Healthcare service use for children with chronic complex diseases: A longitudinal six-year follow-up study.

PURPOSE: The objective was analysed the patterns use of healthcare services of this population and the influence of their clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. DESIGN AND METHODS: A six-year longitudinal follow-up study was performed to evaluate the annual healthcare resources use and clinical data among children with complex chronic diseases in Spain between 2015 and 2021. The sample trends in healthcare usage and the associated factors were analysed using ANCOVA and multivariable linear regression models. RESULTS: Patients had high attendance during the follow-up period, with >15 episodes year. This trend decreased over time, especially in children with oncological diseases compared with other diseases (F (16.75; 825.4) = 32.457; p < 0.001). A multivariable model showed that children with a greater number of comorbidities (ß = 0.17), shorter survival time (ß = -0.23), who had contact with the palliative care unit (ß = 0.16), and whose mothers had a higher professional occupation (ß = 0.14), had a greater use of the healthcare system. CONCLUSIONS: Children with a higher number of comorbidities and the use of medical devices made a greater frequentation of health services, showing a trend of decreasing use over time. Socioeconomic factors such as mothers' occupational status determine healthcare frequentation. These results suggest the existence of persistent gaps in care coordination sustained over time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Systematized and coordinated models of care for this population should consider the presence of inequalities in health care use.

Clinical and functional assessment in patients admitted with pluripathological dysphagia according to the mode of feeding: Through a gastrostomy tube or oral.

INTRODUCTION: Multipathological patients are a vulnerable population with high comorbidity, functional impairment, and nutritional risk. Almost 50% of these hospitalized patients have dysphagia. There is no consensus on whether placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube provides greater clinical benefit. The purpose of this study was to know and compare 2 groups of multipathological patients with dysphagia according to the mode of feeding: PEG vs. oral. METHOD: Retrospective descriptive study with hospitalized patients (2016-19), pluripathological, with dysphagia, nutritional risk, over 50 years with diagnoses of: dementia, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), neurological disease, or oropharyngeal neoplasia. Terminally ill patients with jejunostomy tube or parenteral nutrition were excluded. Sociodemographic variables, clinical situation, and comorbidities were evaluated. Bivariate analysis was performed to compare both groups according to their diet, establishing a significance level of p < .05. RESULTS: 1928 multipathological patients. The PEG group consisted of 84 patients (n122). A total of 84 were randomly selected to form the non-PEG group (n434). This group had less history of bronchoaspiration/pneumonia (p = .008), its main diagnosis was stroke versus dementia in the PEG group (p < .001). Both groups had more than a 45% risk of comorbidity (p = .77). CONCLUSIONS: multipathological patients with dysphagia with PEG usually have dementia as their main diagnosis, however, stroke is the most relevant pathology in those fed orally. Both groups have associated risk factors, high comorbidity, and dependence. This causes their vital prognosis to be limited regardless of the mode of feeding.

End of life in patients attended by pediatric palliative care teams: what factors influence the place of death and compliance with family preferences?

Each year, more than 8 million children worldwide require specialized palliative care, yet there is little evidence available in pediatrics on the characteristics of the end of life in this context. Our aim is to analyze the characteristics of patients who die in the care of specific pediatric palliative care teams. This is ambispective, analytical observational, multicenter study conducted between 1 January and 31 December 2019. Fourteen specific pediatric palliative care teams participated. There are 164 patients, most of them suffering from oncologic, neurologic, and neuromuscular processes. The follow-up time was 2.4 months. The parents voiced preferences in respect of the place of death for 125 of the patients (76.2%). The place of death for 95 patients (57.9%) was at the hospital and 67 (40.9%) was at home. The existence of a palliative care team for over 5 years is more likely to be related to families voicing preferences and their fulfillment. Longer follow-up times by pediatric palliative care teams were observed in families with whom preferences regarding the place of death were discussed and in patients who died at home. Patients who did not receive home visits, when the pediatric palliative care team did not provide full care and when preferences regarding the place of death were not discussed with parents, were more likely to die in the hospital.   Conclusions: Advance planning of end-of-life care is one of the most important aspects of pediatric palliative care. The provision of services by the teams and the follow-up time are related to parents' expressed preferences and the place of death. What is Known: • Various studies have shown how the availability of pediatric palliative care services improves the quality of life of patients and their families while reducing costs. • The place of death is an important factor influencing the quality of end-of-life care for dying people. The increase in palliative care teams increases the number of deaths in the home and having this care available 24/7 increases the probability of dying at home. What is New: • Our study identifies how a longer follow-up time of patients by palliative care teams is significantly associated with death at home and with express and comply with the preferences expressed by families. • Home visits by the palliative care team increase the likelihood that the patient will die at her home and that the preferences expressed by the palliative care team families will be cared for.

Is it Possible to Reduce Pain-Related Fear in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis? a Systematic Review of Randomised Clinical Trials.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions in reducing pain-related fear outcomes in people with knee osteoarthritis who have or have not had previous knee surgery, and to analyze whether included trials reported their interventions in full detail. METHODS: Systematic searches were carried out in the Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, PEDro, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus from the inception of the database up to November 2019. Searches were manually updated to July 2021. We included randomized clinical trials that evaluated pain-related fear outcomes as a primary or secondary outcome in adults with knee osteoarthritis. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 and the GRADE approach evaluated the risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence, respectively. RESULTS: Eighteen trials were included. Four trials evaluated pain-related fear as a primary outcome and all evaluated kinesiophobia in samples that had previously undergone a knee surgical procedure. These trials found that interventions based primarily on cognitive aspects (e.g. cognitive-behavioral principles) can be effective in reducing kinesiophobia. Trials evaluating pain-related fear as the secondary outcome also found that interventions that included cognitive aspects (e.g. pain neuroscience education) decreased the levels of pain-related fear (e.g. fear of falling or kinesiophobia) in patients with or without a previous knee surgery. However, serious to very serious risk of bias and imprecisions were found in included trials. Thus, the certainty of the evidence was judged as low and very low using the GRADE approach. All trials reported insufficient details to allow a complete replication of their interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that include cognitive aspects may be the best option to reduce pain-related fear in people with knee osteoarthritis. However, we found a general low and very low certainty of the evidence and the findings should be considered with caution.

A protocol for a randomized trial measuring flowmetry in risk areas for pressure ulcer: Hyperoxygenated fatty acids vs olive oil.

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers are a common adverse event in healthcare. To date, no flowmetry studies have been conducted to compare hyperoxygenated fatty acids (HFA) vs. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) in alleviating this condition. AIMS: To determine and evaluate the effect of the application of HFA vs. EVOO on tissue oxygenation and perfusion in heels under pressure, in healthy persons and in hospitalised patients. DESIGN: Two-phase experimental study. METHODS: Phase 1 will be conducted with healthy subjects, using a randomised, open study design, evaluating an intrasubject control group. Phase 2 will focus on hospitalised subjects, with a randomised, open study group vs. a control group. DISCUSSION: This Project is undertaken to identify the mechanisms that intervene in the genesis of pressure ulcers and to determine whether there are differences in outcomes between the application of HFA vs. EVOO as a preventive measure The results of this study are of economic importance (due to the price difference between the products used) and will also impact on usual clinical practice for patients with impaired mobility and liable to suffer from pressure ulcers, by considering an alternative to established preventive measures.

End of life in patients under the care of paediatric palliative care teams. Multicentre observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Around 2000 children and adolescents die each year in Spain, however, we know little about the particularities of deaths in paediatrics. The purpose of this study is to document the characteristics of patients who die in the care of paediatric palliative care teams in Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive, multicentre study. Fourteen teams from all over the country participated. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 164 patients. In most cases the underlying disease stemmed from oncological, neurological or neuromuscular processes. The median age at death was 6.9 years (RIC 11.2). The median follow-up time by the team was 0.3 years (RIC 0.8 years). The most frequent symptoms in the last week of life were dyspnoea, pain, increased secretions and sleep disorders. The median number of drugs administered to each patient one week prior to death was 6 (RIC 4). The place of death for 95 of the patients (57.9%) was hospital while 67 (40.9%) died at home. CONCLUSIONS: There was a wide age range of patients and they had substantial exposure to polypharmacy. The follow-up time shows that patients have late access to palliative care programmes. An effort should be made to introduce this care earlier rather than relegating it to the end of life. In Spain there is an unequal distribution of resources and not all teams can provide care at home. The place of death should be interpreted with caution.

Socioeconomic Factors and Quality of Life Perceived by Parents and Children with Complex Chronic Conditions in Spain.

Health-related quality of life of children with complex chronic conditions could be affected by sociodemographic factors. Most studies focus exclusively on the parents' perceptions of quality of life. This study aimed to determine the health-related quality of life of these children, according to their parents and the children themselves. A cross-sectional study was developed on children aged over five years with complex chronic conditions. Health-related quality of life, educational attainment, and social status were evaluated. A total of 101 children were included with a mean age of 10.48 years, and 35.6% were female. The most frequent disease was oncological (28.7%). Children perceived a better health-related quality of life, compared to their parents' assessment: median difference -8.4 (95%CI: -9.2 to -3.8). Moreover, differences were observed by socioeconomic factors. Parents and children with complex chronic conditions perceive differently the health-related quality of life. Social determinants associate with an uneven perceived quality of life.

Gender differences in perceived pain and health-related quality of life in people with chronic non-malignant pain: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain has a disproportionate impact on members of vulnerable population groups, and women are at substantially greater risk than men of suffering multiple chronic pain disorders. Moreover, one of the aspects most affected by the presence of chronic pain is that of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), worsening over time, as the disease persists. OBJECTIVES: To describe the profile of patients who suffer non-malignant chronic pain, from a gender perspective, and to identify factors related to their HRQoL and mental health. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was carried out in patients with chronic non-cancer pain. METHODS: Sociodemographic variables, pain intensity at rest and in motion, SF-36 health questionnaire, anxiety, and depression were evaluated. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 531 subjects, of whom 64.2% were women. The mean age was 52.9 (SD: 10.4) years. The pain intensity recorded on the visual analogue scale was 6 (SD: 2.7) at rest and 8 (SD: 2) in motion. Physical component score and mental component score of quality of life were worse in women vs men: 33.73 (6.77) vs 32.33 (6.20), for the physical component; 36.89 (12.77) vs 32.91 (11.51), for mental component. Anxiety, depression and pain intensity, showed poorer results in women. CONCLUSION: Gender is a factor that should be considered in assessing and managing chronic pain, due to its influence on the perception of pain, and HRQoL. IMPACT STATEMENT: Gender is an important modifier of the perception of pain, and HRQoL. To achieve a patient-centred approach, nurses should incorporate gender as a differential factor to adapt and individualize pain management and patient education.

[End of life in patients under the care of paediatric palliative care teams. Multicentre observational study]. / El final de vida en pacientes atendidos por equipos de cuidados paliativos pediátricos. Estudio observacional multicéntrico.

INTRODUCTION: Around 2000 children and adolescents die each year in Spain, however, we know little about the particularities of deaths in paediatrics. The purpose of this study is to document the characteristics of patients who die in the care of paediatric palliative care teams in Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive, multicentre study. Fourteen teams from all over the country participated. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 164 patients. In most cases the underlying disease stemmed from oncological, neurological or neuromuscular processes. The median age at death was 6.9 years (RIC 11.2). The median follow-up time by the team was 0.3 years (RIC 0.8 years). The most frequent symptoms in the last week of life were dyspnoea, pain, increased secretions and sleep disorders. The median number of drugs administered to each patient one week prior to death was 6 (RIC 4). The place of death for 95 of the patients (57.9%) was hospital while 67 (40.9%) died at home. CONCLUSIONS: There was a wide age range of patients and they had substantial exposure to polypharmacy. The follow-up time shows that patients have late access to palliative care programmes. An effort should be made to introduce this care earlier rather than relegating it to the end of life. In Spain there is an unequal distribution of resources and not all teams can provide care at home. The place of death should be interpreted with caution.

Intervention Therapies to Reduce Pain-Related Fear in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions at reducing pain-related fear in people with fibromyalgia and to analyze whether the included trials reported their interventions in full detail. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: No restrictions. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus were searched from their inception to April 2020, along with manual searches and a gray literature search. Randomized clinical trials were included if they assessed pain-related fear constructs as the primary or secondary outcome in adults with fibromyalgia. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist assessment, and grading the quality of evidence. RESULTS: Twelve randomized clinical trials satisfied the eligibility criteria, including 11 cohorts with a total sample of 1,441 participants. Exercise, multicomponent, and psychological interventions were more effective than controls were in reducing kinesiophobia. However, there were no differences in decreasing kinesiophobia when self-management and electrotherapy were used. There were also no differences between groups with regard to the rest of the interventions and pain-related constructs (fear-avoidance beliefs, fear of pain, and pain-related anxiety). However, a serious risk of bias and a very serious risk of imprecision were detected across the included trials. This caused the overall certainty of the judged evidence to be low and very low. Additionally, the included trials reported insufficient details to allow the full replication of their interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review shows that there are promising interventions, such as exercise, multicomponent, and psychological therapies, that may decrease one specific type of fear in people with fibromyalgia, i.e., kinesiophobia. However, because of the low-very low certainty of the evidence found, a call for action is needed to improve the quality of randomized clinical trials, which will lead to more definitive information about the clinical efficacy of interventions in this field.

Effectiveness of a Diabetes Education Program based on Tailored interventions and Theory of Planned Behaviour: Cluster randomized controlled trial protocol.

AIM: To measure the Effectiveness of a Diabetes Education Program for people with T2DM, based on Tailored interventions and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled clinical trial. METHODS: This multicentre study will be carried out at 30 primary healthcare centres, where 436 persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), aged between 18-75 years, will be recruited. The experimental educational program to be applied is modelled using components obtained from a systematic review and prior qualitative analysis. In addition, a taxonomy of nursing practice is used to standardize the program, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a conceptual model. The intervention will be carried out by community nurses, using ADAPP-Ti® , an application developed with FileMaker Pro v.18. The control group will receive usual care and data will be collected at 6, 12, and 18 months, for both groups. The primary outcome considered will be glycosylated haemoglobin and cardiovascular factors, while the secondary ones will be tobacco consumption, body mass index, barriers to self-care, health-related quality of life, and lifestyle modification. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Province of Malaga (Spain) in November 2014. DISCUSSION: The degree of metabolic control in T2DM is not always associated with healthy lifestyles and significant levels of medication are often prescribed to achieve clinical objectives. An intervention focused on needs, based on the best available evidence and a solid conceptual framework, might successfully consolidate appropriate self-care behaviour in this population. IMPACT: The study will result in the publication of an educational program featuring well-defined interventions and activities that will enable clinicians to tailor health care to the individual's needs and to combat treatment inertia in attending this population.

Impact of a nurse-led intervention on quality of life in patients with chronic non-malignant pain: An open randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To determine the effect of a comprehensive nurse-led programme for patients with chronic non-malignant pain, on quality of life, level of pain, anxiety, and depression, as primary outcomes and patients' satisfaction as a secondary end point. DESIGN: An open-label randomized controlled trial was carried out. METHODS: The experimental group received both a nurse-led intervention on healthy lifestyles, education on self-esteem, pain awareness, communication, and relaxation techniques. The control group received usual care. Quality of life, level of pain, anxiety, and depression were the main outcomes. Data were obtained at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 6 and 9 months. The study was carried out from 2015-2017. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 279 patients. At 9 months, the effect size (non-parametric effect size statistic A) favoured the intervention group for SF-36 mental health score (A = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73-0.85), anxiety (A = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.51-0.65), pain intensity (A = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.51-0.64), and depression (A = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.51-0.65). Smaller differences were found on physical scores between the intervention and the usual care group. Patients showed a high level of satisfaction with the introduced intervention. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive nurse-led programme for patients with chronic non-malignant pain has a positive impact on their quality of life, level of pain, and mental health. IMPACT: Studies have reported that the problem of chronic pain is not optimally controlled. A structured nurse-led programme has been tested to facilitate healthy behaviours to help patients manage their chronic pain and to provide them with the necessary tools for their self-care. This nurse-led intervention improved their mental health and decreased their level of pain.

Assessment of the different citation systems in the scientific publication of nursing authors from Spanish-speaking countries / Avaliação dos diferentes sistemas de citação na publicação científica de autores de enfermagem em espanhol / Evaluación de los diferentes sistemas de citación en la publicación científica de autores enfermeros en español

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the distribution of citations of nursing authors in Spanish in Google Scholar as well as to compare the possible differences between this source and Web of Science and Scopus. Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study based on the citation systems offered by Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus. Results: Nursing researchers present a verified mean h-index of 7.82 in Academic Google. 74% of researchers belong to the academic field, compared to 26%, who are in health services. Most of them live in Spain (83%), followed by Colombia (12%), Mexico (4%), and Chile (1%). In Spain, the community with the largest number of researchers is Andalusia (41.5%), followed by Valencia (14.6%), and Madrid (7.3%). Conclusion: The Google Scholar citation system requires adjustments in its algorithm for selecting works and citations, and it should also allow some system of confirmation by authors. Nursing can have relatively low h-index values compared to other courses due to short research development.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a distribuição de citações de autores de enfermagem em espanhol no Google Scholar, bem como comparar as possíveis diferenças entre esta fonte e Web of Science e Scopus. Método: Estudo descritivo transversal baseado nos sistemas de citação oferecidos pelo Google Scholar, Web of Science e Scopus. Resultados: Pesquisadores da área de enfermagem apresentam índice h médio verificado no Google Acadêmico de 7,82. 74% dos pesquisadores pertencem à área acadêmica, contra 26% que estão agrupados nos serviços de saúde. A maioria deles está localizada na Espanha (83%), seguida pela Colômbia (12%), México (4%) e Chile (1%). Na Espanha, a comunidade com maior número de pesquisadores é a Andaluzia (41,5%), seguida da Comunidade Valenciana (14,6%) e Madrid (7,3%). Conclusão: O sistema de citações do Google Scholar requer ajustes em seu algoritmo de seleção de obras e citações, devendo também permitir algum sistema de confirmação por parte dos autores. A enfermagem pode ter valores relativamente baixos do índice h em comparação com outras disciplinas devido ao curto desenvolvimento da pesquisa.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Evaluar la distribución de citas de autores enfermeros en español en Google Académico, así como comparar las posibles diferencias entre esta fuente y Web of Science y Scopus. Método: Estudio descriptivo transversal basado en los sistemas de citas ofrecidos por Google Académico, Web of Science y Scopus. Resultados: Los investigadores del área de enfermería presentan un índice h verificado medio de 7.82 en Google Académico. El 74% de los investigadores pertenece al ámbito académico, frente a un 26% que se aglutina en los servicios de salud. La mayoría de ellos se ubican en España (83%), seguido de Colombia (12%), Méjico (4%) y Chile (1%). En España, la comunidad que mayor número de investigadores aglutina es Andalucía (41,5%), seguida de la Comunidad Valencia (14,6%) y Madrid (7,3%). Conclusión: El sistema de citación de Google Académico precisa de ajustes en su algoritmo de selección de trabajos y citas, además debería permitir algún sistema de confirmación por parte de los autores. Enfermería puede tener valores relativamente bajos del índice h frente a otras disciplinas debido al breve desarrollo investigador.

Psychometric Design and Validation of an Adverse Event Vulnerability Scale in Prehospital Emergency Care.

OBJECTIVE: Care in prehospital emergencies presents differences in terms of safety with respect to that provided in the hospital setting, generating situations of high vulnerability in patients. Vulnerability is intimately related to the possibility of experiencing an adverse event. Currently, there is no validated system to evaluate this issue. The aim of this study was to design and validate an instrument to determine the level of vulnerability of patients treated in the emergency prehospital care. METHODS: A clinimetric validation study was conducted in patients who attended prehospital emergency services. RESULTS: An eight-item instrument with adequate content validity (0.93) was designed and empirically tested in a sample of 549 subjects (50.1% men and 49.9% women) with an average age of 61.56 years (standard deviation = 19.76). Cronbach α was 0.81, with a good interitem and item-total correlation and interobserver reliability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.90 (95% confidence interval = 0.87-0.93). The exploratory factor analysis identified a bifactorial model that explained 61.27% of the total variance, corroborated by confirmatory factor analysis (goodness-of-fit index = 0.97, normed fit index = 0.96, TLI = 0.92, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.093). Instrument scores showed a moderate and significant positive correlation with the age of the subjects (r = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: The instrument shows a good reliability and validity for its use in the environment of prehospital emergency services, with a structure composed of a group of items related to condition characteristics safety (consciousness, patient communication, risk factors, and patient coping), and mobility, and a second factor including respiratory and medical interventions safety.

Defining risk factors associated with difficult peripheral venous Cannulation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Peripheral venous catheterization is a common technique in hospitals which is not always successful, resulting in multiple punctures and degradation of the vessels. This scenario, which we have termed 'difficult peripheral venous access', is associated to delays in care, obtention of samples or diagnosis, as well as a higher use of central catheters. This study intends to identify risk factors associated to the incidence of 'difficult peripheral venous access' in adults at hospital. We designed a systematic review of published studies (protocol PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018089160). We conducted structured electronic searches using key words and specific vocabulary, as well as directed searches in several databases. After validity analysis, we selected 7 studies with observational methodology. We found great variability in the definition of 'difficult peripheral venous access' and in the variables proposed as risk factors. Statistically significant factors through studies include demographic and anthropometric variables (gender, Body Mass Index), as well as medical and health conditions (diabetes, renal insufficiency, parenteral drug abuse, cancer chemotherapy), together with variables related to the vein or vascular access (vein visibility and palpability, vessel diameter, previous history of difficulty). Some studies have also considered variables related to the professional performing the technique. Meta-analyses were carried out for gender and obesity as potential risk factors. Only obesity appeared as a statistically significant risk factor with OR of 1.48; 95% CI (1.03 to 1.93; p = 0.016). Methodological heterogeneity prevented the development of further meta-analyses. It is essential to design future studies with diverse hospital populations, in which a wide selection of potential risk factors can be studied in a unique analysis. Our work identifies the most relevant variables that should be included in those studies.

Socioeconomic Status and Health Services Utilization for Children With Complex Chronic Conditions Liable to Receive Nurse-Led Services: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: To analyze the use of health services for children with severe chronic diseases, seeking to identify patterns of use according to sociodemographic and clinical conditions, and to identify unmet needs of care coordination that could benefit from nursing case management services. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Children treated in ambulatory and hospital care in Granada, Spain, with complex chronic diseases in 2016 were analyzed to determine their use of healthcare resources. Socioeconomic variables were evaluated, along with clinical status and duration of their conditions. RESULTS: In total, 265 children were analyzed (mean age 7.3 years, SD 4.63; 56.6% male). The average duration of the disease was 63.26 months (SD 54.09). The most common types of disease were neurological (35.80%), congenital (23.90%), and oncological (18.90%). Multivariate analysis showed that children in need of advanced care (ß = 0.71), with a relatively recent diagnosis (ß = -0.11), with criteria for palliative care 1 (ß = -0.26), and whose mothers were older (ß = 0.36) and had a higher educational level (ß = 0.19) made greater use of healthcare resources during the preceding 12 months, whether urgent or scheduled (r2 = 78.0%, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with higher needs for advanced care have a heterogeneous use of healthcare resources depending on certain clinical and sociodemographic determinants. This finding highlights the importance of the identification of profiles of children and families for care coordination. The presence of sociodemographic determinants may need individualized approaches to assure a timely health care utilization. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A significant proportion of the children used multiple health services, being treated at several centers simultaneously, and producing up to 139 total yearly contacts with the health system. Policymakers, healthcare providers, and patients' families should engage in a redesign of healthcare services for these children, providing comprehensive and coordinated systems of care for this population.

¿En qué medida las guías de práctica clínica responden a las necesidades y preferencias de los usuarios diagnosticados de trastorno obsesivo compulsivo? / To What Extent do Clinical Practice Guidelines Respond to the Needs and Preferences of Patients Diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

RESUMEN Introducción: Para facilitar la toma de decisiones clínicas, están proliferando las guías de práctica clínica (GPC). Sin embargo, actualmente se carece de GPC para el trastorno obsesivo compulsivo (TOC) en las que se incluyan los requerimientos y las expectativas de los usuarios. Objetivos: El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer si las recomendaciones de la guía «Obsessive-compulsive disorder: core interventions in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder¼ del National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) se corresponden con las necesidades y preferencias de un grupo de usuarios diagnosticados de TOC. Métodos: Para ello, se conformaron 2 grupos focales con un total de 12 pacientes, a los que se preguntó sobre el impacto del TOC en sus vidas, su experiencia con los servicios de salud mental, la satisfacción con los tratamientos recibidos y los recursos personales de afrontamiento. Las preferencias y necesidades de los usuarios se compararon con las recomendaciones de la guía y, para facilitar su accesibilidad, se agruparon en 4 grandes áreas temáticas: información, accesibilidad, abordaje terapéutico y relación terapéutica. Resultados: Se observó una alta correspondencia entre las recomendaciones y las preferencias de los usuarios; por ejemplo, respecto a las intervenciones psicológicas de alta intensidad. La escasez de intervenciones psicológicas de baja intensidad antes de acudir al servicio de salud mental o la dificultad para acceder a los profesionales son algunas de las experiencias narradas que discreparon con las recomendaciones de la guía y de las necesidades expresadas por este grupo de usuarios. Conclusiones: Hay coincidencia entre las recomendaciones y las preferencias y necesidades de los usuarios; sin embargo, los servicios sanitarios responden a ellas parcialmente.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The number of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) to help in making clinical decisions is increasing. However, there is currently a lack of CPG for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that take into account the requirements and expectations of the patients. Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine whether recommendations of the NICE guideline, "Obsessive-compulsive disorder: core interventions in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder" agrees with the needs and preferences of patients diagnosed with OCD in the mental health service. Material and method: Two focal groups were formed with a total of 12 participants. They were asked about the impact of the disorder in their lives, their experiences with the mental health services, their satisfaction with treatments, and about their psychological resources. Preferences and needs were compared with the recommendations of the guidelines, and to facilitate their analysis, they were classified into four topics: information, accessibility, treatments, and therapeutic relationship. Results: The results showed a high agreement between recommendations and patients preferences, particularly as regards high-intensity psychological interventions. Some discrepancies included the lack of prior low-intensity psychological interventions in mental health service, and the difficulty of rapid access the professionals. Conclusions: There is significant concordance between recommendations and patients preferences and demands, which are only partially responded to by the health services.

Implicación de usuarios diagnosticados de Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada en la elaboración de una guía de práctica clínica / Involvement of Users Diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the Development of a Clinical Practice Guideline

Resumen En la actualidad hay un interés creciente en implicar a los usuarios de los servicios sanitarios en la elaboración de guías de práctica clínica, especialmente en los problemas de salud de mayor complejidad o frecuencia, como es el Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada (TAG). El objetivo del presente artículo es dar a conocer la novedosa metodología cualitativa utilizada para maximizar el impacto del punto de vista de un grupo de usuarios con TAG en la elaboración de una Guía de práctica clínica (GPC) sobre dicho trastorno. Para ello, se realizaron grupos focales y, a partir del análisis de contenido, se vincularon los testimonios de los usuarios con las recomendaciones basadas en la evidencia, situando ambas fuentes de información al mismo nivel de relevancia.

Abstract Currently, there is an increasing interest in involving the health service users in the development of Clinical practice guidelines (CPG), specially in the more complex and frequent health problems, as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The purpose of this article is to communicate the novel qualitative methodology that has been used to maximize the impact of the perspective of a group of users with GAD in the development of a CPG about it. To that end, focal groups were performed and, from the content analysis, the users testimonials were linked to the evidence-based recommendations of the CPG based on the same topic, in order to situate both sources of information at the same level of relevance.

A cost minimization analysis of olive oil vs. hyperoxygenated fatty acid treatment for the prevention of pressure ulcers in primary healthcare: A randomized controlled trial.

Pressure ulcers represent a major current health problem and cause an important economic impact on the healthcare system. Most studies on the prevention of pressure ulcers have been carried out in hospital contexts, with respect to the use of hyperoxygenated fatty acids (HOFA), and to date no studies have specifically examined the use of olive oil-based treatments. AIM: To evaluate the cost of using extra virgin olive oil, rather than HOFA, in the prevention of pressure ulcers among persons with impaired mobility and receiving home care. STUDY DESIGN: Cost minimization analysis of the results obtained from a noninferiority, triple-blind, parallel, multicenter, randomized clinical trial. Population attending primary healthcare centers in Andalusia (Spain). STUDY SAMPLE: 831 immobilized patients at risk of suffering pressure ulcers. These persons were included in the study and randomly assigned as follows: 437 to the olive oil group and 394 to the HOFA group. At the end of the follow-up period, the results obtained by the olive oil group were not inferior to those of the HOFA group, and did not exceed the 10% delta limit. The total treatment cost for 16 weeks was €19,758 with HOFAs and €9,566 with olive oil. Overall, the olive oil treatment was €10,192 less costly. It has been concluded the noninferiority of olive oil makes this product an effective alternative for the prevention of pressure ulcers in patients who are immobilized and in a domestic environment. This treatment enables considerable savings in direct costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01595347. Date: 2011-2013.

Validation of the Spanish version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS).

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety is a frequent and challenging problem with deleterious effects on the development of surgical procedures and postoperative outcomes. To prevent and treat preoperative anxiety effectively, the level of anxiety of patients needs to be assessed through valid and reliable measuring instruments. One such measurement tool is the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS), of which a Spanish version has not been validated yet. OBJECTIVE: To perform a Spanish cultural adaptation and empirical validation of the APAIS for assessing preoperative anxiety in the Spanish population. METHODS: A two-step forward/back translation of the APAIS scale was performed to ensure a reliable Spanish cultural adaptation. The final Spanish version of the APAIS questionnaire was administered to 529 patients between the ages of 18 to 70 undergoing elective surgery at hospitals of the Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol (Spain). Cronbach's alpha, homogeneity index, intra-class correlation coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis were calculated to assess internal consistency and criteria and construct validity. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a one-factor model was better fitted than a two-factor model, with good fitting patterns (root mean square error of approximation: 0.05, normed-fit index: 0.99, goodness-of-fit statistic: 0.99). The questionnaire showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.84) and a good correlation with the Goldberg Anxiety Scale (CCI: 0.62 (95% CI: 0.55 to 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the APAIS is a valid and reliable preoperative anxiety measurement tool and shows psychometric properties similar to those obtained by similar previous studies.