In-person peer support for critical care survivors: The ICU REcovery Solutions cO-Led through surVivor Engagement (ICURESOLVE) pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Peer support is a promising intervention to mitigate post-ICU disability, however there is a paucity of rigorously designed studies. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to establish feasibility of an in-person, co-designed, peer-support model. METHODS: Prospective, randomised, adaptive, single-centre pilot trial with blinded outcome assessment, conducted at a university-affiliated hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Intensive care unit survivors (and their nominated caregiver, where survivor and caregiver are referred to as a dyad), >18 years of age, able to speak and understand English and participate in phone surveys, were eligible. Participants were randomised to the peer-support model (six sessions, fortnightly) or usual care (no follow-up or targeted information). Two sequential models were piloted: 1. Early (2-3 weeks post hospital discharge) 2. Later (4-6 weeks post hospital discharge). Primary outcome was feasibility of implementation measured by recruitment, intervention attendance, and outcome completion. Secondary outcomes included post-traumatic stress and social support. RESULTS: Of the 231 eligible patients, 80 participants were recruited. In the early model we recruited 38 participants (28 patients, 10 carers; 18 singles, 10 dyads), with an average (standard deviation) age of 60 (18) years; 55 % were female. Twenty-two participants (58 %) were randomised to intervention. Participants in the early intervention model attended a median (interquartile range) of 0 (0-1) sessions (total 24 sessions), with 53% (n = 20) completing the main secondary outcome of interest (Impact of Event Scale) at the baseline and 37 % (n = 14) at the follow-up. For the later model we recruited 42 participants (32 patients, 10 carers; 22 singles, 10 dyads), with an average (standard deviation) age of 60.4 (15.4) years; 50 % were female. Twenty-one participants (50 %) were randomised to intervention. The later intervention model attended a median (interquartile range) of 1 (0-5) sessions (total: 44 sessions), with the main secondary outcome impact of events scale (IES-R) completed by 41 (98 %) participants at baseline and 29 (69 %) at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot trial, a peer-support model that required in-person attendance delivered in a later posthospital phase of recovery appeared more feasible than an early model. Further research should investigate alternative modes of intervention delivery to improve feasibility (ACTRN12621000737831).

Co-design of youth appropriate services for young people with rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease in Counties Manukau District.

AIM: To co-design a rheumatic fever service model which enables young people with acute rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease (ARF/RHD) and their families to access the health and wellbeing services they need. METHOD: Co-design, a collaborative and participatory approach, was used to gather experiences and ideas from 21 consumers and 30 health professionals. Thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Maori and Pacific patients and their whanau/aiga identified the importance of whanau/aiga support and involvement throughout their ARF/RHD journey. They described that the way care was delivered was often frustrating, fragmented and lacked effective communication. Participants expressed the need for information to improve their understanding of ARF/RHD. Health professionals identified the need for better continuity of care and felt that they were currently working siloed from other professionals with little visibility of other roles or opportunity for collaboration. The ideas for improvement were grouped into themes and resulted in development and prototyping of peer support groups, patient and staff education resources, clinical dashboard and pathway development, and an enhanced model of care for delivery to patients receiving penicillin prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: The co-design process enabled consumers and staff of ARF/RHD services to share experiences, identify ideas for improvement, co-design prototypes and test initiatives to better support the needs of those delivering and receiving ARF/RHD services.

Psychometric testing of the Chinese National Health Service Sustainability Model as an instrument to assess innovation in Chinese nursing settings.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the National Health Service Sustainability Model as an instrument to assess the sustainability of innovation in the Chinese nursing setting. BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice is recognized worldwide as a way to improve the quality of healthcare; however, many evidence-based practice programmes decline over time and do not sustain the benefits of their improvements. A sustainability assessment tool is used internationally but its use has not been validated in China. DESIGN: A methodological study to test instrument validity and reliability. METHODS: The data collection was conducted from 15 June 2022 to 31 August 2022. The internal consistency of the Chinese version of the sustainability model was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the model's structural validity. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-three questionnaires were returned, of which 478 were valid. The short time taken to evaluate the Chinese version of the sustainability model demonstrated its efficiency and ability to adapt to a busy clinical environment. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit model and supported the convergence validity of the sustainability model. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.905 for the total scale, which indicated good internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the Chinese version of the sustainability model is a valid, reliable and efficient tool for measuring the sustainability of evidence-based practices in Chinese nursing settings.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the National Health Service Sustainability Model to the Chinese healthcare context.

BACKGROUND: International attention is being paid to the issue of making evidence sustainable after implementation. Developing an identification model is essential to promote and monitor the sustainability of evidence implementation. However, this model is not available in Chinese. This study aims to translate the National Health Service Sustainability Model into Chinese and to verify whether the model is adapted to the Chinese healthcare environment. METHODS: This study follows the translation and validation guidelines developed by Sousa and Rojjanasrirat. The translations include forward and backward translations and their comparison. Expert reviews were used to validate the content validity of the Chinese version of the National Health Service sustainability model. Cognitive interviews were used to assess the validity of the language in the Chinese setting. RESULTS: The translation was conducted by a bilingual research team and took 12 months. Expert reviews were undertaken with eight experts, and cognitive interviews with six participants. The content validity of the model is excellent, but at least 20% of the experts still felt that items one, three, five and nine needed refinements. In the cognitive interviews, most items, instructions and response options were well understood by the participants responsible for the evidence-based practice project. However, some language issues were still identified in items one, three, four, five, seven, nine, and ten. Participants reported that the sustainability results of the model assessment were consistent with their previous judgments of the items. Based on the expert review and interview results, items one, three, four, five, seven, nine and ten require further refinement. In summary, seven of the ten items have been amended. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into how the National Health Service sustainability model can be used in the Chinese healthcare setting and paves the way for future large-scale psychometric testing.

Measuring health consumers' engagement at the governance level: development and validation of the Middlemore Consumer Engagement Questionnaire.

AIM: To develop and validate a questionnaire to measure health CE at governance level. METHOD: This study used qualitative and quantitative methods (including focus groups, cognitive interviews and an international survey), and consisted of two phases. In Phase 1, an initial list of items was generated and refined with feedback from health consumer representatives. In Phase 2, a draft survey was distributed to n=227 consumers from New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The benefit and relevance of using the questionnaire was explored through face-to-face interviews with five CE leaders from New Zealand healthcare organisations. RESULTS: The proposed questionnaire comprises 25 statements relating to CE. Respondents indicate their level of agreement with the statements on a five-point Likert-type scale. Focus group and cognitive interview participants found the questionnaire relevant and easy to understand. The questionnaire scores correlated with the PPEET, another instrument measuring consumer engagement, and showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.97), unidimensionality and test-retest reliability (r=0.84). CONCLUSION: The proposed questionnaire measures CE at governance level and can be used for international comparisons and benchmarking. It showed sound psychometric properties and its value and relevance was recognised by health consumer representatives and leaders with CE roles in New Zealand healthcare organisations.

Personal electronic healthcare records: What influences consumers to engage with their clinical data online? A literature review.

BACKGROUND: Online electronic records such as patient portals and personally controlled electronic health records (PEHRs) have been widely viewed as a key component to modernising the delivery of healthcare but the uptake of such systems has been slow. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this literature review was to determine what influences consumers to engage and interact with their clinical data online. METHOD: A scoping literature review following PRISMA guidelines was completed. Electronic patient record research published between January 2009 and December 2018 was included. Following screening and full-text reviews, a total of 64 records were included in this review. RESULTS: Three key areas of influence on consumer engagement with their clinical data online emerged: demographic factors affecting consumer interaction with PEHRs; consumers' perceived benefits and detriments of PEHR use; and the influence of PEHR use on consumer empowerment and responsibility. DISCUSSION: Consumer motivation and readiness for engaging with their clinical data online and their long-term ongoing use of these systems requires further exploration. CONCLUSION: As worldwide rates of consumer interactions with individual online clinical data remain low, what influences consumer engagement with a PEHR remains unknown. Further research into the consumer perspective of, and interaction with, a PEHR, needs to be undertaken to determine if factors such as frequent usage of the system by consumers leads to improved clinical outcomes.

The Participatory Zeitgeist: an explanatory theoretical model of change in an era of coproduction and codesign in healthcare improvement.

Healthcare systems redesign and service improvement approaches are adopting participatory tools, techniques and mindsets. Participatory methods increasingly used in healthcare improvement coalesce around the concept of coproduction, and related practices of cocreation, codesign and coinnovation. These participatory methods have become the new Zeitgeist-the spirit of our times in quality improvement. The rationale for this new spirit of participation relates to voice and engagement (those with lived experience should be engaged in processes of development, redesign and improvements), empowerment (engagement in codesign and coproduction has positive individual and societal benefits) and advancement (quality of life and other health outcomes and experiences of services for everyone involved should improve as a result). This paper introduces Mental Health Experience Co-design (MH ECO), a peer designed and led adapted form of Experience-based Co-design (EBCD) developed in Australia. MH ECO is said to facilitate empowerment, foster trust, develop autonomy, self-determination and choice for people living with mental illnesses and their carers, including staff at mental health services. Little information exists about the underlying mechanisms of change; the entities, processes and structures that underpin MH ECO and similar EBCD studies. To address this, we identified eight possible mechanisms from an assessment of the activities and outcomes of MH ECO and a review of existing published evaluations. The eight mechanisms, recognition, dialogue, cooperation, accountability, mobilisation, enactment, creativity and attainment, are discussed within an 'explanatory theoretical model of change' that details these and ideal relational transitions that might be observed or not with MH ECO or other EBCD studies. We critically appraise the sociocultural and political movement in coproduction and draw on interdisciplinary theories from the humanities-narrative theory, dialogical ethics, cooperative and empowerment theory. The model advances theoretical thinking in coproduction beyond motivations and towards identifying underlying processes and entities that might impact on process and outcome. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12614000457640 (results).

Development of a Peer Support Model Using Experience-Based Co-Design to Improve Critical Care Recovery.

To use experience-based co-design to identify the key design requirements of a peer support model for critical care survivors; understand the use of the experience-based co-design method from clinician, patients, and family perspectives. DESIGN: Using experience-based co-design, qualitative data about participants' preferences for a peer support model were generated via workshops. Participants' perspectives of experience-based co-design were evaluated with focus groups. SETTING: University-affiliated hospital in Melbourne, Australia. SUBJECTS: Snowball sampling was used to recruit clinicians from across the care spectrum (ICU-community); critical care survivors and nominated family members were recruited using convenience sampling. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Consensus on a peer support model was reached through the experience-based co-design process, with the following key themes: 1) socialization and group cohesion; 2) management of potential risks; and 3) individualized needs of patients and families. Evaluation of participants' perspectives of the experience-based co-design method identified five key themes: 1) participation as a positive experience; 2) emotional engagement in the process; 3) learning from patients and family members; 4) feeling heard; and 5) practical challenges of experience-based co-design and readiness to participate. CONCLUSIONS: Experience-based co-design was a feasible approach to developing a peer support model for use with critical care survivors and was well received by participants. Future testing of the co-designed peer support model in a pilot randomized controlled trial will enhance understanding of peer support in critical care and the use of experience-based co-design as a design methodology.

What initiatives do healthcare leaders agree are needed for healthcare system improvement? Results of a modified-Delphi study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to identify five quality improvement initiatives for healthcare system leaders, produced by such leaders themselves, and to provide some guidance on how these could be implemented. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A multi-stage modified-Delphi process was used, blending the Delphi approach of iterative information collection, analysis and feedback, with the option for participants to revise their judgments. FINDINGS: The process reached consensus on five initiatives: change information privacy laws; overhaul professional training and work in the workplace; use co-design methods; contract for value and outcomes across health and social care; and use data from across the public and private sectors to improve equity for vulnerable populations and the sickest people. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Information could not be gathered from all participants at each stage of the modified-Delphi process, and the participants did not include patients and families, potentially limiting the scope and nature of input. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The practical implications are a set of findings based on what leaders would bring to a decision-making table in an ideal world if given broad scope and capacity to make policy and organisational changes to improve healthcare systems. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study adds to the literature a suite of recommendations for healthcare quality improvement, produced by a group of experienced healthcare system leaders from a range of contexts.

Building a culture for innovation: a leadership challenge.

It is recognized that health services are facing increasing cost pressures amid a climate of increasing demand and increasing expectations from patients and families. The ability to innovate is important for the future success of all health care organizations. By malting some simple but profound changes in behaviours and processes as illustrated across seven dimensions, leaders can have great impact on the culture for innovation. This in turn can support the transformation of health services through increased innovation.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 8: ready to go--no delays.

In recent years, discharge initiatives that aim to free up hospital beds have become commonplace. However, new systems, such as bed management, have left many nurses feeling disengaged from the management of patient admission and discharge. They feel pressurised into speeding up discharge by the increasing focus on bed capacity and patient turnover, which can make them feel distanced from their primary role of caring for patients. Although new roles and initiatives can be valuable, changing the way nurses engage with discharge is key. Ensuring that the process is nurse led will lead to a faster discharge and less frustration for patients who are waiting to go home. This article, the last in our series on the high impact actions for nursing and midwifery, looks at how nursing staff can respond to the issue of discharge planning.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 6: where to die when the time comes.

Around half of the 500,000 deaths in England each year occur in acute hospitals, while around half of all complaints made to acute trusts relate to an aspect of end of life care. Howaver, research suggest that 40% of people who die in hospital have no medical need to be there, and that 55% of people with cancer would prefer to die at home while only around 25% do so. When people die in hospital despite having a preference to die at home and no medical reason to be in hospital, it causes unnecessary distress to patients and their familes, and is costly to the NHS. This article, the seventh in our series on the high impact actions for nursing and midwifery, looks at how nurses can help to improve end of life care.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 4: your skin matters.

Pressure ulcers can occur in any patient but are most commonn in high risk groups such as: older people; those who are obese, malnourished orwith continence problems; people with certain skin types; andthose with certain underlying conditions. Pressure ulcers increase morbidityand mortality, and represent a significant proportion of NHS expenditure, yet the vast majority are avoidable. This article, the fifth in our series on the high impact actions for nursing and midwifery, looks at how nurses can prevent pressure ulcers in their patients.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery. 7: Promoting normal birth.

There is significant variation in rates of Caesarean section between maternity units. Higher rates appear to be associated with older mothers and women from certain ethnic groups. However, taking these and other demographic factors into account does not explain the differences between trusts. This eighth article in this series on the high impact actions for nursing and midwifery looks at how midwives and nurses can help to avoid unnecessary Caesarean sections.

How nurses can implement the high impact actions to improve quality and cost effectiveness.

In November 2009 the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement published a list of eight high impact actions for nursing and midwifery and stated that, if implemented across the NHS, the actions could save over pounds 9 bn a year while improving the quality of care. The NHS Institute has now published a selection of case studies from different settings demonstrating successful initiatives relating to each action and a range of other supporting material. This article, the first in a Nursing Times series summarising the main information on how the high impact actions can be achieved, sets the context for the initiative. Subsequent articles will discuss the individual actions and offer practical information on implementation.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery. 3: Staying safe, preventing falls.

The National Patient Safety Agency reported 152,000 falls in England and Wales in acute hospitals in 2009, 26,000 in mental health trusts and 28,000 in community hospitals. The number of falls is due to rise in line with increasing numbers of older and frail people who have more complex health needs. Many of these falls are preventable; the challenge for the NHS is to improve patient safety while protecting independence patients' rights to make informed choices.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 1: keeping nourished--getting better.

Approximately one in four patients in NIIS hospitals are either malnourished or at risk of malnurition and as much as 70% of malnutrition in acute hospital admission is unrecognised and unmanaged. Although most of those who are malnourished live in the community, malnutrition and dehydration are key challenges for NHS organisations. Well hydrated and nourished patients get better more quickly, have a shorter length of stay and a more positive experience of care. Ensuring patients receive all of the nutrients they need is vital to the delivery of good care. This article, the second in our series on the high impact actions for nursing and midwifery, looks at how nurses can reduce malnutrition in their patients.

The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 2: fit and well to care.

Each year in the health service in England, 10.3 million working days are lost to sickness absence (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2009). This is the equivalent of 4.5% of the current workforce, or 45,000 whole time equivalent nurses. This article, the third in our series on the high impact a actions for nursing and midwifery, looks at how ward managers and team leaders can provide support and information to improve nurses' health and wellbeing.