Urate-lowering agents do not have clinically relevant negative effects on sperm quality and reproductive hormones in men with gout: a prospective open-label cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the effects of different urate-lowering agents on testicular functions in men with gout in a clinical setting. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study (Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT04213534), a total of 49 male patients aged 18-45 years with gout were enrolled. They were divided into three groups and received treatment with either allopurinol, febuxostat or benzbromarone for a duration of 3 months. Semen parameters, reproductive hormones and biochemical assessments were evaluated at baseline, month 1, and month 3. RESULTS: Overall, 40 individuals (81.6%) completed the follow-up visits. In allopurinol group, there were no significant differences in semen parameters from baseline to month 3. Most of sperm parameters in febuxostat group did not show notable changes, except for a decrease in sperm motility at month 3(33.6%, [22.9-54.3] vs 48.4%, [27.4-67.6], p = 0.033). However, the total motile sperm count did not differ significantly after febuxostat treatment. Surprisingly, administration of benzbromarone resulted in improved sperm concentration (37.19 M/mL, [29.6-69.92] vs 58.5 M/mL, [49.8-116.6], p = 0.001). There were no significant changes observed in sperm DNA integrity and reproductive hormones in the three groups from baseline to month 3. The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly among the three groups as well. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to demonstrate that urate-lowering agents, allopurinol and febuxostat, do not have clinically relevant negative effects on sperm quality and reproductive hormones in men with gout, and benzbromarone presents improving sperm concentration. Results provide important preliminary guidance for the development of reproductive health management guidelines for patients RCID with gout.

Data-driven approach to predicting the risk of pressure injury: A retrospective analysis based on changes in patient conditions.

AIMS: To determine the risk of pressure injury development in the intensive care unit based on changes in patient conditions. DESIGN: This retrospective study was based on secondary data analysis. METHODS: Patient data from electronic health records were retrospectively obtained and we included 438 and 1752 patients with and without pressure injury, respectively, among those admitted to the medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) from January 2017-February 2020. Changes in patient conditions were analysed based on the first and last objective data values from the day of ICU admission to the day before the onset of pressure injury and categorised as follows: improved, maintained normal, exacerbated and unchanged. Logistic regression was performed to identify the significant predictors of pressure injury development based on 11 variables. RESULTS: The 11 selected variables were age, body mass index, activity, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score, nursing severity level, pulse and albumin, haematocrit, C-reactive protein, total bilirubin and blood urea nitrogen levels. The risk for a pressure injury was high with exacerbation of or persistently abnormal levels of nursing severity, albumin, haematocrit, C-reactive protein, blood urea nitrogen and pulse >100 beat/min. CONCLUSION: Periodic monitoring of haematological variables is important for preventing pressure injury in the intensive care unit. REPORTING METHOD: The study followed STROBE guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study contributes to the utilisation of patient data from electronic health records. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: In addition to other pressure injury risk assessment tools, ICU nurses can help prevent pressure injuries by assessing patients' blood test results, thereby promoting patient safety and enhancing the efficacy of nursing practice.

Automated Fall and Pressure Injury Risk Assessment Systems: Nurses' Experiences, Perspectives, and Lessons Learned.

This study examined the clinical usability of two automated risk assessment systems-the Automated Fall Risk Assessment System and Automated Pressure Injury Risk Assessment System. The clinical usability of automated assessment systems was tested in three ways: agreement between the scales that nurses generally use and the automated assessment systems, focus group interviews, and the predicted amount of time saved for risk assessment and documentation. For the analysis of agreement, 1160 patients and 1000 patients were selected for falls and pressure injuries, respectively. A total of 60 nurses participated in focus group interviews. The nurses personally checked the time taken to assess and document the risks of falls and pressure injury for 271 and 251 patient cases, respectively. The results for the agreement showed a κ index of 0.43 and a percentage of agreement of 71.55% between the Automated Fall Risk Assessment System and the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool. For the agreement between the Automated Pressure Injury Risk Assessment System and the Braden scale, the κ index was 0.52 and the percentage of agreement was 80.60%. The focus group interviews showed that participants largely perceived the automated risk assessment systems positively. The time it took for assessment and documentation were about 5 minutes to administer the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool and 2 to 3 minutes to administer the Braden scale per day to all patients. Overall, the automated risk assessment systems may help in obtaining time devoted to directly preventing falls and pressure injuries and thereby contribute to better quality care.

Substance P enhances the therapeutic effect of MSCs by modulating their angiogenic potential.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy acts through multiple differentiations in damaged tissue or via secretion of paracrine factors, as demonstrated in various inflammatory and ischaemic diseases. However, long-term ex vivo culture to obtain a sufficient number of cells in MSC transplantation leads to cellular senescence, deficiency of the paracrine potential, and loss of survival rate post-transplantation. In this study, we evaluated whether supplementation of MSCs with substance P (SP) can improve their therapeutic potential. SP treatment elevated the secretion of paracrine/angiogenic factors, including VEGF, SDF-1a and PDGF-BB, from late passage MSCs in vitro. MSCs supplemented with SP accelerated epidermal/dermal regeneration and neovascularization and suppressed inflammation in vivo, compared to MSCs transplanted alone. Importantly, supplementation with SP enabled the incorporation of transplanted human MSCs into the host vasculature as pericytes via PDGF signalling, leading to the direct engagement of transplanted cells in compact vasculature formation. Our results showed that SP is capable of restoring the cellular potential of senescent stem cells, possibly by modulating the generation of paracrine factors from MSCs, which might accelerate MSC-mediated tissue repair. Thus, SP is anticipated to be a potential beneficial agent in MSC therapy for inflammatory or ischaemic diseases and cutaneous wounds.

Operative and anaesthetic factors influencing on delirium in the intensive care unit: An Analysis of electronic health records.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To analyse the operation, anaesthesia and recovery-related factors affecting the occurrence of delirium in the intensive care unit. BACKGROUND: The occurrence rate of postoperative delirium is high in surgical patients. Postoperative delirium most frequently occurs usually within 3 days after an operation. DESIGN: This study used a secondary data analysis based on a case-control study. METHODS: This study analysed data extracted from the electronic health records at a university hospital from October 2009-July 2015. One hundred and eighty patients with delirium admitted to the intensive care unit through the recovery room after surgery, and 720 nondelirium controls were included. A total of 17 variables were selected, and hierarchical logistic regression was performed to identify operative and anaesthetic factors influencing on delirium. STROBE statement was applied for reporting this study. RESULTS: The operation, anaesthesia and recovery-related factors increasing the risk of delirium included Class II or higher in the classification system of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, continuous remifentanil infusion and lower than seven-point postanaesthesia recovery score at the time of admission to the recovery room. CONCLUSION: The operative and anaesthetic factors influencing the occurrence of delirium should be assessed when a patient is admitted to the ICU following an operation even if a patient is conscious. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Identifying operative and anaesthetic risk factors for delirium can improve the prevention intervention and the patient outcome in the intensive care unit.

Development and Evaluation of the Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection is one of the most common healthcare-acquired infections. It is important to institute preventive measures such as surveillance of the appropriate use of indwelling urinary catheters and timely removal by identifying patients at high risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infection. The purpose of this study was to develop an Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection and evaluate its predictive validity. This study involved secondary data analysis based on a case-control study and used the data extracted from electronic health records. The Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection was developed using a risk-scoring algorithm that was based on a logistic regression model and integrated into the electronic health records. The following eight risk factors for urinary tract infection were included in the logistic regression model: length of stay, admission to the Intensive Care Unit, dependent physical activity, highest neutrophil level (%), lowest blood sodium level of less than 136 mEq/L, lowest blood albumin level of less than 3.5 g/dL, highest blood urea nitrogen level of greater than 20 mg/dL, and indwelling urinary catheter application period (days). The risk groups classified by the Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection were automatically displayed on the patient summary screen of the electronic health record. The predictive validity of the Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection gradually increased up to the fifth and sixth assessment data after patients' admission; then, it leveled. It is possible to allocate nurses' time and effort for catheter-associated urinary tract infection risk assessment to surveillance of the use, removal, and management of indwelling urinary catheters and education and training by using the Automated Risk Assessment System for Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in clinical settings.

Impact of Pressure Injuries on Patient Outcomes in a Korean Hospital: A Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of pressure injuries on mortality, hospital length of stay, healthcare costs, and readmission rates in hospitalized patients. DESIGN: A case-control study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 5000 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital located in Seoul Korea; 1000 patients with pressure injuries (cases) were compared to 4000 patients who acted as controls. METHODS: We retrospectively extracted clinical data from electronic health records. Study outcomes were mortality, hospital length of stay, healthcare costs, and readmission rates. The impact of pressure injuries on death and readmission was analyzed via multiple logistic regression, hospital deaths within 30 days were analyzed using the survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression, and impact on the length of hospitalization and medical costs were analyzed through a multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Developing a pressure injury was significantly associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR], 3.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.91-5.33), 30-days in-hospital mortality (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.59-3.00), and healthcare cost (ß = 11,937,333; P < .001). Pressure injuries were significantly associated with an extended length of hospitalization (ß = 20.84; P < .001) and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (ß = 8.16; P < .001). Having a pressure injury was significantly associated with an increased risk of not being discharged home (OR, 5.55; 95% CI, 4.35-7.08), along with increased risks of readmission (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05-1.62) and emergency department visits after discharge (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.29-2.23). CONCLUSIONS: Development of pressure injuries influenced mortality, healthcare costs, ICU and hospital length of stay, and healthcare utilization following discharge (ie, readmission or emergency department visits). Hospital-level efforts and interdisciplinary approaches should be prioritized to develop interventions and protocols for pressure injury prevention.

Automated Medication Error Risk Assessment System (Auto-MERAS).

This study developed the Automated Medical Error Risk Assessment System (Auto-MERAS), which was incorporated into the electronic health record system. The system itself maintained high predictive validity for medication errors at the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of above 0.80 at the time of development and validation. This study has found possibilities to predict the risk of medication errors that are sensitive to situational and environmental risks without additional data entry from nurses.

Triggers and nursing influences on delirium in intensive care units.

Among care providers, nurses have the most influence on the occurrence of delirium in patients. To identify and investigate the risk factors associated with delirium and analyse the nurse's influence on delirium, a secondary data analysis approach was used with clinical data from the electronic medical record and health care provider data from the management information systems of a university hospital. Data of 3284 patients (delirium = 688, non-delirium = 2596) hospitalized in the medical and surgical intensive care units containing 2178 variables were analysed. Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model was applied to categorize the factors for multilevel hierarchical logistic regression analysis. Sixteen factors (10 patient factors, 1 provider factor, 1 environmental factor, 2 nursing intervention factors and 2 medical intervention factors) were identified as significant in the final model. Longer intensive care unit experience of nurses did not decrease the risk of delirium. Greater number of nursing intervention needs and greater use of restraints were associated with an increased risk of delirium. The duration of nursing career did not affect the reduction of the risk of delirium. Nurses should therefore endeavour to acquire nursing experience specific for delirium care and attend training courses for delirium management.

Necroptosis in cancer: An angel or a demon?

In the past few decades, apoptosis has been regarded as the only form of programmed cell death. However, the traditional view has been challenged by the identification of several forms of regulated necrosis, including necroptosis. Necroptosis is typified by a necrotic cell death morphology and is controlled by RIP1, RIP3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein. The physiological role of necroptosis is to serve as a "fail-safe" form of cell death for cells that fail to undergo apoptosis during embryonic development and disease defense. Currently, established studies have indicated that necroptosis is involved in cancer initiation and progression. Although elevated necroptosis contributes to cancer cell death, extensive cell death also increases the risk of proliferation and metastasis of the surviving cells by inducing the generation reactive oxygen species, activation of inflammation, and suppression of the immune response. Thus, questions regarding the overall impact of necroptosis on cancer remain open. In this review, we introduce the basic knowledge regarding necroptosis, summarize its dual effects on cancer progression, and analyze its advantages and disadvantages in clinical applications.

Hepatitis B virus x protein induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating long non-coding RNA.

BACKGROUND: It has been widely accepted that hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to explore the function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by HBx. METHODS: The association between HBx and EMT markers was detected using immunohistochemistry in HCC tissues. The effect of HBx on HCC EMT was assessed through morphological analysis, transwell assay, metastatic in vivo study and detection of EMT markers. LncRNA microarray was used to screen the differently expressed lncRNAs. Small interfering RNA and Western blot were used to analyse the function and mechanism of the locked lncRNA. RESULTS: HBx was negatively correlated with the epithelial marker E-cadherin but positively correlated with the mesenchymal marker vimentin in HCC tissues. HBx induced the mesenchymal phenotype and improved the metastatic ability of HCC cells. Meanwhile, HBx down-regulated E-cadherin, whereas it up-regulated vimentin. In HCC cells, HBx altered the expression of 2002 lncRNAs by more than 2-fold. One of them was ZEB2-AS1. Inhibition of ZEB2-AS1 can compensate for the EMT phenotype and reverse the expression of EMT markers regulated by HBx. Additionally, HBx affected the Wnt signalling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: HBx promotes HCC cell metastasis by inducing EMT, which is at least partly mediated by lncRNAs.

Automated Pressure Injury Risk Assessment System Incorporated Into an Electronic Health Record System.

BACKGROUND: Pressure injury risk assessment is the first step toward preventing pressure injuries, but traditional assessment tools are time-consuming, resulting in work overload and fatigue for nurses. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to build an automated pressure injury risk assessment system (Auto-PIRAS) that can assess pressure injury risk using data, without requiring nurses to collect or input additional data, and to evaluate the validity of this assessment tool. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study and a system development study were conducted in a 1,355-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 1,305 pressure injury patients and 5,220 nonpressure injury patients participated for the development of a risk scoring algorithm: 687 and 2,748 for the validation of the algorithm and 237 and 994 for validation after clinical implementation, respectively. A total of 4,211 pressure injury-related clinical variables were extracted from the electronic health record (EHR) systems to develop a risk scoring algorithm, which was validated and incorporated into the EHR. That program was further evaluated for predictive and concurrent validity. RESULTS: Auto-PIRAS, incorporated into the EHR system, assigned a risk assessment score of high, moderate, or low and displayed this on the Kardex nursing record screen. Risk scores were updated nightly according to 10 predetermined risk factors. The predictive validity measures of the algorithm validation stage were as follows: sensitivity = .87, specificity = .90, positive predictive value = .68, negative predictive value = .97, Youden index = .77, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = .95. The predictive validity measures of the Braden Scale were as follows: sensitivity = .77, specificity = .93, positive predictive value = .72, negative predictive value = .95, Youden index = .70, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = .85. The kappa of the Auto-PIRAS and Braden Scale risk classification result was .73. DISCUSSION: The predictive performance of the Auto-PIRAS was similar to Braden Scale assessments conducted by nurses. Auto-PIRAS is expected to be used as a system that assesses pressure injury risk automatically without additional data collection by nurses.

Plasma Gelsolin Induced Glomerular Fibrosis via the TGF-ß1/Smads Signal Transduction Pathway in IgA Nephropathy.

Glomerular fibrosis has been shown to be closely related to the progression and prognosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, mechanism underlying IgAN glomerular fibrosis remains unclear. Recently, our study showed that plasma gelsolin (pGSN) was decreased in the serum of an IgAN mouse model and that pGSN deposition was found in the glomeruli. Another cytokine, TGF-ß1, which is closely related to glomerular fibrosis, was also found to be highly expressed in the glomeruli. In the present study, we report that pGSN induces glomerular fibrosis through the TGF-ß1/Smads signal transduction pathway. This is supported by the following findings: human mesangial cells (HMCs) show remarkable morphological changes and proliferation in response to co-stimulation with pGSN and polymeric IgA1 (pIgA1) from IgAN patients compared to other controls. Moreover, ELISA assays showed that more TGF-ß1 secretion was found in HMCs supernatants in the co-stimulation group. Further experiments showed increased TGF-ß1, Smad3, p-Smad2/3, Smad4, and collagen 1 and decreased Smad7 expression in the co-stimulation group. Our present study implied that the synergistic effect of pGSN and pIgA induced glomerular fibrosis via the TGF-ß1/Smads signal transduction pathway. This might be a potential mechanism for the glomerular fibrosis observed in IgAN patients.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool and Nurses' Experience.

The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT) is relatively new in Korea, and it has not been fully evaluated. This study revealed that the JHFRAT had good predictive validity throughout the hospitalization period. However, 2 items (fall history and elimination patterns) on the tool were not determinants of falls in this population. Interestingly, the nurses indicated those 2 items were the most difficult items to assess and needed further training to develop the assessment skills.

Development and evaluation of an automated fall risk assessment system.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Fall risk assessment is the first step toward prevention, and a risk assessment tool with high validity should be used. This study aimed to develop and validate an automated fall risk assessment system (Auto-FallRAS) to assess fall risks based on electronic medical records (EMRs) without additional data collected or entered by nurses. METHODS: This study was conducted in a 1335-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The Auto-FallRAS was developed using 4211 fall-related clinical data extracted from EMRs. Participants included fall patients and non-fall patients (868 and 3472 for the development study; 752 and 3008 for the validation study; and 58 and 232 for validation after clinical application, respectively). The system was evaluated for predictive validity and concurrent validity. RESULTS: The final 10 predictors were included in the logistic regression model for the risk-scoring algorithm. The results of the Auto-FallRAS were shown as high/moderate/low risk on the EMR screen. The predictive validity analyzed after clinical application of the Auto-FallRAS was as follows: sensitivity = 0.95, NPV = 0.97 and Youden index = 0.44. The validity of the Morse Fall Scale assessed by nurses was as follows: sensitivity = 0.68, NPV = 0.88 and Youden index = 0.28. CONCLUSION: This study found that the Auto-FallRAS results were better than were the nurses' predictions. The advantage of the Auto-FallRAS is that it automatically analyzes information and shows patients' fall risk assessment results without requiring additional time from nurses.

Development and Validation of an Automated Sepsis Risk Assessment System.

Aggressive resuscitation can decrease sepsis mortality, but its success depends on early detection of sepsis. The purpose of this study was to develop and verify an Automated Sepsis Risk Assessment System (Auto-SepRAS), which would automatically assess the sepsis risk of inpatients by applying data mining techniques to electronic health records (EHR) data and provide daily updates. The seven predictors included in the Auto-SepRAS after initial analysis were admission via the emergency department, which had the highest odds ratio; diastolic blood pressure; length of stay; respiratory rate; heart rate; and age. Auto-SepRAS classifies inpatients into three risk levels (high, moderate, and low) based on the predictive values from the sepsis risk-scoring algorithm. The sepsis risk for each patient is presented on the nursing screen of the EHR. The AutoSepRAS was implemented retrospectively in several stages using EHR data and its cut-off scores adjusted. Overall discrimination power was moderate (AUC>.80). The Auto-SepRAS should be verified or updated continuously or intermittently to maintain high predictive performance, but it does not require invasive tests or data input by nurses that would require additional time. Nurses are able to provide patients with nursing care appropriate to their risk levels by using the sepsis risk information provided by the Auto-SepRAS. In particular, with early detection of changes related to sepsis, nurses should be able to help in providing rapid initial resuscitation of high-risk patients. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Substance P enhances mesenchymal stem cells-mediated immune modulation.

Since clinical application of MSCs requires long-term ex vivo culture inducing senescence in MSCs and reducing the therapeutic activity of transplanted MSCs, numerous efforts have been attempted to sustain the active state of MSCs. Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide that functions to activate the cellular physiological responses of MSCs, including proliferation, migration, and secretion of specific cytokines. In this study, we explored the potential of SP to restore the weakened immune modulating activity of MSCs resulting from long-term culture by measuring T cell activity and interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion of CD4(+) Jurkat leukemic T cells and primary CD4(+) T cells. As the number of cell passages increased, the immunosuppressive function of MSCs based on T cell activity decreased. This weakened activity of MSCs could be restored by SP treatment and nullified by co-treatment of an NK1 receptor blocker. Higher levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1) secretion were noted in the medium of SP-treated late passage MSC cultures, but IL-10 levels did not change. SP-treated MSC-conditioned medium decreased T cell activity and IL-2/Interferon gamma (IFN-g) secretion in T cells even in the activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CD3/CD28 antibodies, both of which were successfully blocked by inhibiting the TGF beta signaling pathway. This stimulatory effect of SP on late passage MSCs was also confirmed in direct cell-cell contact co-culture of MSCs and CD4(+) Jurkat T cells. Collectively, our study suggests that SP pretreatment to MSCs may recover the immunosuppressive function of late passage MSCs by potentiating their ability to secrete TGF-ß1, which can enhance the therapeutic activity of ex vivo expanded MSCs in long-term culture.

Evaluating the validity of the Braden scale using longitudinal electronic medical records.

In this study, we evaluated the validity of the Braden scale in assessing the risk of pressure ulcers. Longitudinal clinical data including weekly Braden scale scores for 1,138 patients admitted to a university hospital who developed pressure ulcers during the hospital stay and 4,794 who did not develop pressure ulcers were extracted from the hospital's electronic medical record system. Braden scale scores at three points during hospitalization were analyzed: the initial score at admission, the last score recorded before diagnosis (for pressure ulcer patients) or before discharge (for those without pressure ulcers), and the minimum (highest-risk) score recorded. Using these data, the predictive validity of the scale was evaluated using a cut-off score of 18, followed by an evaluation of the relative advantages and disadvantages of cut-off scores from 12 to 19. Among patients in the general units, the minimum score had the greatest sensitivity (0.85), negative predictive value (NPV; 0.98), and Youden index (0.73). Among patients in the intensive care units, the last score had the best NPV (0.65), Youden index (0.53), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.78), while the minimum score had the highest sensitivity (0.88). The optimal cut-off score for patients in the general units was 19 and for those in the intensive care units was 18. These results support a higher cut-off score than previously recommended, particularly for severely ill patients who are more prone to developing pressure ulcers.

Validity of the Morse Fall Scale implemented in an electronic medical record system.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the validity of the Morse Fall Scale by analysing the electronic medical records on fall risk during different phases of hospitalisation. BACKGROUND: Regular monitoring on fall risk with a reliable and valid assessment tool is a key element in the fall prevention. In Korea, the Morse Fall Scale is currently being used in numerous medical institutions, yet it has not been comprehensively evaluated whether it is suitable and valid. DESIGN: The study design was a retrospective case-control study. METHODS: The participants included 151 fallers and 694 nonfallers. Data were extracted from a university hospital implementing Morse Fall Scale in the electronic medical records between October 2010 and June 2011. The nonfallers were selected by the stratified random sampling method among the patients who were in the hospital during the same period as the fallers. The Morse Fall Scale scores during three different time periods of hospital stay were used for analysis: the initial assessment score upon admission, the last and the maximum scores recorded from admission to the fall or discharge. RESULTS: With the maximum Morse Fall Scale score and the best cut-off point of 51, validity indicators showed the highest performance: 0·72 for sensitivity, 0·91 for specificity, 0·63 for positive predictive value, 0·94 for negative predictive value, 0·63 for Youden Index and 0·77 for the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. CONCLUSION: The Morse Fall Scale showed relatively high predictive performance for the Korean population. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study results recommend practice change in fall prevention. As the validity was highest when the patient was first classified into the high-risk group based on the Morse Fall Scale cut-off score 51, patients classified as high risk should be placed under special nursing interventions until the day of their discharge, regardless of change in the patient state.

Is delirium an unrecognized threat to patient safety in Korean intensive care units?

Delirium is an emerging topic in patient safety. However, in Korea, delirium is still underrecognized despite high incidence rates in Korean hospitals. We studied the impact of delirium on patient outcomes in Korean intensive care units (ICUs) and found that delirium is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, shorter survival over the course of hospitalization, longer ICU and hospital stays, more frequent readmission to the ICU for the same hospitalization event, and higher health care costs.