Community nurse specialists' translation of newly learned knowledge in primary healthcare: A mixed methods study.

AIM: To investigate how graduates of a Nurse Specialist Education in Community and Primary Healthcare Nursing programme self-assess their competencies and possibilities to translate knowledge into practice. METHODS: A mixed methods design based on the triangulation convergence model was used. Thirty-four community nurse specialists, who had graduated from a Nurse Specialist Education in Community and Primary Healthcare Nursing programme, participated in a cross-sectional survey and of these; seven nurses participated in a semi-structured interview. Data from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics and data from the interviews underwent a thematic analysis. All results were combined and compared according to the study design. FINDINGS: The combined comparison of the results from the survey and the findings from the interviews showed, how the community nurse specialists self-assessed their competencies in direct clinical practice, professional development, ethical decision-making, clinical leadership, cooperation and collaboration, and critical thinking as high. However, they experienced very few opportunities to translate their new knowledge in practice due to low alignment between the statutory purpose of the education and their own expectations. CONCLUSIONS: Competent clinical nurses working in community care settings who completed an education in advanced community care experienced few opportunities to use their new knowledge in practice. The community nurse specialists' expectations of how to use their new knowledge in practice after graduation does not align with the statutory order of the specialist education, which is directed towards combining direct and specialised patient care with coordination of care trajectories for the most fragile patients. It is important to include the managers in coordination of the community nurse specialists' usage of their new knowledge in practice.

Electronic patient-reported outcome measures to enable systematic follow-up in treatment and care of women diagnosed with breast cancer: a feasibility study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical practice has the potential to promote person-centred care and improve patients' health-related quality of life. We aimed to develop an intervention centred around electronic PROMs (ePROMs) for systematic follow-up in patients diagnosed with breast cancer and to evaluate its feasibility. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We developed a nurse-oriented and surgeon-oriented intervention in PROMs, including (1) an education programme for nurses and surgeons; (2) administration of BREAST-Q as proactive ePROMs during follow-up in patients diagnosed with breast cancer and (3) feedback to nurses and surgeons on PROM scores and a guidance manual for healthcare practitioners. Subsequently, we designed a non-controlled feasibility evaluation on the outcomes acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality and integration. The feasibility evaluation includes qualitative ethnographic studies exploring the user perspectives of patients, nurses and surgeons and quantitative studies to explore the characteristics of the patient population regarding demographic background, response rates and response patterns. The feasibility study was initiated in September 2021, will continue until 2024 and will include approximately 900 patients. EPROMs are collected at the following assessment time points: baseline (after diagnosis, before surgery), 1-year follow-up and 3-year endpoint. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study will be conducted according to the General Data Protection Regulation and the fifth version of the Helsinki Declaration. The National Committee on Health Research Ethics approved the study according to the law of the Committee § 1, part 4. All data will be anonymised before its publication. The results of the feasibility study will be published in peer-reviewed, international journals.

An investigation of the level of burnout and resilience among hospital based nurse managers after COVID 19 - A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study.

AIM: We aim to investigate burnout and resilience among hospital based nurse managers post COVID-19 in order to suggest appropriate person-centred leadership support. BACKGROUND: Nurse leaders are central to establishing safe and caring environments for patients and staff. Therefore, their own wellbeing is crucial, particular in times of crisis where they must provide support and guidance. METHODS: Cross-sectional questionnaire included ward managers. Data collected were burnout inventory, brief resilience score and demographic data. To analyse data, we used descriptive statistics. RESULTS: 51.2% answered the questionnaire. Of those, 32.3% displayed symptoms of high personal burnout and 29% of work-related burnout. 6.5% showed signs of high employee-related burnout. As a group, ward managers showed moderate to high resilience. CONCLUSION: Personal and work-related burnout was highly prevalent among ward managers. Results suggest that the cause of their burnout symptoms cannot be attributed to low individual resilience. We thus suggest a shift in focus from strengthening individual leadership resilience to the establishment of healthful and resilient cultures in accordance with person-centred leadership. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Person-centred leadership has the potential to shift the focus from the resilience of individual leaders to that of collective responsibility for creating a healthful and resilient culture.

Clinical assessment as a part of an early warning score-a Danish cluster-randomised, multicentre study of an individual early warning score.

BACKGROUND: The clinical benefit of Early Warning Scores (EWSs) is undocumented. Nursing staff's clinical assessment might improve the prediction of outcome and allow more efficient use of resources. We aimed to investigate whether the combination of clinical assessment and EWS would reduce the number of routine measurements without increasing mortality. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, crossover, non-inferiority study at eight hospitals in Denmark. Patients aged 18 years or older, admitted for more than 24 h were included. Admissions to paediatric or obstetric wards were excluded. The participating hospitals were randomly assigned 1:1 to start as either intervention or control with subsequent crossover. Primary outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality (non-inferiority margin=0·5%) and average number of EWS per day per patient. The intervention was implementation of the Individual EWS (I-EWS), in which nursing staff can adjust the calculated score on the basis of their clinical assessment of the patient. I-EWS was compared with the National Early Warning Score (NEWS). The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03690128 and is complete. FINDINGS: Unique admissions longer than 24 h were included from Oct 15, 2018 to Sept 30, 2019. Of 90 964 patients assessed, n=46 470 were assigned to the I-EWS group and n=44 494 to the NEWS group. Mortality within 30 days was 4·6% for the I-EWS group, and 4·3% for the NEWS group (adjusted odds ratio 1·05 [95% CI 0·99-1·12], p=0·12). In subgroup analyses I-EWS showed increased 30-day mortality for hospitals that did I-EWS in fall-winter, which was probably due to seasonality, and within patients admitted in a surgical specialty. Overall risk difference was 0·22% (95% CI -0·04 to 0·48) meaning that the non-inferiority criteria were met. The average number of scorings per patient per day was reduced from 3·14 to 3·10 (ie, a relative reduction of 0·64% [95% CI -0·16 to -1·11], p=0·0084) in the I-EWS group. INTERPRETATION: Including clinical assessment in I-EWS was feasible and overall non-inferior to the widely implemented NEWS in terms of all-cause mortality at 30 days, and the number of routine measurements was minimally reduced. However I-EWS should be used with caution in surgical patients. FUNDING: Capital Region Research Foundation, Gangsted Foundation, Candys Foundation, Herlev-Gentofte Hospital Research Foundation, Laerdal Foundation, and The Foundation of Director Boennelycke and wife.

Perceptions of person-centred care in two large university hospitals: A cross-sectional survey among healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Patient-centred care (PCC) including collaborative practices is the core component of modern health care. Despite this, it has proven difficult to implement. AIMS: To examine (1) healthcare professionals' (HCPs') perception of whether they perceive a PCC culture, their attitudes towards involving patients in decisions and their experiences of barriers for PCC; and (2) variables that may contribute to explain differences in perceived person-centred culture. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of HCPs from 27 different departments from two university hospitals in Denmark. HCPs were eligible if they held a profession as physician, Registered Nurse, nurse assistant, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician, midwife or psychologist and excluded if they reported not being involved in patient treatment and care. The questionnaire consisted of four items from the Context Assessment Index (CAI). The remaining items were purpose-designed. RESULTS: In total 1140 (24% response rate) HCPs completed the questionnaire and were included in the analyses. Most of the HCPs perceived a culture of PCC (e.g. 91% agreed or agreed to a high degree that patients were provided with opportunities to participate in decisions). Most HCPs also held positive attitudes towards involving patients in decisions. Time and prioritisation from the management were perceived as barriers for PCC, and many HCPs also believed that involving patients in decisions could be difficult for the patients. The HCPs who were least involved in treatment and care, and working in the acute setting or in surgery, were least likely to perceive a PCC culture. HCPs with the longest or shortest educations, and HCPs working primarily with outpatients or with planned inpatients, were most likely to perceive a person-centred culture. CONCLUSION: The HCPs generally perceived a culture of PCC and held positive attitudes towards involving patients in decisions. To further promote PCC, time and prioritisation must be invested at an organisational level.

The Differences in Experiences Among Multi-Level Healthcare Leaders, Between the First and the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Two Cross-Sectional Studies Compared.

PURPOSE: To identify the differences in experiences during wave I and II of the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare leaders. BACKGROUND: It is expected, that working conditions for COVID-19-pandemic frontline staff will change, as health care organizations have gained experience with handling the consequences of the disease. METHODS: An online survey was sent out to Danish health care leaders during the first and the second pandemic wave. Comparative analyses were performed in relation to three key characteristics: management level, management education and experiences as a leader. RESULTS: Eighty-nine health care leaders completed both surveys. Significant differences were found within the entire group across the key characteristics as they felt more prepared for each stage of the situation, they had more influence on the decisions taken, and they felt more concerned about the quality of treatment and care and their own health. Further significant results related to the three key characteristics were found at 1) Management level: The heads of department experienced being better informed, having more overview of their tasks and that these were meaningful. The ward managers experienced being more able to work in consistency with own beliefs and values, though they felt more overloaded. 2) Level of management education: Leaders, without a formal management education, experienced being more supported by staff. 3) Years of experiences as leader: Leaders with more than five years of experience, experienced being more prepared and informed, had more influence on decision-making, and were more worried about their own health. CONCLUSION: The learning from experience that happens naturally in crisis situations is the reason why the leaders feel more prepared. However, there is a need for further leadership and practice development, to create contexts where leaders feel more ready for all aspects of their role.

Core competencies of clinical nurse specialists: A comparison across three Nordic countries.

AIM: To describe and compare the clinical nurse specialist core competency use in Finland, Denmark and Iceland. BACKGROUND: Clinical nurse specialist roles were first developed more than 60 years ago in the United States. Within the Nordic countries, the clinical nurse specialist role emerged around 2000. There is scarcity of clinical nurse specialist competency descriptions outside of North America, and research has been limited to examine or validate established competencies across different countries. DESIGN: A descriptive correlational study. METHODS: An online survey was conducted from May to September 2019. A population sample of clinical nurse specialists in Finland, Denmark and Iceland was recruited. A validated self-report questionnaire of clinical nurse specialist competencies was used. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and the STROBE checklist was used as the reporting guideline. RESULTS: A total sample of 184 clinical nurse specialists, 52 from Finland, 95 from Denmark and 37 from Iceland, participated in the study (response rate = 72%, 35% and 48%, respectively). Overall, clinical nurse specialists utilised the organisational competency most frequently followed by the patient, clinical nursing leadership and scholarship competency. Univariate analysis of variance test between-country effects showed statistically significant difference in patient competency (p = .000) and in organisational competency (p < .05). There were no statistically significant differences between counties in the utilisation of clinical nursing leadership and scholarship competency. CONCLUSION: A small variability was found in the comparison of the clinical nurse specialist use of core competency in the spheres of patient, nursing, organisation and scholarship within three Nordic countries. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The CNS competency scale may be utilised in benchmarking clinical nurse specialist roles and practice within and across countries. The long-term goal for the competency descriptions is to enhance the clinical nurse specialist role clarity, integration and evaluation as well as inform post-graduate education.

Searching for a new normal-Hospital-employed researchers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study focuses on hospital-employed researchers, a relatively new staff group. Their job descriptions vary, which may lead to lack of clarity or preparedness regarding their roles and core tasks during a crisis such as COVID-19. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore hospital-employed healthcare researchers' experiences of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A qualitative design based on Graneheim and Lundman's latent content analysis of two focus groups with researchers in clinical practice was chosen to explore researchers' experiences of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Fifteen hospital researchers participated in two focus groups, divided into predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Focus groups were conducted in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the voice over IP service, Skype®, due to risk of contagion. FINDINGS: 'Searching for a new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic' was the main theme during the latent content interpretation, with subthemes of (i) balancing calm and insecurity, (ii) negotiating core tasks and (iii) considering the future. CONCLUSION: The 15 researchers tried to balance calm and insecurity within work and family, on standby for the hospital's contingency plan, and in their research tasks. This led them to negotiate their core tasks and to reflect on the changes and consequences for their positions as researchers in clinical practice in the future.

Improving Person-Centred Leadership: A Qualitative Study of Ward Managers' Experiences During the COVID-19 Crisis.

PURPOSE: In order to provide guidance and prepare ward managers for future crisis situations similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim of this study was to reflect and learn how person-centred nursing leadership may be strengthened in such situations. BACKGROUND: The pandemic has forced nurse leaders to face new challenges. Knowledge about their experiences may contribute to advancing leadership practices in times of future crises. METHODS: A qualitative directed content analysis was chosen. The theoretical perspective was person-centred leadership. Thirteen ward managers from a Danish university hospital were included and interviewed using telephone interviews three months after the first national COVID-19 case was confirmed. FINDINGS: The main findings of the study revealed that the ward managers often experienced a lack of timely, relevant information, involvement in decision-making and acknowledgement from the head nurse of department and the executive management. This was caused by the existing organizational cultures and the traditional hierarchy of communication. This meant that the ward managers' sense of own competences and leadership values and beliefs came under high pressure when they had to balance different stakeholders' needs. CONCLUSION: When the experience of ward managers results in them being unable to lead authentically and competently in a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of engagement can occur, with serious consequences for patients, staff and the ward managers themselves. Traditional organizational cultures that are hierarchical and controlling needs to be challenged and reoriented towards collaborative, inclusive and participative practices of engagement and involvement. Leadership development must be an established and integrated component of organizations, so that ward managers are able to sustain person-centred ways of being and doing in times of crisis.

The Importance of Context and Organization Culture in the Understanding of Nurses' Barriers Against Research Utilization: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have explored nurses' perceived barriers to research utilization. In this study, considerations of how to break down the barriers are discussed in order to find new ways to develop and strengthen evidence-based practice. AIMS: The objective of the study was to identify nurses' perceptions of barriers to research utilization in clinical practice between the years of 2000 and 2018 and across continents by reviewing studies that used the Barriers to Research Utilization (BARRIERS) scale (Appl Nurs Res, 4, 1991, 39). DESIGN: A systematic review of observational studies based on Joanna Briggs specific guidelines. METHODS: A systematic search to identify and select eligible studies was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and SCOPUS during January 2019. Google Scholar was also searched to identify additional studies using the Funk et al. (Appl Nurs Res, 4, 1991, 39) BARRIERS scale. An instrument for quality appraisal was constructed for this paper by combining two similar and previously used cross-sectional study checklists (Int J Sociol Soc Policy, 23, 8, 2003; Implement Sci, 5, 32, 2010). Descriptive statistics were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 25). RESULTS: The 27 included studies were conducted in 16 countries across five continents and 11,276 nurses participated. Seven of the top 10 barriers were comprised of organizational factors. These organizational barriers were consistent over time and the five continents, with 56% of the listed top 10 barriers falling under the organizational category. From the year 2000 to 2008, the majority of the studies were conducted in Europe and Australia. However, for the next 10 years (2008-2018), the majority of studies were conducted in Asia, Africa, and North America. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: To break down the nurses' barriers to research utilization, our future practice and research focus will be to conduct intervention studies focusing on the effect of facilitators and contextual environment, as well as developing nursing research cultures in clinical practice with support from the nursing management.

Comparing two models of outpatient specialised palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Ideally, patients with life-threatening illness who are suffering from multiple symptoms and reduced quality of life should receive palliative care that addresses their specific needs. The many well-defined clinical pathways may not always leave room for a person-centred and individual approach with respect to symptom control, psychosocial and spiritual support, and practical issues. In deciding how to organize outpatient specialist palliative care (SPC), it is relevant to include the perspectives of both patients and families. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare two models for outpatient SPC: first contact between patient, next-of-kin and doctor/nurse in the form of a home visit; and first visit in the hospital setting. METHOD: The study was a comparative mixed methods study with follow-up at one and 3 months. It started with a quantitative strand in the form of a 38-item questionnaire. Data were analysed using linear mixed effects models, with maximum likelihood estimation for each outcome variable. The repeated measurements on patient level were modelled by including random intercepts of patients in the mixed model. RESULTS: In total, 190 participants were enrolled, of whom 102 answered the first questionnaire. No differences were found between the two SPC interventions when development in satisfaction with care, communication or overall quality of life were compared. At baseline, a significantly higher score for satisfaction was found, in favour of first visit taking place in the hospital setting (65.91 vs. 55.83; p = 0.03) measured by FAMCARE-P16, and more patients were satisfied with availability of nurses and their abilities to listen and communicate than of doctors. CONCLUSION: Specialist palliative care is in request for many patients in the late phase of their disease. We found no significant differences in satisfaction with care, communication with health professionals or in overall quality of life between the two models. This may imply that access to SPC is more important than the model that is applied, and that a person-centred approach together with time available may matter more than the context. These two factors should be considered when implementing SPC.

Health Professional Frontline Leaders' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: The aim was to identify the differences in experiences of Danish healthcare leaders in the beginnning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and to generate knowledge for future leadership during and post crises. BACKGROUND: The global spread of COVID-19 has affected healthcare systems worldwide and has forced healthcare leaders to face challenges few were prepared for. It is expected that the pandemic may hit in several waves within the next year and therefore healthcare leaders must be prepared for these waves. METHODS: An online survey was developed, and comparative analyses were performed. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty hospital leaders were invited, and 72% completed the questionnaire. Significant differences were found within three selected characteristics: 1) Management level: significantly more heads of departments experienced taking complex decisions (P=0.05), being able to work in a way consistent with their beliefs and values (P=0.05), and they were less likely to experience that collaboration with other leaders was adversely affected by the COVID-19 situation compared to ward managers (P=0.04). On the other hand, ward managers were significantly more often worried about both their own health (P=0.01) and their family's health (P=0.04). 2) Management education: those with a formal management education more often experienced having the managerial competences to effectively manage the COVID-19 situation (P=0.00), and performing meaningful tasks during the situation (P=0.04). 3) Years of experience: significantly more leaders with more than five years of experience identified having the managerial competences to effectively manage the situation (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Leadership support during a healthcare crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic should strategically focus on ward managers, leaders with no formal management education and leaders with less than two years of experience. Hospital leaders may use this knowledge to re-contextualize what is already known about targeted leadership support during healthcare crises and to act accordingly.

Nurses' Experiences When Introducing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in an Outpatient Clinic: An Interpretive Description Study.

BACKGROUND: Application of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) seems to be a step toward person-centered care and identifying patients' unmet needs. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the experiences of nurses when PROMs were introduced in a hematological clinical practice as part of a multimethod intervention study. METHODS: The qualitative framework was guided by the interpretive description (ID) methodology, including a focused ethnographic approach with participant observations and interviews. The instruments introduced were the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 and the Outcomes and Experiences Questionnaire. Analysis was inspired by Habermas' critical theory. RESULTS: The analysis revealed 2 predominant themes of nurses' experiences: "PROMs are only used when there is time-which there rarely is" and "PROMs cannot be used without a strategy, just because they are present." CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' experiences with PROMs depended on the systems' rationale, resulting in limited capacity to use and explore PROMs. Nurses believed that PROMs might have the potential to support clinical practice, as PROMs added new information about patients' conditions but also identified needs within supportive care, leaving the potential of PROMs uncertain. Simply introducing PROMs to practice does not necessarily actuate their potential because use of PROMs is dependent on institutional conditions and mandatory tasks are prioritized. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study contributes knowledge of nurses' experiences when introducing PROMs in a hematological outpatient clinical practice. Findings can guide future PROMs research within the field of nursing.

User experiences on implementation of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs)in a Haematological outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: PROMs can help healthcare professionals gain an improved understanding of patients' physical burdens, functional levels, and (health-related) quality of life throughout disease and medical treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers and potential opportunities PROMs may present in a haematological outpatient clinic from three different perspectives: patients, nurses and haematologists. METHODS: The present study synthesizes three previously published studies that separately explored the experiences of patients, nurses and haematologists when implementing PROMs. The studies were all guided by the qualitative methodology Interpretive Description, including a focused ethnographic approach, to develop implications for future practice. RESULTS: The overall themes that emerged from the analysis were "Structural similarities influence the adoption of PROMs" and "Different perspectives on the potential of PROMs." CONCLUSION: Across the different user groups in the haematological outpatient clinic, the use of PROMs was thwarted due to an unquestioned commitment to biomedical knowledge and the system's rationality and norms: PROM data was not used in patient consultations. Nurses and haematologists expressed different preferences related to potential future PROMs and different objectives for PROMs in clinical practice. From the different perspectives of the patients, nurses and haematologists, PROMs were not compatible with clinical practice. Further research is recommended to develop PROMs validated for use in haematological outpatient clinics. Moreover, implementation strategies adjusted to the structural barriers of the system are crucial.

Leading unique cultures in departments with low turnover of nurses. A positive deviance approach study.

AIM: To investigate nurse leaders' experiences and strategies for turnover in relation to culture and work environment in hospital departments with low nurse turnover. BACKGROUND: Nursing shortage is a global problem, and numerous turnover strategies have been utilized to attempt to address this shortage. DESIGN/METHODS: Four regional hospital departments with the lowest nurse turnover were included. Data were constructed with nine nurse leaders through individual interviews and were analysed using directed content analysis. RESULTS: The findings presented in two categories, 'The culture is unique' and 'Maintaining, protecting or re-establishing a unique culture', summarize how leaders navigated authentically in different contexts, operationalizing clear values and visions both for their departmental culture and in turnover strategies. CONCLUSION: Even though all the nurse leaders interviewed were concerned about the current recruitment situation, they were confident in their leadership roles, targeted towards supporting the unique culture in their departments. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Leaders with clear cultural awareness and visions for the context in which they operate may be positively associated with lower turnover of nurses. Including the perspectives of leaders from departments with low turnover of nurses has the potential to create new knowledge about improving nurse retention.

Interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration in the care of vulnerable pregnant women: An interpretive study.

'Vulnerable' is a term often used for pregnant women in need of extended antenatal care, although the term is not well defined. This study focuses on healthcare professionals' interpretations and understanding of vulnerability in pregnancy, including their own role, to understand the practices of interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration in antenatal care for vulnerable pregnant women. Intrepretive Description informed the methodology of the study and the theoretical framework was inspired by Symbolic Interactionism. It was found that definitions of vulnerability in pregnancy are fluid, being based on the healthcare professional's individual assessment of the pregnant woman´s personal resources, personal characteristics and psychological factors, and that these definitions also depend on the healthcare professional's role in relation to the pregnant woman. The different interprofessional teams' identification of what constitutes vulnerability in a pregnant woman was complex and relied on different components. Interprofessional collaboration was influenced by the relationships between professionals and sectors involved in antenatal care for pregnant women and was thereby influenced by the settings and structures in place for interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration. Insight into the healthcare professionals' perspectives of vulnerability in pregnancy can help develop and improve the interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration in antenatal care of vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Adjusting Early Warning Score by clinical assessment: a study protocol for a Danish cluster-randomised, multicentre study of an Individual Early Warning Score (I-EWS).

INTRODUCTION: Track and trigger systems (TTSs) based on vital signs are implemented in hospitals worldwide to identify patients with clinical deterioration. TTSs may provide prognostic information but do not actively include clinical assessment, and their impact on severe adverse events remain uncertain. The demand for prospective, multicentre studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of TTSs has grown the last decade. Individual Early Warning Score (I-EWS) is a newly developed TTS with an aggregated score based on vital signs that can be adjusted according to the clinical assessment of the patient. The objective is to compare I-EWS with the existing National Early Warning Score (NEWS) algorithm regarding clinical outcomes and use of resources. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: In a prospective, multicentre, cluster-randomised, crossover, non-inferiority study. Eight hospitals are randomised to use either NEWS in combination with the Capital Region of Denmark NEWS Override System (CROS) or implement I-EWS for 6.5 months, followed by a crossover. Based on their clinical assessment, the nursing staff can adjust the aggregated score with a maximum of -4 or +6 points. We expect to include 150 000 unique patients. The primary endpoint is all-cause mortality at 30 days. Coprimary endpoint is the average number of times per day a patient is NEWS/I-EWS-scored, and secondary outcomes are all-cause mortality at 48 hours and at 7 days as well as length of stay. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was presented for the Regional Ethics committee who decided that no formal approval was needed according to Danish law (J.no. 1701733). The I-EWS study is a large prospective, randomised multicentre study that investigates the effect of integrating a clinical assessment performed by the nursing staff in a TTS, in a head-to-head comparison with the internationally used NEWS with the opportunity to use CROS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03690128.

Involvement of Patient and Family Representatives in Health-Care Job Interview Panels.

OBJECTIVES: The involvement of patient and family representatives in job interview panels is sparsely documented. This study was conducted at a newly established university hospital in Denmark. The aim was to identify different perspectives on attitudes and experiences associated with involving patient and family representatives in the recruitment process for senior staff. Furthermore, the aim was to highlight considerations and reservations related to the subsequent implementation process. METHODS: Inspiration was drawn from formative evaluation research. DATA SOURCES: Seventeen telephone interviews with applicants, 49 e-mail responses from staff, and unsolicited e-mails to the researcher. ANALYSIS STRATEGY: Interpretive description. RESULTS: Learnings from the study showed among other things that the participating staff experienced widespread skepticism before participation in the job interview panels, but their experience in the panels led them to consider the patients' and families' input to be beneficial to the entire recruitment process. The considerations and reservations raised were divided into 5 themes. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide a relevant starting point to negotiate and refine the aims of collective patient involvement related to a given situation-such as health-care recruitment processes.

"I Am Sure That They Use My PROM Data for Something Important." A Qualitative Study About Patients' Experiences From a Hematologic Outpatient Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical practice have the potential to contribute to and support shared decision-making processes by giving voice to patient concerns during consultations. However, the perspectives of patients diagnosed with chronic hematologic cancer on the use of PROMs are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe how patients diagnosed with hematologic cancer experience participating in a randomized PROM intervention study, including initial invitation, completion of questionnaires, and outpatient clinic visits. METHODS: A qualitative conceptual framework guided the study, using Interpretive Description with a focused ethnographic approach to explore patient experiences with PROMs in applied practice. Analysis was inspired by Habermas' social theory of communicative action. RESULTS: The analysis revealed 3 predominant themes of patient experiences: that PROMs were "In the service of a good cause," "The questions are not really spot on," and "PROMs are sometimes used for something," that is, unknown to the patient. CONCLUSIONS: The patients' experiences were dominated by the perspective of the healthcare system and by gratitude and imbalanced power relations. During completion of questionnaires, patients struggled to identify with items, and the questionnaires were associated with low content validity. When visiting the outpatient clinic, patients reported that doctors and nurses rarely discussed patients' PROMs. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study contributes knowledge of patient experiences of the integration of PROMs in hematologic outpatient clinical practice. Findings can guide further research and improve future implementation of PROMs.

Haematologists' experiences implementing patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in an outpatient clinic: a qualitative study for applied practice.

BACKGROUND: The patient-doctor relationship is crucial to provide person-centred care, allowing the alleviation of symptom burden caused by disease or treatment. Implementing Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) is suggested to inform the decision-making process and lead to initiation of care. Yet there are knowledge gaps regarding how meaningful it is to incorporate PROMs in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to investigate haematologists' experiences when PROMs were implemented in an outpatient setting. METHODS: Fourteen participant observations, 13 individual interviews and three in-depth interviews were conducted with haematologists, guided by the qualitative methodology Interpretive Description. Analysis was inspired by Habermas' critical theoretical framework. RESULTS: The haematologists included were characterised by dichotomous experiences with PROMs, either resistant to or supporting their implementation. None were observed to elaborate on PROMs during consultations: instead, primary attention was spent discussing the hematological agenda dictated by the system. CONCLUSION: The use of PROMs for individualized care was linked with extensive uncertainties and PROMs were not requested by the haematologists. To improve individualized care, other approaches may be more suitable. If PROMs are to be incorporated into future clinical practice, they should be tested tothe specific patient group and involve relevant users.