM on the quality of the treatment process was established. RESULTS: The pre-ROM cohort comprised 271 patients and 231 patients constituted the post-ROM cohort. In the ROM cohort, both indicators for process quality 'presence of treatment plan' and 'presence of cancellations' were significantly higher; the odd ratios were 3,37 [confidence interval (CI) 2.32-4.89] and 1,63 (CI 1.14-2.33), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Indicators on process quality are important for understanding and establishing the impact of ROM in daily practice of secondary mental health care. Implementing ROM moderately increased the presence of a treatment plan. While this suggests improved treatment agreement, it did not result in better compliance of patients with individual treatment activities, as presence of cancellations was significantly higher after introduction of ROM.

Effectiveness of multidisciplinary nutritional care on nutritional intake, nutritional status and quality of life in patients with hip fractures: a controlled prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary intervention program on nutritional intake and of nutritional intake on nutritional status and quality of life in older patients treated for a hip fracture. METHODS: A controlled prospective cohort study included 66 patients in the control group and 61 patients in the intervention group, aged over 65 and sustaining a hip fracture with subsequent operative intervention. Postoperatively, the control group received standard nutritional care and the intervention group multidisciplinary nutritional care that focused on nutritional support during hospitalisation and a transfer of nutritional care after discharge. Nutrient intakes were monitored with food records. Nutritional status was determined by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to assess body cell mass (BCM). The EuroQol (EQ-5D) was used to assess quality of life. Patients were evaluated at admission and three months postoperatively. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the daily energy intake of patients between both groups during the first seven days postoperatively: 1127 kcal (±309) in the control group and 1292 kcal (±280) (P = 0.002) in the intervention group. Mean protein intake in the intervention group (57 g (±12)) was significantly higher than in the control group (48 g (±14), P = 0.000). The intervention group demonstrated a significantly lower reduction of EQ-5D index scores compared with the control group (P = 0.004) after three months. At three months, significantly fewer patients in the intervention group were classified as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: Among elderly patients with a hip fracture, a multidisciplinary postoperative approach of nutritional care was associated with an increase of energy and protein intake during hospitalisation. After three months follow-up there were fewer malnourished patients in the intervention group, and the decline in quality of life was lower than in the control group. There were no advantages of multidisciplinary nutritional care on body cell mass.