A prospective multi-faceted interventional study of blood bank technologist screening of red blood cell transfusion orders: The START study.

BACKGROUND: Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) is a common procedure, which when prescribed inappropriately can result in adverse patient outcomes. This study sought to determine the impact of a multi-faceted intervention on unnecessary RBC transfusions at hospitals with a baseline appropriateness below 90%. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective medical chart audit of RBC transfusions was conducted across 15 hospitals. For each site, 10 RBCs per month transfused to inpatients were audited for a 5-month pre- and 10-month post-intervention period, with each transfusion adjudicated for appropriateness based on pre-set criteria. Hospitals with appropriateness rates below 90% underwent a 3-month intervention which included: adoption of standardized RBC guidelines, staff education, and prospective transfusion order screening by blood bank technologists. Proportions of RBC transfusions adjudicated as appropriate and the total number of RBC units transfused per month in the pre- and post-intervention period were examined. RESULTS: Over the 15-month audit period, at the 13 hospital sites with a baseline appropriateness below 90%, 1950 patients were audited of which 81.2% were adjudicated as appropriate. Proportions of appropriateness and single-unit orders increased from 73.5% to 85% and 46.2% to 68.2%, respectively from pre- to post-intervention (P < .0001). Pre- and post-transfusion hemoglobin levels and the total number of RBCs transfused decreased from baseline (P < .05). The median pre-transfusion hemoglobin decreased from a baseline of 72.0 g/L to 69.0 g/L in the post-intervention period (P < .0001). RBC transfusions per acute inpatient days decreased significantly in intervention hospitals, but not in control hospitals (P < .001). The intervention had no impact on patient length of stay, need for intensive care support, or in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: This multifaceted intervention demonstrated a marked improvement in RBC transfusion appropriateness and reduced overall RBC utilization without impacts on patient safety.

Assessing the priority of human rights and mental health: the PHRAME approach.

BACKGROUND: Protecting all human rights of people with mental health conditions is globally important. However, to facilitate practical implementation of rights, it is often necessary to decide which of these rights should be given priority, especially when they conflict with each other. AIMS: The aim of the Priorities of Human Rights and Mental Health (PHRAME) project is to develop a replicable approach to establish a proposed set of high-priority human rights of people with mental health conditions, to facilitate practical decision-making and implementation of such rights. METHOD: A two-stage Delphi-style study with stakeholders was conducted to generate a list of key rights of people with mental health conditions, and rank priorities among these rights in terms of feasibility, urgency and overall importance. RESULTS: The stakeholders in this study consistently ranked three rights as top priorities: (a) the right to freedom from torture, cruel inhuman treatment and punishment; (b) the right to health and access to services/treatment; and (c) the right to protection and safety in emergency situations. CONCLUSIONS: Insights from PHRAME can support decision-making about the priority to be given to human rights, to guide practical action. This approach can also be used to assess how human rights are prioritised in different settings and by different stakeholders. This study identifies the clear need for a central voice for people with lived experience in research and implementation of decisions about the priority of human rights, ensuring that action respects the opinion of people whose rights are directly affected.

Post-stroke losartan and captopril treatments arrest hemorrhagic expansion in SHRsp without lowering blood pressure.

We assessed the ability of poststroke losartan and captopril treatment to attenuate hematoma expansion and plasma extravasation after intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke in Kyoto-Wistar stroke-prone hypertensive rats (SHRsp). Cerebrum volume, herniation and surface areas exhibiting new and old hemorrhages and albumin extravasation were measured prior to and after stroke and following 30 and 60 days of post-stroke losartan or captopril treatment in Evans Blue dye perfused brains. Lesion morphology was studied in serial sections. Losartan or captopril treatment initiated at stroke prevented death for 60 days without lowering BP. Stroke onset was associated with the development and subsequent expansion of cerebrum volume, herniation, hematoma and plasma albumin extravasation. Losartan arrested cerebral volume expansion and herniation, and produced the virtual disappearance of hematoma and plasma albumin extravasation after 60 days. Captopril treatment equally attenuated cerebral herniation and hematoma expansion but was less effective in stopping albumin extravasation and allowed cerebrum volume to increase to post-stroke levels after 60 days of treatment. Both treatments resolved hematomas into cortical fluid filled spaces and prevented new hemorrhage formation. We believe that the treatments attenuated death after stroke by inhibiting hemorrhagic expansion through non-pressure related physiological changes mediated by the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system.

Retrospective evaluation of potentially inappropriate prescribing in hospitalized patients with renal impairment.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with chronic kidney disease require appropriate adjustment of nephrotoxic and renally cleared medications to ensure safe and effective pharmacotherapy. It is currently unclear how often appropriate medication selection and dosage adjustment occurs in practice. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the extent of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) (the use of a contraindicated medication or inappropriately high dose according to the renal function) in patients with renal impairment from admission through to discharge from the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH), Tasmania, Australia; to evaluate the medications most commonly implicated in PIP; and the factors associated with PIP in renal impairment. METHODS: Medical records of 251 patients consecutively admitted to the RHH aged 40 years and above, with a creatinine clearance of ≤60 mL/min, and hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus in their medical history, were reviewed. PIP was assessed using the Australian Medicines Handbook and/or product information. RESULTS: Of the 251 patients, 81 (32.3%) were receiving a total of 116 potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) at the time of admission. The number of patients receiving PIMs (81 vs. 44, p<0.001 chi-square test) as well as the total number of PIMs (116 vs. 63, p<0.001 Wilcoxon signed rank test) were significantly decreased at discharge. Metformin was the most common PIM at admission. However, PIP of metformin was reduced by approximately 50% by discharge. Logistic regression analysis revealed two significant independent risk factors for PIP: a higher number of medications at admission increased risk of PIP (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.02-1.18, p=0.010), and higher initial estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreased the risk of PIP (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.96-0.99, p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations of lack of body weight documentation and lack of clear guidelines for dosage adjustment based on the eGFR, PIP in patients with renal impairment is common and admission to the hospital was associated with a significant reduction in PIP. More recognition of chronic kidney disease in the community and strategies to alert clinicians of the need for dosage adjustment in renal impairment are warranted.