Development of an Automated and Scalable Virtual Assistant to Aid in PPE Adherence: A Study with Implications for Applications within Anesthesiology.

Virtual assistants (VAs) are conversational agents that are able to provide cognitive aid. We developed a VA device for donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) procedures and compared it to live human coaching to explore the feasibility of using VAs in the anesthesiology setting. An automated, scalable, voice-enabled VA was built using the Amazon Alexa device and Alexa Skills application. The device utilized voice-recognition technology to allow a touch-free interactive user experience. Audio and video step-by-step instructions for proper donning and doffing of PPE were programmed and displayed on an Echo Show device. The effectiveness of VA in aiding adherence to PPE protocols was compared to traditional human coaching in a randomized, controlled, single-blinded crossover design. 70 anesthesiologists, anesthesia assistants, respiratory therapists, and operating room nurses performed both donning and doffing procedures, once under step-by-step VA instructional guidance and once with human coaching. Performance was assessed using objective performance evaluation donning and doffing checklists. More participants in the VA group correctly performed the step of "Wash hands for 20 seconds" during both donning and doffing tests. Fewer participants in the VA group correctly performed the steps of "Put cap on and ensure covers hair and ears" and "Tie gown on back and around neck". The mean doffing total score was higher in the VA group; however, the donning score was similar in both groups. Our study demonstrates that it is feasible to use commercially available technology to create a voice-enabled VA that provides effective step-by-step instructions to healthcare professionals.

Long-term follow-up of an uncemented proximally hydroxyapatite-coated femoral stem in total hip arthroplasty.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of a collarless, straight, hydroxyapatite-coated femoral stem in total hip arthroplasty (THA) at a minimum follow-up of 20 years. Methods: We reviewed the results of 165 THAs using the Omnifit HA system in 138 patients, performed between August 1993 and December 1999. The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 46 years (20 to 77). Avascular necrosis was the most common indication for THA, followed by ankylosing spondylitis and primary osteoarthritis. The mean follow-up was 22 years (20 to 31). At 20 and 25 years, 113 THAs in 91 patients and 63 THAs in 55 patients were available for review, respectively, while others died or were lost to follow-up. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the survival of the stem. Radiographs were reviewed regularly, and the stability of the stem was evaluated using the Engh classification. Results: A total of seven stems (4.2%) were revised during the study period: one for aseptic loosening, three for periprosthetic fracture, two for infection, and one for recurrent dislocation. At 20 years, survival with revision of the stem for any indication and for aseptic loosening as the endpoint was 96.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 92.6 to 99.5) and 98.4% (95% CI 96.2 to 100), respectively. At 25 years, the corresponding rates of survival were 94.5% (95% CI 89.9 to 99.3) and 98.1% (95% CI 95.7 to 99.6), respectively. There was radiological evidence of stable bony fixation in 86 stems (76.1%) and evidence of loosening in four (3.5%) at 20 years. All patients with radiological evidence of loosening were asymptomatic. Conclusion: The Omnifit HA femoral stem offered promising long-term survival into the third decade.

Healthcare Professionals' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Providing Care to Southeast Asian Immigrants with Cardiometabolic Syndrome: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing emphasis on healthcare professionals' (HCPs) role in managing cardiometabolic risk factors to reduce health disparity for immigrants in developed countries. This scoping review aimed to analyse evidence about HCPs' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of managing cardiometabolic risk factors among Southeast Asian (SEA) immigrants in developed countries. DESIGN: Primary studies from inception to July 17, 2023, from four databases: PubMed/Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were included. This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology and reported in line with PRISMA-ScR. RESULTS: Of 619 identified studies, seven met the inclusion criteria. All studies discussed HCPs' knowledge, six explored attitudes, and three described practices specific to SEA immigrants. The extracted data were analysed using descriptive qualitative content analysis and classified into barriers and facilitators. Barriers included cultural discordance and acculturation challenges (patient level); gaps in cultural understanding, communication and clinical skills (healthcare team level); limited immigrant-specific resources (organisation level); and funding constraints (environment level). Facilitators included community and provider support (patient level), awareness and desires to provide immigrant-specific care (healthcare team level), availability of culturally appropriate services (organisation level), and multicultural agendas and policies (environment level). CONCLUSION: The barriers and facilitators faced by HCPs caring for SEA immigrants with cardiometabolic syndromes share similarities with other immigrant groups. Future research focused on co-production involving immigrant patients, their communities, and HCPs in healthcare service design is required to support HCPs in providing culturally appropriate care and promoting health equity regardless of ethnic, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds.

Edge-to-edge with partial band mitral valve repair compared to replacement and undersized restrictive annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Objective: Evidence supports replacement over repair for ischemic mitral regurgitation due to improved durability; however, the latter often involves an undersized ring annuloplasty that does not include edge-to-edge approximation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of replacement, edge-to-edge leaflet approximation with mild-undersized annuloplasty and undersized ring annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study of patients undergoing mitral surgery for moderate-severe or greater ischemic mitral regurgitation, between 2004 and 2020, with mild-undersized annuloplasty, mitral valve replacement, or undersized restrictive annuloplasty (undersized ring annuloplasty). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included first recurrence of mitral regurgitation, heart failure hospitalization, and composite of valve-related events (bleeding, thromboembolism, endocarditis, and mitral valve reoperation). Results: There were 121, 93, and 78 patients in the mitral valve replacement, mild-undersized annuloplasty, and undersized restrictive annuloplasty groups, respectively, with a median follow-up of 3.1, 5.9, and 3.8 years, respectively. Both mitral valve replacement (hazard ratio, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.029-3.415) and undersized restrictive annuloplasty (hazard ratio, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.480-5.061) were associated with worse survival compared with mild-undersized annuloplasty. At 2 years, the rate of mild-moderate mitral regurgitation was greater in the mild-undersized annuloplasty group compared with the mitral valve replacement group (P = .001) but less than in the undersized restrictive annuloplasty group (P = .001). The rate of recurrent moderate or greater mitral regurgitation at 2 years was similar between mild-undersized annuloplasty and mitral valve replacement groups but significantly higher after undersized restrictive annuloplasty (P < .0001). Mitral valve replacement and undersized restrictive annuloplasty were associated with a significant increase in the incidence of first heart failure hospitalization compared with mild-undersized annuloplasty (P < .001 and P = .001, respectively). Mitral valve replacement was associated with an increased incidence of valve-related events compared with mild-undersized annuloplasty (P = .002). Conclusions: Surgical edge-to-edge approximation in addition to a mild-undersizing annuloplasty offers similar durability compared with replacement, with a lower rate of hospitalization for heart failure, and may confer a survival advantage.

Reducing edge loading and alignment outliers with image-free robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a case controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Survivorship of medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is technique-dependent. Correct femoral-tibial component positioning associates with improved survivorship. Image-free robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty enables preoperative and intraoperative planning of alignment and assessment of positioning prior to execution. This study aimed to compare the radiological outcomes between robotic-assisted UKA (R-UKA) and conventional UKA (C-UKA). METHODS: This retrospective case control study involved 140 UKA (82 C-UKA and 58 R-UKA) performed at an academic institution between March 2016 to November 2020, with a mean follow-up of 3 years. Postoperative radiographs were evaluated for mechanical axis and femoral-tibial component position. Component position was measured by two methods: (1) femoral-tibial component contact point with reference to four medial-to-lateral quadrants of the tibial tray and (2) femoral-tibial component contact point deviation from the center of the tibial tray as a percentage of the tibial tray width. Baseline demographics and complications were recorded. RESULTS: There was a higher mean component deviation in C-UKA compared with R-UKA using method 2 (17.2% vs. 12.8%; P = 0.007), but no difference in proportion of zonal outliers using method 1 (4 outliers in C-UKA, 5.1% vs. 1 outlier in R-UKA, 1.8%; P = 0.403). R-UKA showed no difference in mean mechanical alignment (C-UKA 5° vs. R-UKA 5°; P = 0.250). 2-year survivorship was 99% for C-UKA and 97% for R-UKA. Mean operative time was 18 min longer for R-UKA (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Image-free robotic-assisted UKA had improved component medio-lateral alignment compared with conventional technique.

Comparison of the cost-effectiveness and safety between staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty and simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study between 2001 and 2022.

INTRODUCTION: A substantial proportion of Hong Kong's aging population suffers from osteoarthritis in both knees. Bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) is a surgical option for addressing this condition and can be performed via two approaches: simultaneous (SimBTKA) and staged (StaBTKA) bilateral TKAs. We compared the cost-effectiveness and safety of these two methods in our institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 2,372 patients (SimBTKA, 772; StaBTKA, 1,600; female, 1,780; male, 592; mean age at SimBTKA, 70.4 ± 7.99 years; mean age at StaBTKA, 66.4 ± 7.50 years; p < 0.001) who underwent bilateral TKA in our institution from 2001 to 2022. Patients were categorized according to surgical approach. Patients undergoing BTKA in our institution were included. Particularly for SimBTKA, patients were assessed by anesthetists to be medically fit before undergoing SimBTKA according to their age, American Society of Anesthesiologists status, and osteoarthritis severity. Primary outcome was the length-of-stay (LOS) after surgery. Secondary outcomes were the 30-day unintended readmission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death. RESULTS: SimBTKA had a short mean total LOS (acute hospital + rehabilitation center; SimBTKA, 13.09 days; StaBTKA, 18.12 days; p < 0.001) and mean LOS in acute hospital (SimBTKA, 7.70 days; StaBTKA, 10.42 days; p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was found in mean LOS in rehabilitation centers (SimBTKA, 5.47 days; StaBTKA, 6.32 days; p > 0.05) between the two approaches. The 30-day unintended readmission rate was low in SimBTKA (SimBTKA, 2.07%; StaBTKA, 3.30%; OR = 1.60; p > 0.05) but statistically insignificant. SimBTKA was less costly than StaBTKA by US$8,422.22. per patient. No significant differences in ICU admission and death rates were found (p > 0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: SimBTKA had a shorter LOS and lower cost than StaBTKA and comparable complication rates. Therefore, SimBTKA should be indicated in medically stable patients.

Computed Simulation of Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair - A Proof of Concept Study.

AIMS: As transcatheter mitral valve (MV) interventions are expanding and more device types and sizes become available, a tool supporting operators in preprocedural planning and the clinical decision-making process is highly desirable. We sought to develop a finite element (FE) computational simulation model to predict results of transcatheter edge-to-edge (TEER) interventions. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively enrolled patients with secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) referred for a clinically indicated TEER. Three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiograms performed at the beginning of the procedure were used to perform the simulation. On the 3D dynamic model of the MV that was first obtained, we simulated the clip implantation using the same clip(s) type, size, number, and implantation location that was used during the intervention. The 3D model of the MV obtained after simulation of the clip implantation was compared to the clinical results obtained at the end of the intervention. We analyzed the degree and location of residual MR and the shape and area of the diastolic mitral valve area. We performed computational simulation on 5 patients. Overall, the simulated models predicted well the degree and location of the residual regurgitant orifice(s) but tended to underestimate the diastolic mitral orifice area. CONCLUSIONS: In this proof-of-concept study, we present preliminary results on our algorithm simulating clip implantation in 5 patients with functional MR. We show promising results regarding the feasibility and accuracy in terms of predicting residual MR and the need to improve the estimation of the diastolic mitral valve area.

A sustainable approach to derive sheep corneal scaffolds from stored slaughterhouse waste.

Aim: The escalating demand for corneal transplants significantly surpasses the available supply. To bridge this gap, we concentrated on ethical and sustainable corneal grafting sources. Our objective was to create viable corneal scaffolds from preserved slaughterhouse waste.Materials & methods: Corneas were extracted and decellularized from eyeballs that had been refrigerated for several days. These scaffolds underwent evaluation through DNA quantification, histological analysis, surface tension measurement, light propagation testing, and tensile strength assessment.Results: Both the native and acellular corneas (with ~90% DNA removed using a cost-effective and environmentally friendly surfactant) maintained essential optical and biomechanical properties for potential clinical use.Conclusion: Our method of repurposing slaughterhouse waste, stored at 4°C for several days, to develop corneal scaffolds offers a sustainable and economical alternative xenograft model.

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Educational Interventions in Immigrants for Asthma and COPD: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Asthma and COPD are prevalent respiratory conditions among immigrants, yet many individuals in this population do not effectively utilize available therapies, resulting in exacerbations and limitations in their daily lives. This systematic review seeks to describe asthma/COPD educational interventions specifically tailored for immigrant patients and assess their variability and outcomes, with the ultimate goal of improving self-management and achieving better asthma or COPD control in this population. Design: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using four electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo). Articles were included if they focused on asthma or COPD interventions conducted in immigrant populations. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of included articles. Results: Out of the initial 1173 articles identified, 812 were assessed for eligibility. Six articles met the inclusion criteria for educational interventions targeting immigrants with asthma or COPD. These studies explored the effectiveness of interventions on various immigrant populations using different methodologies including group discussion of photographs and classroom-based interventions. The interventions varied in terms of settings, educational materials, and delivery methods. Positive outcomes were observed in areas such as knowledge, understanding of instructions, and inhaler technique. However, the included studies had limitations in assessing the impact on asthma and COPD self-management and sustainability. Conclusion: More research is needed on asthma and COPD management in immigrants. The interventions included in this review had positive effects on outcomes like inhaler technique and asthma knowledge. However, due to variability in outcome measures, it is difficult to directly compare the interventions. Future studies should include diverse immigrant populations, consider the specific migration status of the immigrants, long-term sustainability of the intervention and use culturally tailored approaches to improve respiratory health in this population.

Home medicines reviews: a national survey of Australian accredited pharmacists’ health service time investment

Background: In Australia, polypharmacy and medication-related problems are prevalent in the community. Therefore, medicines safety initiatives such as the Home Medicines Review (HMR) service are critical to health care provision. While the evidence continues to expand around HMR service, little is known of accredited pharmacists’ experiences of HMR time investment. Objective: This study aimed to explore accredited pharmacists’ experiences of HMR practice regarding time investment in the study’s defined HMR Stages: 1 (initial paper-based assessment and review), 2 (in-home patient-accredited pharmacist consultation), and 3 (HMR report collation, generation, completion, and provision to the patient’s General Practitioner, including any liaison time). Methods: An electronic survey was developed and piloted by a panel of reviewers. Convenience sampling was used to distribute the final anonymous survey nationally via professional pharmacy organisations. Data were analyzed for frequency distributions and a chi-square test of independence was performed to evaluate any association between demographic variables relating to HMR time investment. Results: There was a total of 255 survey respondents, representing approximately 10% of national accredited pharmacist membership. The majority were experienced accredited pharmacists who had completed >100 HMRs (73%), were female (71%), and aged >40 years (60%). Regarding time investment for a typical instance of HMR, most spent: <30 minutes performing Stage 1 (46.7%), and 30-60 minutes performing Stage 2 (70.2%). In Stage 3, 40.0% invested 1-2 hours, and 27.1% invested 2-3 hours in HMR report collation and completion. Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant (p=0.03) gender findings where females performed longer patient consultations than males (Stage 2) (AU)

The role of the pharmacist in low back pain management: a narrative review of practice guidelines on paracetamol vs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Low back pain (LBP) is a common and costly condition and a leading cause of disabilities across the globe. In Australia and other countries, there has been changes in LBP management guidelines and evidence in recent years, including the use of pharmacotherapy. Inadequately treated LBP is a burden with significant health and economic impacts. Although there is some variability, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have largely replaced paracetamol as the first-choice analgesic for non-specific LBP in many international clinical guidelines, including the current Australian Therapeutic Guidelines. More recent clinical evidence also supports that targeting LBP with the use of NSAIDs can provide superior and more effective relief of LBP symptoms compared with paracetamol. Community pharmacists are one of the most accessible and frequently visited health professionals that offer vital primary healthcare services aimed to provide enhanced clinical outcomes for patients. The position of a community pharmacist is pivotal in LBP assessment and management, from both a pharmacological and non-pharmacological standpoint, including the use of clinical guidelines, yet their roles are often not fully utilized in LBP therapy. Studies investigating the community pharmacist's views, practices, knowledge, and roles, specifically in LBP management in Australia are variable and limited. This narrative review will briefly cover the impacts of LBP, and to provide a summary on recent evidence, updates and a comparison of the Australian and international low back pain management guidelines on paracetamol vs NSAIDs in LBP, as well as pharmacists' roles and interventions in a primary healthcare setting in this context

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Expanding the role of Australian pharmacists in community pharmacies in chronic pain management - a narrative review

Chronic pain is a condition where patients continuously experience pain symptoms for at least 3 to 6 months. It is one of the leading causes of disabilities across the globe. Failure to adequately manage chronic pain often results in additional health concerns that may directly contribute to the worsening symptoms of pain. Community pharmacists are an important healthcare resource that contributes to patient care, yet their roles in chronic pain management are often not fully utilised. This review aimed to investigate and explore pharmacist-driven chronic pain educational and medication management interventions in community pharmacies on an international level, and thereby identify if there are potential benefits in modelling and incorporating these interventions in the Australian community. We found a number of studies conducted in Europe and the United States investigated the benefits of pharmacist-driven educational and medication management interventions in the context of chronic pain management. Results demonstrated that there were improvements in the pain scores, depression/anxiety scales and physical functionality in patient groups receiving the pharmacist driven-interventions, thereby highlighting the clinical benefit of these interventions in chronic pain. In conclusion, pharmacists are trustworthy and responsible advocates for medication reviews and patient education. There are currently very limited formal nationally recognised pharmacist-driven intervention programs dedicated to chronic pain management in Australian community pharmacies. International studies have shown that pharmacist-driven chronic pain interventions undertaken in community pharmacies are of benefit with regards to alleviating pain symptoms and adverse events. Furthermore, it is also clear that research around the application of pharmacist-led chronic pain interventions in Australia is lacking. Modelling interventions that have been conducted overseas may be worth exploring in Australia. The implementation of similar intervention programs for Australian pharmacists in community pharmacies may provide enhanced clinical outcomes for patients suffering from chronic pain. The recently implemented Chronic Pain MedsCheck Trial may provide some answers

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An investigation of the views and practices of Australian community pharmacists on pain and fever management and clinical guidelines

Background: Fever and pain are common conditions in the Australian healthcare setting. Whilst clinical guidelines provide important therapeutic recommendations, evidence suggests they are not always followed. Given that community pharmacy is one of the most frequently accessed primary healthcare services, it is important to understand the views and practices of community pharmacists in pain and fever. Objectives: To investigate the views and practices of Australian community pharmacists in pain and fever management, and their views on relevant clinical guidelines. Methods: A cross-sectional study of community pharmacists in Australia was conducted using a customised, anonymous, self-administered, online questionnaire between March and May 2018. To capture a broad range of demographics, pharmacists were recruited via local industry contacts and the Pharmaceutical Society newsletter, with further recruitment through snowball sampling. The main outcomes measured were pharmacists' views, practices and treatment recommendation of choice in pain and fever management, as well as views on clinical guidelines and training. Results: A total of 113 pharmacists completed the survey. In general, paracetamol (72%) was preferred as a recommendation over ibuprofen, and was the drug of choice for most mild to moderate pain and fever scenarios. Majority of pharmacists reported good knowledge of pain and fever management, however, only approximately half reported recent pain management training. Greater than 87% of pharmacists believe that clinical guidelines are useful in fever management, and 79% of pharmacists believe that following clinical guidelines is important in pain management. Conclusions: While most pharmacists recognise the importance of guidelines and demonstrated good pain and fever management, results suggests opportunities to promote additional education, upskilling, and research in this space to further optimise pain and fever management in the community

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Purchasing Over-the-counter medicines from Australian pharmacy: what do the pharmacy customers value and expect?

Background: Over-the-counter medicines (OTC) are widely available and can be purchased without a prescription. Their availability means that a customer may choose to purchase them without the involvement of a pharmacy/pharmacist. It is important to understand customer OTC purchasing perceptions and behaviour from a pharmacy to better understand the needs and opportunities in this space. Objective: This study aimed to examine customers’ key expectations and what they value when purchasing OTC and how the effect of health status/stress and perceived risks/benefits of purchasing OTCs from a pharmacy may influence their OTC shopping behaviour. Methods: Customers from two metropolitan pharmacies across two different suburbs in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia completed a self-administered questionnaire. Data collection was conducted over a six-week period. The questionnaire examined demographics, current level of health and stress, as well as a range of questions (seven-point Likert-scale) examining perceived benefits and risks, what they value, trust and expect when purchasing OTC. Results: A total of 86 customers from a broad range of demographics were captured in this study. When asked about their current health state, 41% and 23% respectively indicated that they were stressed and tense when they arrived at the pharmacy but many were feeling well (38%). Most customers strongly agreed/agreed that trust in the advice from a pharmacy (96%), trust in the products (73%), and the altruistic approach of a pharmacy (95%) were critical to them. Further, 82% and 78% respectively disagreed that time pressures or costs were concerns, despite many feeling tense and stressed when they came in. When asked where they intend to buy their future OTC, 89% indicated pharmacy instead of a supermarket. Conclusions: High levels of trust, confidence and sense of altruism and care were key factors for customers buying OTC from a pharmacy, regardless of time pressures, costs or existing levels of stress and health (AU)

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