Quality Indicators for Transition from Paediatric to Adult Care for Youth with Chronic Conditions: Protocol for an Online Modified Delphi Study.

BACKGROUND: The transition from paediatric to adult care poses a significant health system-level challenge impeding the delivery of quality health services for youth with chronic health conditions. In Canada and globally, the transition to adult care is regarded as a top priority in adolescent health in need of readily applicable, adaptable, and relevant national metrics to evaluate and benchmark transition success across disease populations and clinical care settings. Unfortunately, existing literature fails to account for the lack of engagement from youth and caregivers in developing indicators, and its applicability across chronic conditions, primary care involvement, and health equity considerations. OBJECTIVE: Our proposed study aims to establish a consensus-driven set of quality indicators for the transition to adult care that are universally applicable across physical, developmental, and/or mental health conditions, clinical care settings, and health jurisdictions. METHODS: Using an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach, a panel comprised of youth, caregivers, interdisciplinary healthcare providers, and health system leaders will be established to collaborate with our research team to ensure the study methodology, materials, and knowledge dissemination are suitable and reflect the perspectives of youth and their families. We will then conduct an iterative 3-round Online Modified Delphi (OMD) study (n= 160) to (1) compare and contrast the perspectives of youth, caregivers, health care providers, and health system leaders on quality indicators for transition, and (2) prioritize a key set of quality indicators for transition applicable across disease populations that are the most important, useful, and feasible in the Canadian context. Using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) multi-stage analytic approach, data from each panel and stakeholder group will be examined separately and compared to establish a key set of indicators endorsed by both panels. RESULTS: The study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Physicians Services Incorporated. CONCLUSIONS: This study will produce quality indicators to evaluate and inform action equitably to improve transition from paediatric to adult care for youth and their families in Canada.

Patient, caregiver and other knowledge user engagement in consensus-building healthcare initiatives: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Patient engagement and integrated knowledge translation (iKT) processes improve health outcomes and care experiences through meaningful partnerships in consensus-building initiatives and research. Consensus-building is essential for engaging a diverse group of experienced knowledge users in co-developing and supporting a solution where none readily exists or is less optimal. Patients and caregivers provide invaluable insights for building consensus in decision-making around healthcare, policy and research. However, despite emerging evidence, patient engagement remains sparse within consensus-building initiatives. Specifically, our research has identified a lack of opportunity for youth living with chronic health conditions and their caregivers to participate in developing consensus on indicators/benchmarks for transition into adult care. To bridge this gap and inform our consensus-building approach with youth/caregivers, this scoping review will synthesise the extent of the literature on patient and other knowledge user engagement in consensus-building healthcare initiatives. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Following the scoping review methodology from Joanna Briggs Institute, published literature will be searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases from inception to July 2023. Grey literature will be hand-searched. Two independent reviewers will determine the eligibility of articles in a two-stage process, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Included studies must be consensus-building studies within the healthcare context that involve patient engagement strategies. Data from eligible studies will be extracted and charted on a standardised form. Abstracted data will be analysed quantitatively and descriptively, according to specific consensus methodologies, and patient engagement models and/or strategies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for this scoping review protocol. The review process and findings will be shared with and informed by relevant knowledge users. Dissemination of findings will also include peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The results will offer new insights for supporting patient engagement in consensus-building healthcare initiatives. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: https://osf.io/beqjr.

Social and Structural Drivers of Health and Transition to Adult Care.

CONTEXT: Youth with chronic health conditions experience challenges during their transition to adult care. Those with marginalized identities likely experience further disparities in care as they navigate structural barriers throughout transition. OBJECTIVES: This scoping review aims to identify the social and structural drivers of health (SSDOH) associated with outcomes for youth transitioning to adult care, particularly those who experience structural marginalization, including Black, Indigenous, and 2-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and others youth. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from earliest available date to May 2022. STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, followed by full-text. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Primary research studying the association between SSDOH and transition outcomes were included. DATA EXTRACTION: SSDOH were subcategorized as social drivers, structural drivers, and demographic characteristics. Transition outcomes were classified into themes. Associations between SSDOH and outcomes were assessed according to their statistical significance and were categorized into significant (P < .05), nonsignificant (P > .05), and unclear significance. RESULTS: 101 studies were included, identifying 12 social drivers (childhood environment, income, education, employment, health literacy, insurance, geographic location, language, immigration, food security, psychosocial stressors, and stigma) and 5 demographic characteristics (race and ethnicity, gender, illness type, illness severity, and comorbidity). No structural drivers were studied. Gender was significantly associated with communication, quality of life, transfer satisfaction, transfer completion, and transfer timing, and race and ethnicity with appointment keeping and transfer completion. LIMITATIONS: Studies were heterogeneous and a meta-analysis was not possible. CONCLUSIONS: Gender and race and ethnicity are associated with inequities in transition outcomes. Understanding these associations is crucial in informing transition interventions and mitigating health inequities.

Applying an equity lens to hospital safety monitoring: a critical interpretive synthesis protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital safety monitoring systems are foundational to how adverse events are identified and addressed. They are well positioned to bring equity-related safety issues to the forefront for action. However, there is uncertainty about how they have been, and can be, used to achieve this goal. We will undertake a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) to examine how equity is integrated into hospital safety monitoring systems. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will follow CIS principles. Our initial compass question is: How is equity integrated into safety monitoring systems? We will begin with a structured search strategy of hospital safety monitoring systems in CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO for up to May 2023 to identify papers on safety monitoring systems generally and those linked to equity (eg, racism, social determinants of health). We will also review reference lists of selected papers, contact experts and draw on team expertise. For subsequent literature searching stages, we will use team expertise and expert contacts to purposively search the social science, humanities and health services research literature to support the development of a theoretical understanding of our topic. Following data extraction, we will use interpretive processes to develop themes and a critique of the literature. The above processes of question formulation, article search and selection, data extraction, and critique and synthesis will be iterative and interactive with the goal to develop a theoretical understanding of equity in hospital monitoring systems that will have practice-based implications. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This review does not require ethical approval because we are reviewing published literature. We aim to publish findings in a peer-reviewed journal and present at conferences.

Quality Indicators for Youth Transitioning to Adult Care: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Transition from pediatric to adult care is associated with adverse health outcomes for many adolescents with chronic illness. We identified quality indicators for transition to adult care that are broadly applicable across chronic illnesses and health systems. METHODS: Medline, Embase, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched, covering earliest available date to July 2021. The Gray Matters framework was used to search gray literature. Two independent reviewers screened articles by title and abstract, followed by full-text review. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Studies were included that identified quality indicators developed via consensus-building methods. Indicators were organized into a framework categorized by illness specificity, level of care, Donabedian model, and Institute of Medicine quality domain. Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation tool was used for critical appraisal. RESULTS: The search identified 4581 articles, of which 321 underwent full-text review. Eight peer-reviewed studies and 1 clinical guideline were included, identifying 169 quality indicators for transition. Of these, 56% were illness specific, 43% were at the patient level of care, 44% related to transition processes, and 51% were patient centered and 0% equity focused. Common indicator themes included education (12%), continuity of care (8%), satisfaction (8%), and self-management/self-efficacy (7%). The study was limited by quality indicators developed through consensus-building methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Although most quality indicators for transition were patient-centered outcomes, few were informed by youth and parents/caregivers, and none focused on equity. Further work is needed to prioritize quality indicators across chronic illness populations while engaging youth and parents/caregivers in the process.

Can SBAR be implemented with high fidelity and does it improve communication between healthcare workers? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise the extent to which health professionals perform SBAR (situation, background, assessment, recommendation) as intended (ie, with high fidelity) and the extent to which its use improves communication clarity or other quality measures. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Healthstar, PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL to October 2020 and handsearching selected journals. STUDY SELECTION AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Eligible studies consisted of controlled trials and time series, including simple before-after design, assessing SBAR implementation fidelity or the effects of SBAR on communication clarity or other quality measures (eg, safety climate, patient outcomes). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently abstracted data according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses on study features, intervention details and study outcomes. We characterised the magnitude of improvement in outcomes as small (<20% relative increase), moderate (20%-40%) or large (>40%). RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies (3 randomised controlled trials, 6 controlled before-after studies, and 19 uncontrolled before-after studies) met inclusion criteria. Of the nine studies assessing fidelity of SBAR use, four occurred in classroom settings and three of these studies reported large improvements. The five studies assessing fidelity in clinical settings reported small to moderate effects. Among eight studies measuring communication clarity, only three reported large improvements and two of these occurred in classroom settings. Among the 17 studies reporting impacts on quality measures beyond communication, over half reported moderate to large improvements. These improvements tended to involve measures of teamwork and culture. Improvements in patient outcomes occurred only with intensive multifaceted interventions (eg, early warning scores and rapid response systems). CONCLUSIONS: High fidelity uptake of SBAR and improvements in communication clarity occurred predominantly in classroom studies. Studies in clinical settings achieving impacts beyond communication typically involved broader, multifaceted interventions. Future efforts to improve communication using SBAR should first confirm high fidelity uptake in clinical settings rather than assuming this has occurred. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018111377.

Quality indicators for transition from paediatric to adult care for adolescents with chronic physical and mental illness: protocol for a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Transition from paediatric to adult care is a complex process, which poses significant challenges for adolescents with chronic physical and mental illnesses. For many, transfer to adult care is associated with poor health and psychosocial outcomes. Quality indicators to evaluate transition to adult care are needed to benchmark and compare performance across conditions and health systems. This systematic review aims to identify quality indicators for successful transition to adult care which can be applied across chronic physical and/or mental illnesses. METHODS: Published literature will be searched using MEDLINE, Embase and CINHAL from earliest available date to July 2021. Grey literature will be searched using the Grey Matters tool. Using a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria, two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, followed by full-text review. Disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer. Study selection and data extraction will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols. Study appraisal will be completed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation for Quality Indicators instrument. Extracted quality indicators will be categorised into a conceptual framework. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Results from this review will offer novel insights into quality indicators that may be used to measure and evaluate transition success across conditions, which will be disseminated via a Canadian transition collaborative, workshops and peer-reviewed publication. Extracted quality indicators will be further prioritised in a Delphi study with patients, caregivers and providers. This is a critical step in developing a core set of metrics to evaluate transitions to adult care. Ethics approval is not required as this review will identify and synthesise findings from published literature. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020198030.

Theory in quality improvement and patient safety education: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Theory plays an important role in education programming and research. However, its use in quality improvement and patient safety education has yet to be fully characterized. The authors undertook a scoping review to examine the use of theory in quality improvement and patient safety education. METHODS: Eligible articles used theory to inform the design or study of a quality improvement or patient safety curriculum. The authors followed scoping review methodology and searched articles referenced in 20 systematic reviews of quality improvement and patient safety education, or articles citing one of these reviews, and hand searched eligible article references. Data analysis involved descriptive and interpretive summaries of theories used and the perspectives the theories offered. RESULTS: Eligibility criteria were met by 28 articles, and 102 articles made superficial mention of theory. Eligible articles varied in professional group, learning stage and journal type. Theories fell into two broad categories: learning theories (n = 20) and social science theories (n = 11). Theory was used in the design (n = 12) or study (n = 17) of quality improvement and patient safety education. The range of theories shows the opportunity afforded by using more than one type of theory. DISCUSSION: Theory can guide decisions regarding quality improvement and patient safety education practices or play a role in selecting a methodology or lens through which to study educational processes and outcomes. Educators and researchers should make deliberate choices around the use of theory that relates to aspects of an educational program that they seek to illuminate.

Computerised clinical decision support systems and absolute improvements in care: meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To report the improvements achieved with clinical decision support systems and examine the heterogeneity from pooling effects across diverse clinical settings and intervention targets. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Medline up to August 2019. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES AND METHODS: Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials reporting absolute improvements in the percentage of patients receiving care recommended by clinical decision support systems. Multilevel meta-analysis accounted for within study clustering. Meta-regression was used to assess the degree to which the features of clinical decision support systems and study characteristics reduced heterogeneity in effect sizes. Where reported, clinical endpoints were also captured. RESULTS: In 108 studies (94 randomised, 14 quasi-randomised), reporting 122 trials that provided analysable data from 1 203 053 patients and 10 790 providers, clinical decision support systems increased the proportion of patients receiving desired care by 5.8% (95% confidence interval 4.0% to 7.6%). This pooled effect exhibited substantial heterogeneity (I2=76%), with the top quartile of reported improvements ranging from 10% to 62%. In 30 trials reporting clinical endpoints, clinical decision support systems increased the proportion of patients achieving guideline based targets (eg, blood pressure or lipid control) by a median of 0.3% (interquartile range -0.7% to 1.9%). Two study characteristics (low baseline adherence and paediatric settings) were associated with significantly larger effects. Inclusion of these covariates in the multivariable meta-regression, however, did not reduce heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Most interventions with clinical decision support systems appear to achieve small to moderate improvements in targeted processes of care, a finding confirmed by the small changes in clinical endpoints found in studies that reported them. A minority of studies achieved substantial increases in the delivery of recommended care, but predictors of these more meaningful improvements remain undefined.

A Matter of Urgency: Reducing Clinical Text Message Interruptions During Educational Sessions.

BACKGROUND: Text messaging is increasingly replacing paging as a tool to reach physicians on medical wards. However, this phenomenon has resulted in high volumes of nonurgent messages that can disrupt the learning climate. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to reduce nonurgent educational interruptions to residents on general internal medicine. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: This was a quality improvement project conducted at an academic hospital network. Measurements and interventions took place on 8 general internal medicine inpatient teaching teams. INTERVENTION: Interventions included (1) refining the clinical communication process in collaboration with nursing leadership; (2) disseminating guidelines with posters at nursing stations; (3) introducing a noninterrupting option for message senders; (4) audit and feedback of messages; (5) adding an alert for message senders advising if a message would interrupt educational sessions; and (6) training and support to nurses and residents. MEASUREMENTS: Interruptions (text messages, phone calls, emails) received by institution-supplied team smartphones were tracked during educational hours using statistical process control charts. A 1-month record of text message content was analyzed for urgency at baseline and following the interventions. RESULTS: The interruption frequency decreased from a mean of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.88 to 0.97) to 0.59 (95% CI, 0.51 to0.67) messages per team per educational hour from January 2014 to December 2016. The proportion of nonurgent educational interruptions decreased from 223/273 (82%) messages over one month to 123/182 (68%; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Creation of communication guidelines and modification of text message interface with feedback from end-users were associated with a reduction in nonurgent educational interruptions. Continuous audit and feedback may be necessary to minimize nonurgent messages that disrupt educational sessions.

Parent Preferences for Medical Error Disclosure: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: According to disclosure guidelines, patients experiencing adverse events due to medical errors should be offered full disclosure, whereas disclosure of near misses is not traditionally expected. This may conflict with parental expectations; surveys reveal most parents expect full disclosure whether errors resulted in harm or not. Protocols regarding whether to include children in these discussions have not been established. This study explores parent preferences around disclosure and views on including children. METHODS: Fifteen parents of hospitalized children participated in semistructured interviews. Three hypothetical scenarios of different severity were used to initiate discussion. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded for emergent themes. RESULTS: Parents uniformly wanted disclosure if harm occurred, although fewer wanted their child informed. For nonharmful errors, most parents wanted disclosure for themselves but few for their children.With respect to including children in disclosure, parents preferred to assess their children's cognitive and emotional readiness to cope with disclosure, wishing to act as a "buffer" between the health care team and their children. Generally, as event severity decreased, they felt that risks of informing children outweighed benefits. Parents strongly emphasized needing reassurance of a good final outcome and anticipated difficulty managing their emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Parents have mixed expectations regarding disclosure. Although survey studies indicate a stronger desire for disclosure of nonharmful events than for adult patients, this qualitative study revealed a greater degree of hesitation and complexity. Parents have a great need for reassurance and consistently wish to act as a buffer between the health care team and their children.

Medication reconciliation during transitions of care as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review.

Medication reconciliation identifies and resolves unintentional discrepancies between patients' medication lists across transitions in care. The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence about the effectiveness of hospital-based medication reconciliation interventions. Searches encompassed MEDLINE through November 2012 and EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through July 2012. Eligible studies evaluated the effects of hospital-based medication reconciliation on unintentional discrepancies with nontrivial risks for harm to patients or 30-day postdischarge emergency department visits and readmission. Two reviewers evaluated study eligibility, abstracted data, and assessed study quality. Eighteen studies evaluating 20 interventions met the selection criteria. Pharmacists performed medication reconciliation in 17 of the 20 interventions. Most unintentional discrepancies identified had no clinical significance. Medication reconciliation alone probably does not reduce postdischarge hospital utilization but may do so when bundled with interventions aimed at improving care transitions.

Corticosteroid exposure not associated with long-term bone mineral density in pediatric liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine the association of corticosteroid exposure and other skeletal risk factors with bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures following pediatric liver transplantation (LT) at a large single center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Lumbar spine BMD, measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), was corrected for bone age in 52 ambulatory children ages 4 to 18 years, at least 1 year post-LT. Potential risk factors for skeletal health such as corticosteroid exposure, dietary and lifestyle factors, and growth and fracture occurrence, were related to BMD using univariate and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of low BMD (z score <-2) and post-LT fractures was 3 of 52 (5.8%) and 11 of 52 (21%), respectively. Univariate analysis revealed age >10 years at LT and body mass index (BMI) < 85th percentile at time of DXA were significantly associated with BMD (both P = 0.02). BMD did not correlate with corticosteroid dosage in the first year post-LT, the year before DXA or cumulative lifetime exposure. A cholestatic primary LT indication, acute rejection episodes, and fractures post-LT were not associated with BMD. Extracurricular physical activity, vitamin D, and calcium intake were not associated with BMD or fractures. Multivariate linear regression revealed increased time post-LT (P = 0.04) and higher BMI z score at time of DXA (P = 0.02) as the strongest independent variables associated with greater BMD. CONCLUSIONS: Neither corticosteroid exposure nor a cholestatic primary indication for LT influenced BMD, which was largely normal in this ambulatory group. Children and adolescents undergoing LT after the age of 10 years and those with low BMI post-LT may be at greatest risk of poor skeletal health later in life, and thus a potential target patient population to benefit from preventive interventions.