Hospital and out-of-hospital services provided by public geriatric medicine departments in Australia and New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the types of hospital and out-of-hospital services provided by public geriatric medicine departments in Australia and New Zealand, and to explore head of department (HOD) views on issues in current and future service provision. METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to HODs of public geriatric medicine departments. RESULTS: Seventy-six (89%) of 85 identified HODs completed the survey. Seventy-one (93%) departments admit inpatients and 51 (67%) admit acute inpatients, with variable admission criteria. Sixty-four (84%) have hospitals with an inpatient general medicine service, and 58 (91%) of these admit older patients with acute geriatric issues. Sixty (79%) departments provide inpatient rehabilitation. Forty (53%) have beds for behavioural symptoms of dementia and/or delirium. Seventy (92%) provide a proactive orthogeriatric service. In terms of out-of-hospital services, 74 (97%) departments have outpatient clinics, 59 (78%) have telehealth and 68 (89%) perform home visits. Forty-five (59%) provide an inreach/outreach service to nursing homes. The most frequent gaps in service provision identified by HODs were acute geriatrics, surgical liaison, a designated dementia/delirium behavioural management unit, geriatricians in Emergency, outreach/inreach to residential care and shared care with some medical specialities. Increasing staff numbers and government policy change were the most frequently identified ways to address these gaps. CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric medicine service provision is variable across Australia and New Zealand, with key gaps identified. These findings will inform future directions in implementation of geriatric medicine models of care and discussions with various levels of government about the ongoing development of geriatric medicine services.

Economic analysis of the 'Take Charge' intervention for people following stroke: Results from a randomised trial.

OBJECTIVE: To undertake an economic analysis of the Take Charge intervention as part of the Taking Charge after Stroke (TaCAS) study. DESIGN: An open, parallel-group, randomised trial comparing active and control interventions with blinded outcome assessment. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (n = 400) discharged to community, non-institutional living following acute stroke. INTERVENTIONS: The Take Charge intervention, a strengths based, self-directed rehabilitation intervention, in two doses (one or two sessions), and a control intervention (no Take Charge sessions). MEASURES: The cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved for the period between randomisation (always post hospital discharge) and 12 months following acute stroke. QALYs were calculated from the EuroQol-5D-5L. Costs of stroke-related and non-health care were obtained by questionnaire, hospital records and the New Zealand Ministry of Health. RESULTS: One-year post hospital discharge cost of care was mean (95% CI) $US4706 (3758-6014) for the Take Charge intervention group and $6118 (4350-8005) for control, mean (95% CI) difference $ -1412 (-3553 to +729). Health utility scores were mean (95% CI) 0.75 (0.73-0.77) for Take Charge and 0.71 (0.67-0.75) for control, mean (95% CI) difference 0.04 (0.0-0.08). Cost per QALY gained for the Take Charge intervention was $US -35,296 (=£ -25,524, € -30,019). Sensitivity analyses confirm Take Charge is cost-effective, even at a very low willingness-to-pay threshold. With a threshold of $US5000 per QALY, the probability that Take Charge is cost-effective is 99%. CONCLUSION: Take Charge is cost-effective and probably cost saving.

The effect of the Take Charge intervention on mood, motivation, activation and risk factor management: Analysis of secondary data from the Taking Charge after Stroke (TaCAS) trial.

OBJECTIVE: To use secondary data from the Taking Charge after Stroke study to explore mechanisms for the positive effect of the Take Charge intervention on physical health, advanced activities of daily living and independence for people after acute stroke. DESIGN: An open, parallel-group, randomised trial with two active and one control intervention and blinded outcome assessment. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (n = 400) discharged to community, non-institutional living following acute stroke. INTERVENTIONS: One, two, or zero sessions of the Take Charge intervention, a self-directed rehabilitation intervention which helps a person with stroke take charge of their own recovery. MEASURES: Twelve months after stroke: Mood (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Mental Component Summary of the Short Form 36); 'ability to Take Charge' using a novel measure, the Autonomy-Mastery-Purpose-Connectedness (AMP-C) score; activation (Patient Activation Measure); body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP) and medication adherence (Medication Adherence Questionnaire). RESULTS: Follow-up was near-complete (388/390 (99.5%)) of survivors at 12 months. Mean age (SD) was 72.0 (12.5) years. There were no significant differences in mood, activation, 'ability to Take Charge', medication adherence, BMI or BP by randomised group at 12 months. There was a significant positive association between baseline AMP-C scores and 12-month outcome for control participants (1.73 (95%CI 0.90 to 2.56)) but not for the Take Charge groups combined (0.34 (95%CI -0.17 to 0.85)). CONCLUSION: The mechanism by which Take Charge is effective remains uncertain. However, our findings support a hypothesis that baseline variability in motivation, mastery and connectedness may be modified by the Take Charge intervention.

Telerehabilitation After Stroke Using Readily Available Technology: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The number of people living with stroke has increased demand for rehabilitation. A potential solution is telerehabilitation for health care delivery to promote self-management. One such approach is the Augmented Community Telerehabilitation Intervention (ACTIV). This structured 6-month program uses limited face-to-face sessions, telephone contact, and text messages to augment stroke rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether ACTIV improved physical function compared with usual care. METHODS: This 2-arm, parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in 4 New Zealand centers. Inclusion criteria were patients with first-ever stroke, age >20 years, and discharged home. A blinded assessor completed outcome measurement in participants' homes at baseline, postintervention, and 6 months postintervention. Stratified block randomization occurred after baseline assessment, with participants allocated to ACTIV or usual care control. RESULTS: A total of 95 people were recruited (ACTIV: n = 47; control: n = 48). Postintervention intention-to-treat analysis found a nonsignificant difference between the groups in scores (4·51; P = .07) for physical function (measured by the physical subcomponent of the Stroke Impact Scale). The planned per-protocol analysis (ACTIV: n = 43; control: n = 48) found a significant difference in physical function between the groups (5·28; P = .04). Improvements in physical function were not maintained at the 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: ACTIV was not effective in improving physical function in the ACTIV group compared with the usual care group. The per-protocol analysis raises the possibility that for those who receive more than 50% of the intervention, ACTIV may be effective in preventing deterioration or even improving physical function in people with stroke, in the period immediately following discharge from hospital.

Taking Charge after Stroke: A randomized controlled trial of a person-centered, self-directed rehabilitation intervention.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: "Take Charge" is a novel, community-based self-directed rehabilitation intervention which helps a person with stroke take charge of their own recovery. In a previous randomized controlled trial, a single Take Charge session improved independence and health-related quality of life 12 months following stroke in Maori and Pacific New Zealanders. We tested the same intervention in three doses (zero, one, or two sessions) in a larger study and in a broader non-Maori and non-Pacific population with stroke. We aimed to confirm whether the Take Charge intervention improved quality of life at 12 months after stroke in a different population and whether two sessions were more effective than one. METHODS: We randomized 400 people within 16 weeks of acute stroke who had been discharged to institution-free community living at seven centers in New Zealand to a single Take Charge session (TC1, n = 132), two Take Charge sessions six weeks apart (TC2, n = 138), or a control intervention (n = 130). Take Charge is a "talking therapy" that encourages a sense of purpose, autonomy, mastery, and connectedness with others. The primary outcome was the Physical Component Summary score of the Short Form 36 at 12 months following stroke comparing any Take Charge intervention to control. RESULTS: Of the 400 people randomized (mean age 72.2 years, 58.5% male), 10 died and two withdrew from the study. The remaining 388 (97%) people were followed up at 12 months after stroke. Twelve months following stroke, participants in either of the TC groups (i.e. TC1 + TC2) scored 2.9 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.95 to 4.9, p = 0.004) points higher (better) than control on the Short Form 36 Physical Component Summary. This difference remained significant when adjusted for pre-specified baseline variables. There was a dose effect with Short Form 36 Physical Component Summary scores increasing by 1.9 points (95% CI 0.8 to 3.1, p < 0.001) for each extra Take Charge session received. Exposure to the Take Charge intervention was associated with reduced odds of being dependent (modified Rankin Scale 3 to 5) at 12 months (TC1 + TC2 12% versus control 19.5%, odds ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.99, p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Confirming the previous randomized controlled trial outcome, Take Charge-a low-cost, person-centered, self-directed rehabilitation intervention after stroke-improved health-related quality of life and independence. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12615001163594.

Improving the use and timeliness of anticoagulation reversal for warfarin related intracranial haemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Warfarin-related intracranial haemorrhage (WRICH) is a life-threatening complication of warfarin use. Rapid and complete reversal of the coagulopathy is required. Reversal protocols which include prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) are now recommended. We report on a quality improvement project to implement and refine such a protocol. METHODS: Retrospective and then prospective audits of all WRICH patients presenting to a single centre. The protocol development and subsequent refinements are described. Outcomes included times to scanning, treatment and overall door-needle times, as well as use of PCC. RESULTS: Across the three cohorts, use of PCC increased over time from 15% to 100% of eligible patients (p<0.001). There were significant improvements in median time to scanning (1.9 to 1.5 to 1.3 hours, p=0.03) and median door-needle times (4.5 to 2.9 to 1.9 hours, p=0.018). Key steps in the change process included (1) identifying need for change, (2) utilising senior clinical opinion leaders, (3) using "Plan-do-study-act" cycles, (4) involvement of all relevant stakeholders, (5) having a broad implementation and education plan, (6) a "change friendly" environment and (7) collaborating across departments. CONCLUSION: The introduction (and revisions) of an anticoagulation reversal strategy for WRICH has led to increased PCC use and reduced times to both diagnosis and treatment. Further work is required to improve door-needle times and monitoring.

Improving care to stroke patients: adding an acute stroke unit helps.

BACKGROUND: Stroke units save lives, reduce dependency, and increase the chance of returning home. A 15-bed Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) was opened on the acute hospital campus to complement an established Stroke Rehabilitation Unit (SRU) on a distant campus. The aim of this study was to address whether patient care was improved with the establishment of the ASU. METHODS: Retrospective case-note review of a sample of patients admitted with an acute stroke to Christchurch Hospital. A before and after design was utilised to audit the processes of care (PoC) using the Royal College of Physicians (London) stroke audit tool. RESULTS: 648 patients were admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit in the first year. The retrospective audit included 119 and 72 patients in the "before" and "after" cohorts respectively. The "after" cohort had more severe strokes (greater incontinence at one week, [p=0.03], and worse level of consciousness [p=0.008]). Length of stay, domicile on discharge, and mortality outcomes were similar for the two cohorts. Processes of care improved in the "after" cohort in 27 of the 43 domains audited. CONCLUSION: Adding an ASU to complement an existing SRU can give major improvements in PoC across many different facets of stroke care. We believe this is one step closer to both the ideals of an overall coordinated stroke service and better overall care for patients with stroke.

Dinner Bed and Breakfast for Older People: early experiences of a short-term service to manage acute hospital demand.

AIMS: The paper describes a service (Dinner Bed and Breakfast [DBB]) to provide short-term rest home care to acutely unwell elderly people as an alternative to acute hospital admission. This was part of a larger project to manage acute general hospital demand. Service changes were introduced after an initial audit cycle and key outcomes monitored. METHOD: Retrospective audit of patient data for three audit periods. RESULTS: The interim outcomes (at conclusion of DBB funding) in the initial audit were 46% of patients able to return home, 32% remained in the rest home, and 22% were admitted to hospital. The proportion of patients returning home from DBB increased to 68% over the study period. At final outcome (at end of index illness), the return home rate increased from 73% to 85% and the number requiring permanent rest home care decreased from 22% to 14%. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term rest home care may be a viable alternative to acute hospital care, but the service needs to include appropriate patient selection, multidisciplinary care, and ongoing monitoring of patient outcomes. One of the risks of this service is patients staying on in rest home care. Short-term enhanced home care may be preferable to rest home care to avoid this risk. The shift of care (from acute hospital to community) caused strain on specialist geriatric services, which was not planned or funded.

Norovirus outbreaks in a hospital setting: the role of infection control.

AIMS: Noroviruses (NV) (until recently known as Norwalk-like viruses) are a common cause of outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis and can result in significant hospital disruption. We report our experience of two outbreaks that occurred in a geriatric rehabilitation hospital and the role of infection control in limiting their spread. METHODS: The outbreaks occurred in two separate rehabilitation wards for older people. A case definition was developed and a register kept to record patient and staff sickness. The NV was identified from faecal specimens by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: There were 41 cases in the first outbreak, with an attack rate of 57.1% for patients and 41% for staff. The outbreak lasted 14 days and closed the ward for 11 days. During this outbreak one patient died, with gastroenteritis the precipitating event of his final illness. There were 24 cases in the second outbreak, with an attack rate of 56.5% for patients and 18% for staff. The outbreak lasted 16 days with the ward closed for six days. The mean duration of staff sickness was 3.5 days in the second outbreak compared with only 1.2 days in the first outbreak. In both outbreaks infection was contained within a single ward. CONCLUSIONS: NV infections can significantly disrupt hospitals through their rapid spread to patients and staff as well as the associated high attack rate. Early recognition of an outbreak and prompt implementation of infection control measures, staffing restrictions and ward closure can limit the spread of infection.

Stroke rehabilitation services in New Zealand.

AIMS: To obtain an overall picture of the organisation of stroke rehabilitation services throughout New Zealand and to see if this is consistent with recommendations in evidence-based guidelines. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all hospitals in New Zealand. This included questions about access to organised stroke rehabilitation, guidelines for the management of common problems after stroke, and the use of audit. RESULTS: All 48 hospitals surveyed responded, with 37 providing inpatient stroke rehabilitation services. Only one hospital (serving 9% of the population) provided a dedicated, inpatient stroke rehabilitation facility. In the other 36 hospitals, stroke rehabilitation was performed in assessment, treatment and rehabilitation units (25 hospitals, 84%) or general medical wards (8 hospitals, 7%). Only 57% of the population had access to hospitals with a nominated lead clinician for stroke rehabilitation services. Thirty per cent were served by hospitals without a multidisciplinary therapy team expert in stroke care. Guidelines for the management of common problems following stroke were used in most hospitals. Only 8 hospitals (28%) had audited their stroke rehabilitation services. CONCLUSIONS: The organisation and type of rehabilitation services available for people with stroke are not consistent with best practice or accepted guidelines. The development of an organised approach to stroke rehabilitation services in New Zealand must be seen as a priority.