Codesign of health technology interventions to support best-practice perioperative care and surgical waitlist management.

OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to determine where health technology can support best-practice perioperative care for patients waiting for surgery. METHODS: An exploratory codesign process used personas and journey mapping in three interprofessional workshops to identify key challenges in perioperative care across four health districts in Sydney, Australia. Through participatory methodology, the research inquiry directly involved perioperative clinicians. In three facilitated workshops, clinician and patient participants codesigned potential digital interventions to support perioperative pathways. Workshop output was coded and thematically analysed, using design principles. RESULTS: Codesign workshops, involving 51 participants, were conducted October to November 2022. Participants designed seven patient personas, with consumer representatives confirming acceptability and diversity. Interprofessional team members and consumers mapped key clinical moments, feelings and barriers for each persona during a hypothetical perioperative journey. Six key themes were identified: 'preventative care', 'personalised care', 'integrated communication', 'shared decision-making', 'care transitions' and 'partnership'. Twenty potential solutions were proposed, with top priorities a digital dashboard and virtual care coordination. DISCUSSION: Our findings emphasise the importance of interprofessional collaboration, patient and family engagement and supporting health technology infrastructure. Through user-based codesign, participants identified potential opportunities where health technology could improve system efficiencies and enhance care quality for patients waiting for surgical procedures. The codesign approach embedded users in the development of locally-driven, contextually oriented policies to address current perioperative service challenges, such as prolonged waiting times and care fragmentation. CONCLUSION: Health technology innovation provides opportunities to improve perioperative care and integrate clinical information. Future research will prototype priority solutions for further implementation and evaluation.

Prevention of venous thromboembolism through the implementation of a risk assessment tool: a comparative study in medical and surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized patients are at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Underutilization of thromboprophylaxis remains common despite existing clinical guidelines. The aim is to evaluate the implementation of a state wide standardized adult VTE risk assessment tool (RAT) to assist in the screening of inpatients and prescribing of appropriate thromboprophylaxis. METHODS: In total, 234 patients were audited using clinical notes and spot assessments for VTE risk at Western Sydney Local Health District over a two year period. Patients were stratified into pre- (N.=132) and postimplementation (N.=102) of the RAT. Intervention involved continuing education of staff and passive dissemination of guidelines. Prescription of pharmacological and mechanical prophylaxis and the development of thromboembolic events were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, 39.0% of medical and 63.0% of surgical patients were risk assessed during preimplementation versus 39.2% and 92.2% during postimplementation of the RAT (P<0.0001). Usage of pharmacological prophylaxis increased from 72% to 79% and mechanical prophylaxis from 41% to 48%. VTE rates in moderate to high risk medical patients decreased from 15.2% preimplementation to 6.5% postimplementation. Rates of non-fatal and fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) were 2.3% and 0.8% respectively prior compared to 1.0% and 0.0% postimplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized VTE RAT increased thromboprophylaxis usage and decreased PE rates, with a greater improvement reflected in surgical patients. These findings highlight the importance of a multifaceted approach to VTE prevention using regular audits with feedback, electronic reminders systems, prescribing tools and continuing education.

Focused assessment with sonography for trauma patients by clinicians: Initial experience and results.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the establishment of a service to provide bedside focused assessment sonography in trauma and to evaluate the service to date. SETTING: Emergency department of an urban trauma centre. METHODS: A prospective study of trauma patients who received a focused assessment sonography in trauma examination performed by a clinician managing the trauma in the emergency department. Accuracy was determined by comparing the scan interpretation with abdomino-pelvic computerized tomography, laparotomy or postmortem examination. RESULTS: The study period ran from 1 January 2000 to 11 September 2001 inclusive (20 months). One hundred and forty patients were included, with a final diagnosis established by computerized tomography (n = 124) and/or laparotomy (n = 18). There were 26 true-positives, 101 true-negatives, two false-positives and 11 false-negatives. Ten of the false-negative studies were performed by clinicians who had not reached accreditation. The sensitivity of focused assessment sonography in trauma was 70%, specificity 98% and diagnostic accuracy 91%. CONCLUSIONS: We have described the implementation of a clinician-based focused assessment sonography in trauma service within the emergency department with the support of radiology/ultrasound and trauma service. Processes for credentialling, quality assurance and training need to be in place. Significant issues exist with the length of time it takes clinicians to reach accreditation, in order that a critical mass of clinicians exists to provide a consistent service. The credentialling process should mandate a minimum number of supervised examinations.