Evaluating the surgical trainee ergonomic experience during minimally invasive abdominal surgery (ESTEEMA study).

Minimally invasive abdominal surgery (MAS) can exert a physical cost. Surgical trainees spend years assisting minimally-invasive surgeries, increasing the risk of workplace injury. This prospective questionnaire-based cohort study was conducted amongst general surgery residents in Singapore. Residents assisting major MAS surgery were invited to complete anonymous online survey forms after surgery. The Phase 1 survey assessed physical discomfort scores and risk factors. Intraoperative measures to improve ergonomics were administered and evaluated in Phase 2. During Phase 1 (October 2021 to April 2022), physical discomfort was reported in at least one body part in 82.6% (n = 38) of respondents. Over a third of respondents reported severe discomfort in at least one body part (n = 17, 37.0%). Extremes of height, training seniority, longer surgical duration and operative complexity were significant risk factors for greater physical discomfort. In Phase 2 (October 2022 to February 2023), the overall rate of physical symptoms and severe discomfort improved to 81.3% (n = 52) and 34.4% (n = 22) respectively. The ergonomic measure most found useful was having separate television monitors for the primary surgeon and assistants, followed by intraoperative feedback on television monitor angle or position. Close to 20% of survey respondents felt that surgeon education was likely to improve physical discomfort.

Health information needs and dissemination methods for individuals living with ischemic heart disease: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to identify the health information needs and preferred approaches to receive health information of individuals with Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD). METHODS: A systematic review was conducted. Relevant literature, published in English (January 2011 to October 2021), was identified across six databases. Guided by Coulter et al.'s framework for developing patient information materials, thematic analysis was performed. The findings were presented in tables and prose. RESULTS: Fifty-nine studies were included. Eleven themes summarised the information needs of individuals with IHD. Each theme was supported with subthemes. Forty-five studies included information on preferred methods of dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Our review has characterised the diverse information needs of individuals living with IHD and dissemination methods for outreach to this population. Such insights inform healthcare providers in formulating patient-centred educational interventions to empower patients to undertake successful behavioural modification. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Patient education should be personalised and delivered according to individuals' risks for IHD and modifiable risk factors. The use of web-based dissemination of patient education has gained popularity among healthcare providers but sub-optimal adherence to these web-based interventions limits behavioural modification. Adding elements of in-person patient education session to complement web-based interventions may be more propitious to effecting behavioural modification.

Beware what lurks on the surface - persistent contamination of high-touch surfaces on slit lamps despite regular cleaning.

High-touch surfaces contributing to infection transmission are particularly concerning in the ophthalmology clinic where frequent contact exists between ophthalmologists and various ophthalmic instruments. Areas of surface contamination from an ophthalmologist's contact with the slit lamp environment were identified using ultraviolet fluorescence as a surrogate for pathogen contamination. Ultraviolet fluorescent product was applied on the ophthalmologist's hands after thorough hand washing to indicate the contamination that may be derived from multiple sources in the ophthalmology clinic, such as touching the patient or the patient's folder during eye examinations and transfers. The ophthalmology clinic was run normally, with the ophthalmologist wiping down patient-contact surfaces on the slit lamp and performing thorough hand hygiene after every patient. Using ultraviolet black light, persistence of surface contamination in the slit lamp environment was identified and evaluated across five days. High-touch surfaces of suboptimal disinfection were inclined towards those touched only by the ophthalmologist, for example: joystick and chin-rest adjustment knob, as compared to patient-contact surfaces. Persistent contamination on the same surfaces revealed inefficacy of current hand hygiene and clinical disinfection practices. This poses a significant risk for pathogen transmission and underscores the importance of including these specific clinician high-touch surfaces in existing cleaning protocols.

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries: Are they accurately reported? A prospective descriptive study in a large tertiary hospital in Australia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to (1) examine the reasons for the increased incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) reported in the Incident Information Management System (IIMS), and (2) gain feedback from nurses regarding HAPI being reported in the IIMS at one tertiary hospital in Australia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective descriptive study included a review of patients with a reported HAPI from July 2015 to June 2016. Patient assessment and semi-structured interviews with nurses were conducted. Interview data were anonymised and content thematically analysed. RESULTS: Data were collected on 417 patients who were reported to have a HAPI; of these, 363 patients were clinically assessed. 69.7% (253/363) were inaccurately reported in the IIMS, based on stage, location, not a true pressure injury or not hospital-acquired. A high number of patients (176/363, 48.5%) were found to have various skin conditions that were not HAPIs. Three themes were identified from the interviews: (1) meeting the mandated reporting requirements; (2) incident reporting and communication; (3) difficulties documenting aetiology. CONCLUSION: This study identified inaccuracies in diagnosing, classifying and reporting pressure injuries. Nurses described barriers and challenges to classifying and reporting HAPIs. Inaccurate reporting can lead to incorrect conclusions especially when reported data alone is relied upon for patient treatment, benchmarking and analysis. Guidelines are needed at a national and international level to support the quality of clinical assessment, reporting and documentation. Findings from this study have led to a new approach to patient assessment and to minimise errors in incident reporting at this organisation.

Sleep Disturbances and Suicide Risk in an 8-Year Longitudinal Study of Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Disrupted sleep is one of the prominent but often overlooked presenting symptoms in the clinical course of psychotic disorders. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbances, particularly insomnia and nightmares, and their prospective associations with the risk of suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. METHODS: A naturalistic longitudinal study was conducted in outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a regional university-affiliated public hospital in Hong Kong. A detailed sleep questionnaire was completed by 388 patients at baseline in May-June 2006. Relevant clinical information was extracted from clinical case notes from June 2007-October 2014. RESULTS: Prevalence of frequent insomnia and frequent nightmares was 19% and 9%, respectively. Baseline frequent insomnia was significantly associated with an increased incidence of suicide attempts during the follow-up period (adjusted hazard ratio = 4.63, 95% confidence interval 1.40-15.36, P < 0.05). Nightmare complaint alone did not predict the occurrence of suicide attempts, but the comorbidity of nightmares and insomnia was associated with the risk of suicide attempt over follow-up (adjusted HR = 11.10, 95% confidence interval: 1.68-73.43, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbances are common in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The association between sleep disturbances and suicidal risk underscores the need for enhanced clinical attention and intervention on sleep disturbances in patients with schizophrenia.

Analysis of medical emergency team calls comparing subjective to "objective" call criteria.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the reasons why nursing staff use the subjective "worried" Medical Emergency Team (MET) calling criterion and compare the outcomes of calls activated using the "worried" criterion with those calls activated using "objective" criteria such as vital sign abnormalities. METHODS: A descriptive study of MET calls in six acute hospitals over a 12 months period. Outcomes for "objective" and "worried" calls were compared. RESULTS: The "worried" criterion was used to activate 29% of 3194 MET calls studied; it was the single most common reason for a MET call. Half (51.7%) of the "worried" calls were related to problems with Airway, Breathing, Circulation or Neurology. 'Breathing' problems accounted for the largest proportion (35.2%). A low oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) (n=249, 26.9%) and 'respiratory distress' (n=133, 14.4%) were the most common reasons for a "worried" call. Only 1.1% (10) of calls triggered by the "worried" criteria had cardiac arrest as an outcome compared with 170 calls (7.6%) for "objective" criteria. The proportion of patients who remained in a general ward area after MET calls was higher for the "worried" calls. CONCLUSIONS: The "worried" criterion was the most frequent reason for MET calls, implying a high degree of empowerment and independent action by nursing staff. Low SpO2 and respiratory distress were the most common causes for concern. There was a significant difference between MET calls triggered by "worried" criteria and "objective" criteria for outcomes immediately following MET (p < 0.001). Further assessment and refinement of MET triggers particularly in relation to respiratory distress and pulse oximetry may be needed.