Key constituents for integration of care for children assisted with long-term home ventilation: a European study.

BACKGROUND: The number of children requiring long-term home ventilation has consistently increased over the last 25 years. Given the growing population of children with complex care needs (CCNs), this was an important area of focus within the Models of Child Health Appraised (MOCHA) project, funded by the European Union (EU) under the Horizon 2020 programme. We examined the structures and processes of care in place for children with CCNs and identified key constituents for effective integration of care for these children at the community and acute care interface across 30 EU/ European Economic Area (EEA) countries. METHODS: This was a non-experimental descriptive study with an embedded qualitative element. Data were collected by a Country Agent in each of the 30 countries, a local expert in child health services. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis was undertaken of the free text data provided. RESULTS: A total of 27 surveys were returned from a possible 30 countries (90.0%) countries. One respondent indicated that their country does not have children on long-term ventilation (LTV) in the home, therefore, responses of 26 countries (86.7%) were analysed. None of the responding countries reported that they had all of the core components in place in their country. Three themes emerged from the free text provided: 'family preparedness for transitioning to home', 'coordinated pathway to specialist care' and 'legal and governance structures'. CONCLUSIONS: While the clinical care of children on LTV in the acute sector has received considerable attention, the results identify the need for an enhanced focus on the care required following discharge to the community setting. The results highlight the need for a commitment to supporting care delivery that acknowledges the complexity of contemporary child health issues and the context of the families that become their primary care givers.

Management and integration of care for children living with complex care needs at the acute-community interface in Europe.

With improvements in neonatal and paediatric care, more children living with complex care needs are surviving beyond infancy into late childhood and adulthood than in the past. We examined the current approach to the management and integration of care of children living with complex care needs in 30 European countries, as well as the implications for primary care service delivery. This descriptive study, with an embedded qualitative aspect, consisted of questions adapted from the Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, and included questions on a complex care European survey of change, adapted from the Eurobarometer survey. The analysis indicates that few systems are in place in countries across Europe to identify all the health-care providers who deliver care to a child living with complex care needs, and that less than half of all countries surveyed have policies in place to support care coordination for these children. Primary care physicians have little involvement in care planning for children before their discharge to the community setting, and there is little parental participation in policy development. Access to, and governance of, care for these children varies widely. Particular issues identified pertain to parents as catalysts of optimum integration of care, pathways to specialist care, and the need for comprehensive national integrated care programmes.

Principles for provision of integrated complex care for children across the acute-community interface in Europe.

This Viewpoint presents and discusses the development of the first core principles and standards for effective, personalised care of children living with complex care needs in Europe. These principles and standards emerged from an analysis of data gathered on several areas, including the integration of care for the child at the acute-community interface, the referral-discharge interface, the social care interface, nursing preparedness for practice, and experiences of the child and family. The three main principles, underpinned by a child-centric approach, are access to care, co-creation of care, and effective integrated governance. Collectively, the principles and standards offer a means to benchmark existing services for children living with complex care needs, to influence policy in relation to service delivery for these children, and to provide a suite of indicators with which to assess future service developments in this area.

Views of policy makers and health promotion professionals on factors facilitating implementation and maintenance of interventions and policies promoting physical activity and healthy eating: results of the DEDIPAC project.

BACKGROUND: The uptake, implementation, and maintenance of effective interventions promoting physical activity (PA) and a healthy diet and the implementation of policies targeting these behaviors are processes not well understood. We aimed to gain a better understanding of what health promotion professionals and policy makers think are important factors facilitating adoption, implementation, and maintenance of multi-level interventions and policies promoting healthy eating and PA in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Poland. METHODS: Six interventions and six policies were identified based on pre-defined criteria. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders from various sectors to elicit information on factors impacting adoption, implementation, and maintenance of these interventions and policies. All interview transcripts were coded in NVivo, using a common categorization matrix. Coding in the respective countries was done by one researcher and validated by a second researcher. RESULTS: Active involvement of relevant stakeholders and good communication between coordinating organizations were described as important factors contributing to successful adoption and implementation of both interventions and policies. Additional facilitating factors included sufficient training of staff and tailoring of materials to match needs of various target groups. The respondents indicated that maintenance of implemented interventions/policies depended on whether they were embedded in existing or newly created organizational structures in different settings and whether continued funding was secured. CONCLUSIONS: Despite considerable heterogeneity of interventions and health policies in the five countries, stakeholders across these countries identify similar factors facilitating adoption, implementation, and maintenance of these interventions and policies.

Implementation conditions for diet and physical activity interventions and policies: an umbrella review.

BACKGROUND: This umbrella review aimed at identifying evidence-based conditions important for successful implementation of interventions and policies promoting a healthy diet, physical activity (PA), and a reduction in sedentary behaviors (SB). In particular, we examined if the implementation conditions identified were intervention-specific or policy-specific. This study was undertaken as part of the DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub, a joint action as part of the European Joint Programming Initiative a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life. METHODS: A systematic review of reviews and stakeholder documents was conducted. Data from nine scientific literature databases were analyzed (95 documents met the inclusion criteria). Additionally, published documentation of eight major stakeholders (e.g., World Health Organization) were systematically searched (17 documents met the inclusion criteria). The RE-AIM framework was used to categorize elicited conditions. Across the implementation conditions 25 % were identified in at least four documents and were subsequently classified as having obtained sufficient support. RESULTS: We identified 312 potential conditions relevant for successful implementation; 83 of these received sufficient support. Using the RE-AIM framework eight implementation conditions that obtained support referred to the reach in the target population; five addressed efficacy of implementation processes; 24 concerned adoption by the target staff, setting, or institutions; 43 referred to consistency, costs, and adaptations made in the implementation process; three addressed maintenance of effects over time. The vast majority of implementation conditions (87.9 %; 73 of 83) were supported by documents referring to both interventions and policies. There were seven policy-specific implementation conditions, which focused on increasing complexities of coexisting policies/legal instruments and their consequences for implementation, as well as politicians' collaboration in implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the proposed list of 83 conditions for successful implementation may enhance the implementation of interventions and policies which pursue identification of the most successful actions aimed at improving diet, PA and reducing SB.

An observational study examining the effect of comorbidity on the rates of persistence and adherence to newly initiated oral anti-hyperglycaemic agents.

PURPOSE: To examine whether the type of comorbid condition affects medication persistence and adherence in patients initiating oral anti-hyperglycaemic (OAH) therapy. METHODS: The Irish Health Services Executive pharmacy claims database was used to identify a cohort of incident OAH therapy users (anatomical therapeutic chemical A10B), ≥25 years, between June 2009 and December 2010. Persistence and adherence were examined at 6 and 12 months post-therapy initiation. Comorbidity was ascertained using modified versions of the RxRisk and RxRisk-V indices and classified as either concordant or discordant with diabetes. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were determined in relation to comorbidity using logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, gender and type of OAH prescribed. RESULTS: In the study cohort (n = 21 280), persistence was 74.0% and 62.6% and adherence was 70.0% and 66.7% for all OAHs at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Patients with only concordant comorbidity were significantly more likely to be persistent at 6 (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.28, 1.65) and 12 months (OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.09, 1.38). Patients with only discordant comorbidity were significantly less likely to be persistent at 6 (OR 0.40, 95%CI 0.35, 0.46) and 12 months (OR 0.43 95%CI 0.38, 0.50) (p < 0.0001). Results were similar for adherence. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the persistence and adherence of OAH therapy in incident users are affected by the type of comorbidity present; this may help in identifying effective interventions aimed at optimising medication use.