Impact of specialized renal technologists on optimizing delivery of continuous kidney replacement therapy in critical care areas a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CKRT) is delivered to some of the most critically ill patients in hospitals. This therapy is expensive and requires coordination of multidisciplinary teams to ensure the prescribed dose is delivered. With increased demands on the critical care nursing staff and increased complexities of patients admitted to critical care units, we evaluated the role of specialized renal technologists in ensuring the prescribed dose is delivered. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of supporting intensive care unit nurses with specialized renal technologists on optimizing efficiency of CKRT sessions in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS: This is a retrospective study that compared critically ill patients on CKRT overseen by specialized renal technologists versus who are non-covered in the year 2021. RESULTS: A total of 331 sessions on 158 patients were included in the study. The mean filter life was longer in specialized renal technologists-covered patients compared to the non-covered group (66 vs. 59 h, p = 0.019). After adjustment by multiple regression analysis for risk factors (i.e., age, gender, mechanical ventilation, sepsis, mean arterial pressure, vasopressors, and SOFA) that may affect CKRT machines' filter life, presence of a specialized renal technologists resulted in significantly longer filter life (co-efficient 0.129; CI 95% 1.080, 11.970; p-value: 0.019). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that specialized renal technologists play a vital role in prolonging CKRT machine's filter life span and optimizing CKRT machine's efficiency. Further research should focus on other potential benefits of having specialized renal technologists performing CKRT sessions, and to confirm the finding of this study. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis could be conducted to determine the economic impact of having specialized teams performing CKRT.

Evaluation of point-of-care ultrasound training among healthcare providers: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) has become prevalent across a variety of clinical settings. Many healthcare professionals have started getting hands-on training. To evaluate the effectiveness of such training programs, this study aimed to assess a 4 day POCUS training course on healthcare providers' skills and knowledge acquisition. A secondary objective of this study is to gain valuable insights into the degree of perception, attitude, interest levels and perceived barriers of medical providers performing POCUS. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study performed on healthcare providers in an integrated healthcare facility in Abu Dhabi undergoing the POCUS training course in February 2022. Course participants took a pre-course survey to evaluate their baseline knowledge, skills, confidence, perception, and interest in POCUS. The same survey was repeated immediately post-course. In total, seven healthcare professionals responded to the survey with a response rate of 53.8%. All data and information gathered were used to understand the effectiveness of POCUS training and gain insights into the degree of perception, interest and preparedness of POCUS among healthcare professionals in practice. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that the brief POCUS course was effective in improving POCUS skills, knowledge and confidence amongst in-practice healthcare providers from varying medical specialties. The median skill score increased from 25% pre-course to 50% post-course. There is a notable increase in all skills scores after the POCUS training course with the greatest change in scores seen for adjusting 'gain and depth of image (54.84%), assessing VeXUS score (52.38%) and evaluating lung congestion (50%). The study also provided valuable insights into the perception, attitude, interest and potential barriers of POCUS implementation. Although significant barriers to POCUS are present including the lack of POCUS curriculum, what is challenging is lack of expertise and skills to perform POCUS. Therefore, medical providers must acquire prespecified skills to fully utilize POCUS effectively. CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the effectiveness of short POCUS training in improving the skills, knowledge and confidence of medical providers in practice. Healthcare professionals can master POCUS skills and techniques and gain confidence through brief training courses.