Improving Transitional Care for Older Adults: Results of a Patient-Centred Quality Improvement Intervention.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a quality improvement intervention for older adults discharged from hospital to home, that used a patient-centred discharge education tool called the Patient-Centered Discharge Plan (PCAP). We conducted a pre-post evaluation of PCAP implementation among patients 65 years and older and discharged home from an acute medical or geriatric admission at two general hospitals. Two patient cohorts, PRE and POST, were analysed using administrative data (n = 3,309) and post-discharge structured interviews in a subset of patients (n = 326). Outcomes were 90-day readmissions and return emergency department (ED) visits, and transition experiences (10-item scale). The PCAP was provided to 20 per cent of 1,683 patients. Transition experience scores increased from PRE to POST at both hospitals (adjusted beta 1.3; 95% CI: 0.8, 1.7), and return ED visits declined in one of the two hospitals (adjusted decline 1.3%; 95% CI: -3.7, 6.2). In conclusion, dedicated resources are needed to support future PCAP implementation.

The quality of four psychology practice guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) have been shown to improve healthcare services and clinical outcomes. However, they are useful resources only to the degree that they are developed according to the most rigorous standards. Multiple studies have demonstrated significant variability between CPGs with regard to specific indicators of quality. The Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ), the College of psychologists of Quebec, has published several CPGs that are intended to provide empirically supported guidance for psychologists in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, general functioning, treatment and other decision-making support. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of these CPGs. METHODS: The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument was used to assess the quality of the CPGs. RESULTS: Our results show that although there have been some modest improvements in quality of the CPGs over time, there are important methodological inadequacies in all CPGs evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate the need for more methodological rigour in CPGs development as such, recommendations to improve CPG quality are discussed.

Can We Develop Evidence-Based Guidelines Without Research Expertise?

The development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines has flourished over the past two decades. Unfortunately, many studies have found that the quality of such guidelines is highly variable (Alonso-Coello et al. in Qual Safe Health Care 19:e58, 2010; MacQueen et al. in Can J Psychiatry 62:11-23, 2016); research suggests that some of the guidelines used in psychology have been developed using poor methods for guideline development (Bennett et al. in Depress Anxiety 35:330-340, 2018; Trepanier et al. in: Can Psychol 58: 211-217, 2017). While there remains a dearth of research in this area, typically, it is guidelines themselves that are examined by researchers, while too little attention is paid to the developers, and more specifically to how the guideline development groups are composed and the nature of the expertise of those involved in developing the guidelines. Given the importance of grounding guidelines in science, it is key that guideline development groups be comprised of research experts that will help ensure that this essential aspect be respected. In this brief paper, we provide findings from a recent study in which group composition as well as the expertise of guideline development committee members at the Order of Psychologists of Quebec (OPQ) was examined, as defined by academic research productivity. As results highlighted a clear imbalance between clinical and research expertise in these specific committees, with only a small percentage of researchers being represented, we conclude that major improvements need to be made for research to properly reach practitioners and make recommendations to facilitate this.

Economic impact of the use of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

OBJECTIVES: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) is a validated, risk-adjusted database for improving the quality and security of surgical care. ACS NSQIP can help participating hospitals target areas that need improvement. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature analyzing the economic impact of using NSQIP. This paper also provides an estimation of annual cost savings following the implementation of NSQIP and quality improvement (QI) activities in two hospitals in Quebec. METHODS: In June 2018, we searched in seven databases, including PubMed, Embase, and NHSEED for economic evaluations based on NSQIP data. Contextual NSQIP databases from two hospitals were collected and analyzed. A cost analysis was conducted from the hospital care perspective, comparing complication costs before and after 1 year of the implementation of NSQIP and QI activities. The number and the cost of complications are measured. Costs are presented in 2018 Canadian dollars. RESULTS: Out of 1,612 studies, 11 were selected. The level of overall evidence was judged to be of moderate to high quality. In general, data showed that, following the implementation of NSQIP and QI activities, a significant decrease in complications and associated costs was observed, which improved with time. In the cost analysis of contextual data, the reduction in complication costs outweighed the cost of implementing NSQIP. However, this cost analysis did not take into account the costs of QI activities. CONCLUSIONS: NSQIP improves complication rates and associated costs when QI activities are implemented.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of intravenous ketamine infusion for treatment resistant depression: January 2009 - January 2019.

BACKGROUND: Sub-anaesthetic administration of ketamine is an emerging practice in patients presenting treatment resistant depression (TRD), however several outstanding questions have yet to be answered. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intravenous ketamine infusion for patients presenting TRD on depression scores, clinical remission and response rates, and to assess its efficacy over both time and frequency. METHODS: Five databases were searched up to January 4th 2019 to include primary studies evaluating the use of sub-anaesthetic dose of ketamine in adults presenting TRD. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection, quality assessment and data extraction. Results were summarised in a narrative synthesis. A meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed when possible to examine changes in standardized mean differences and odds ratios of outcome measures at 4 hours, 24 hours, or 7 days post-infusion. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies in 35 publications were included. A strong ketamine effect was observed within 4 hours following a single infusion, and peaked at 24 hours. Ketamine's effectiveness was still present, yet somewhat diminished, 7 days post-infusion. Multiple infusions resulted in an enhanced and prolonged ketamine effect. LIMITS: Due to insufficient data, long-term safety and efficacy of ketamine utilisation in patients presenting TRD are yet to be investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide support for the use of ketamine in the rapid management of depressive symptoms. While ketamine appears promising in the short-term treatment of TRD, more clinical and experimental data is needed with regards to the efficacy, tolerance and security of long-term administration of ketamine.

"What is the efficacy of specialised early intervention in mental health targeting simultaneously adolescents and young adults?'' An HTA.

OBJECTIVES: Current service organization is not adapted for youth with or at risk of mental illness. Access, engagement and continuity of care are notorious challenges, particularly during transition from adolescence to adulthood, when youths are transferred to adult services. An HTA was initiated to evaluate the efficacy of programs for which admission is not a function of the legal age of majority. METHODS: A systematic review of systematic reviews identified literature published between 2000 and 2017 in 4 databases. To be selected, studies had to focus on specialised mental healthcare early intervention (EI) programs targeting both adolescents and young adults. Contextual and experiential data were collected through interviews with local leading experts. Article selection and quality assessment using ROBIS were conducted with inter rater agreement. The analytical framework developed includes 4 domains: access, engagement and continuity, recovery as well as meaningfulness and acceptability. RESULTS: 1841 references were identified. Following inclusion/exclusion criteria, 5 studies were selected, 3 of which focused on EI for psyschosis. EI programs alone do not seem to decrease duration of untreated psychosis. EI including a multi focus campaign were more successful. EI does, however, seem to decrease hospitalisation for psychosis. The experience of service users and professionals with inter agency collaboration and person-centred care models were analysed to identify facilitating and inhibiting implementation factors. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare policies need to support further research and development of EI where admission is not a function of the legal age of majority and diagnostic, particularly for youths at risk.

Utilisation des lasers de classe 3b et 4 et de la lumière intense pulsée à des fins esthétiques dans un contexte non médical / Use of class 3b and 4 lasers and intense pulsed light for aesthetic purposes in a non-medical context

INTRODUCTION: Body image has always preoccupied people across time and cultures. Today, the search for beauty can be fulfilled with high-power technologies that are relatively easy to use, such as Class 3b and Class 4 lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL) sources. Lasers are devices that amplify light, emitting it in a narrow, coherent optical beam; the beam produced is near-monochromatic, the particles all move in the same direction, and the waves are in phase with one another. Intense pulsed light is based on different physical and technological principles. Unlike lasers, IPL sources emit polychromatic light (non-coherent, between 500 and 1,200 nm), and selected wavelengths are obtained by means of filters. These technologies are used for various cosmetic purposes and applications, including some that clearly come under activities reserved to physicians, while others fall into the grey areas surrounding medicine. Based on the definitions of the different fields of medical activity and on the laws and regulations governing the practice of medicine, this report has limited its scope to examining laser and IPL procedures that do not require medical diagnosis and that may be performed in Québec by operators other than physicians or health professionals, without medical supervision. This report does not purport to determine what does and does not lie within the scope of medicine. Rather, it focuses on the risks inherent in these technologies and on the qualification

Summary: use of class 3b and class 4 lasers and intense pulsed light sources for cosmetic procedures in non-medical settings

INTRODUCTION: Body image has always preoccupied people across time and cultures. Today, the search for beauty can be fulfilled with high-power technologies that are relatively easy to use, such as Class 3b and Class 4 lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL) sources. Lasers are devices that amplify light, emitting it in a narrow, coherent optical beam; the beam produced is near-monochromatic, the particles all move in the same direction, and the waves are in phase with one another. Intense pulsed light is based on different physical and technological principles. Unlike lasers, IPL sources emit polychromatic light (non-coherent, between 500 and 1,200 nm), and selected wavelengths are obtained by means of filters. These technologies are used for various cosmetic purposes and applications, including some that clearly come under activities reserved to physicians, while others fall into the grey areas surrounding medicine. Based on the definitions of the different fields of medical activity and on the laws and regulations governing the practice of medicine, this report has limited its scope to examining laser and IPL procedures that do not require medical diagnosis and that may be performed in Québec by operators other than physicians or health professionals, without medical supervision. This report does not purport to determine what does and does not lie within the scope of medicine. Rather, it focuses on the risks inherent in these technologies and on the qualifications required to use them, by taking hair removal as a base case and by dealing more briefly with skin resurfacing and tattoo removal, without ruling on the field of activity to which these practices belong. RESEARCH METHODS: Medline (National Library of Medicine) via PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched. The grey literature was also examined to take into account the contextual aspects that prompted the request for this report, especially the legal and regulatory provisions framing the use of lasers and IPL by non-physician operators in various countries and regions. In addition, local experts were consulted to validate the contextual evidence and the applicability of the ensuing recommendations. These experts are key actors in the following organizations: Association des dermatologistes du Québec; Collège des médecins du Québec; Comité sectoriel de la main-d'œuvre des services de soins personnels [sector committee on personal services workers]; Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport; Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale; and Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the scientific and contextual evidence leads to these findings: Class 3b and Class 4 lasers and IPL sources are high-power technologies entailing risks for operators and their customers. The use of these technologies leads to adverse effects that, although minor and transient for the most part, may in some cases be serious; however, scientific evidence does not allow us to determine their frequency or severity, or to link them with the types of professionals using them. Some cosmetic procedures may overlap with activities reserved to physicians when these. procedures are applied to areas of the skin with an underlying medical condition or with the risk of complications requiring medical expertise. Current Canadian safety standards regulate the sale and importation of these devices and their use in health-care facilities, and the safe use of lasers is governed by laws and regulations intended to protect workers' health and safety in all work settings. However, Québec has no law or regulation to protect the health and safety of the public undergoing laser or IPL procedures in non-medical settings. The use of Class 3b and Class 4 lasers and IPL sources is widespread in beauty care centres, but the specific types of devices used are not known. There is no professional order regulating the practice of estheticians or other types of personnel working in the personal services sector and likely to use laser or IPL devices, and the Office des professions du Québec has already denied the application by the Association des électrolystes du Québec to establish a professional order. The Comité sectoriel de la main-d'œuvre des services de soins personnels and the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport have already developed their own non-mandatory vocational training programs in laser hair removal, but these programs do not cover other cosmetic laser applications or the use of IPL. The Act respecting Workforce Vocational Training and Qualification (R.S.Q., c. F-5) could fill this regulatory gap in part by standardizing the required occupational skills, establishing vocational training and qualification programs, and determining occupational eligibility requirements for laser or IPL operators working in non-medical settings. In light of these findings, this report is not able to rule either on the safety of laser or IPL procedures by non-physician operators working without medical supervision or on the scope of activities that could be authorized to them in the Québec context. However, given that these technologies present hazards and may lead to adverse effects that are potentially serious when used for cosmetic procedures, and given that there is a serious possibility of interference with the field of medicine, AETMIS has reached the following conclusions, which define the major issues to be dealt with: The boundary between the procedures restricted to the field of medicine and the cosmetic procedures that may be performed by non-physician operators must be clearly established.

[Rational motivation of drug injection and prostitution]. / Motivation rationnelle de l'usage de drogue injectable et de la prostitution.

Homeless drug users and prostitutes constitute a population at risk for contracting and propagating AIDS. This study aims at understanding the paradox related to drug injection and prostitution among 21 homeless from Montreal. These behaviors are studied following the picoeconomic paradox of an apprehended desire. The results show that these homeless see drug injection as a self-reward motivated by imaginary emotional object, in spite of the known and dreaded consequences. Prostitution is described as a self-investment accessory to drug injection. This study concludes with reflections on AIDS prevention programs in relation with the needs of the homeless.