Fear of cancer recurrence in adolescent patients with malignant bone tumors: a cross-section survey.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent malignant-bone tumor patients' fear of cancer recurrence is a significant psychological issue, and exploring the influencing factors associated with fear of cancer recurrence in this population is important for developing effective interventions. This study is to investigate the current status and factors influencing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) related to malignant bone-tumors in adolescent patients, providing evidence for future targeted mental health support and interventions. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. METHODS: In total, 269 adolescent malignant-bone tumor cases were treated at two hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China from January 2023 to December 2023. Patients completed a General Information Questionnaire, Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Family Hardiness Index (FHI), and a Simple Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions analysis were used to assess fear of cancer recurrence. RESULTS: A total of 122 (45.4%) patients experienced FCR (FoP-Q-SF ≥ 34). Logistic regression analysis analyses showed that per capita-monthly family income, tumor stage, communication between the treating physician and the patient, patient's family relationships, family hardiness a positive coping score, and a negative coping score were the main factors influencing FCR in these patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: FCR in malignant-bone tumor adolescent patients is profound. Healthcare professionals should develop targeted interventional strategies based on the identified factors, which affect these patients; helping patients increase family hardiness, helping patients to positively adapt, and avoid negative coping styles.

Development and validation of a predictive model for patients with post-extubation dysphagia.

BACKGROUND: Swallowing disorder is a common clinical symptom that can lead to a series of complications, including aspiration, aspiration pneumonia, and malnutrition. This study aimed to investigate risk factors of post-extubation dysphagia (PED) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with endotracheal intubation, and to develop a risk-predictive model for PED, which could serve as an assessment tool for the prevention and control of PED. METHODS: Patients retrospectively selected from June to December 2021 in a tertiary hospital served as the derivation cohort. Patients recruited from the same hospital from March to June 2022 served as the external validation cohort for the predictive model. We used a combination of variable screening and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to select the most useful candidate predictors and checked the multicollinearity of independent variables using the variance inflation factor method. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]) and P-value for each variable to predict diagnosis. The screened risk factors were introduced into R software to build a nomogram model. The performance of the model, including discrimination ability, calibration, and clinical benefit, was evaluated by plotting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), calibration, and decision curves. RESULTS: A total of 305 patients were included in this study. Among them, 235 patients (53 PED vs. 182 non-PED) were enrolled in the derivation cohort, while 70 patients (17 PED vs. 53 non-PED) were enrolled in the validation cohort. The independent predictors included age, pause of sedatives, level of consciousness, activities of daily living (ADL) score, nasogastric tube, sore throat, and voice disorder. These predictors were used to establish the predictive nomogram model. The model demonstrated good discriminative ability, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.945 (95% CI 0.904-0.970). Applying the predictive model to the validation cohort demonstrated good discrimination with an AUC of 0.907 (95% CI 0.831-0.983) and good calibration. The decision-curve analysis of this nomogram showed a net benefit of the model. CONCLUSION: A predictive model that incorporates age, pause of sedatives, level of consciousness, ADL score, nasogastric tube, sore throat, and voice disorder may have the potential to predict PED in ICU patients.

Nursing rounds: A quality improvement project to improve outpatient satisfaction.

AIM: To implement the nursing rounds to improve the quality and patient satisfaction of the outpatient department. BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction is one of the most critical standards for judging the quality of hospitals. Clinical daily nursing rounds significantly increase patient satisfaction and influence safety. METHOD: SQUIRE guidelines directed the execution of a quality improvement project, which used the Driver Model to improve patient satisfaction in a Chinese outpatient department with 15,000 visits per day (4 million/year). Patient satisfaction based on questionnaires (1,541), pre-intervention and (1,219) post-intervention provided increased satisfaction (p < .05). RESULTS: Improvements validated were satisfaction with outpatient services from patients, effective nurse-patient communications, an increase in the quality of nursing care, doctors' satisfaction with the outpatient department operations, reduced wait time and more efficient management, all impact safety. CONCLUSIONS: The institution of daily nursing rounds made an overall improvement in the operations of the outpatient department, which increased patient satisfaction, quality of care and safety. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing rounds promote patient satisfaction through assessment of operations, addressing patient and staff needs, and appropriate interventions to rectify issues and reduce adverse outcomes. Patient satisfaction impacts quality, outcomes and safety in clinical settings.

Can a one-on-one mentorship program reduce the turnover rate of new graduate nurses in China? A longitudinal study.

Nursing graduates experience "reality shock" upon entering the workplace as well as face challenges and stress during their transition from nursing student to qualified nurse. The high turnover rate of new graduate nurses not only increases an organization's human resources costs but also results in a shortage of nurses. In particular, a poor experience during the transition from nursing student to qualified nurse can lead to significant turnover. A three-year longitudinal study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of one-on-one mentorship program in reducing the turnover rate of nurses in China. A total of 199 new graduate nurses, recruited in 2013, were considered the control group and received a basic preceptorship, and 239 nurses in 2014 were considered the experimental group, for which a one-on-one mentorship program was implemented. Propensity-score-matching analysis was conducted to adjust the baseline of the two groups, and survival analysis was performed to compare the two groups. The findings showed that the turnover rates for the experimental group were 3.77%, 3.48%, and 8.11% as compared to 14.07%, 9.36%, and 14.19% for the control group at the end of the first three years, respectively. The survival curves of the two groups were significantly different (p < 0.001). The turnover rate for the first year in the experimental group was significantly lower than that for the control group, but the rates in the second and third years were not different. The results indicate that a one-on-one mentorship program is beneficial for the retention of new graduate nurses, particularly during the first year.

Opioid analgesics-related pharmacokinetic drug interactions: from the perspectives of evidence based on randomized controlled trials and clinical risk management.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity results in complex polypharmacy which may bear a risk of drug interactions. A better understanding of opioid analgesics combination therapy used for pain management could help warrant medication safety, efficacy, and economic relevance. Until now there has been no review summarizing the opioid analgesics-related pharmacokinetic drug interactions from the perspective of evidence based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHOD: A literature search was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library, using a PRISMA flowchart. RESULTS: Fifty-two RCTs were included for data interpretation. Forty-two RCTs (80.8%) were conducted in healthy volunteers, whereas 10 RCTs (19.2%) enrolled true patients. None of the opioid-drug/herb pairs was listed as contraindications of opioids involved in this review. Circumstances in which opioid is comedicated as a precipitant drug include morphine-P2Y12 inhibitors, morphine-gabapentin, and methadone-zidovudine. Circumstances in which opioid is comedicated as an object drug include rifampin-opioids (morphine, tramadol, oxycodone, methadone), quinidine-opioids (morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, codeine, dihydrocodeine, methadone), antimycotics-opioids (buprenorphine, fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, tilidine, tramadol), protease inhibitors-opioids (ritonavir, ritonavir/lopinavir-oxycodone, ritonavir-fentanyl, ritonavir-tilidine), grapefruit juice-opioids (oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone), antidepressants-opioids (paroxetine-tramadol, paroxetine-hydrocodone, paroxetine-oxycodone, escitalopram-tramadol), metoclopramide-morphine, amantadine-morphine, sumatriptan-butorphanol nasal sprays, ticlopidine-tramadol, St John's wort-oxycodone, macrolides/ketolides-oxycodone, and levomepromazine-codeine. RCTs investigating the same combination, almost unanimously, drew consistent conclusions, except two RCTs on amantadine-intravenous morphine combination where a different amantadine dose was used and two RCTs on morphine-ticagrelor combination where healthy volunteers and true patients were enrolled, respectively. RCTs investigating in true patients may reflect a realistic clinical scenario and overcome the limitation of RCTs performed in healthy volunteers under standardized conditions. Further research opportunities are also presented in this review. CONCLUSION: Effective and safe combination therapy of opioids can be achieved by promoting the awareness of potential changes in therapeutic efficacy and toxicities, prescribing alternatives or changing administration strategy, tailoring dose, reviewing the appropriateness of orders, and paying attention to medication monitoring.

The optimal choice of medication administration route regarding intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous injection.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC) are the three most frequently used injection routes in medication administration. Comparative studies of SC versus IV, IM versus IV, or IM versus SC have been sporadically conducted, and some new findings are completely different from the dosage recommendation as described in prescribing information. However, clinicians may still be ignorant of such new evidence-based findings when choosing treatment methods. METHODS: A literature search was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Sciences™ Core Collection to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of SC, IV, and IM administration in head-to-head comparative studies. RESULTS: "SC better than IV" involves trastuzumab, rituximab, antitumor necrosis factor medications, bortezomib, amifostine, recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, recombinant interleukin-2, immunoglobulin, epoetin alfa, heparin, and opioids. "IV better than SC" involves ketamine, vitamin K1, and abatacept. With respect to insulin and ketamine, whether IV has advantages over SC is determined by specific clinical circumstances. "IM better than IV" involves epinephrine, hepatitis B immu-noglobulin, pegaspargase, and some antibiotics. "IV better than IM" involves ketamine, morphine, and antivenom. "IM better than SC" involves epinephrine. "SC better than IM" involves interferon-beta-1a, methotrexate, human chorionic gonadotropin, hepatitis B immunoglobulin, hydrocortisone, and morphine. Safety, efficacy, patient preference, and pharmacoeconomics are four principles governing the choice of injection route. Safety and efficacy must be the preferred principles to be considered (eg, epinephrine should be given intramuscularly during an episode of systemic anaphylaxis). If the safety and efficacy of two injection routes are equivalent, clinicians should consider more about patient preference and pharmacoeconomics because patient preference will ensure optimal treatment adherence and ultimately improve patient experience or satisfaction, while pharmacoeconomic concern will help alleviate nurse shortages and reduce overall health care costs. Besides the principles, the following detailed factors might affect the decision: patient characteristics-related factors (body mass index, age, sex, medical status [eg, renal impairment, comorbidities], personal attitudes toward safety and convenience, past experience, perception of current disease status, health literacy, and socioeconomic status), medication administration-related factors (anatomical site of injection, dose, frequency, formulation characteristics, administration time, indication, flexibility in the route of administration), and health care staff/institution-related factors (knowledge, human resources). CONCLUSION: This updated review of findings of comparative studies of different injection routes will enrich the knowledge of safe, efficacious, economic, and patient preference-oriented medication administration as well as catching research opportunities in clinical nursing practice.

Quality improvements in decreasing medication administration errors made by nursing staff in an academic medical center hospital: a trend analysis during the journey to Joint Commission International accreditation and in the post-accreditation era.

BACKGROUND: Medication errors may occur during prescribing, transcribing, prescription auditing, preparing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. Medication administration errors (MAEs) are those that actually reach patients and remain a threat to patient safety. The Joint Commission International (JCI) advocates medication error prevention, but experience in reducing MAEs during the period of before and after JCI accreditation has not been reported. METHODS: An intervention study, aimed at reducing MAEs in hospitalized patients, was performed in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, during the journey to JCI accreditation and in the post-JCI accreditation era (first half-year of 2011 to first half-year of 2014). Comprehensive interventions included organizational, information technology, educational, and process optimization-based measures. Data mining was performed on MAEs derived from a compulsory electronic reporting system. RESULTS: The number of MAEs continuously decreased from 143 (first half-year of 2012) to 64 (first half-year of 2014), with a decrease in occurrence rate by 60.9% (0.338% versus 0.132%, P<0.05). The number of MAEs related to high-alert medications decreased from 32 (the second half-year of 2011) to 16 (the first half-year of 2014), with a decrease in occurrence rate by 57.9% (0.0787% versus 0.0331%, P<0.05). Omission was the top type of MAE during the first half-year of 2011 to the first half-year of 2014, with a decrease by 50% (40 cases versus 20 cases). Intravenous administration error was the top type of error regarding administration route, but it continuously decreased from 64 (first half-year of 2012) to 27 (first half-year of 2014). More experienced registered nurses made fewer medication errors. The number of MAEs in surgical wards was twice that in medicinal wards. Compared with non-intensive care units, the intensive care units exhibited higher occurrence rates of MAEs (1.81% versus 0.24%, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A 3-and-a-half-year intervention program on MAEs was confirmed to be effective. MAEs made by nursing staff can be reduced, but cannot be eliminated. The depth, breadth, and efficiency of multidiscipline collaboration among physicians, pharmacists, nurses, information engineers, and hospital administrators are pivotal to safety in medication administration. JCI accreditation may help health systems enhance the awareness and ability to prevent MAEs and achieve successful quality improvements.

Chaotic control and synchronization in optical second-harmonic generation with parameter modulating by delay feedback.

Chaotic behaviors can be controlled and converted into periodic behaviors by modulating the cavity detuning parameters using delay feedback signal from itself in optical second-harmonic generation (OSHG) system. Numerical simulations show that the period orbit differs on the account of the modulating coefficient and delay time. When the modulating coefficient and delay time are matching, many OSHG systems, whether or not they are in chaos initially, can reach chaotic synchronization if they are driven by a master system and their cavity detuning parameters are varied with the time-delay feedback chaotic signal. Different modulating coefficients with the corresponding minimum delay time are calculated.