Compliance and adherence to hand hygiene practices for effective infection control.

Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective way to curb the spread of healthcare-associated infections. Nonetheless, healthcare personnel encounter difficulties in adhering to WHO HH recommendations. This study aimed to investigate HH compliance and adherence after the implementation of an action plan in a municipal hospital in Moscow. An initial evaluation of HH compliance among clinical health workers was carried out in June 2022 according to the WHO HH guidelines followed by a 3-month re-audit of HH practices. The results were compared to the baseline to evaluate compliance and adherence to HH among healthcare personnel. From June to September 2022, there were 2,732 moments of contact with patients or their immediate surroundings. The HH total compliance rate significantly (p < 0.05) increased from 52.3% in June 2022 to 83.3% in September 2022 with a 75% overall total compliance rate. The profession-specific total compliance rate was highest among nurses (79.6%) and lowest among ancillary staff (69.7%). Staff were also more adherent to the before-moments compared to the after-moments of the HH guidelines. Monthly re-audits and providing feedback resulted in a significant improvement in compliance and adherence with HH guidelines after implementation of the action plan.

[How to generate recommendations for venous thromboprophylaxis in health institutions?] / Cómo generar recomendaciones de tromboprofilaxis venosa en instituciones de salud.

Venous thromboembolism disease (VTE) prevention strategy has to be constantly updated based on new evidence that is generated every year. Each institution must have a formal and active prevention policy against VTE and must develop guidelines or standards for thromboprophylaxis (TP) according to the local reality. During this process of adapting a guideline to the region and the generation of hospital recommendations, we must always consider the available local resources, the thromboembolic and hemorrhagic risk of the patients, even after discharge, and also their considerations and preferences. Adherence to local TP recommendations is one of the most important items evaluated by organizations that measure institutional quality. Individualized prophylaxis should consider personal and family history of VTE, the use of validated risk assessment models or RAMs for thrombosis and bleeding events, as well as the special characteristics of each patient. Ideally, each center's own statistics should be available for decision-making. Extrapolating guidelines from developed countries could have a negative impact, if we ignore our hospital's reality. In this document we will find practical tools for health institutions that will allow them to prepare recommendations or guidelines for adequate VTE prophylaxis.

La prevención de la enfermedad tromboembólica venosa (ETV) es motivo de continua actualización en función de nueva evidencia que se genera permanentemente. Cada institución debe contar con una estrategia activa de prevención contra la ETV y debe generar normas de tromboprofilaxis (TP) de acuerdo con la realidad local. Durante este proceso de adaptación de una guía a la región debemos siempre tener en cuenta los recursos locales disponibles, el riesgo tromboembólico y hemorrágico propio del paciente, de la enfermedad por la que se encuentra internado (ya sea clínica o quirúrgica) y las consideraciones o preferencias del paciente. La tasa de adherencia a recomendaciones locales de TP es uno de los indicadores de excelencia más importantes evaluados en organismos que califican la calidad de una institución de salud. Las medidas de profilaxis que propongamos para los centros de salud, deben ser individualizadas para cada paciente, tienen que considerar antecedentes personales y familiares del enfermo y utilizar modelos de evaluación de riesgo validados de trombosis y de sangrado. También deben incluir a la población con riesgo de trombosis persistente luego del alta. Lo ideal es tener estadísticas propias de cada nosocomio para la toma de decisiones de cómo implementar una correcta TP. Extrapolar guías de los países desarrollados a nuestro ámbito podría tener un impacto negativo, si no se conoce la propia realidad. En este documento encontraremos herramientas prácticas para las instituciones de salud de la región, que les permita orientarse al momento de confeccionar recomendaciones para una adecuada TP.

Adherence to Current Dyslipidemia Guideline in Patients Utilizing Statins According to Risk Groups and Gender Differences: The AIZANOI Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the adherence to the current European Society of Cardiology dyslipidemia guidelines, the ratio of reaching target values according to risk groups, and the reasons for not reaching LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) goals in patients on already statin therapy in a cardiology outpatient population. METHODS: The AIZANOI study is a multi-center, cross-sectional observational study including conducted in 9 cardiology centers between August 1, 2021, and November 1, 2021. RESULTS: A total of 1225 patients (mean age 62 ± 11 years, 366 female) who were already on statin therapy for at least 3 months were included. More than half (58.2%) of the patients were using high-intensity statin regimens. Only 26.2% of patients had target LDL-C level according to their risk score. Despite 58.4% of very high-risk patients and 44.4% of high-risk patients have been using a high-intensity statin regimen, only 24.5% of very-high-risk patients and only 34.9% of high-risk patients have reached guideline-recommended LDL-C levels. Most prevalent reason for not using target dose statin was physician preference (physician inertia) (40.3%). CONCLUSION: The AIZANOI study showed that we achieved a target LDL-C level in only 26.2% of patients using statin therapy. Although 58.4% of patients with a very high SCORE risk and 44.4% of patients with a high SCORE risk were using a target dose statin regimen, we were only able to achieve guideline-recommended LDL-C levels in 24.5% and 34.9% of them, respectively, in cardiology outpatients clinics. Physician inertia is one of the major factors in non-adherence to guidelines. These findings highlight that combination therapy is needed in most of the patients.

Adherence to practice parameters in Medicare beneficiaries with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Physician adherence to evidence-based clinical practice parameters impacts outcomes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We sought to investigate compliance with the 2009 practice parameters for treatment of ALS patients in the United States, and sociodemographic and provider characteristics associated with adherence. METHODS: In this population-based, retrospective cohort study of incident ALS patients in 2009-2014, we included all Medicare beneficiaries age ≥20 with ≥1 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification ALS code (335.20) in 2009 and no prior years (N = 8,575). Variables of interest included race/ethnicity, sex, age, urban residence, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and provider specialty (neurologist vs. non-neurologist). Outcomes were use of practice parameters, which included feeding tubes, non-invasive ventilation (NIV), riluzole, and receiving care from a neurologist. RESULTS: Overall, 42.9% of patients with ALS received neurologist care. Black beneficiaries (odds ratio [OR] 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.67), older beneficiaries (OR 0.964, 95% CI 0.961-0.968 per year), and those living in disadvantaged areas (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61-0.80) received less care from neurologists. Overall, only 26.7% of beneficiaries received a feeding tube, 19.2% NIV, and 15.3% riluzole. Neurologist-treated patients were more likely to receive interventions than other ALS patients: feeding tube (OR 2.80, 95% CI 2.52-3.11); NIV (OR 10.8, 95% CI 9.28-12.6); and riluzole (OR 7.67, 95% CI 6.13-9.58), after adjusting for sociodemographics. These associations remained marked and significant when we excluded ALS patients who subsequently received a code for other diseases that mimic ALS. CONCLUSIONS: ALS patients treated by neurologists received care consistent with practice parameters more often than those not treated by a neurologist. Black, older, and disadvantaged beneficiaries received less care consistent with the practice parameters.

Status epilepticus-Therapeutic management at the pediatric emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: Status epilepticus is an important cause of pediatric neurological emergency. Immediate treatment is essential to prevent definitive neurological damage. Several antiepileptic drugs are available for the management of status epilepticus. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients admitted at the emergency department of a tertiary hospital for 5 years (2014-2019). We analyzed the compliance to the treatment guidelines for pediatric status epilepticus. RESULTS: One hundred and seventeen admissions were identified, 23.9% of these were febrile status epilepticus. Among the other cases, the most frequent cause was genetic (22.2%). The majority were convulsive status epilepticus (93.1%), 58.7% of which were generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Benzodiazepines were the most used first and second line drug (98.2% and 94.8%). The most frequent third drug used was diazepam (56.4%) followed by phenytoin (18.2%). An infra-therapeutic antiepileptic drug dose was given in 48.7% of cases. 49.6% presented with a prolonged status epilepticus and 6.8% needed intensive care. Incorrect sequence of drugs and infra-therapeutic doses were associated with prolonged status (p<0.001 and p<0.05) and an increased number of antiepileptic drugs used (p<0.001 and p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Benzodiazepines were the most frequently first and second line drugs used for status epilepticus management. Surprisingly, the most frequently third line drugs used were also benzodiazepines. These findings were partially explained by the misuse of infra-therapeutic doses of these drugs. Noncompliance with the implemented guidelines was associated with unfavorable outcomes.

Mapping the Common Barriers to Optimal COPD Care in High and Middle-Income Countries: Qualitative Perspectives from Clinicians.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) poses a significant global health burden despite being largely preventable and treatable. Despite the availability of guidelines, COPD care remains suboptimal in many settings, including high-income countries (HICs) and upper-middle-income countries (UMICs), with varied approaches to diagnosis and management. This study aimed to identify common and unique barriers to COPD care across six countries (Australia, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, and Russia) to inform global policy initiatives for improved care. Methods: COPD care pathways were mapped for each country and supplemented with epidemiological, health-economic, and clinical data from a targeted literature review. Semi-structured interviews with 17 respiratory care clinicians were used to further validate the pathways and identify key barriers. Thematic content analysis was used to generate the themes. Results: Six themes were common in most HICs and UMICs: "Challenges in COPD diagnosis", "Strengthening the role of primary care", "Fragmented healthcare systems and coordination challenges", "Inadequate management of COPD exacerbations", "Limited access to specialized care" and, "Impact of underfinanced and overloaded healthcare systems". One theme, "Insurance coverage and reimbursement challenges", was more relevant for UMICs. HICs and UMICs differ in patient and healthcare provider awareness, primary care involvement, spirometry access, and availability of specialized care. Both face issues with healthcare fragmentation, guideline adherence, and COPD exacerbation management. In addition, UMICs also grapple with resource limitations and healthcare infrastructure challenges. Conclusion: Many challenges to COPD care are the same in both HICs and UMICs, underscoring the pervasive nature of these issues. While country-specific issues require customized solutions, there are untapped possibilities for implementing global respiratory strategies that support countries to manage COPD effectively. In addition to healthcare system-level initiatives, there is a crucial need for political prioritization of COPD to allocate the essential resources it requires.

Using electronic health records to evaluate the adherence to cervical cancer prevention guidelines: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The fight against cervical cancer requires effective screening together with optimal and on-time treatment along the care continuum. We examined the impact of cervical cancer testing and treatment guidelines on testing practices, and follow-up adherence to guidelines. METHODS: Data from Estonian electronic health records and healthcare provision claims for 50,702 women was used. The annual rates of PAP tests, HPV tests and colposcopies during two guideline periods (2nd version 2012-2014 vs 3rd version 2016-2019) were compared. To assess the adherence to guidelines, the subjects were classified as adherent, over- or undertested based on the timing of the appropriate follow-up test. RESULTS: The number of PAP tests decreased and HPV tests increased during the 3rd guideline period (p < 0.01). During the 3rd guideline period, among 21-29-year-old women, the adherence to guidelines ranged from 38.7% (44.4…50.1) for ASC-US to 73.4% (62.6…84.3) for HSIL and among 30-59-year-old from 49.0% (45.9…52.2) for ASC-US to 65.7% (58.8…72.7) for ASCH. The highest rate of undertested women was for ASC-US (21-29y: 25.7%; 30-59y: 21.9%). The rates of over-tested women remained below 12% for all cervical pathologies observed. There were 55.2% (95% CI 49.7…60.8) of 21-24-year-olds and 57.1% (95% CI 53.6…60.6) of 25-29-year-old women who received HPV test not adherent to guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted some shortcomings in guideline adherence, especially among women under 30. The insights gained from this study help to improve the quality of care and, thus, reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality.

The effect of following best practice reporting recommendations on legal and community evaluations of forensic examiners reports.

Commentators have recommended that forensic scientists' reports contain various disclosures to facilitate comprehension. However, little research has explored whether following best practice recommendations for disclosure impacts on receivers' impressions of the evidence. We examined whether forensic science reports that are more compliant with these best practice recommendations reduced overvaluing of the evidence and sensitized legal and community decision-makers to evidence quality. Across three experiments, 240 legal practitioners/trainees and 566 community decision-makers were presented with a fingerprint or footwear report that was either compliant or non-compliant with best practice recommendations. Participants were then asked to make evaluations and decisions based on the report. We found mixed effects of report compliance. Report compliance affected community participant's evaluations of the persuasiveness of the evidence but had limited impact on the judgments of legal practitioners/trainees. When presented with compliant reports, we found that community participants regarded unknown reliability evidence as less reliable and less persuasive than high reliability evidence, suggesting disclosures helped reduce overvaluing of the evidence and create sensitivity to differences in evidence quality. These results suggest compliance with reporting recommendations does affect community impressions, while only minimally influencing legal impressions of forensic science evidence. The costs and/or benefits of this outcome require further examination.

Multidisciplinary proactive e-consults to improve guideline-directed medical therapies for patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease: an implementation study.

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that multidisciplinary, proactive electronic consultation (MPE) could overcome barriers to prescribing guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMTs) for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted an efficacy-implementation pilot study of MPE for T2D and CKD for primary care provider (PCP)-patient dyads at an academic health system. MPE included (1) a dashboard to identify patients without a prescription for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and without a maximum dose prescription for renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi), (2) a multidisciplinary team of specialists to provide recommendations using e-consult templates, and (3) a workflow to deliver timely e-consult recommendations to PCPs. In-depth interviews were conducted with PCPs and specialists to assess feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of MPE and were analyzed using an iterative qualitative analysis approach to identify major themes. Prescription data were extracted from the electronic health record to assess preliminary effectiveness to increase GDMT. RESULTS: 20 PCPs agreed to participate, 18 PCPs received MPEs for one of their patients with T2D and CKD, and 16 PCPs and 2 specialists were interviewed. Major themes were as follows: appropriateness of prioritization of GDMT for T2D and CKD, acceptability of the content of the recommendations, PCP characteristics impact experience with MPE, acceptability and appropriateness of multidisciplinary collaboration, feasibility of MPE to overcome patient-specific barriers to GDMT, and appropriateness of workflow. At 6 months postbaseline, 7/18 (39%) patients were newly prescribed an SGLT2i, and 7/18 (39%) patients were either newly prescribed or had increased dose of RAASi. CONCLUSIONS: MPE was an acceptable and appropriate health system strategy to identify and address gaps in GDMT among patients with T2D and CKD. Adopting MPE could enhance GDMT, though PCPs raised feasibility concerns which could be improved with program enhancements, including follow-up e-consults for reinforcement, and administrative support for navigating system-level barriers.

Guideline versus clinician recommended duration of dual antiplatelet therapy following acute coronary syndrome (ANZACS-QI 78).

AIM: The recommended duration of dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) for patients without atrial fibrillation varies from 1 month to 1 year depending on the balance of risks of ischaemia and major bleeding. Patients on DAPT with a high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding are also recommended to receive a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Our aim was to audit current practice against the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guideline recommendations. METHODS: One hundred consecutive ACS patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention discharged from Middlemore Hospital and without atrial fibrillation in the first quarter of 2023 were studied. ANZACS-QI ischaemic (I) and bleeding (B) risk scores were calculated, with patients categorised in four groups based on ESC recommendations-low I/low B risk, low I/high B, high I/low B and high I/high B. Guideline and clinician recommended duration of DAPT and prescription of PPI were compared. RESULTS: All patients were planned for DAPT at discharge and 91% a PPI. Up to four out of five ACS patients could have been planned for shorter DAPT durations based on the ESC guideline recommendations. Over half of included patients (53%) had a high bleeding risk, yet 85% of these patients received 12 months of DAPT despite ESC recommendations of 1-3 months. CONCLUSIONS: There was a divergence between clinical practice and the recommendations of the 2020 ESC guidelines. We discuss these results in relation to the updated August 2023 ESC guidelines, which have reaffirmed a 12-month duration of DAPT as the default position.

Assessment tools in food safety and adherence to the sanitary protocol for coping with COVID-19 in food services.

Food services, which must meet the sanitary standards for food production, needed to adapt to COVID-19 protocols in times of pandemic. In this context, the study of food safety assessment tools and sanitary protocols can contribute to the systematization of sanitary control actions and to the understanding how services have adapted to the new requirements. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the relationships among the results of the assessment tools for food safety and adherence to the sanitary protocol for coping with COVID-19 in food services. Sanitary inspections were performed in 40 food services located in the center of the city of São Paulo - Brazil. Data were collected through the application of four checklists to evaluate the following: i. risk for FBD; ii. Good Handling Practices; iii. the structural requirements; and iv. The implementation of the COVID-19 sanitary protocol. The risk assessment tool was interpreted using a risk score, with each item weighted according to the risk for FBD. The results of the other tools were evaluated using the overall percentage of violated items. The results showed the predominance of high risk of GHP in the food services evaluated and a high percentage of violation of Good Handling Practices and structural requirements. The percentage of violation of the COVID-19 health protocol was moderate in most establishments. The degree of risk showed a high positive correlation with Good Handling Practices violations (Spearman ρ = 0.73; p < 0.001) and structural requirements (Spearman ρ = 0.63; p < 0.001). Regarding the tool for assessing adherence to the COVID-19 sanitary protocol, a moderate correlation was found with the violations of Good Handling Practices (Spearman ρ = 0.65; p < 0.001), with an emphasis on the thematic block relevant to food handlers. This discussion of the relationships among the results of the evaluation tools and their measurements may therefore be useful for improving the application of these tools by professionals involved in inspection activities, allowing the greater systematization of sanitary control actions and contributing to reduced risk of FBD.

Adherence to dietary guidelines and associated factors among rural Australian cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore levels of adherence to dietary guidelines, and factors associated with dietary guideline adherence, among rural Australian cancer survivors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken. We recruited a convenience sample of adults with cancer who attended the chemotherapy day unit or allied health appointments at a rural hospital in Baw Baw Shire, Victoria, Australia, between August 2017 and December 2021. Dietary guideline adherence was assessed by cross-referencing participants' responses to an adapted version of the Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies with dietary recommendations in Australian dietary guidelines. Binary logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with dietary guideline adherence for fruits and whole red meats. RESULTS: There were 107 rural cancer survivors (median age, 67 years). Dietary guideline adherence was highest for alcohol (88%) followed by whole red meats (63%), fruits (56%), processed red meats (24%), cereals/breads/grains (7%), and vegetables (4%). Relative to those aged < 65 years, 65-74-year-olds had 5.7-fold greater odds (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.91-17.17) of adhering to the dietary guideline for fruits. Relative to those who had completed/ceased treatment, participants who were currently receiving treatment had 78% lower odds (aOR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.09-0.59) of adhering to the dietary guideline for fruits. CONCLUSION: This study contributes preliminary data on adherence to dietary guidelines and associated factors among rural Australian cancer survivors. Dietary guideline adherence varied across food groups and was mostly low, albeit not markedly worse than Australia's national population for the fruits and vegetables groups. The mostly low adherence in our sample suggests a potential need to increase provision of dietary information, supportive care screening, and, wherever necessary, dietetics referrals, assessments, and interventions among rural cancer survivors. Larger, longitudinal studies of adherence to dietary guidelines and/or tailored, cancer-specific dietary recommendations should be undertaken in future.

Improving Compliance with a Nurse-Driven Protocol for Unfractionated Heparin Infusions in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND: Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is a high-risk medication that can cause bleeding and/or thrombotic complications if not managed appropriately. Between January and July 2019, our institution experienced a high number of patient safety events related to UFH infusion for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). PURPOSE: The aim of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to prevent these safety events by improving compliance with our institution's nurse-driven VTE UFH infusion protocol. METHODS: Baseline data for patients on the VTE UFH protocol were collected to identify improvement opportunities. Compliance with eight standards of care related to the VTE UFH infusion protocol was measured. Time to first therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was recorded to assess the benefit of improved compliance. INTERVENTIONS: Institutional policy updates were made to clarify the management of UFH infusions and documentation in the electronic health record. A multidisciplinary workgroup implemented order set changes, nursing communication orders, UFH infusion reports, and a nursing education module to promote compliance with the protocol. RESULTS: The overall rate of compliance with the VTE UFH infusion protocol increased from 79.4% at baseline to 85.2% following implementation of the QI initiative, and the median time to first therapeutic aPTT decreased from 831.5 minutes to 808 minutes over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary initiative to address improvement opportunities in a nurse-driven UFH protocol for VTE treatment increased compliance with the protocol and decreased the time to first therapeutic aPTT.

Design of a bi-directional methodology for automated assessment of compliance to continuous application of clinical guidelines, and its evaluation in the type 2 diabetes domain.

We introduce a new approach for automated guideline-based-care quality assessment, the bidirectional knowledge-based assessment of compliance (BiKBAC) method, and the DiscovErr system, which implements it. Our methodology compares the guideline's Asbru-based formal representation, including its intentions, with the longitudinal medical record, using a top-down and bottom-up approach. Partial matches are resolved using fuzzy temporal logic. The system was evaluated in the type 2 Diabetes management domain, comparing it to three expert clinicians, including two diabetes experts. The system and the experts commented on the management of 10 patients, randomly selected from 2,000 diabetes patients. On average, each record spanned 5.23 years; the data included 1,584 medical transactions. The system provided 279 comments. The experts made 181 different unique comments. The completeness (recall) of the system was 91% when the gold standard was comments made by at least two of the three experts, and 98%, compared to comments made by all three experts. The experts also assessed all of the 114 medication-therapy-related comments, and a random 35% of the 165 tests-and-monitoring-related comments. The system's correctness (precision) was 81%, compared to comments judged as correct by both diabetes experts, and 91%, compared to comments judged as correct by one diabetes expert and at least as partially correct by the other. 89% of the comments were judged as important by both diabetes experts, 8% were judged as important by one expert, and 3% were judged as less important by both experts. Adding the validated system comments to the experts' comments, the completeness scores of the experts were 75%, 60%, and 55%; the expert correctness scores were respectively 99%, 91%, and 88%. Thus, the system could be ranked first in completeness and second in correctness. We conclude that systems such as DiscovErr can effectively assess the quality of continuous guideline-based care.

The effect of audit and feedback and implementation support on guideline adherence and patient outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation: a study protocol for an open-label cluster-randomized effectiveness-implementation hybrid trial.

BACKGROUND: Providing secondary prevention through structured and comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programmes to patients after a myocardial infarction (MI) reduces mortality and morbidity and improves health-related quality of life. Cardiac rehabilitation has the highest recommendation in current guidelines. While treatment target attainment rates at Swedish cardiac rehabilitation centres is among the highest in Europe, there are considerable differences in service delivery and variations in patient-level outcomes between centres. In this trial, we aim to study whether centre-level guideline adherence and patient-level outcomes across Swedish cardiac rehabilitation centres can be improved through a) regular audit and feedback of cardiac rehabilitation structure and processes through a national quality registry and b) supporting cardiac rehabilitation centres in implementing guidelines on secondary prevention. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate the implementation process and costs. METHODS: The study is an open-label cluster-randomized effectiveness-implementation hybrid trial including all 78 cardiac rehabilitation centres (attending to approximately 10 000 MI patients/year) that report to the SWEDEHEART registry. The centres will be randomized 1:1:1 to three clusters: 1) reporting cardiac rehabilitation structure and process variables to SWEDEHEART every six months (audit intervention) and being offered implementation support to implement guidelines on secondary prevention (implementation support intervention); 2) audit intervention only; or 3) no intervention offered. Baseline cardiac rehabilitation structure and process variables will be collected. The primary outcome is an adherence score measuring centre-level adherence to secondary prevention guidelines. Secondary outcomes include patient-level secondary prevention risk factor goal attainment at one-year after MI and major adverse coronary outcomes for up to five-years post-MI. Implementation outcomes include barriers and facilitators to guideline adherence evaluated using semi-structured focus-group interviews and relevant questionnaires, as well as costs and cost-effectiveness assessed by a comparative health economic evaluation. DISCUSSION: Optimizing cardiac rehabilitation centres' delivery of services to meet standards set in guidelines may lead to improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, including lifestyle factors, and ultimately a decrease in morbidity and mortality after MI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT05889416 . Registered 2023-03-23.

Impact of institutional quality improvement initiatives on metabolic monitoring in mental disorder in patients treated with antipsychotics: A meta-analysis of intervention studies.

Background: Compliance with guidelines regarding monitoring of metabolic adverse effects induced by antipsychotics has been consistently low. We characterised and evaluated the quality of institutional quality improvement (QI) interventions designed to address disparities between guidelines and real-world practices. Furthermore, we assessed the impact of these interventions on the screening and management of metabolic risks for inpatients receiving treatment with antipsychotic medications. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of institutional QI intervention studies aimed at improving antipsychotic-associated metabolic risk monitoring in hospitalised mental disease patients. Relevant studies were identified through searches conducted in the Embase and PubMed databases, as well as by reviewing previous reviews and meta-analyses. Quantitative analyses were performed, calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the impact of QI programmes on guideline adherence in clinical practice. Results: We identified 12 intervention studies (n = 10 128 and n = 2667 patients in the pre-and post-intervention groups, respectively) and included them in our meta-analysis. QI interventions demonstrated effectiveness in bridging the guideline-practice gap in monitoring antipsychotic-induced metabolic adverse effects, as supported by the ORs and 95% CIs for post-intervention monitoring of plasma glucose, lipids, and blood pressure (BP) vs the pre-intervention period being OR = 6.90 (95% CI = 1.51-31.48), OR = 5.39 (95% CI = 4.01-7.24), and OR = 4.81 (95% CI = 1.23-18.79), respectively. Only 33.3% (4/12) of studies reported screening rates for all four metabolic parameters (plasma glucose, lipids, weight/body mass index (BMI), and BP). The median rates for metabolic screening of plasma glucose, lipids, and BP increased from 51.0-80.0%, 28.7-66.7%, and 91.7-95.8%, respectively. Up to 66.7% (8/12) of intervention studies lacked follow-up measures to treat or manage identified risks in hospitalised psychiatric patients, such as patient referrals, prescription of medications, and switching of antipsychotics. The odds of monitoring weight/BMI and glucose were greatest when QI programmes involved the participation of multidisciplinary health care professionals and patients, yielding OR = 3.35 (95% CI = 2.45-4.59) and OR = 57.51 (95% CI = 24.11-137.21), respectively. Conclusions: Institutional QI interventions were effective in enhancing monitoring practices in alignment with established guidelines for metabolic risk screening among hospitalised patients with mental disorders maintained on antipsychotic medications. Future institutional QI programmes should incorporate multidisciplinary strategies involving patient engagement and extend their focus beyond screening to incorporate follow-up risk management strategies once risks have been identified. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42023452138.

Implementing a multimodal intervention using local resources to improve hand hygiene compliance in a comprehensive specialized hospital in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene (HH) is known to be the most effective practice to reduce Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The main barriers to HH practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Sub-Saharan Africa are heavy workload, infrastructural deficits, and poorly positioned facilities. There is limited data on HH compliance and particularly on the impact of the World Health Organization's (WHO) multimodal HH strategy in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to provide insights into a strategy to implement the WHO concept adapted to local conditions and obstacles encountered at a tertiary university hospital in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS: We conducted a study aiming at increasing the quality of the HH practice of HCWs using the WHO HH improvement strategy. The study adopted a pre-and post-interventional design from April 2018 to May 2019. In the pre-intervention phase, a baseline infrastructural survey was made. The intervention consisted of in-house production of hand sanitizer and dispensers for every patient bed, staff education and motivation, and implementation of a multidisciplinary infection prevention committee. The intervention was followed by two one-week compliance observations of HH practice among HCWs within the six months post-intervention period and microbiological sample collection from HCWs' hands to assess the quality of HH. RESULTS: We observed 269 (baseline), 737 (first follow-up) and 574 (second follow-up) indications for HH among HCWs. The overall baseline hand rub compliance was 4.8%, which significantly increased to 37.3% (first follow-up) and 56.1% (second follow-up) (p < 0.0001). Consistent and significant increases in hand rub compliance during the entire follow-up period were observed before touching a patient, after touching a patient, and after touching the patient's surroundings (all p < 0.01). Nurses and medical interns achieved consistent and significant increases in hand rub compliance during the entire follow-up period (all p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Implementing the WHO HH improvement strategy significantly increased HH compliance despite a shortage of water and other resources. Hand rub was accepted as the main HH method in the hospital. HH campaigns in developing settings profit from multimodal strategies, knowledge exchange and utilization of local resources.

Acute pancreatitis in children and adolescents: diagnostic and therapeutic approach according to management guidelines in a group of pediatricians.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis is observed more frequently in the pediatric age. Currently, there are recommendation guidelines for its proper diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge of the international recommendations on acute pancreatitis in pediatrics of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in a group of pediatricians. METHODS: Observational, multicenter study, through a survey applied to pediatricians and pediatric residents. RESULTS: 48.8% of physicians had prior knowledge of the guidelines for the treatment of acute pancreatitis in children. 72.4% knew the current criteria for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. There were no differences in the majority of responses between pediatricians and pediatric residents. CONCLUSIONS: Although only half of the respondents followed the guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis, about three-quarters adequately use the criteria for diagnosis. There is adequate knowledge about the prescription of antibiotics and pancreatitis follow-up. There is lack of knowledge on the recommendation of monitoring vital signs and the precise time to perform cholecystectomy in the pancreatitis of biliary origin.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La pancreatitis aguda se observa con mayor frecuencia en la edad pediátrica. Actualmente existen guías de recomendaciones para su adecuado diagnóstico y tratamiento. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el nivel de conocimiento de las recomendaciones internacionales sobre pancreatitis aguda de la North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition en un grupo de pediatras. MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional, multicéntrico, mediante una encuesta aplicada a médicos pediatras y médicos pediatras en formación. RESULTADOS: El 48.8% de los médicos tenían conocimiento de las guías para tratamiento de pancreatitis aguda en niños. El 72.4% conocían los criterios actuales para el diagnóstico de pancreatitis aguda. No hubo diferencias en la mayoría de las respuestas entre médicos pediatras y médicos pediatras en formación. CONCLUSIONES: Aunque solo la mitad de los encuestados conocían la guía para el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la pancreatitis aguda, cerca de tres cuartas partes utilizan adecuadamente los criterios para el diagnóstico. Existe adecuado conocimiento sobre la prescripción de antibióticos y el seguimiento posterior a la pancreatitis aguda. Hay déficit en el conocimiento sobre las recomendaciones de la monitorización de los signos vitales y el momento adecuado para realizar la colecistectomía ante una pancreatitis de origen biliar.