Clinical deterioration as a nurse sensitive indicator in the out-of-hospital context: A scoping review.

AIMS: To explore and summarise the literature on the concept of 'clinical deterioration' as a nurse-sensitive indicator of quality of care in the out-of-hospital context. DESIGN: The scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review and the JBI best practice guidelines for scoping reviews. METHODS: Studies focusing on clinical deterioration, errors of omission, nurse sensitive indicators and the quality of nursing and midwifery care for all categories of registered, enrolled, or licensed practice nurses and midwives in the out-of-hospital context were included regardless of methodology. Text and opinion papers were also considered. Study protocols were excluded. DATA SOURCES: Data bases were searched from inception to June 2022 and included CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, EmCare, Maternity and Infant Care Database, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Informit Health and Society Database, JSTOR, Nursing and Allied Health Database, RURAL, Cochrane Library and Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. Workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments and use of screening tools or guidelines impacted the ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS: Little is known about the work of nurses or midwives in out-of-hospital settings and their recognition, reaction to and relay of information about patient deterioration. The complex and subtle nature of non-acute deterioration creates challenges in defining and subsequently evaluating the role and impact of nurses in these settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Further research is needed to clarify outcome measures and nurse contribution to the care of the deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting to reduce the rate of avoidable hospitalisation and articulate the contribution of nurses and midwives to patient care. IMPACT: What Problem Did the Study Address? Factors that impact a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting are not examined to date. What Were the Main Findings? A range of factors were identified that impacted a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting including workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments, use of screening tools or guidelines, and avoidable hospitalisation. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Nurses and nursing management will benefit from understanding the factors that act as barriers and facilitators for effective recognition of, and responding to, a deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting. This in turn will impact patient survival and satisfaction. REPORTING METHOD: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review guidelines guided this review. The PRISMA-Scr Checklist (Tricco et al., 2018) is included as (supplementary file 1).Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study." NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Not required as the Scoping Review used publicly available information.

Nurses' experience of managing adults living with multimorbidity: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The number of adults living with two or more chronic conditions is increasing worldwide. Adults living with multimorbidity have complex physical, psychosocial and self-management care needs. AIM: This study aimed to describe Australian nurses' experience of care provision for adults living with multimorbidity, their perceived education needs and future opportunities for nurses in the management of multimorbidity. DESIGN: Qualitative exploratory. METHODS: Nurses providing care to adults living with multimorbidity in any setting were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview in August 2020. Twenty-four registered nurses took part in a semi-structured telephone interview. RESULTS: Three main themes were developed: (1) The care of adults living with multimorbidity requires skilled collaborative and holistic care; (2) nurses' practice in multimorbidity care is evolving; and (3) nurses value education and training in multimorbidity care. CONCLUSION: Nurses recognize the challenge and the need for change in the system to support them to respond to the increasing demands they face. IMPACT: The complexity and prevalence of multimorbidity creates challenges for a healthcare system configured to treat individual disease. Nurses are key in providing care for this population, but little is known about nurses' experiences and perceptions of their role. Nurses believe a person-centred approach is important to address the complex needs of adults living with multimorbidity. Nurses described their role as evolving in response to the growing demand for quality care and believed inter-professional approaches achieve the best outcomes for adults living with multimorbidity. The research has relevance for all healthcare providers seeking to provide effective care for adults living with multimorbidity. Understanding how best to equip and support the workforce to meet the issues and demands of managing the care of adults living with multimorbidity has the potential to improve patient outcomes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There was no patient or public contribution. The study only concerned the providers of the service.

Developing nurse-sensitive outcomes in acute inpatient mental health settings-A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: While nurse-sensitive outcomes (NSOs) are well established in numerous health settings, to date there is no indicator suite of NSOs for inpatient mental health settings. AIM: To assess the relationship between nursing variables and patient outcomes in acute inpatient mental health settings to determine which outcomes can be used as indicators of the quality of nursing care. METHODS: Databases accessed were CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE, last searched in May 2022. The review followed the 2020 PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews. Papers published between 1995 and 2022, conducted in acute mental health care units were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. A meta-analysis was not possible because of the large number of variables and measurement inconsistencies. RESULTS: A total of 57 studies were reviewed. Studies were categorised according to whether they found a significant or non-significant relationship between nurse variables and patient outcomes. Seven outcomes-aggression, seclusion, restraint, absconding, pro-re-nata medications, special observations and self-harm-were identified. For each outcome, there were significant findings for several nurse variables indicating that all included outcomes could be used as NSOs. However, evidence for aggression, seclusion and restraint use as suitable NSOs was more robust than the evidence for self-harm, absconding, pro-re-nata medications and special observations. CONCLUSION: All the seven outcomes can all be used to develop an NSO indicator suite in mental health inpatient settings. More work is needed to establish high-quality studies to clearly demonstrate the relationship between these outcome measures and changes in nurse variables such as nurse staffing, skill mix, work environment, nurse education and nurse experience. PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patient or public contribution was not possible because of the type of the variables being explored.

Nurses' perceptions and beliefs related to the care of adults living with multimorbidity: A systematic qualitative review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify and synthesise the available qualitative evidence on nurses' perceptions and beliefs related to the care of adults living with multimorbidity. BACKGROUND: The rising prevalence of adults living with multimorbidity has increased demand for health care and challenges nursing care. No review has been conducted to date of the studies of nurses' perceptions and beliefs related to the provision of care to guide policy makers, practitioners and further research to identify and deliver quality care for persons living with multimorbidity. DESIGN: Systematic review of qualitative studies conducted in line with the PRISMA checklist. METHODOLOGY: Eight electronic publication databases and sources of grey literature were searched to identify original qualitative studies of the experience of nurses caring for adults with multiple chronic conditions with no restrictions on the date of publication or study context. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Data were extracted using the Joanna Briggs Institute standardised data extraction tool for qualitative research. Data synthesis was undertaken through meta-aggregation. RESULTS: Eleven qualitative studies were included in the review. All studies met eight or more of the 10 assessment criteria of the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Four synthesised findings were generated from the aggregated findings: (i) the challenge of providing nursing care; (ii) the need to deliver holistic and person-centred nursing care; (iii) the importance of developing a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship, and (iv) delivering nursing care as part of an interprofessional care team. CONCLUSIONS: The complexity of multimorbidity and the predominant single-disease model of chronic care present challenges for the delivery of nursing care to adults living with multimorbidity. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The nursing care of persons with multimorbidity needs to incorporate holistic assessment and person-centred care principles as part of a collaborative and interprofessional team approach. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42020186773.

Recognition and management of agitation in acute mental health services: a qualitative evaluation of staff perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Agitation among patients is a common and distressing behaviour across a variety of health care settings, particularly inpatient mental health. Unless recognised early and effectively managed it can lead to aggression and personal injury. The aim of this paper is to explore the experiences of mental health nurses in recognising and managing agitation in an inpatient mental health setting and the alignment of these experiences with best practice and person-centred care. METHODS: This study used a descriptive qualitative methodology. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 20 nurses working in a mental health unit in 2018. Nursing staff described their experiences of assessing and managing agitation. Descriptive and Thematic Analysis were undertaken of the transcribed focus group dialogue. RESULTS: Nurses combined their clinical knowledge, assessment protocols and training with information from patients to make an individualised assessment of agitation. Nurses also adopted an individualised approach to management by engaging patients in decisions about their care. In keeping with best practice recommendations, de-escalation strategies were the first choice option for management, though nurses also described using both coercive restraint and medication under certain circumstances. From the perspective of patient-centred care, the care provided aligned with elements of person-centred care nursing care. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that clinical mental health nurses assess and manage agitation, with certain exceptions, in line with best practice and a person-centred care nursing framework.

Adults' experience of living with multimorbidity: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the review is to synthesize the qualitative research literature on the experiences of adults living with multimorbidity. INTRODUCTION: Persons living with two or more chronic health conditions, known as multimorbidity, is a global health problem in countries of all income levels. Multimorbidity presents an ever-increasing resource and financial burden for health care systems and similarly challenges those living with multiple health conditions because of the complexity of their health and treatment requirements. Overall, persons with multimorbid conditions experience a high risk of mortality and a lower quality of life. Understanding the adult experience of multimorbidity is important for creating and implementing health care that meets the needs of individuals living with the burden of multiple chronic health conditions. INCLUSION CRITERIA: The systematic review will include published peer-reviewed and unpublished English-language studies from 2000 to 2020 that provide qualitative evidence of adults' (18+ years of age) experiences of living with multimorbidity. METHODS: CINAHL with full text, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Consumer Health Database, Scopus, and ScienceDirect journals and books will be searched. Reference lists of included studies will also be cross-checked with search outcomes to identify additional studies. Sources of gray literature will also be searched for unpublished studies. The critical appraisal of selected studies and the extraction of data will be independently undertaken by two reviewers using JBI methods. The findings will be pooled using meta-aggregation to produce comprehensive synthesized findings. A ConQual Summary of Findings will also be presented. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020152038.

Psychoactive medications and crash involvement requiring hospitalization for older drivers: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between psychoactive medications and crash risk in drivers aged 60 and older. DESIGN: Retrospective population-based case-crossover study. SETTING: A database study that linked the Western Australian Hospital Morbidity Data System and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred sixteen individuals aged 60 and older who were hospitalized as the result of a motor vehicle crash between 2002 and 2008 in Western Australia. MEASUREMENTS: Hospitalization after a motor vehicle crash. RESULTS: Greater risk for a hospitalization crash was found for older drivers prescribed benzodiazepines (odds ratio (OR)=5.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.6-7.8, P<.001), antidepressants (OR=1.8, 95% CI=1.0-3.3, P=.04), and opioid analgesics (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.0-2.3, P=.05). Crash risk was significantly greater in men prescribed a benzodiazepine (OR=6.2, 95% CI=3.2-12.2, P<.001) or an antidepressant (OR=2.7, 95% CI=1.1-6.9, P=.03). Women prescribed benzodiazepines (OR=4.9, 95% CI=3.1-7.8, P<.001) or opioid analgesics (OR=1.8, 95% CI=1.1-3.0, P=.03) also had a significantly greater crash risk. Subgroup analyses further suggested that drivers with (OR=4.0, 95% CI=2.9-8.1, P<.001) and without (OR=6.0, 95% CI=3.8-9.5, P<.001) a chronic condition who were prescribed benzodiazepines were at greater crash risk. Drivers with a chronic condition taking antidepressants (OR=3.4, 95% CI=1.3-8.5, P=.01) also had a greater crash risk. CONCLUSION: Psychoactive medication usage was associated with greater risk of a motor vehicle crash requiring hospitalization in older drivers.

Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of drivers' use of mobile (cell) phones on road safety. DESIGN: A case-crossover study. SETTING: Perth, Western Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 456 drivers aged > or = 17 years who owned or used mobile phones and had been involved in road crashes necessitating hospital attendance between April 2002 and July 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Driver's use of mobile phone at estimated time of crash and on trips at the same time of day in the week before the crash. Interviews with drivers in hospital and phone company's records of phone use. RESULTS: Driver's use of a mobile phone up to 10 minutes before a crash was associated with a fourfold increased likelihood of crashing (odds ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval 2.2 to 7.7, P < 0.001). Risk was raised irrespective of whether or not a hands-free device was used (hands-free: 3.8, 1.8 to 8.0, P < 0.001; hand held: 4.9, 1.6 to 15.5, P = 0.003). Increased risk was similar in men and women and in drivers aged > or = 30 and < 30 years. A third (n = 21) of calls before crashes and on trips during the previous week were reportedly on hand held phones. CONCLUSIONS: When drivers use a mobile phone there is an increased likelihood of a crash resulting in injury. Using a hands-free phone is not any safer.