Growth data of underprivileged children living in rural areas of Chin State, Burma/Myanmar, compared to the WHO reference growth standards: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore growth data (height-for-age, weight-for-age and BMI-for-age) of children living in poor socioeconomic conditions in rural areas of Chin State, Burma/Myanmar; and to compare these data with the growth and development z-score (GDZ) values for school-aged children and adolescents, provided by the WHO. SETTING: A support and educational programme, run by the Swedish association Chin Development and Research Society (CDRS), was carried out among underprivileged school-aged children, unable to attend school without economic and practical support, living in villages and remote areas in Chin State. PARTICIPANTS: Community leaders who were well familiar with the citizens in the community identified children in need of this support. Other community members could also suggest or apply for this. The sample includes all participating children in the CDRS programme at the time of the data collection in six townships. The children were placed in host families, close to a suitable school. Two samples with a total of 639 children from 144 villages and remote areas were obtained:1. Children in the CDRS Chin Programme (CCP) (2007-2010) comprised 558 children: 50% girls and boys.2. Children in the Chin Society (CCS) (2010) comprised 81 children: 44% girls and 56% boys. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Growth data. RESULTS: All growth data from both groups deviated significantly from the WHO standard references (p ≤ 0.001). The prevalence of stunting (height-for-age ≤-2SD) was 52% among girls and 68% among boys. High levels of wasting (weight-for-age ≤-2SD) were found among girls 29% and boys 36% aged 5-10 years. In addition, severe thinness (BMI-for-age ≤-2SD) was found among girls 31% and boys 44%, all results to be compared to the expected 2.27%. CONCLUSIONS: Many more than expected-according to the WHO reference values-in CCP and CCS suffered from stunting, wasting and thinness.

Experiences of parenting a child with medical complexity in need of acute hospital care.

Parents of children with medical complexity have described being responsible for providing advanced care for the child. When the child is acutely ill, they must rely on the health-care services during short or long periods of hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to describe parental experiences of caring for their child with medical complexity during hospitalization for acute deterioration, specifically focussing on parental needs and their experiences of the attitudes of staff. Data were gathered through individual interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The care period can be interpreted as a balancing act between acting as a caregiver and being in need of care. The parents needed skilled staff who could relieve them of medical responsibility, but they wanted to be involved in the care and in the decisions taken. They needed support, including relief, in order to meet their own needs and to be able to take care of their children. It was important that the child was treated with respect in order for the parent to trust the staff. An approach where staff view parents and children as a single unit, as recipients of care, would probably make the situation easier for these parents and children.

The development and initial validation of a clinical tool for patients' preferences on patient participation--The 4Ps.

AIMS: To report on the development and initial testing of a clinical tool, The Patient Preferences for Patient Participation tool (The 4Ps), which will allow patients to depict, prioritize, and evaluate their participation in health care. BACKGROUND: While patient participation is vital for high quality health care, a common definition incorporating all stakeholders' experience is pending. In order to support participation in health care, a tool for determining patients' preferences on participation is proposed, including opportunities to evaluate participation while considering patient preferences. METHODS: Exploratory mixed methods studies informed the development of the tool, and descriptive design guided its initial testing. The 4Ps tool was tested with 21 Swedish researcher experts (REs) and patient experts (PEs) with experience of patient participation. Individual Think Aloud interviews were employed to capture experiences of content, response process, and acceptability. RESULTS: 'The 4Ps' included three sections for the patient to depict, prioritize, and evaluate participation using 12 items corresponding to 'Having Dialogue', 'Sharing Knowledge', 'Planning', and 'Managing Self-care'. The REs and PEs considered 'The 4Ps' comprehensible, and that all items corresponded to the concept of patient participation. The tool was perceived to facilitate patient participation whilst requiring amendments to content and layout. CONCLUSIONS: A tool like The 4Ps provides opportunities for patients to depict participation, and thus supports communication and collaboration. Further patient evaluation is needed to understand the conditions for patient participation. While The 4Ps is promising, revision and testing in clinical practice is required.

Effects of a computerized decision support system on care planning for pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes: an intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing documentation is essential for facilitating the flow of information to guarantee continuity, quality and safety in care. High-quality nursing documentation is frequently lacking; the implementation of computerized decision support systems is expected to improve clinical practice and nursing documentation. AIM: The present study aimed at investigate the effects of a computerized decision support system and an educational program as intervention strategies for improved nursing documentation practice on pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: An intervention study with two intervention groups and one control group was used. Fifteen nursing homes in southern Norway were included. A convenience sample of electronic healthcare records from 46 units was included. Inclusion criteria were records with presence of pressure ulcers and/or malnutrition. The residents were assessed before and after an intervention of a computerized decision support system in the electronic healthcare records. Data were collected through a review of 150 records before (2007) and 141 records after the intervention (2009). METHODS: The nurses in intervention group 1 were offered educational sessions and were trained to use the computerized decision support system, which they used for eight months in 2008 and 2009. The nurses in intervention group 2 were offered the same educational program but did not use the computerized decision support system. The nurses in the control group were not subject to any intervention. The resident records were examined for the completeness and comprehensiveness of the documentation of pressure ulcers and malnutrition with three data collection forms and the data were analyzed with non-parametric statistics. RESULTS: The implementation of the computerized decision support system and the educational program resulted in a more complete and comprehensive documentation of pressure ulcer- and malnutrition-related nursing assessments and nursing interventions. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that the computerized decision support system and an educational program as implementation strategies had a positive influence on nursing documentation practice.

A comparison between the VIPS model and the ICF for expressing nursing content in the health care record.

BACKGROUND: Multi-professional standardized terminologies are needed that cover common as well as profession-specific care content in order to obtain a full coverage and description of the contributions from different health professionals' perspectives in health care. Implementation of terminologies in clinical practice that do not cover professionals' needs for communication might jeopardize the quality of care. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the structure and content of the Swedish VIPS model for nursing documentation and the international classification of function, disability and health (ICF). METHOD: Mapping was performed between key words and prototypical examples for patient status in the VIPS model and terms in the ICF and its framework of domains, chapters and specific terms. The study had two phases. In the first phase 13 key words for patient status in the VIPS model and the 289 terms (prototypical examples) describing related content were mapped to comparable terms in the ICF. In phase two, 1424 terms on levels 2-4 in the ICF were mapped to the key words for patient status in the VIPS model. RESULTS: Differences in classification structures and content were found, with a more elaborated level of detail displayed in the ICF than in the VIPS model. A majority of terms could be mapped, but several essential nursing care concepts and perspectives identified in the VIPS model were missing in the ICF. Two-thirds of the content in the ICF could be mapped to the VIPS' key words for patient status; however, the remaining terms in the ICF, describing body structure and environmental factors, are not part of the VIPS model. CONCLUSION: Despite that a majority of the nursing content in the VIPS model could be expressed by terms in the ICF, the ICF needs to be developed and expanded to be functional for nursing practice. The results have international relevance for global efforts to implement unifying multi-professional terminologies. In addition, our results underline the need for sufficient coverage and level of detail to support different professional perspectives in health care terminologies.

Accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of information on pressure ulcers recorded in the patient record.

AIM: To describe the accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of information on pressure ulcers documented in patient records. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional descriptive study performed in 29 wards at a university hospital in Iceland. The study included skin assessment of patients and retrospective audits of records of patients identified with pressure ulcers. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 219 patients was inspected for signs of pressure ulcers on 1 day in 2008. Records of patients identified with pressure ulcers were audited (n = 45) retrospectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 21%. Information in patient records lacked accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness. Only 60% of the identified pressure ulcers were documented in the patient records. The lack of accuracy was most prevalent for stage I pressure ulcers. CONCLUSIONS: The purpose of documentation to record, communicate and support the flow of information in the patient record was not met. The patient records lacked accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness, which can jeopardise patient safety, continuity and quality of care. The information on pressure ulcers in patient records was found not to be a reliable source for the evaluation of quality in health care. To improve accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of data in the patient record, a systematic risk assessment for pressure ulcers and assessment and treatment of existing pressure ulcers based on evidence-based guidelines need to be implemented and recorded in clinical practice. Health information technology, including the electronic health record with decision support, has shown promising results to facilitate and improve documentation of pressure ulcers.

Information transfer and continuity of care for stroke patients with eating difficulties from the perspectives of nursing staff in Swedish elderly care.

Continuity of care is a key issue in the care for elderly people, for example, those having experienced stroke, particularly with regards to informational and managerial continuity based on patient record data. The study aim was to explore municipal nursing staff's (n=30) perceptions of discharge information provided to them for stroke patients with eating difficulties. Structured interviews were used and data were analysed by content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results showed that nursing staff perceived informational continuity and accuracy of information on patients' eating difficulties as poor and that little information on eating difficulties reached licensed practical nurses, who instead relied on their own assessments of patients' eating ability. Co-ordinated care planning and management continuity were largely lacking, increasing the risk for undernutrition and related complications for the patients.

The experiences of using a computerized decision support system.

The aim was to describe the facilitators and barriers influencing the ability of nursing personnel to effectively use a CDSS for planning and treating pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes. Usability evaluations and group interviews were conducted. Facilitators were ease of use, usefulness and a supportive work environment. Lack of training, resistance to using computers and limited integration of the CDSS with the electronic health record system were reported.

Accuracy and continuity in discharge information for patients with eating difficulties after stroke.

AIMS: To describe the accuracy and continuity of discharge information for patients with eating difficulties after stroke. BACKGROUND: Eating difficulties are prevalent and serious problems in patients with stroke. Screening for eating difficulties can predict undernutrition and subsequent care needs. For optimal care, information transferred between care settings has to be comprehensive and accurate. DESIGN: Prospective, descriptive. METHODS: The study investigated a sample of 15 triads, each including one patient with stroke along with his patient record and discharge summary and two nursing staff in the municipal care to whom the patient was discharged. Data were collected by observations of patients' eating, record audits and interviews with nurses. Data were analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Accuracy of recorded information on patients' eating difficulties and informational continuity were poor, as was accuracy in the transferred information according to nursing staff's perceptions. All patients were at risk of undernutrition and in too poor a state to receive rehabilitation. Nevertheless, patients' eating difficulties were described in a vague and unspecific language in the patient records. Co-ordinated care planning and management continuity related to eating difficulties were largely lacking in the documentation. Despite their important role in caring for patients with eating difficulties, little information on eating difficulties seemed to reach licensed practical nurses in the municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensiveness in the documentation of eating difficulties and accuracy of transferred information were poor based on record audits and as perceived by the municipal nursing staff. Although all patients were at risk of undernutrition, had multiple eating difficulties and were in too poor a state for rehabilitation, explicit care plans for nutritional problems were lacking. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Lack of accuracy and continuity in discharge information on eating difficulties may increase risk of undernutrition and related complications for patients in continuous stroke care. Therefore, the discharge process must be based on comprehensive and accurate documentation.

Content and completeness of care plans after implementation of standardized nursing terminologies and computerized records.

The nursing process and standardized nursing terminologies are essential elements to structure nursing documentation in daily nursing information management. The aim of this study was to describe sustainability and whether and how standardized nursing terminologies, in handwritten versus preprinted versus computerized nursing care plans, changed the content and completeness of documented nursing care. Three audits of patient records were performed: a pretest (n = 291) before a yearlong implementation of standardized nursing terminologies in nursing care plans followed by two posttests: (1) 3 weeks after implementation of nursing terminologies (n = 299) and (2) 22 months after implementation of nursing terminologies and 8 months after implementation of a computerized system (n = 281) in a university hospital. Content and completeness of documented nursing care improved after implementation of standardized nursing terminologies. Documentation of nursing care plans, signs and symptoms, related factors, and nursing interventions increased, whereas mean number of nursing diagnoses per patient did not change between audits. Computerized nursing care plans had the biggest impact, with more variety of nursing diagnoses and increased documentation of signs and symptoms, related factors, and nursing interventions. The use of standardized nursing terminologies improved nursing content in the nursing care plans. Moreover, computerized nursing care plans, in comparison with handwritten and preprinted care plans, increased documentation completeness.

Effects of a computerized decision support system on pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes for the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) have been shown to help health care professionals to avoid errors and improve clinical practice and efficiency in health care. Little is known about its influence on nursing practice and outcomes for residents in nursing homes. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on the risk for and prevalence of pressure ulcers (PUs) and malnutrition of implementing a CDSS to improve prevention and care of PUs and also to improve nutrition in the elderly in nursing homes. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study used a quasi-experimental design with two intervention groups and one control group. A convenience sample of residents from 46 units in 15 nursing homes in rural areas in Norway was included. A total of 491 residents participated at baseline in 2007 and 480 residents at follow-up in 2009. METHODS: The intervention included educational sessions in prevention of PUs and malnutrition for registered nurses (RNs) and nursing aides (NAs) in the two intervention groups. In addition, one intervention group (intervention group 1) had a CDSS integrated into the electronic healthcare record (EHR) based on two research-based risk assessment instruments: the Risk Assessment Pressure Scale (RAPS) for PU risk screening and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA(®)) scale for screening nutritional status. In each participating nursing home trained RNs and NAs examined all residents who consented to participate on the RAPS and the MNA(®) scale. This examination included a skin assessment and details about PUs were collected. RESULTS: The proportion of malnourished residents decreased significantly in intervention group 1 between the two data collection periods (2007 and 2009). No other significant effects of the CDSS on resident outcomes based on the RAPS and MNA(®) scores were found. CONCLUSION: CDSSs used by RNs and NAs in nursing homes are still largely unexplored. A CDSS can be incorporated into the EHR to increase the meaningful use of these computerized systems in nursing home care. The effects of CDSS on healthcare provider workflow, clinical decision making and communication about preventive measures in nursing home practice still need further exploration. Based on results from our study, recommendations would be to increase both sample size and the number of RNs and NAs who participate in CDSS education programs.

Registered nurses' thinking strategies on malnutrition and pressure ulcers in nursing homes: a scenario-based think-aloud study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the thinking strategies and clinical reasoning processes registered nurses use during simulated care planning for malnutrition and pressure ulcers in nursing home care. BACKGROUND: Clinical reasoning is an essential component of nursing practice. Registered nurses' thinking strategies and clinical reasoning have received limited attention in nursing science. Further research is needed to understand registered nurses' clinical reasoning, especially for prevention of malnutrition and pressure ulcers as they are important quality indicators of resident care in nursing homes. DESIGN: A qualitative explorative design was used with a think-aloud interview technique. METHODS: The transcribed verbalisations were analysed with qualitative deductive content analysis. Data were collected during six months in 2007-2008 from 30 registered nurses at nine nursing homes in Norway. RESULTS: The registered nurses used a variety of thinking strategies, but there were differences in the frequency of use of the different strategies. The three most commonly used thinking strategies were 'making choices', 'forming relationships' and 'drawing conclusions'. None of the nurses performed a structured risk assessment of malnutrition or pressure ulcers. Registered nurses started with assessing data from the scenarios, but after a short and elementary assessment they moved directly to planning. CONCLUSION: Many different thinking strategies were used in registered nurses' clinical reasoning for prevention of malnutrition and pressure ulcers. The thinking strategy 'making choices' was most commonly used and registered nurses' main focus in their reasoning was on planning nursing interventions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study showed that most of the registered nurses go directly to planning when reasoning clinically about residents in nursing homes. A lack of systematic risk assessments was identified. The insight gained from this study can be used to recommend improvements in tools designed for nursing homes to support the registered nurses.

The Postoperative Recovery Profile (PRP) - a multidimensional questionnaire for evaluation of recovery profiles.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The previously developed Postoperative Recovery Profile (PRP) questionnaire is intended for self-assessment of general recovery after surgery. The aim of this study was to further evaluate the questionnaire regarding the construct validity and ability to discriminate recovery profiles between groups. Furthermore, the item variables of greatest importance during the progress of recovery were investigated. METHODS: Post-operative recovery was assessed during the period from discharge to 12 months after lower abdominal and orthopaedic surgery. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the assessments from the PRP questionnaire and a global recovery scale. Recovery profiles of the diagnose groups were displayed by the cumulative proportion recovered participants over time. The importance of item variables was investigated by ranking ordering. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients were included. Support was given for good construct validity. The result showed that 7.6% of all possible pairs were disordered when comparing the assessments from the PRP questionnaire and the global recovery scale. Twelve months after discharge the PRP assessments discriminated significantly the recovery profiles of the abdominal and orthopaedic groups. The variable pain was one of the top five most important issues at each follow-up occasion in both study groups. The importance of the item variables was thereby emphasized. CONCLUSIONS: The PRP questionnaire allows for evaluation of the progress of post-operative recovery, and can be useful to assess patient-reported recovery after surgical treatment both on individual and group levels. Knowledge about recovery profiles can assist clinicians in determining the critical time points for measuring change.

Nursing specialty knowledge as expressed by standardized nursing languages.

PURPOSE: To describe how nursing specialty knowledge is demonstrated in nursing records by use of standardized nursing languages. METHODS: A cross-sectional review of nursing records (N = 265) in four specialties. FINDINGS: The most common nursing diagnoses represented basic human needs of patients across specialties. The nursing diagnoses and related interventions represented specific knowledge in each specialty. Sixty-three nursing diagnoses (nine appeared in four specialties) and 168 nursing interventions were used (24 appeared in four specialties). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that standardized nursing languages are capable of distinguishing between specialties. Further studies with large data sets are needed to explore the relationships between nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions in order to make explicit the knowledge that nurses use in their nursing practice. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nursing data in clinical practice must be stored and retrievable to support clinical decision making, advance nursing knowledge, and the unique perspective of nursing.

A comparison of the concept of patient participation and patients' descriptions as related to healthcare definitions.

PURPOSE. To depict what patients describe as patient participation and whether descriptions of patient participation are affected by gender, age, healthcare contact, and duration of disease. DATA SOURCES. Current patients (n= 362) responded to a questionnaire on participation. DATA SYNTHESIS. Patients' descriptions focused on having knowledge, rather than being informed, and on interacting with health professionals, rather than merely partaking in decision making. CONCLUSIONS. Patients' descriptions of participation correspond with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health's definition, which includes "being involved in a life situation." Healthcare legislation and professionals employ a narrower concept of patient participation as defined by, e.g., Medical Subject Headings. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Findings suggest that health professionals need to embrace what patients describe as participation.

Multidisciplinary recording and continuity of care for stroke patients with eating difficulties.

Eating difficulties after stroke are common and can, in addition to being a risk for serious medical complications, impair functional capability, social life and self-image. Stroke unit care entails systematic multidisciplinary teamwork and continuity of care. The purpose of this study was to describe (i) multidisciplinary stroke care as represented in patient records for patients with eating difficulties, and (ii) the written information that was transferred from hospital to elderly care. Data from 59 patient records were analysed with descriptive statistics and by categorization of phrases. Signs of multidisciplinary collaboration to manage eating problems were scarce in the records. While two notes from physiotherapists were found, nurses contributed with 78% of all notes (n = 358). Screening of swallowing and body weight was documented for most patients, whereas data on nutritional status and eating were largely lacking. The majority of notes represented patients' handling of food in the mouth, swallowing and lack of energy. Care plans were unstructured and few contained steps for managing eating. Discharge summaries held poor information on care related to eating difficulties. The language of all professionals was mostly unspecific. However, notes from speech-language therapists were comprehensive and entailed information on follow-up and patient participation.

Nursing informatics in Sweden - the agenda for the future.

With the purpose of getting an overview of the current research and development in information systems and terminology for nursing practice and outline strategies for the future, an initiative for a workshop was taken at the national level in Sweden by the Section for Nursing Informatics, the Society of Nursing and the Association of Health Professionals in 2007. For the workshop around 30 nurses were invited, representing clinical practice, education, and research. The workshop resulted in recommendations for future strategies to support the development of nursing informatics in Sweden.

Clinical decision support systems to prevent and treat pressure ulcers and under-nutrition in nursing homes.

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are believed to have the potential to improve care and change the behavior of health personnel. The project has focused on developing a CDSS to support prevention of pressure ulcer and undernutrition that is completely integrated in the electronic health record in nursing homes. Nursing staff have been involved in all phases in the development of the CDSS, which at present is ready to be implemented and systematically evaluated.

Development of a questionnaire to measure patient-reported postoperative recovery: content validity and intra-patient reliability.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: In this study we describe the development of a short, easy-to-use questionnaire to measure postoperative recovery and evaluate its content validity and intra-patient reliability. The questionnaire is designed to evaluate the progress of postoperative recovery and the long-term follow-up of possible effects of interventions during recovery. METHODS: The study involved four steps. (1) A conceptualization and item definitions were based on a theoretical framework and a description of patients' postoperative recovery from the perspective of patients, registered nurses and surgeons; (2) Content validity of items was tested through expert judgements; (3) A test run of the questionnaire was performed to confirm its feasibility and workload requirement; and (4) The stability of the questionnaire was evaluated through intra-patient reliability assessment. RESULTS: As a result of the operationalization process of the concept postoperative recovery, five dimensions (physical symptoms, physical functions, psychological, social, activity) and 19 items were identified. Each item was formulated as a statement in the questionnaire. Content validity was judged to be high. After the pre-test of the questionnaire a revision with refinements in the layout was made. The vast majority of items showed a high level of intra-patient reliability. CONCLUSION: Based on a theoretical framework and empirical data, we developed a short and easy-to-use tentative questionnaire to measure patient-reported postoperative recovery. Initial support for content validity was established. The vast majority of items showed a high level of test-retest reliability.

Clinical decision-making: predictors of patient participation in nursing care.

AIM: To investigate predictors of patients' preferences for participation in clinical decision-making in inpatient nursing care. BACKGROUND: Patient participation in decision-making in nursing care is regarded as a prerequisite for good clinical practice regarding the person's autonomy and integrity. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of 428 persons, newly discharged from inpatient care. METHODS: The survey was conducted using the Control Preference Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used for testing the association of patient characteristics with preferences for participation. RESULTS: Patients, in general, preferred adopting a passive role. However, predictors for adopting an active participatory role were the patient's gender (odds ratio = 1.8), education (odds ratio = 2.2), living condition (odds ratio = 1.8) and occupational status (odds ratio = 2.0). A probability of 53% was estimated, which female senior citizens with at least a high school degree and who lived alone would prefer an active role in clinical decision-making. At the same time, a working cohabiting male with less than a high school degree had a probability of 8% for active participation in clinical decision making in nursing care. CONCLUSIONS: Patient preferences for participation differed considerably and are best elicited by assessment of the individual patient. Relevance to clinical practice. The nurses have a professional responsibility to act in such a way that patients can participate and make decisions according to their own values from an informed position. Access to knowledge of patients'basic assumptions and preferences for participation is of great value for nurses in the care process. There is a need for nurses to use structured methods and tools for eliciting individual patient preferences regarding participation in clinical decision-making.