Improving hospice delirium guideline adoption through an understanding of barriers and facilitators: A mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to understand and address barriers to practitioners' optimal assessment and management of people with delirium in hospices. METHODS: Retrospective clinical record review to identify areas of low concordance with guideline-adherent delirium care; Survey of healthcare practitioners to identify barriers and facilitators to optimal care; Qualitative interviews with health care practitioners to explore and develop strategies to address barriers or optimise facilitators; Meeting with senior clinical staff to refine identified strategies. RESULTS: Eighty clinical records were reviewed. Elements of poor guideline concordance were identified. Delirium screening on admission was conducted for 61% of admissions. Non-pharmacological management was documented for 59% of those we identified as having delirium from the clinical records. Survey and interview data identified key barriers to delirium assessment as competing priorities, poor knowledge and skills and lack of environmental resources (staff and guidelines, environment). Consultation with staff resulted in strategies to address barriers and enhance facilitators including champions, educational meetings, audit and feedback, and environmental changes (including careful consideration of the staff skills mix on shift and tools to support non-pharmacological management). CONCLUSIONS: We conducted a theoretically underpinned, internationally relevant study in a hospice in England, UK. Implementation of strategies should result in greater guideline-adherent delirium care. Further work should test this in practice and include both process and clinical outcomes (e.g., reduction in delirium days).

Obstacles to corneal donation amongst hospice inpatients: a questionnaire survey of multi-disciplinary team member's attitudes, knowledge, practice and experience.

BACKGROUND: Corneal donation is a sight restoring procedure. Internationally demand exceeds supply. It is a tissue that palliative care patients may be able to donate, yet donation rates from this group are low. AIM: To explore the attitudes, knowledge, practice, and experience of corneal donation from hospice staff with direct clinical contact with patients. DESIGN: Anonymous paper questionnaire with fixed response and free text components. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Questionnaires were delivered to 704 clinical multi-disciplinary team members in 12 hospices within the Yorkshire Palliative Medicine Regional Learning Group, UK. RESULTS: 434 completed questionnaires were received. Most respondents believed that corneal donation is a rewarding opportunity of which patients and families should be aware, but over 90% of respondents rarely or never raised the topic, and only 33% felt that it was part of their role. Key reasons for not engaging in discussions were: concerns about the impact of the discussion on patients and families, a belief held by hospice staff that they lacked essential knowledge, negative experiences of corneal donation, concern about enucleation, a perception that donation is not part of hospice culture, low levels of training and the personal significance of eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite positive staff attitudes towards corneal donation, many barriers to discussing donation were identified, which may reduce donation rates. This could be improved by local policies encompassing further education, prompts in documentation and availability of leaflets.

Is there a role for subcutaneous furosemide in the community and hospice management of end-stage heart failure?

Patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF) can experience 'revolving door' admissions, often for parenteral diuretics, when time at home is precious. Home intravenous diuretic services are patchy. This retrospective review describes 43 consecutive episodes of continuous subcutaneous infusion of furosemide (CSCI-F) in 32 advanced CHF patients; 28 episodes aiming to correct fluid balance and prevent hospital admission and 15 aiming to prevent symptoms in the dying. Overall, 26/28 (93%) avoided hospital admission. Weight loss occurred in 20/28 (70%): a median loss of 5.6 kg [interquartile range (IQR) 0.1-8.9]). The daily dose of furosemide ranged from 40 to 250 mg. The median number of days on CSCI-F was 10.5 (range 2-48; IQR 6-13.8). Site reactions occurred in 10/43 (23%); all of which were mild except two, one of which required oral antibiotics. Symptoms were controlled in all 15 dying patients. CSCI-F for patients with advanced CHF is effective in terms of weight loss and prevention of hospital admission with the heart failure nurse specialist playing a key overall management role in selection and monitoring. As the majority of community and hospice nurses have access to and are familiar with CSCI pumps, this practice should be nationally transferable. The role in the dying patient requires further assessment.

Rheumatological complications of Covid 19.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has caused unprecedented hardships in the 21st century with more than 150 million infections. Various immunological phenomena have been described during the course of the infection, and this infection has also triggered autoimmunity. Rheumatological illnesses have been described following resolution of the acute infection; hence we sought to conduct a review of the rheumatological complications of COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a literature search for articles relating to sequelae of COVID-19 from Jan 2020 to 30th April 2021. RESULTS: We found a number of reports of inflammatory arthritis after SARS-CoV-2 infection. SLE and renal disease have been described, and vasculitis also appears to be a common complication. Rhabdomyolysis and myositis has also been reported in a number of patients. We also found some evidence of large vessel vasculitis in 'long COVID' patients. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights a number of important complications such as inflammatory arthritis, lupus-like disease, myostis and vasculitis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.