Development of a patient decision aid for discharge planning of hospitalized patients with stroke.

BACKGROUND: Patient involvement in discharge planning of patients with stroke can be accomplished by providing personalized outcome information and promoting shared decision-making. The aim of this study was to develop a patient decision aid (PtDA) for discharge planning of hospitalized patients with stroke. METHODS: A convergent mixed methods design was used, starting with needs assessments among patients with stroke and health care professionals (HCPs). Results of these assessments were used to develop the PtDA with integrated outcome information in several co-creation sessions. Subsequently, acceptability and usability were tested to optimize the PtDA. Development was guided by the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) criteria. RESULTS: In total, 74 patients and 111 HCPs participated in this study. A three-component PtDA was developed, consisting of: 1) a printed consultation sheet to introduce the options for discharge destinations, containing information that can be specified for each individual patient; 2) an online information and deliberation tool to support patient education and clarification of patient values, containing an integrated "patients-like-me" model with outcome information about discharge destinations; 3) a summary sheet to support actual decision-making during consultation, containing the patient's values and preferences concerning discharge planning. In the acceptability test, all qualifying and certifying IPDAS criteria were fulfilled. The usability test showed that patients and HCPs highly appreciated the PtDA with integrated outcome information. CONCLUSIONS: The developed PtDA was found acceptable and usable by patients and HCPs and is currently under investigation in a clinical trial to determine its effectiveness.

Experiences with information provision and preferences for decision making of patients with acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gain insight into experiences of patients with acute stroke regarding information provision and their preferred involvement in decision-making processes during the initial period of hospitalisation. METHODS: A sequential explanatory design was used in two independent cohorts of patients with stroke, starting with a survey after discharge from hospital (cohort 1) followed by observations and structured interviews during hospitalisation (cohort 2). Quantitative data were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: In total, 72 patients participated in this study (52 in cohort 1 and 20 in cohort 2). During hospitalisation, the majority of the patients were educated about acute stroke and their treatment. Approximately half of the patients preferred to have an active role in the decision-making process, whereas only 21% reported to be actively involved. In cohort 2, 60% of the patients considered themselves capable to carefully consider treatment options. CONCLUSIONS: Active involvement in the acute decision-making process is preferred by approximately half of the patients with acute stroke and most of them consider themselves capable of doing so. However, they experience a limited degree of actual involvement. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Physicians can facilitate patient engagement by explicitly emphasising when a decision has to be made in which the patient's opinion is important.

Comparison of outcome in stroke patients admitted during working hours vs. off-hours; a single-center cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to disprove an in-hospital off-hour effect in stroke patients by adjusting for disease severity and poor prognostic findings on imaging. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study included 5378 patients from a single center prospective stroke registry of a large teaching hospital in the Netherlands, admitted between January 2003 and June 2015. Patients were categorized by admission time, off-hours (OH) or working hours (WH). The in-hospital mortality, 7-day mortality, unfavorable functional outcome (modified Rankin scale > 2) and discharge to home were analyzed. Results were adjusted for age, sex, stroke severity (NIHSS score) and unfavorable findings on imaging of the brain (midline shift and dense vessel sign). RESULTS: Overall, 2796 patients (52%) were admitted during OH, which had a higher NIHSS score [3 (IQR 2-8) vs. 3 (IQR 2-6): p < 0.01] and had more often a dense vessel sign at admission (7.9% vs. 5.4%: p < 0.01). There was no difference in mortality between the OH-group and WH-group (6.2% vs. 6.0%; p = 0.87). The adjusted hazard ratio of in-hospital mortality during OH was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.70-1.08). Analysis of 7-day mortality showed similar results. Unadjusted, the OH-group had an unfavorable outcome [OR: 1.14 (95% CI: 1.02-1.27)] and could less frequently be discharged to home [OR: 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04-1.29)], which was no longer present after adjustment. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The overall outcome of stroke patients admitted to a large Dutch teaching hospital is not influenced by time of admission. When studying OH effects, adjustment for disease severity and poor prognostic findings on imaging is crucial before drawing conclusions on staffing and material.

Are PROMs sufficient to record late outcome of breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy? A comparison between patient and clinician reported outcome through an outpatient clinic after 10years of follow up.

AIM: To investigate whether breast cancer patients' visits to an outpatient clinic for late outcome (OCLO) can be replaced by patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), by comparing late toxicity scored at the OCLO with PROMs. METHODS: All breast cancer patients treated in our institute with adjuvant radiotherapy 10-11years ago were invited to visit the OCLO, and for filling out PROM-questionnaires. Concordance rate between PROMs and OCLO-reported outcome and the percentage of patients with ≥2 degrees difference in toxicity level between patient and clinician was assessed. RESULTS: 686 of 1029 patients were still alive. 249 patients visited the OCLO, and 341 patients returned a questionnaire. At a group level, patients reported higher toxicity rates than clinicians. The mean concordance for individual patients was 58% between patient and clinician reported outcome. In 2.8%, the clinician reported ≥2 degrees higher toxicity than the patients did, whereas in 6.8% patients reported ≥2 degrees higher toxicity. CONCLUSION: PROMs do not underestimate late side-effects at a group level. In spite of the low concordance rate, PROMS can be used to identify patients who experience a heavy burden of side-effects, requiring specific attention. Therefore, patients can be spared a visit to the OCLO.

[Effectiveness of endarterectomy for symptomatic stenosis of the internal carotid artery; more risk factors important than only the severity of the stenosis]. / Effectiviteit van endarteriëctomie voor symptomatische stenose van de A. carotis; meer factoren belangrijk dan alleen de ernst van de stenose.

Carotid endarterectomy prevents ischaemic stroke in patients who have suffered either a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or a non-disabling ischaemic stroke and are also diagnosed with severe stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA). In order to prevent the occurrence ofa single stroke, 6 patients with a symptomatic 70 to 99% ICA stenosis will have to be operated upon. A meta-analysis of individual patient data from 3 randomised trials shows that the decision whether to advise endarterectomy to an individual patient should not be based solely on the degree of the ICA stenosis, but also on the time interval between symptoms and surgery, the type and severity of symptoms and the plaque morphology. In general, endarterectomy is more effective in men than in women, it is very effective in the elderly, and it is even more effective when performed within two weeks of the symptoms occurring. A decision scheme has been set up enabling one to predict the absolute risk of an ipsilateral stroke in the next 5 years in individual patients who have symptomatic ICA stenosis. This is based on 5 factors: sex, age, the most severe symptom in the last 6 months (stroke, TIA, or ischaemic retinopathy), the number of weeks since the last incident and the morphological characteristics of the plaque.

[Efficacy of agreements within the Enchede Stroke Service to refer patients with a stroke from the stroke unit in the hospital to a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation]. / Effectiviteit van afspraken binnen de Enschedese stroke-service om patiënten met een beroerte adequaat te verwijzen van de stroke-unit in het ziekenhuis naar een verpleeghuis voor kortdurende reactivering.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of agreements within the Enschede Stroke Service to refer patients with a stroke from the stroke unit in the hospital to a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation. DESIGN: Prospective, partly retrospective. METHOD: All patients who were referred from the stroke unit at Medisch Spectrum Twente to the CVA Rehabilitation Unit (CRU) in the period 1 July 1999-31 July 2003 were included. Referral took place via an active multidisciplinary approach and specific referral agreements. The primary outcome was the number of patients that could be discharged home after rehabilitation. In addition, we assessed the influence on final discharge destination of age, the Barthel and Rankin scores at the time of admission to the CRU and the medical complications during the period of rehabilitation. RESULTS: 232 patients were included (133 women and 99 men, mean age 76.4 years). Within 3 months, 63% of the patients were discharged home. After 6 months, 82% had returned home. 8% of the patients died within 6 months and 9% had to stay in a nursing home permanently. Of the patient aged 80 years or older, 75% could return home within 6 months. Patients with poor Barthel and Rankin scores and medical complications had a smaller chance of being discharged home. CONCLUSION: Effective referral of patients from the stroke unit to a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation is possible. With adequate patient selection, the use of good referral agreements and multidisciplinary consultations, most patients could finally return home.

Timing of aneurysm surgery in subarachnoid haemorrhage--an observational study in The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: There is still lack of evidence on the optimal timing of surgery in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Only one randomised clinical trial has been done, which showed no difference between early and late surgery. Other studies were observational in nature and most had methodological drawbacks that preclude clinically meaningful conclusions. We performed a retrospective observational study on the timing of aneurysm surgery in The Netherlands over a two-year period. METHOD: In eight hospitals we identified 1,500 patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. They were subjected to predefined inclusion criteria. We included all patients who were admitted and were conscious at any one time between admission and the end of the third day after the haemorrhage. We categorised the clinical condition on admission according the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grading scale. Early aneurysm surgery was defined as operation performed within three days after onset of subarachnoid haemorrhage; intermediate surgery as performed on days four to seven, and late surgery as performed after day seven. Outcome was classified as the proportion of patients with poor outcome (death or dependent) two to four months after onset of subarachnoid haemorrhage. We calculated crude odds ratios with late surgery as reference. We distinguished between management results (reconstructed intention to treat analysis) and surgical results (on treatment analysis). The results were adjusted for the major prognosticators for outcome after subarachnoid haemorrhage. FINDINGS: We included 411 patients. There were 276 patients in the early surgery group, 36 in the intermediate surgery group and 99 in the late surgery group. On admission 78% were in good neurological condition (WFNS I-III). MANAGEMENT RESULTS: Overall, 93 patients (34%) operated on early had a poor outcome, 13 (36%) of those with intermediate surgery and 37 (37%) in the late surgery group had a poor outcome. For patients in good clinical condition on admission and planned for early surgery the adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.3 (95% CI 0.5 to 3.0). The adjusted OR for patients admitted in poor neurologicalcondition (WFNS IV-V) and planned for early surgery was 0.1 (95% CI 0.0 to 0.6). SURGICAL RESULTS: For patients in good clinical condition on admission who underwent early operation the adjusted OR was 1.1 (95% CI 0.4 to 3.2); it was 0.2 (95% CI 0.0 to 0.9) for patients admitted in poor clinical condition. CONCLUSIONS: In this observational study we found no significant difference in outcome between early and late operation for patients in good clinical condition on admission. For patients in poor clinical condition on admission outcome was significantly better after early surgery. The optimal timing of surgery is not yet settled. Ideally, evidence on this issue should come from a randomised clinical trial. However, such a trial or even a prospective study are unlikely to be ever performed because of the rapid development of endovascular coiling.