Incidence and Associated Risk Factors for Falls in Older Adults After Elective Total Knee Replacement Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and associated risk factors for falls in older adults in the 12 mos after elective, primary total knee replacement surgery. DESIGN: A prospective observational cohort of older adults undergoing total knee replacement were followed. Baseline measurements included risk factors of history of falls, using a gait aid and number of medications. Falls data were recorded after discharge for 12 mos alongside patient reported outcomes (Oxford Knee Score). Analyses used logistic and negative binomial regression modeling. RESULTS: There were 267 participants (mean age = 70 [6.7] yrs) enrolled. Participants who fell (n = 102 [40.6%]) reported 200 falls in the 12 mos after surgery. The incidence of falls was 2.4 falls per 1000 patient days in the 12 mos after surgery, with the highest incidence (2.6 falls per 1000 patient days) in month 1. Risk factors for falling were a history of falls (adjusted odds ratio = 2.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.35-4.31) and number of central nervous system acting medications taken before surgery (adjusted odds ratio = 1.66, 95% confidence interval = 1.25-2.21). Using a walking aid at baseline was associated with falls after discharge (adjusted incident rate ratio = 2.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.57-3.60). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults experience a high incidence of falls after elective total knee replacement. Further research that investigates falls prevention after total knee replacement is required.

Bowel management post major joint arthroplasty: A randomised controlled trial to test two pre-admission bowel regimens.

BACKGROUND: The length of stay for patients undergoing joint arthroplasty has reduced but there is a paucity of knowledge relating to bowel management within this enhanced recovery framework. AIM: The study's primary aim was to determine which of two dosage regimens of macrogol (Movicol®) commenced pre-operatively is most effective in facilitating a return to normal bowel function. PROCEDURE: Ninety-one eligible patients were randomised to one of three groups: 1) commence macrogol one sachet in the morning for two days prior to surgery; 2) commence macrogol one sachet, morning and evening of the day prior to surgery; or 3) control group. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of patients in group one, and 83% of group two had returned to normal bowel function by one-week post discharge compared to 70% of control patients (p = .470). Participants in group one required less aperients in the week following discharge compared with the other two groups although the result was not statistically significant (p = .060). CONCLUSION: Despite not reaching statistical significance, the results are considered clinically significant. The authors recommend patients commence macrogol one sachet in the morning for the two days prior to admission for major joint arthroplasty and the Murdoch Bowel Protocol® continue to be followed for inpatients.

Incidence and Associated Risk Factors for Falls in Older Adults Postdischarge Who Undergo Elective Total Hip Replacement Surgery-A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Hip replacement surgery improves health-related quality of life; however, it has been suggested that falls rates increase after hospital discharge. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and associated risk factors for falls in older adults in the 12 months after undergoing elective total hip replacement surgery. METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted. Participants were adults aged 60 years or older who underwent primary elective total hip replacement surgery in a private tertiary hospital in Perth, Australia. Baseline data collected immediately prior to discharge included use of walking aids, medications, and functional level of independence (using Katz and Lawton scales). Falls data were collected for 12 months using calendars and monthly phone calls. Data were analyzed using logistic and negative binomial regression modeling. RESULTS: Participants' ([n = 167], 54.4% female) mean age was 71.2 (±6.9) years. There were 51 (31%) participants who used a walking aid prior to surgery. There were 140 falls reported over 12 months by 67 (42%) participants, of which 90 (64.3%) were injurious (n = 9 fractures). The fall rate was 2.6 per 1000 patient-days. Age (adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.20) and hospital length of stay (adjusted odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.54).were significantly associated with sustaining multiple falls. CONCLUSIONS: More than 40% of older adults fell in the 12 months after elective hip replacement surgery although the cohort had low fall risk prior to surgery. Rehabilitation after hip replacement surgery should consider fall prevention.

Incidence, risk factors and the healthcare cost of falls postdischarge after elective total hip and total knee replacement surgery: protocol for a prospective observational cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The number of major joint replacement procedures continues to increase in Australia. The primary aim of this study is to determine the incidence of falls in the first 12 months after discharge from hospital in a cohort of older patients who undergo elective total hip or total knee replacement. METHODS AND ANALYSES: A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study starting in July 2015, enrolling patients aged ≥60 years who are admitted for elective major joint replacement (n=267 total hip replacement, n=267 total knee replacement) and are to be discharged to the community. Participants are followed up for 12 months after hospital discharge. The primary outcome measure is the rate of falls per thousand patient-days. Falls data will be collected by 2 methods: issuing a falls diary to each participant and telephoning participants monthly after discharge. Secondary outcomes include the rate of injurious falls and health-related quality of life. Patient-rated outcomes will be measured using the Oxford Hip or Oxford Knee score. Generalised linear mixed modelling will be used to examine the falls outcomes in the 12 months after discharge and to examine patient and clinical characteristics predictive of falls. An economic evaluation will be conducted to describe the nature of healthcare costs in the first 12 months after elective joint replacement and estimate costs directly attributable to fall events. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The results will be disseminated through local site networks and will inform future services to support older people undergoing hip or knee joint replacement and also through peer-reviewed publications and medical conferences. This study has been approved by The University of Notre Dame Australia and local hospital human research ethics committees. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12615000653561; Pre-results.

How Well Do We Understand Health Care Professionals' Perceptions and Needs in the Provision of Palliative Care? A Mixed Methods Study.

OBJECTIVES: Despite palliative care being standard for patients with chronic and/or life-limiting conditions, a perceived lack of clarity regarding the definition and scope of palliative care persists. We aimed to identify health care professionals' (HCPs) perspectives, education, and support needs related to palliative care provision in a large private Australian tertiary hospital. METHODS: A validated survey was administered and four focus groups were conducted with multidisciplinary HCPs. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 50% (n = 302). Although critical care HCPs scored symptom management and patient/family interaction items more highly compared with other HCPs, mean scores (<4.0) for both groups indicated participants lacked confidence to perform this aspect of care independently. Critical care HCPs were more comfortable caring for dying patients (p < 0.001) and talking to families about death (p < 0.001). Ward HCPs were more supportive of early referral to palliative care (p < 0.001). Cancer diagnoses were overestimated as common causes of death. Education needs focused on ethical issues, end-of-life communication skills, dealing with delirium, and use of the Liverpool Care Pathway. Key themes identified from the four focus groups were (1) delays or nonreferral to palliative care created considerable stress and feelings of inadequacy despite a perceived understanding of the broader definition of palliative care and (2) HCPs commonly focused on end-of-life care. CONCLUSION: Ambiguity regarding the meaning and delivery of palliative care persists in the acute care setting across disciplines. Results confirmed that innovative approaches to education and upskilling HCPs in palliative care and referral pathways is warranted.

Developing a research agenda for nursing and midwifery: a modified Delphi study.

AIM: We sought to ascertain the nursing and midwifery research priorities at a large private tertiary hospital in Australia. DESIGN: A modified Delphi technique with two rounds of questionnaires. METHODS: The first round survey was distributed to 448 nurses and midwives with a 19.2% (n=86) response rate. Due to a low response rate in some specialties, the second round of the Delphi was only sent to nurses in the Learning and Organisational Development speciality who were asked to rank 10 identified topics specific to Learning and Organisational Development using a five point Likert-type scale. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty seven topics were identified in Round One and were condensed to 181 topics. Each topic was assigned to one of four categories: clinical audit; existing evidence base; research; or other topics which fell beyond the bounds of nursing or midwifery research. Twenty three research topics were identified with priorities focusing on learning and development and workforce issues. CONCLUSION: Priorities were congruent with the organisation's strategic workforce focus. Topics identified in this study will ensure that the nursing and midwifery research conducted at the study setting is relevant and reflects priorities as determined by clinical nurses and midwives.

Staff perceptions of palliative care in a public Australian, metropolitan emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to investigate staff experiences and attitudes towards palliative care provision in a public metropolitan ED. METHODS: Using a previously validated survey tool, data were collected from ED clinical staff using Likert-type, open-ended and dichotomous items asking about perceptions of palliative care and education needs. Comparisons were made between nursing and medical staff. RESULTS: Medical staff and nurses' perceptions of palliative care were similar, differing on only 10 of 37 (Likert) items. All staff reported confidence with symptom management, whereas medical staff felt more confident with decision-oriented communication and nurses were more supportive of nasogastric feeding. Staff were moderately accurate in determining the five most common causes of death. Four out of five conditions selected as appropriate for palliative care were cancer diagnoses. End-of-life communication and ethical issues were the two most frequently requested areas for further education. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that overall ED staff were confident regarding symptom management in palliative care. Cancer diagnoses were overrepresented in both the top five causes of death and conditions most appropriate for a palliative approach, suggesting that staff might underestimate the role of a palliative approach in non-cancer diagnoses. Areas suggested for further education include communication and ethical issues surrounding end-of-life care.

Bowel management post major joint arthroplasty: results from a randomised controlled trial.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of a new post-operative bowel protocol in total hip and total knee replacement patients. BACKGROUND: Up to 65% of total hip and total knee replacement patients experience some degree of constipation post-operatively. A lack of robust evidence to guide bowel management and reduce constipation in this cohort was the impetus for this study. DESIGN: A multisite cluster randomised trial in private secondary and tertiary hospitals. METHODS: In total 331 patients were recruited across seven Australian hospitals over 13 months. Control participants (n = 171) received routine bowel management whilst intervention participants (n = 160) received bowel management as per the trial protocol. RESULTS: Intervention patients took 6 days less than controls to return to normal bowel function, and were more than seven times more likely to return to normal bowel function by day 5 post operatively. Age, gender and length of pre-operative fasting had no effect on these outcomes. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of the Murdoch Bowel Protocol(®) for hip and knee replacement patients and may be relevant for other patient groups who experience opioid induced bowel dysfunction.

Why do patients choose to attend a private emergency department?

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the reasons patients decide to attend a particular acute care service, and their expectations of that service, is important in providing optimal patient care. The present study aimed to determine factors influencing patient decisions to attend a private Australian ED, an issue that has not been previously addressed in the literature. METHODS: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with ED patients, purposively sampled to broadly reflect the departmental caseload and casemix. The two primary questions asked were: 'Why did you choose to come to this emergency department?' and 'What are your general expectations of this emergency department visit?'. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then analysed using manifest and then latent content analysis techniques. RESULTS: All patients approached (n = 30) agreed to interview. Four key themes were identified: prior experience of the hospital, convenient location of the hospital, anticipated high-quality care and anticipated short wait times. CONCLUSIONS: Patients chose to use the private ED because of prior experience, proximity, and an expectation they would be seen promptly and be provided with competent care.

Understanding emergency department staff needs and perceptions in the provision of palliative care.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of the present study was to investigate Australian ED staff perspectives and needs regarding palliative care provision. Secondary aims were to assess staff views about death and dying, and their awareness of common causes of death in Australia, particularly those where a palliative care approach is appropriate. METHODS: All medical and nursing staff working in a private ED in Perth, Western Australia, were asked to complete a combined quantitative and qualitative survey. The survey tool uses a combination of Likert-type scales and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and intergroup comparisons were made for all quantifiable variables, whereas formal content analysis was used for text responses. RESULTS: Surveys were returned by 22 doctors and 44 nurses, with most reporting only working knowledge of palliative care but clinical proficiency in symptom control. Confidence in palliative care provision was lower among nursing than medical staff but educational needs were similar. Cancer diagnoses were consistently overestimated, and dementia and COPD underestimated, as the most common causes of death. Only six of 63 (9.5%) of respondents identified the correct top five causes of death. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that although ED staff expressed confidence regarding symptom management in palliative care, they lacked understanding of the patients in whom a palliative approach could be applied and sought further education in areas, such as end-of-life communication and ethical issues. ED specific training and clinical interventions in palliative care provision would seem to be needed and justified.

Graduated compression stockings for the prevention of postoperative venous thromboembolism in obstetric patients: a best practice implementation project.

AIMS: The aims of this project were twofold: to compare our current venous thromboembolism management in postoperative Caesarean section patients with the current best evidence on the use of graduated compression stockings and to standardise mechanical venous thromboembolism prophylaxis guidelines where multiple approaches had previously been used. METHOD: Thirty post-Caesarean section patients from a private hospital in Perth, Western Australia, were audited in a three-phase project: (i) the initial audit; (ii) clinical practice change including greater venous thromboembolism awareness and targeted education for midwives, standardised guidelines for mechanical prophylaxis, the development of an online venous thromboembolism module, a venous thromboembolism prophylaxis policy and heightened consumer involvement; and (iii) a follow-up audit. RESULTS: Our initial audit result demonstrated opportunities for improvement across all audit criteria. The interventions were undertaken over a 3-month period from August to October 2010. The follow-up audit results showed pleasing improvements across four audit criteria with one criterion unchanged. CONCLUSION: While the follow-up audit showed significant clinical improvements, the tight time frame for the development and implementation of multiple interventions created major challenges. We believe that given time to embed these changes, further improvements will be seen. Ongoing audits will be conducted to ensure the sustainability of these changes. The change in practice and subsequent improvements demonstrated at this private hospital provide evidence to encourage other midwifery units to pursue best practice in the management of this high-risk patient cohort.

A study of in-hospital midwifery practices that affect breastfeeding outcomes.

Whilst breastfeeding is undoubtedly best for both mother and baby, many factors influence a woman's decision about whether to start and when to cease feeding. This study sought to determine which variables, influenced by midwifery practice, may influence the length of breastfeeding. Mothers who had given birth to a live baby at a Perth private hospital were invited to complete a validated, anonymous questionnaire asking about their breastfeeding experience, both in hospital and following discharge. The response rate was 50% (n=266). Although 94% of women were breastfeeding on discharge from hospital, this rate reduced to 59% at 6 months and 21% at 12 months. The mean duration of breastfeeding was 7.4 months (SD +/- 4.1). Of five variables thought to be associated with an increased length of breastfeeding, only two were found to be statistically significant: whether a mother could independently attach the baby on discharge (p=0.003) and whether or not artificial baby milk was administered in hospital (p<0.001). In order to improve breastfeeding rates, education for both mothers and midwives must be targeted towards ensuring mothers are able to independently attach their baby on discharge from hospital. The findings also support the discouragement of artificial feeding unless there is a medical indication or the mother has made an informed request.