[Advance care planning: how can we do better in geriatrics?] / Projet de soins anticipé : comment pouvons-nous mieux faire en gériatrie ?

How can we improve the discussion and documentation of goals of care with older people and their relatives? When promoting advance care planning one is expected to address a threefold challenge: an ethical challenge, a quality of care - patient safety challenge, and a public health challenge. The aim of this article is to describe how we integrated advance care planning at the Geneva University Hospitals with a focus on the department of geriatrics and rehabilitation. We explain how we improved the documentation in the electronic medical records. We detail how we trained healthcare professionals and disseminated the information to patients and to the general public. Finally, we point out the success factors and barriers in this process, as they might be encountered by healthcare institutions and networks implementing advance care planning elsewhere in Switzerland.

Comment pouvons-nous mieux discuter et documenter les objectifs de soins avec les personnes âgées et leurs proches ? Promouvoir le projet de soins anticipé (ProSA), c'est relever un triple enjeu : d'éthique, de qualité-sécurité des soins et de santé publique. L'objectif de cet article est de décrire comment nous avons intégré le ProSA aux Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève en l'illustrant du retour d'expérience du Département de réadaptation et gériatrie. Nous expliquons comment la documentation électronique a été améliorée. Nous détaillons la formation des personnels et les outils d'information pour l'institution et le grand public. Enfin, nous indiquons les facteurs de succès et obstacles de ce processus que pourront rencontrer les institutions et réseaux de santé en Romandie et au-delà implémentant le ProSA en Suisse.

University hospital center for palliative and supportive care.

The Center for Palliative Care and Supportive Care opened in 2019 with the aim of contributing to the implementation of general palliative care in all departments of the Geneva University Hospitals. Built with the aim of supporting care professionals in the management of patients with palliative trajectories and enhancing their professional skills, depending on their specialisation, the centre has laid out recommendations for the palliative management of people with a life-limiting disease. The results of the centre's actions, carried out in collaboration with these professionals, are encouraging and show a growing use of the recommended tools for the evaluation and management of patients in general palliative care.

Is massage a legitimate part of nursing care? A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: The use of massage therapy has received increased attention in the treatment of chronic pain. However, barriers can hinder its use in nursing care. This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore professionals' experiences regarding touch massage (TM) and identify barriers and facilitators for the implementation of this intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is part of a larger research program aimed at investigating the impact of TM on the experiences of patients with chronic pain hospitalized in two units of an internal medicine rehabilitation ward. Health care professionals (HCPs) were trained either to provide TM or to use of a massage-machine device according to their units. At the end of the trial, two focus groups were conducted with HCPs from each unit who took part in the training and agreed to discuss their experience: 10 caregivers from the TM group and 6 from the machine group. The focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from thematic content analysis: perceived impact on patients, HCPs' affective and cognitive experiences, patient-professionals relationships, organizational tensions, and conceptual tensions. Overall, the HCPs reported better general outcomes with TM than with the machine. They described positive effects on patients, HCPs, and their relationships. Regarding interventions' implementation, the HCPs reported organizational barriers such as patients' case complexity, work overload, and lack of time. Conceptual barriers such as ambivalence around the legitimacy of TM in nursing care were reported. TM was often described as a pleasure care that was considered a complementary approach and was overlooked despite its perceived benefits. CONCLUSION: Despite the perceived benefits of TM reported by the HCPs, ambivalence arose around the legitimacy of this intervention. This result emphasizes the importance of changing HCPs' attitudes regarding a given intervention to facilitate its implementation.

[Serious game, a new approach for advance care planning with dialysis patients]. / « Jeux sérieux ¼, une nouvelle approche pour aborder le projet de soins anticipé avec les patients dialysés.

Due to the high morbidity and mortality with limited life expectancy of dialysis patients, it is essential to implement advance care planning in order to know patients' values and care preferences and respect their autonomy. However, advance care planning is rarely carried out, due to the difficulties in initiating end-of-life discussions, both by patients and healthcare professionals. The use of "serious games" in the form of card games has shown promise in supporting the implementation of advance care planning. In this article, we present the development process of an advance care planning intervention for dialysis patients using a card game (the Go Wish), in the Division of Nephrology of the University Hospitals of Geneva.

A Mobile App for Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives (Accordons-nous): Development and Usability Study.

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning, including advance directives, is an important tool that allows patients to express their preferences for care if they are no longer able to express themselves. We developed Accordons-nous, a smartphone app that informs patients about advance care planning and advance directives, facilitates communication on these sensitive topics, and helps patients express their values and preferences for care. OBJECTIVE: The first objective of this study is to conduct a usability test of this app. The second objective is to collect users' critical opinions on the usability and relevance of the tool. METHODS: We conducted a usability test by means of a think-aloud method, asking 10 representative patients to complete 7 browsing tasks. We double coded the filmed sessions to obtain descriptive data on task completion (with or without help), time spent, number of clicks, and the types of problems encountered. We assessed the severity of the problems encountered and identified the modifications needed to address these problems. We evaluated the readability of the app using Scolarius, a French equivalent of the Flesch Reading Ease test. By means of a posttest questionnaire, we asked participants to assess the app's usability (System Usability Scale), relevance (Mobile App Rating Scale, section F), and whether they would recommend the app to the target groups: patients, health professionals, and patients' caring relatives. RESULTS: Participants completed the 7 think-aloud tasks in 80% (56/70) of the cases without any help from the experimenter, in 16% (11/70) of the cases with some help, and failed in 4% (3/70) of the cases. The analysis of failures and difficulties encountered revealed a series of major usability problems that could be addressed with minor modifications to the app. Accordons-nous obtained high scores on readability (overall score of 87.4 on Scolarius test, corresponding to elementary school level), usability (85.3/100 on System Usability Scale test), relevance (4.3/5 on the Mobile App Rating Scale, section F), and overall subjective endorsement on 3 I would recommend questions (4.7/5). CONCLUSIONS: This usability test helped us make the final changes to our app before its official launch.

Impacts of Touch massage on the experience of patients with chronic pain: A protocol for a mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a major public health problem. It affects the quality of life of many patients and their families and compromises physical and social functioning and psychological well-being. Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly being used as a complement to chronic pain care. One of these interventions is Touch massage (TM) that can provide relaxation, comfort and well-being. In addition to its various physiological functions, TM can be used as a social communication tool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cluster study with an exploratory qualitative part. Two groups will be considered: the experimental group will benefit from a TM delivered by trained members of care team and the control group will benefit from an intervention of the same duration with a foot massage device. At least 4 sessions will be delivered and spread over two weeks. Sample size calculation showed that 78 participants (39 per group) need to be included. As for the qualitative part, semi-structured interviews will be conducted to investigate the patients' perception of the intervention; focus groups will explore the satisfaction and general perception of the health care teams. EXPECTED RESULTS: Incorporating TM interventions into care planning could bring benefits in supporting patients suffering from chronic pain. TM is expected to increase the patients' feelings that their pain is seriously considered; physical and psychological support should help improve their sense of comfort and well-being and hence their quality of life. This practice might thus improve the caregiver-patient relationship with TM as a providing a new means of establishing communication through touch. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04295603, Registered on March 4, 2020.

[Pain management in adult medico-surgical wards : practical guidelines]. / Antalgie dans les services médico-chirurgicaux adultes. Recommandations pratiques du réseau douleur des Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève.

Guidelines for pain management in the medical and surgical departments of the Geneva University Hospitals (GUH) have been systematically developed using a multidisciplinary approach. These guidelines are aimed towards improving healthcare quality. We point to the ways the pain network of the GUH has elected to deal with the ever-increasing progression of concepts regarding pain management. This is of importance at a time when the risks related to the patients' transitions between the different departments, to the specificities of the clinical practices, and to the need for personalized care have never been so high.

Les recommandations pratiques (RP) pour l'antalgie dans les services médico-chirurgicaux des Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG) ont été développées de façon systématique et interdisciplinaire. Les RP représentent un outil d'amélioration de la qualité des soins. Nous montrons de quelle manière le réseau douleur des HUG a décidé de faire face à l'évolution croissante des concepts en matière de prise en charge de la douleur. Ceci alors que les risques liés aux transferts des patients entre les services cliniques, aux spécificités des pratiques, ainsi qu'au besoin d'individualisation des soins n'ont jamais été aussi grands.

Validation of the French Version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.

CONTEXT: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a brief, widely adopted, multidimensional questionnaire to evaluate patient-reported symptoms. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to define a standard French version of the ESAS (F-ESAS) to determine the psychometric properties in French-speaking patients. METHODS: In a first pilot study, health professionals (n = 20) and patients (n = 33) defined the most adapted terms in French (F-ESAS). In a prospective multicentric study, palliative care patients completed the three forms of F-ESAS (F-ESAS-VI, F-ESAS-VE, and F-ESAS-NU, where VI is visual, VE, verbal, and NU, numerical), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. All patients had a test-retest evaluation during the same half-day. Standardized distraction material was used between each scale. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four patients were included (mean age [±SD]: 68.3 ± 12; 70 women; 54 men). Test-retest reliability was high for all three F-ESAS, and the correlation between these scales was nearly perfect (Spearman rs = 0.66-0.91; P < 0.05). F-ESAS-VI, F-ESAS-VE, and F-ESAS-NU performed similarly and were equally reliable, although there was a trend toward lower reliability for F-ESAS-VI. Correlation between F-ESAS depression and anxiety and HADS depression and anxiety, respectively, were positive (Spearman rs = 0.38-0.41 for depression; Spearman rs = 0.48-0.57 for anxiety, P < 0.05). Among patients, 59 (48%), 45 (36%), and 20 (16%) preferred to assess their symptoms with F-ESAS-VE, F-ESAS-NU, and F-ESAS-VI, respectively. CONCLUSION: The F-ESAS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring multidimensional symptoms in French-speaking patients with an advanced cancer. All forms of F-ESAS performed well with a trend for better psychometric performance for F-ESAS-NU, but patients preferred the F-ESAS-VE.