A Realist Evaluation of Social Care Practitioners' Experiences With and Understanding of Applied Healthcare Research.

Social care practitioners are often under-represented in research activity and output. Evidence-based practice enables social care practitioners to develop/engage the skills to evaluate evidence and be more actively involved in research. REalist Synthesis Of non-pharmacologicaL interVEntions for antipsychotic-induced weight gain (RESOLVE) is a NIHR-funded study where realist synthesis is used to understand and explain how, why, for whom, and in what contexts non-pharmacological interventions help service users, with severe mental illness, to manage antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Social care practitioners are a key part of the team providing care for people living with severe mental illness and therefore supporting antipsychotic-induced weight gain. The current study, RESOLVE 2, uses realist evaluation and RESOLVE as an illustrative example to help understand why and how social care practitioners engage (or not) with research. Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews will be undertaken with a purposive sample of approximately 20 social care practitioners working with people who have severe mental illness, are treated with antipsychotics, and have experienced weight gain. Participants will be recruited from NHS Trusts and recruitment avenues such as social media and personal networks. Topics discussed during interviews will include barriers and facilitators to engagement in research, current, and past engagement as well as recommendations for researchers and other practitioners. Interview recordings will be transcribed verbatim and analyzed using realist evaluation which will allow in-depth causal explanations for research engagement. Better understanding of research engagement by social care practitioners will allow for evidence-based practice and better patient outcomes within these settings.

A realist review of medication optimisation of community dwelling service users with serious mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Severe mental illness (SMI) incorporates schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, non-organic psychosis, personality disorder or any other severe and enduring mental health illness. Medication, particularly antipsychotics and mood stabilisers are the main treatment options. Medication optimisation is a hallmark of medication safety, characterised by the use of collaborative, person-centred approaches. There is very little published research describing medication optimisation with people living with SMI. OBJECTIVE: Published literature and two stakeholder groups were employed to answer: What works for whom and in what circumstances to optimise medication use with people living with SMI in the community? METHODS: A five-stage realist review was co-conducted with a lived experience group of individuals living with SMI and a practitioner group caring for individuals with SMI. An initial programme theory was developed. A formal literature search was conducted across eight bibliographic databases, and literature were screened for relevance to programme theory refinement. In total 60 papers contributed to the review. 42 papers were from the original database search with 18 papers identified from additional database searches and citation searches conducted based on stakeholder recommendations. RESULTS: Our programme theory represents a continuum from a service user's initial diagnosis of SMI to therapeutic alliance development with practitioners, followed by mutual exchange of information, shared decision-making and medication optimisation. Accompanying the programme theory are 11 context-mechanism-outcome configurations that propose evidence-informed contextual factors and mechanisms that either facilitate or impede medication optimisation. Two mid-range theories highlighted in this review are supported decision-making and trust formation. CONCLUSIONS: Supported decision-making and trust are foundational to overcoming stigma and establishing 'safety' and comfort between service users and practitioners. Avenues for future research include the influence of stigma and equity across cultural and ethnic groups with individuals with SMI; and use of trained supports, such as peer support workers. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021280980.

Laypeople's (Mis)Understanding of Common Medical Acronyms.

OBJECTIVES: Abbreviations are often used in medicine yet may be a source of confusion for patients and their families. We aimed to determine the general public's understanding of commonly used medical acronyms. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, we surveyed state fair visitors regarding their understanding of 5 common medical acronyms. An electronic survey was administered to a volunteer sample of adults who spoke and read English and who had never trained to work in medicine or nursing. Free-text responses were coded as correct, partially correct, or incorrect by 2 independent researchers, adding a third researcher if consensus was not reached. Analysis methods included descriptive statistics, Fisher exact tests, and multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: We recruited 204 volunteers (55% female; mean age 43 years; 67% had a bachelor's degree or higher). ED (emergency department) was correctly defined by 32%, PCP (primary care provider/physician) by 18%, CBC (complete blood count) by 14%, and PRN (as needed) and NPO (nothing by mouth) by 13% each. Female gender was associated with higher odds of correctly understanding NPO (odds ratio, 3.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-8.21; P = .02); older age was associated with higher odds of understanding PRN (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.05; P = .04). Education level was not found to correlate significantly with successful explanation of any tested acronym. CONCLUSIONS: Medical acronyms are a predictable source of miscommunication. In this large cross-sectional study, none of the acronyms evaluated was understood correctly by more than one-third of adults. Clinicians should avoid using acronyms with patients and families to minimize confusion.

"What's My Line?": Pseudo-Improvised Teaching When the Clinical Teaching Script Is Blank.

ABSTRACT: Commitment to clinical education often requires significant forethought and attention to provide a comprehensive learning experience for trainees. In these settings, teaching is typically time-limited, prompted by a clinical scenario, and requires preparation. However, it is not uncommon for teachers to have insufficient time to prepare or to encounter a clinical scenario in which they have not yet developed a teaching script.In this article, the authors share 5 categories of teaching techniques that instructors can pull from regardless of the prompt or busyness of the clinical setting and that are ideal for using when the teaching script is "blank." They call this approach of having scenario-independent teaching techniques ready to be applied with minimal preparation, "pseudo-improvised teaching."Drawing from the literature, their own experience, and borrowing from improvisational theater, the authors share a toolkit of pseudo-improvised teaching techniques spanning from pathophysiology to clinical skills to work-life integration. In addition to highlighting several techniques, they describe models of meta-structure for teaching in which the use of themes for the day (i.e., longitudinal themes) and routines can ease some of the cognitive load felt by both learners and educators.

Jargon Be Gone - Patient Preference in Doctor Communication.

While it has been shown that healthcare providers often use medical jargon, less is known about how patients prefer their clinicians communicate. This mixed-methods study aimed to better understand the general public's preference in healthcare communication. A volunteer cohort of 205 adult attendees at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair was presented a survey with two scenarios at a doctor's office sharing the same information: one using medical terminology and one using simpler, jargon-free language. Survey participants were asked which doctor they preferred, to describe each doctor, and to explain why they believe that doctors may use medical terminology. Common descriptive themes for the jargon-using doctor included that this doctor caused confusion, was too technical, and was uncaring, while the doctor who spoke without jargon was perceived as a good communicator, caring/empathetic, and approachable. Respondents perceived a range of reasons why doctors use jargon, from not recognizing they are using words that are not understood to trying to make themselves feel more important. Overall, 91% of survey respondents preferred the doctor who communicated without medical jargon.

A major locus confers triclabendazole resistance in Fasciola hepatica and shows dominant inheritance.

Fasciola hepatica infection is responsible for substantial economic losses in livestock worldwide and poses a threat to human health in endemic areas. The mainstay of control in livestock and the only drug licenced for use in humans is triclabendazole (TCBZ). TCBZ resistance has been reported on every continent and threatens effective control of fasciolosis in many parts of the world. To date, understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying TCBZ resistance has been limited to studies of candidate genes, based on assumptions of their role in drug action. Taking an alternative approach, we combined a genetic cross with whole-genome sequencing to localise a ~3.2Mbp locus within the 1.2Gbp F. hepatica genome that confers TCBZ resistance. We validated this locus independently using bulk segregant analysis of F. hepatica populations and showed that it is the target of drug selection in the field. We genotyped individual parasites and tracked segregation and reassortment of SNPs to show that TCBZ resistance exhibits Mendelian inheritance and is conferred by a dominant allele. We defined gene content within this locus to pinpoint genes involved in membrane transport, (e.g. ATP-binding cassette family B, ABCB1), transmembrane signalling and signal transduction (e.g. GTP-Ras-adenylyl cyclase and EGF-like protein), DNA/RNA binding and transcriptional regulation (e.g. SANT/Myb-like DNA-binding domain protein) and drug storage and sequestration (e.g. fatty acid binding protein, FABP) as prime candidates for conferring TCBZ resistance. This study constitutes the first experimental cross and genome-wide approach for any heritable trait in F. hepatica and is key to understanding the evolution of drug resistance in Fasciola spp. to inform deployment of efficacious anthelmintic treatments in the field.

High-dose vasoactive agents in aeromedical retrievals for septic shock: A role for vasopressin?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of patients retrieved by aeromedical teams for septic shock requiring vasopressor support who meet criteria for vasopressin therapy under the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 guidelines. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients transferred by LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine on vasopressors over 2 years. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred and fifty-eight patients were retrieved on vasopressor therapy, with 428 requiring infusions for septic shock. One hundred and fifteen of these met criteria for administration of vasopressin under Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. CONCLUSION: A sufficient percentage of patients on vasopressors for septic shock require vasopressin therapy to meet current best treatment guidelines, and the inclusion of vasopressin in retrieval drug kits should be considered by Australian aeromedical services.

Accuracy in Patient Understanding of Common Medical Phrases.

Importance: Despite acknowledging that medical jargon should be avoided, health care practitioners frequently use it when communicating with patients. Objective: To characterize the understanding of common medical jargon terms by surveying a cross section of the general public and studying phrases that have established meanings in regular usage but different meanings in a medical context (eg, negative and positive test results). Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cross-sectional study, participants indicated their understanding of phrases that may have different meanings in medicine than in colloquial English via a mix of short answer and multiple choice questions. Several questions included paired phrases to assess for differences in understanding with or without jargon. Volunteers were recruited at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair near St Paul, Minnesota. An electronic survey was given to a volunteer sample of 215 adults (>18 years) who did not work or train to work in the medical field and spoke and read English. Exposures: Completing a written or verbal survey. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was an accurate understanding of the medical terminology. Free-text responses were coded by 2 researchers for comprehension. Secondary outcomes looked for associations between volunteer demographics and understanding. Results: The 215 respondents (135 [63%] female; mean [SD] age, 42 [17] years) demonstrated a varied ability to interpret medical jargon phrases. For example, most participants (207 [96%]) knew that negative cancer screening results meant they did not have cancer, but fewer participants (143 [79%]) knew that the phrase "your tumor is progressing" was bad news, or that positive lymph nodes meant the cancer had spread (170 [67%]). While most (171 [80%]) recognized that an unremarkable chest radiography was good news, only 44 participants (21%) correctly understood that a clinician saying their radiography was impressive was generally bad news. In each of the paired phrases comparing jargon vs nonjargon approaches, the nonjargon phrase was understood significantly better (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that several common phrases are misunderstood when used in a medical setting, with the interpreted meaning frequently the exact opposite of what is intended.

"I'm Not Just the Nonbiological Parent": Encountering, Strategizing, and Resisting Asymmetry and Invalidation in Genetic/ Gestational Parent Status Among LGBTQ Parents.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) families have expanded our understanding of who counts as family, to include legal as well as chosen ties. Yet, nonbiological parents in LGBTQ families are vulnerable to invalidation and erasure in social institutions, including health care, legal, and educational settings, where genetic and gestational linkages are privileged. The current study was guided by a queer phenomenological perspective to examine how LGBTQ parents experience and respond to dominant norms related to family relatedness and membership and thus queer the family. This mixed-methods study sampled 250 LGBTQ parents (including cisgender women and trans/nonbinary participants) to examine the question: In what ways does genetic asymmetry matter for families? The qualitative and quantitative analyses yielded three primary findings that revealed experiences of erasure and discrimination, as well as proactive strategies and active resistance used to counteract these difficulties. Themes were organized by (a) encountering marginalization and invalidation: health care, schools, and beyond; (b) strategic actions and discursive practices toward parental equality; and (c) confronting and resisting the need for legal, symbolic, and parenting strategies. This study documents ways in which nonbiological LGBTQ parents, in particular, embrace and resist societal norms for biological connectedness. Implications for nursing professionals include our finding that reproductive and perinatal contexts were particular sites of invalidation, necessitating education about the range of queer, nonbiological, and trans/nonbinary parents so that all parents are included in professional health care encounters.

What's in a name? Laypeople's understanding of medical roles and titles.

BACKGROUND: Physicians regularly use jargon in patient communication, which can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. OBJECTIVE: To assess the general public's understanding of names and roles of medical specialties and job seniority titles. DESIGNS: Volunteer participants completed an electronic survey, filling-in-the-blanks for 14 medical specialties (e.g., "pediatricians are doctors who take care of _____"), and ranked physician titles in order of experience (medical student, intern, senior resident, fellow, attending). SETTING: The 2021 Minnesota State Fair. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteers >18 years old without medical or nursing training. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: We summarized responses with descriptive statistics. Two researchers coded open-ended answers as correct, partially correct, or incorrect, with a third researcher for coding discrepancies. RESULTS: Two hundred and four participants completed the survey (55% female; mean age 43; 67% of respondents with a bachelor's degree or higher). Of 14 medical specialties listed on the survey, respondents most accurately identified dermatologists (94%) and cardiologists (93%). Six specialties were understood by less than half of the respondents: neonatologists (48%), pulmonologists (43%), hospitalists (31%), intensivists (29%), internists (21%), and nephrologists (20%). Twelve percent of participants correctly identified medical roles in rank order. Most participants (74%) correctly identified medical students as the least experienced. Senior residents were most often identified as the most experienced (44%), with just 27% of respondents correctly placing the attending there. We conclude that medical professionals should recognize that titles are a common source of misunderstanding among the general public and should describe their role when introducing themselves to minimize confusion.

Feasibility of Emergency Department-based Fentanyl Test Strip Distribution.

OBJECTIVES: United States drug overdose deaths now overwhelmingly involve fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. The emergency department (ED) is an important setting to provide harm reduction for persons who use drugs, but ED-based fentanyl test strip distribution has not yet been described. METHODS: This is an observational study of patients with an opioid-related visit to an ED in downtown Chicago, Illinois. We offered fentanyl test strips alongside an existing take-home naloxone program and report on the number of patients who accepted fentanyl test strips. We assessed patient familiarity with fentanyl and fentanyl test strips during the index ED visit and attempted to contact patients 1 month after the ED visit to determine testing outcomes. RESULTS: We offered fentanyl test strips to 23 consecutive ED patients (mean age, 39.8 years; male, 73.9%) with an opioid-related ED visit (87.0% for opioid overdose). Sixteen patients (69.5%) had heard of fentanyl, and 2 (8.7%) had prior experience using fentanyl test strips. Eighteen patients (78.2%) accepted the fentanyl test strips, 2 of which left the test strips behind in the ED alongside their take-home naloxone kit. Of the 16 total patients who departed with fentanyl test strips, we were able to reach 3 (18.8%) by phone 1 month after their ED visit; 9 had disconnected or wrong numbers listed. All 3 patients reported a positive fentanyl test strip result; tested substances included heroin, alprazolam, and cocaine. CONCLUSIONS: This report demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of ED fentanyl test strip distribution among patients with opioid-related ED visits.

Tapentadol exposures and poisonings in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Tapentadol is an atypical opioid with mu-receptor affinity and noradrenaline reuptake inhibition approved for use in Australia in 2011. However, data on tapentadol poisoning are scarce. OBJECTIVES: To investigate tapentadol poisonings and related deaths in Australia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of tapentadol poisonings from New South Wales Poisons Information Centre (NSWPIC) and three toxicology units in Australia. The National Coronial Information System (NCIS) database was searched to determine the number of tapentadol-related deaths. RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2020, 220 tapentadol calls were made to NSWPIC, with a 4.5-fold increase in tapentadol exposure calls. The median dose ingested was 575 mg (IQR: 300-1163 mg). Most overdoses included co-ingestions (75%), especially benzodiazepines (26%) and opioids (25%). From Jan 2016 to Dec 2021, 107 patients presented to the three toxicology units with tapentadol poisoning. The median dose ingested was 500 mg (IQR: 200-1400 mg). Most patients took co-ingestants (84%), including benzodiazepines (40%) and opioids (32%). Naloxone was administered in 39 patients (36%), 10 (9%) were intubated and the median length of stay was 18 h (IQR: 9-30). Thirty-five tapentadol-related deaths were recorded within NCIS between Jan 2015 and Oct 2021 with a median age of 51 years (IQR: 42-61 years). CONCLUSION: There are increasing tapentadol poisonings and deaths reported to the NSWPIC, three toxicology units, and NCIS in Australia. Most tapentadol poisonings were taken with benzodiazepines and/or other opioids.

Describing Patterns of Known Domestic Abuse Among Different Ethnic Groups.

Domestic abuse perpetration remains a major threat to public health, safety and wellbeing, causing serious harms and contributing significantly to overall crime globally. In the United Kingdom, research links the crime type to high economic and social costs. In the last 10 years, our collective knowledge of domestic abuse has grown in conjunction with its prioritisation in government policy. Several innovative studies have built a picture of the most serious cases and overall patterns of abuse but to date, examination of these trends by ethnic groups has been limited despite increasing attention to disproportionality in racially minoritised communities in criminal justice system outcomes. In this article we aimed to address this issue through the analysis of 150,000 domestic abuse records kept by police forces in England. Using descriptive statistics, we examined the relative distributions of different ethnicities by suspected offending rate, investigative outcome and crime harm. We found two patterns of note: firstly, that suspects from several categories of minoritized communities are consistently over-represented compared to the White British population among most harmful cases, and secondly, that in Asian communities, offences are less frequently "solved." We discuss the implications for future research and practice.

"Failed" Matches, Child Removals, and Disrupted Placements: Devastating and Invisible Losses During the Family-Building Journey for LGBTQ Adoptive Parents.

Reproductive loss, which includes miscarriage and nongestational loss, such as adoption loss, is rarely recognized as part of the family-building journey. Such loss tends to be even more invisible among LGBTQ individuals. The current study examines the experiences of 80 LGBTQ individuals who experienced adoption-related losses (i.e., failed adoption matches, child removals, disrupted child placements), with attention to how these losses impacted them and what enabled them to move forward. Participants who pursued private domestic adoption experienced failed matches (i.e., birth parents deciding to parent or choosing another family) both before (n = 21) and/or after (n = 24) a child was born. Participants who pursued public domestic adoption experienced child removals involving reunification with birth parents (n = 14) and other birth relatives (n = 18), as well as disrupted placements initiated by parents (n = 10) and children (n = 7). Failed matches, child removals, and disrupted placements were typically experienced as "crushing" and invisible losses. They were often followed by a period of grieving, and sometimes prompted adjustments to the type of matches or placements participants would consider (e.g., to mitigate the likelihood of future similar losses). Moving forward from adoption losses was facilitated by support from partners and those who experienced similar losses, knowledge or hope regarding the children once in their care, and finally being placed with the child(ren) whom they ultimately legally adopted.

Matching ICD-11 personality status to clinical management in a community team-The Boston (UK) Personality Project: Study protocol.

Epidemiological studies show 30% to 50% of all patients in community mental health teams have personality disorders. These are normally comorbid with other psychiatric disorders, often as Galenic syndromes, and are seldom identified. In the Boston (UK) Personality Project all patients under a community health service in Boston in Lincolnshire will be asked to agree to have their personality status assessed using scales recording the new ICD-11 classification, together with clinical ratings, social function and satisfaction. A control group of 100 patients from an adjacent service of similar demographics (Spalding) will also have similar ratings but no personality assessments. Changes in clinical status, social function and service satisfaction will be made after 6 and 12 months in both groups. The patients in the Boston group will be offered matched interventions using a stepped care approach for both the severity of disorder and its domain structure. These interventions will include shorter versions of existing psychological treatments, environmental therapies including nidotherapy, adaptive and acceptance models, drug reduction and social prescribing. Full costs of psychiatric care will be measured in both groups. The main hypothesis is that greater awareness of personality function will lead to better clinical outcomes and satisfaction.

Medication optimisation in severe mental illness (MEDIATE): protocol for a realist review.

INTRODUCTION: Severe mental illness (SMI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. People living with SMI often receive complex medication regimens. Optimising these regimens can be challenging. Non-adherence is common and addressing it requires a collaborative approach to decision making. MEDIATE uses a realist approach with extensive engagement with experts-by-experience to make sense of the complexities and identify potential solutions.Realist research is used to unpack and explain complexity using programme theory/theories that contain causal explanations of outcomes, expressed as context-mechanism-outcome-configurations. The programme theory/theories will enable MEDIATE to address its aim of understanding what works, for whom, in what circumstances, to optimise medication use with people living with SMI. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: MEDIATE will be conducted over six stages. In stage 1, we will collaborate with our service user/family carer lived experience group (LEG) and practitioner stakeholder group (SG), to determine the focus. In stage 2, we will develop initial programme theories for what needs to be done, by whom, how and why, and in what contexts to optimise medication use. In stage 3, we will develop and run searches to identify secondary data to refine our initial programme theories.Stage 4 involves selection and appraisal: documents will be screened by title, abstract/keywords and full text against inclusion and exclusion criteria. In stage 5, relevant data will extracted, recorded and coded. Data will be analysed using a realist logic with input from the LEG and SG. Finally, in stage 6, refined programme theories will be developed, identifying causal explanations for key outcomes and the strategies required to change contexts to trigger the key mechanisms that produce these outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Primary data will not be collected, and therefore, ethical approval is not required. MEDIATE will be disseminated via publications, conferences and form the basis for future grant applications. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021280980.

Experiences of black women adult foster care providers for aging adults: negotiating power and care.

This study explored experiences of 23 Black women owners and operators of Adult Foster Care (AFC) homes for midlife and older adults. Semi-structured interview data focusing on multiple dimensions of the care context were analyzed using grounded theory methods. Women leveraged their resources as they invested their expertise, time, and relationships to support their residents and embraced the value of residents for their contribution to the success of AFC settings. The findings underline the critical roles of these AFC providers in maintaining safe and home-like care contexts for aging adults, in the face of systemic challenges.

Apart, but still together: Separated parents living in limbo during COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents face unprecedented challenges linked to social isolation, uncertainty about the future, and financial, employment, and school-related stress. Individuals who planned to separate and divorce before the pandemic now find their lives on hold. In this exploratory study of 14 women who completed an online survey of open- and closed-ended questions regarding the divorce process and parenting challenges during COVID-19, we were guided by family stress and resilience theory and a directed qualitative content analysis approach to generate a collective story of their experiences, which included four themes: (a) pile-up of tensions, challenges, and stressors, (b) living in limbo during the pandemic, (c) finding creative strategies and solutions to navigating parenting and relational dissolution, while still living together, and (d) reaching the breaking point. We conclude with implications for professionals seeking to support individuals, couples, and families during a time of unprecedented transition and uncertainty.