Feasibility and acceptability of implementing an evidence-based ESCALATION system for paediatric clinical deterioration.

BACKGROUND: The ESCALATION system is a novel paediatric Early Warning System that incorporates family involvement and sepsis recognition. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and iteratively refine the ESCALATION system in a variety of hospital settings in preparation for full-service implementation. METHODS: A series of four multi-methods studies using an Implementation Science and co-design approach were conducted. We examined concepts of implementation, context, and mechanisms of action across a variety of hospitals. Data collected included practice and chart audits, surveys (health professionals), interviews (families) and focus groups (health professionals). Quantitative data were analysed descriptively with qualitative findings assessed by content analysis or thematic analysis. RESULTS: There were 650 audits (Study I-IV), 205 health professional survey responses (Study I), 154 health professionals participated in focus groups (Study II-IV), 13 parents of hospitalised children interviewed (Study I), and 107 parents reported their involvement in the ESCALATION system (Study III-IV). Each of the studies further refined and confirmed the feasibility, specifically the components of family involvement and the sepsis recognition pathway. CONCLUSION: The Implementation Science evaluation of the ESCALATION system resulted in a uniform approach that was feasible and acceptable to users and appropriate for full-service implementation. IMPACT: This series of four studies used a co-production approach built on the Medical Research Council framework to understand feasibility and acceptability of an intervention to improve recognition and response to clinical deterioration in children to the point of full-service implementation. We have reported a detailed, systematic approach to assessing feasibility and acceptability of a complex intervention using established methodologies for whole of health system implementation. The ESCALATION System is an evidence based paediatric early warning system that is a highly refined, well accepted and accommodates a health system that has substantial contextual variation.

Aboriginal perspectives on recognising clinical deterioration in their child and communicating concerns to clinicians.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the perspectives of family members of Aboriginal children about a) their involvement in recognising clinical deterioration in a hospital setting and b) the effectiveness of a poster designed to promote family involvement. BACKGROUND: To assist in the early recognition and response to clinical deterioration for hospitalised children, many escalation of care processes now include family involvement. Little is currently known about the perspectives of Australian Aboriginal families in recognising deterioration in their child and raising the alarm, or if current escalation of care systems meet the needs of Aboriginal families. DESIGN: Qualitative pragmatist approach using semi-structured interviews. METHODS: Seven interviews were conducted with five mothers and two grandmothers of Aboriginal children who were inpatients at a children's hospital. Thematic analysis was undertaken. FINDINGS: Two themes were identified: Theme one was: Family role in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration, with two subthemes of knowing when to worry and communicating concerns. Participants reported that some families needed more knowledge to recognise clinical deterioration. Communication barriers between families and clinicians were identified. Theme two was: Effective visual communication with three subthemes of linguistic clarity, visual appeal and content. CONCLUSIONS: Additional strategies are needed to promote effective communication between clinicians and families of Aboriginal children in hospital. Posters were considered effective, particularly if including a cultural connection, images and simplified language. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These insights provide important information for health professionals and health service managers to be aware that additional communication strategies are required to support Aboriginal family involvement in recognising clinical deterioration and escalation of care.

Development of an evidence-based ESCALATION system for recognition and response to paediatric clinical deterioration.

AIM: The aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based paediatric early warning system for infants and children that takes into consideration a variety of paediatric healthcare contexts and addresses barriers to escalation of care. METHODS: A three-stage intervention development framework consisted of Stage 1: evidence review, benchmarking, stakeholder (health professionals, decision-makers, and health consumers) engagement, and consultation; Stage 2: planning and coproduction by the researchers and stakeholders using action research cycles; and Stage 3: prototyping and testing. RESULTS: A prototype evidence-based system incorporated human factor principles, used a structured approach to patient assessment, promoted situational awareness, and included family as well as clinician concern. Family involvement in detecting changes in their child's condition was supported by posters and flyers codesigned with health consumers. Five age-specific observation and response charts included 10 weighted variables and one unweighted variable (temperature) to convey a composite early warning score. The escalation pathway was supported by a targeted communication framework (iSoBAR NOW). CONCLUSION: The development process resulted in an agreed uniform ESCALATION system incorporating a whole-system approach to promote critical thinking, situational awareness for the early recognition of paediatric clinical deterioration as well as timely and effective escalation of care. Incorporating family involvement was a novel component of the system.

Pressure injury prevalence in Australian intensive care units: A secondary analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pressure injuries (PIs) are an enduring problem for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) because of their vulnerability and numerous risk factors. METHOD: This study reports Australian data as a subset of data from an international 1-day point prevalence study of ICU-acquired PI in adult patients. Patients aged 18 years or older and admitted to the ICU on the study day were included. The outcome measure was the identification of a PI by direct visual skin assessment on the study day. Data collected included demographic data and clinical risk factors, PI location and stage, and PI prevention strategies used. Descriptive statistics were used to describe PI characteristics, and odds ratios (ORs) were used to identify factors associated with the development of a PI. RESULTS: Data were collected from 288 patients from 16 Australian ICUs. ICU-acquired PI prevalence was 9.7%, with 40 PIs identified on 28 patients. Most PIs were of stage 1 and stage 2 (26/40, 65.0%). Half of the ICU-acquired PIs were found on the head and face. The odds of developing an ICU-acquired PI increased significantly with renal replacement therapy (OR: 4.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-12.11), impaired mobility (OR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.08-9.12), fastest respiratory rate (OR: 1.05 [per breath per minute], 95% CI: 1.00-1.10), longer stay in the ICU (OR: 1.04 [per day], 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), and mechanical ventilation on admission (OR: 0.36, CI: 0.14-0.91). CONCLUSION: This study found that Australian ICU-acquired PI prevalence was 9.7% and these PIs were associated with many risk factors. Targeted PI prevention strategies should be incorporated into routine prevention approaches to reduce the burden of PIs in the Australian adult ICU patient population.

Nurse resilience for clinical practice: An integrative review.

AIM: To evaluate and synthesize research that has investigated nurse resilience, to develop an understanding of what nurses' feel affects their resilience, their experiences and how resilience can impact individual nurses, patients and employers. DESIGN: Integrative review. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsycINFO, searched from the date each database was available to July 2019. REVIEW METHODS: Primary research studies explicitly investigating resilience in any type of licensed nurse were eligible for inclusion. Studies were critically appraised for methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute Quality Appraisal Framework. Data from each study were abstracted, coded and themes were identified according to the review aims and key findings of each study. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Eight sub-themes and three main themes were identified: The Resilient Nurse, Nurses' Experiences of Resilience and Employment Conditions and Nurse Resilience. CONCLUSION: Nurse resilience is a complex and dynamic process, and high levels of resilience are associated with reduced psychological harm and increased well-being. Attempts to determine the characteristics of the resilient nurse have been inconclusive and research has predominately focussed on individual factors which could affect resilience, with minimal research exploring external factors which affect nurse resilience including work environment and conditions. Nursing work was characterized by adversity and nurses described the development and use of strategies to maintain their resilience. IMPACT: This review found that individual factors have received most attention in research investigating nurse resilience. Findings suggest that nurse resilience protects against negative psychological outcomes and nurses independently develop and use strategies to manage adversity. Factors in the workplace which affect resilience are under-researched, and addressing this gap could assist with the development of comprehensive interventions and policies to build and maintain nurse resilience.

The impact of organisational values on nurse resilience: A mixed-methods study.

AIM: To investigate the impact of organisational values on nurse resilience. BACKGROUND: Nurses encounter significant occupational adversity, which can result in negative psychological consequences. Investigating the role of resilience as a protective factor focuses on what enables some nurses to positively adapt in challenging work environments. Comparatively, little attention has been paid to organisational factors and nurse resilience. METHOD: A two-phase mixed-methods design comprising a cross-sectional survey and focus groups. RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety-four nurses responded to the survey with 25 participating in four follow-up focus groups. Significant associations were found between resilience levels and agreement with organisational values (p = .022) and agreement about the importance of values (p = .018). Three themes relating to organisational values were identified: pressures and challenges; supports and strategies; and impact of organisational values. CONCLUSIONS: Organisational values may positively impact resilience if nurses concur with those values and believe they are shared by their employer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To promote nurse resilience, organisations and nurse leaders should consider developing, implementing and operating with a set of employee-adopted values, which need to be demonstrably upheld across the organisation.

Models for predicting skin tears: A comparison.

A recently published model that predicted the risk of skin tears in older adults was compared with seven additional published models. Four models were excluded because of limitations in research design. Four models were compared for their relative predictive performance and accuracy using sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC), which involved using receiver-operating characteristic analysis. The predictive ability of the skin tear models differed with the AUC ranging between 0.673 and 0.854. Based on the predictive ability, the selection of models could lead to different clinical decisions and health outcomes. The model, which had been adjusted for potential confounders consisted of five variables (male gender, history of skin tears, history of falls, clinical skin manifestations of elastosis, and purpura), was found to be the most parsimonious for predicting skin tears in older adults (AUC 0.854; 81.7% sensitivity; 81.4% specificity). Effective models serve as important clinical tools for identifying older individuals at risk of skin tears and can better direct more timely and targeted prevention strategies that improve health outcomes and reduce health care expenditure.

Parent escalation of care for the deteriorating child in hospital: A health-care improvement study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation of an intervention for parents to escalate care if concerned about their child's clinical condition. DESIGN: Mixed-methods health-care improvement approach guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework. METHODS: Implementation of the 'Calling for Help' (C4H) intervention was informed by previously identified barriers and facilitators. Evaluation involved audit, review of clinical deterioration incidents, interviews and focus groups. SETTING: Australian specialist paediatric hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 75 parents from inpatient areas during the audit, interviews with ten parents who had expressed concern about their child's clinical condition; five focus groups with 35 ward nurses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parent awareness and utilization of C4H, parent and nurse views of factors influencing implementation. RESULTS: Parent awareness of C4H improved to 35% (25/75). Parent concern was documented prior to 21/174 (12%) clinical deterioration events. All interviewed parents and nurses who participated in focus groups were positive about C4H. Parents preferred to be informed about C4H by nurses, but nurses described this as time-consuming and selectively chose parents who they believed would benefit most. Parents and nurses described frustrations with and trepidation in escalating care. Nurses had used C4H to expedite urgent medical review. CONCLUSIONS: There was an improvement in the level of parent awareness of C4H, which was viewed positively by parents and nurses alike. To achieve a high level of parent awareness in a sustainable way, a multifaceted approach is required. Further strategies will be required for parents to feel confident enough to use C4H and to address interprofessional communication barriers.

The Perth Surgical Wound Dehiscence Risk Assessment Tool (PSWDRAT): development and prospective validation in the clinical setting.

OBJECTIVE: The worldwide volume of surgery today is considerable and postoperative wound healing plays a significant part in facilitating a patient's recovery and rehabilitation. While contemporary surgical procedures are relatively safe, complications such as surgical wound dehiscence (SWD) or breakdown of the incision site may occur despite advances in surgical techniques, infection control practices and wound care. SWD impacts on patient mortality and morbidity and significantly contributes to prolonged hospital stay. Preoperative identification of patients at risk of SWD may be valuable in reducing the risk of postoperative wound complications. METHOD: A three-phase study was undertaken to determine risk factors associated with SWD, develop a preoperative patient risk assessment tool and to prospectively validate the tool in a clinical setting. Phases 1 and 2 were retrospective case control studies. Phase 1 determined variables associated with SWD and these informed the development of a risk assessment tool. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were applied to identify predictors of surgical risk. Phase 2 used the receiver operator curve statistic to determine the predictive power of the tool. Phase 3 involved a prospective consecutive case series validation to test the inter-rater reliability and predictive power of the tool. RESULTS: In addition to those already identified in the literature, one independent risk predictor for SWD was identified: previous surgery in the same anatomical location (p<0.001, odds ratio [OR] 4). Multiple combined factors were integrated into the tool and included: age (p<0.019, OR 3), diabetes (p<0.624, OR 2), obesity (p<0.94, OR 1.4), smoking (p<0.387, OR 2), cardiovascular disease (p<0.381 OR 3) and peripheral arterial disease (p<0.501, OR 3). The predictive power of the tool yielded 71% in a combined data sample. CONCLUSION: Patients with previous surgery in the same anatomical location were four times more likely to incur a dehiscence. Identification of at-risk patients for complications postoperatively is integral to reducing SWD occurrence and improving health-related outcomes following surgery.

A risk model for the prediction of skin tears in aged care residents: A prospective cohort study.

The objective of this study was to construct a predictive model to identify aged care residents at risk of future skin tears. Extensive data about individual characteristics, skin characteristics, and skin properties were gathered from 173 participants at baseline and at 6 months. A predictive model, developed using multivariable logistic regression, identified five variables that significantly predicted the risk of skin tear at 6 months. These included: a history of skin tears in the previous 12 months (OR 3.82 [1.64-8.90], P = 0.002), purpura ≤20 mm in size (OR 3.64 [1.42-9.35], P = 0.007), a history of falls in the previous 3 months (OR 3.37 [1.54-7.41], P = 0.002), clinical manifestations of elastosis (OR 3.19 [1.38-7.38], P = 0.007), and male gender (OR 3.08 [1.22-7.77], P = 0.017). The predictive model yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.854 with an 81.7% sensitivity and an 81.4% specificity. This predictive model could inform a simple but promising bedside tool for identifying older individuals at risk of skin tears.

Using 'draw, write and tell' to understand children's health-related experiences.

BACKGROUND: In recognising the capability and rights of children to express their experiences, 'draw, write and tell' (DWT) has emerged as a participatory qualitative research method. DWT enables children to communicate their experiences by drawing, writing words and telling the story of their pictures in response to interview questions. AIM: To discuss the challenges and benefits of using DWT to explore children's experiences of pain. DISCUSSION: Aspects that affect the quality of data in DWT include the materials used and the influences of the primary caregiver. Experience suggests that if trust between the child and researcher has been established, the duration of the interview is unimportant. CONCLUSION: While many methods of analysis can be used with data gathered using DWT, it is important to ensure children's perspectives are represented accurately. Furthermore, children's capacity as active participants in research should be reflected. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Future studies could examine the potential of using drawings to share information in adult and paediatric clinical settings.

Estimation of Body Fluid Status by Fluid Balance and Body Weight in Critically Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The charting of daily fluid balances and measurement of body weight changes are two noninvasive methods commonly used in the intensive care unit for estimating body fluid status. The determination of body fluid status plays an important role in the management of critically ill patients where aggressive fluid resuscitation is often required. This can adversely affect patient outcomes if changes in fluid distribution are not detected early in patients who are susceptible to fluid overload. AIM: To synthesize the best available evidence on the accuracy of daily fluid balance charting compared with the measurement of body weight for the estimation of body fluid status in critically ill adult patients. METHODS: The review considered studies that investigated the accuracy of charting daily fluid balances or changes in body weight measurements or used both noninvasive methods in the estimation of body fluid status. The search sought to identify published, English language studies from 1980 until February 2018. Databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, TRIP, Scopus, TROVE, ProQuest Dissertations, Australian and New Zealand Trials Registry, and Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials. Three reviewers independently assessed retrieved studies that matched inclusion criteria using standardized critical appraisal instruments. RESULTS: The review included 13 cohort studies. Effectiveness of daily fluid balance charting was affected by inaccuracies observed in seven studies. Inability to obtain consecutive daily body weight measurements reduced the accuracy of monitoring changes in five studies. Seven studies found measurement of daily fluid balance inconsistent with changes in body weight. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: The accuracy of charting fluid balance is suspect. Measurement of body weight is hard to accomplish. A combination of the two commonly used methods is more likely to be effective in estimating body fluid status than reliance on one single approach.

Barriers and facilitators to implementing a process to enable parent escalation of care for the deteriorating child in hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing a parent escalation of care process: Calling for Help (C4H). DESIGN: Audits, semi-structured interviews and focus groups guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework. SETTING: Australian paediatric hospital where a parent escalation of care process was introduced in the previous 6 months. PARTICIPANTS: Four children, 13 parents, 91 nurses and doctors including Medical Emergency Team (MET) members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parent awareness and involvement in escalating care and factors impacting implementation of C4H. RESULTS: Two audits identified low level of parent awareness (16/88, 19% and 5/85, 6%). Parent involvement in escalation of care was documented in 11/62 (18%) events. The main facilitators included uniformly positive views that C4H was in the child's best interest, acknowledgement that parents had skills to recognize deterioration and would take action. C4H was considered to add to patient safety and being reviewed by the MET was a patient benefit. Key barriers were the low level of awareness, doubt about parent capabilities, concern about parents' information overload, anticipated overuse of resources, staff unease about possible repercussions and anticipated difficulty for parents to question staff with potential negative effects on parent-staff relationships. Overall C4H presents a challenge to traditional hospital hierarchy and culture. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was a low level of awareness about C4H in practice, there was in-principle support for the concept. Initial strategies had primarily targeted policy change without taking into account the need for practice and organizational behaviour changes. Using a theoretical approach to identify key factors will enable a targeted approach to implementation.

Surgical wound dehiscence: a conceptual framework for patient assessment.

This paper presents a conceptual framework which outlines the risk factors associated with surgical wound dehiscence (SWD) as identified in the literature. The purpose for the development of the conceptual framework was to derive an evidence-based, informed understanding of factors associated with SWD, in order to inform a programme of research on the aetiology and potential risk factors of SWD. Incorporated within the patient-centric conceptual framework are patient related comorbidities, intraoperative and postoperative risk factors related to SWD. These are categorised as either 'mechanical' or 'physiological mechanisms' posited to influence these relationships. The use of the conceptual model for assessment of patients has particular clinical relevance for identification of risk and the management of patients in the pre-, intra- and postoperative period.

Empowering Parents of Australian Infants and Children in Hospital: Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30-AUS Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES: To translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically test the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30 questionnaire in Australian pediatric critical care, neonatal, and pediatric ward settings. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter study conducted in two phases; 1) translation and cultural adaptation and 2) validation of the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30 questionnaire. SETTINGS: Two Western Australian sites, the PICU and two pediatric wards of a children's hospital and the neonatal unit of a women's and newborn hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Parents whose baby or child was admitted to the participating wards or units with a length of hospital stay greater than 24 hours. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Phase 1: A structured 10-step translation process adhered to international principles of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation of patient-reported outcomes. Thirty parents participated in cognitive debriefing. Phase 2: A total of 328 parents responded to the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30-AUS questionnaire. Reliability was sufficient (Cronbach α at domain level 0.70 -0.82, for each clinical area 0.56-0.86). Congruent validity was adequate between the domains and three general satisfaction items (rs 0.38-0.69). Nondifferential validity showed no significant effect size between three patient or parent demographic characteristics and the domains (Cohen's d < 0.36). Between the different clinical areas, significant differences in responses were found in all domains. CONCLUSIONS: The translated and culturally adapted EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30-AUS is a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure parent-reported outcomes in pediatric critical care, pediatric ward, and neonatal hospital settings. Using this questionnaire can provide a framework for a standardized quality improvement approach and identification of best practices across specialties, hospital services and for benchmarking similar health services worldwide.

Coping and caring: support resources integral to perioperative nurses during the process of organ procurement surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To discuss and explore the levels of support provided to perioperative nurses when participating in multi-organ procurement surgery and the impact to their overall well-being. BACKGROUND: Assisting within multi-organ procurement surgical procedures has been recognised to impact on the well-being of perioperative nurses leaving little opportunity for them to recover from their participation or to seek available support resources. To date, this area has remained largely unexplored with limited evidence of how nurses manage and cope with these procedures, in addition to the support received in the workplace. DESIGN: A qualitative grounded theory method. METHODS: The study was informed by perioperative nurses (n = 35) who had previous participatory experience in these surgical procedures from two Australian states. Theoretical sampling directed the collection of data via semistructured in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Three components of levels of support were identified from the data: lacking support within the operating room organisation; surgical team support and access to external professional support. CONCLUSION: These findings offer new insights into how nurses manage and cope with their participation in organ procurement surgical procedures and what types of support resources can be seen as barriers or enablers to their overall experiences. The need for timely and adequate support is vital to their overall well-being and future participation in organ procurement surgery. These findings have the potential to guide further research with implications for clinical initiatives and practices, looking at new ways of supporting perioperative nurses within the clinical environment both locally and internationally. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare organisations need to acknowledge the emotional, psychosocial and psychological health and well-being of nurses impacted by these surgical procedures and provide appropriate and timely clinical support within the work environment.

Measurement of morphological and physiological skin properties in aged care residents: a test-retest reliability pilot study.

This test-retest pilot study investigated the intra-rater reliability and reproducibility of non-invasive technologies to objectively quantify morphological (colour, thickness and elasticity) and physiological (transepidermal water loss (TEWL), hydration, sebum and pH) skin properties in an aged care population. Three consecutive measurements were taken from five anatomical skin sites, with the mean of each measurement calculated. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM) were used to examine the intra-rater reliability and reproducibility of measurements. Non-invasive technologies in this study showed almost perfect reliability for ultrasound measurements of the subepidermal low echogenicity band (SLEB) (ρ = 0·95-0·99) and skin thickness (ρ = 0·95-0·99) across all sites. The ICC was substantial to almost perfect for pH (ρ = 0·76-0·88) and viscoelasticity (ρ = 0·67-0·91) across all sites. Hydration (ρ = 0·53-0·85) and skin retraction (ρ = 0·57-0·99) measurements ranged from moderate to almost perfect across all sites. TEWL and elasticity were substantial to almost perfect across four sites. Casual sebum levels and most colour parameters showed poor ICC. The use of non-invasive technologies in this study provided an objective and reliable means for quantifying ageing skin and may offer future studies a valuable option for assessing skin tear risk.

Treatment of anticoagulated patients with negative pressure wound therapy.

There is a paucity of evidence surrounding the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients receiving anticoagulant medication. Guidelines generally recommend caution regarding the use of NPWT in anticoagulated patients in general, but areas of particular risk are frequently not highlighted. The US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) reported six mortalities between 2009 and 2011 in patients receiving NPWT. These mortalities were associated with the use of NPWT over vascular graft sites. The coagulation status of these patients was not reported. It is the authors' recommendation that guidelines regarding the use of NPWT in anticoagulated patients highlight specific clinical situations of risk, although there is insufficient evidence to support the avoidance of NPWT in anticoagulated patients in general.

The development and testing of a skin tear risk assessment tool.

The aim of the present study is to develop a reliable and valid skin tear risk assessment tool. The six characteristics identified in a previous case control study as constituting the best risk model for skin tear development were used to construct a risk assessment tool. The ability of the tool to predict skin tear development was then tested in a prospective study. Between August 2012 and September 2013, 1466 tertiary hospital patients were assessed at admission and followed up for 10 days to see if they developed a skin tear. The predictive validity of the tool was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. When the tool was found not to have performed as well as hoped, secondary analyses were performed to determine whether a potentially better performing risk model could be identified. The tool was found to have high sensitivity but low specificity and therefore have inadequate predictive validity. Secondary analysis of the combined data from this and the previous case control study identified an alternative better performing risk model. The tool developed and tested in this study was found to have inadequate predictive validity. The predictive validity of an alternative, more parsimonious model now needs to be tested.

A retrospective review of fluid balance control in CRRT.

INTRODUCTION: An effect of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) is the development of oliguria and subsequent retention of fluid. Recent studies have reported an association between fluid overload and increased mortality in critically ill patients. Achieving fluid balance control through haemofiltration is an important part of dialysis dose delivery in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). AIMS: (1) Compare the prescribed dose with the delivered dose of dialysis and haemofiltration for CRRT. (2) Identify how interruptions and delays in treatment delivery impact on fluid balance management. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken of daily fluid balance and fluid removal for patients who required CRRT. Each observation chart and prescription order for every treatment day was reviewed. Each patient was exposed to the same treatment mode, predilutional continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration (CVVHDf). A comparison was made of fluid balance control delivered to the patient over 24h against the dose of fluid removal prescribed. RESULTS: The observation charts of 46 consecutive patients were reviewed for total of 288 treatment days. Median number of days patients received CRRT was 5 (range 1-31). Median circuit life was 16h (range 0-66). Fluid removal targets did not occur in 75 (26%) treatment days. Median daily fluid removal shortfall was 300mL (range 25-3800mL). Mean number of daily treatment interruptions 1.25, SD±0.49. The most frequent cause of treatment downtime was circuit clotting (45%). Mean length of treatment down time was 3.71, SD±4.36h excluding delays attributed to assessment of renal function. CONCLUSION: In over a quarter of treatment days prescribed fluid removal was not achieved. Frequency of interruptions and delays in resumption of treatment compromised fluid balance control. Daily targets for fluid removal which are not achieved contribute to fluid overload and may compromise the outcome of patients who require CRRT.