Defensive practices among non-medical health professionals: An overview of the scientific literature.

INTRODUCTION: Defensive medicine (DM) is used when a doctor deviates from good practices to prevent complaints from patients or caregivers. This is a structured phenomenon that may not only affect the physician, but all healthcare personnel. The aim of this review was to determine whether DM is also performed by Non-Medical Health Professionals (NMHP), and the reasons, features, and effects of NMHP-DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, and specific inclusion criteria were used to search for relevant documents published up to 12 April 2018 in the main biomedical databases. RESULTS: A total of 91 potentially relevant studies were identified. After the removal of duplicates, 72 studies were screened for eligibility, separately by two of the authors. Finally, 14 qualitative and quantitative studies were considered relevant for the purpose of the present review. These last studies were assessed for their methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS: NMHP-DM is quite similar to DM practiced by doctors, and is mainly caused by fear of litigation. Midwives and nursing personnel practiced both active and passive DM, such as over-investigation, over-treatment, and avoidance of high-risk patients. NMHP-DM could increase risks for patient health, costs, risk of burnout for healthcare employees. Further studies are needed to better understand prevalence and features of NMHP-DM in all health professional fields, in order to apply appropriate preventive strategies to contrast DM among health care personnel.

Achieving quadruple aim goals through clinical networks: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical Networks are complex interventions that enable healthcare professionals from various disciplines to work in a coordinated manner in the context of multiple care settings, to provide a high quality response to a specific disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate if clinical networks are able to improve effectiveness, efficiency, patients' satisfaction and professionals' behavior in the health care settings, namely the "quadruple aim" quality goals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of documents published until February 28, 2018, in Medline, Embase and CINAHL was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach. A specific research strategy was created to identify studies evaluating effectiveness, efficiency, patient satisfaction and professionals well-being obtained through clinical networks implementation. RESULTS: 14249 studies were identified; 12 of these were eligible to the evaluation of "Quadruple Aim" outcomes. 9 studies focused on patients' outcomes improvement and 4 on network efficiency. Professionals' and patients' experience were not considered in any study. CONCLUSIONS: There are some evidences that clinical network can improve patients' outcomes and health funds allocation in a small number of moderate-low quality studies. Further rigorous studies are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate patients' and professionals' experience, taking into account also networks' structural features that could influence outcomes achievement.

Becoming a "second victim" in health care: Pathway of recovery after adverse event.

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare worker involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event can become second victim. These workers suffer physically and psycho-socially and try to overcome the post-event emotional stress by obtaining emotional support in a variety of ways. The goal of this research was to study second victims among health care providers in Italy. METHODS: This contribution contains the results of 33 interviews of nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers. After institutional approval, the semi-structured interview, composed of 25 questions, was translated from English into Italian. The audio-interviews were transcribed on paper verbatim by the interviewer. It was then verified if the interviewees experienced the six post-event stages of second victim recovery previously described within the literature. RESULTS: The interviewees described the post-event recovery stages described by literature but stages were not detailed in the exact succession order as the American study. All participants clearly remembered the adverse event and referred the physical and psycho-social symptoms. The psychological support obtained by second victims was described as poor and inefficient. DISCUSSION: The post-event recovery pathway is predictable but not always clearly respected as defined within this Italian sample. Future study of the second-victim phenomenon and desired supportive interventions is necessary to understand the experience and interventions to mitigate harm of future clinicians. Every day healthcare workers become second victims and, considering that human resources are the most important heritage of healthcare infrastructures, after an adverse event it is very important to execute valid interventional programs to support and train these workers.

The determinants of defensive medicine in Italian hospitals: The impact of being a second victim.

BACKGROUND: Defensive medicine affects healthcare systems worldwide. The concerns and perception about medical liability could lead practitioners to practise defensive medicine. Second victim is a healthcare worker involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event. The role of being second victim and the other possible determinants for defensive medicine is mostly unclear. OBJECTIVE: To study the condition of being second victim as a possible determinants of defensive medicine among Italian hospital physicians. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A secondary analysis of the database of the national survey study on the prevalence and the costs of defensive medicine in Italy that was carried out between April 2014 and June 2014 in 55 Italian hospitals was performed for this study. The demographic section of the questionnaire was selected including the physician's age, gender, specialty, activity volume, grade and the variable being a second victim after an adverse event. RESULTS: A total sample of 1313 physicians (87.5% response rate) was used in the data analyses. Characteristics of the participants included a mean age 49.2 of years and 19.4 average years of experience. The most prominent predictor for practising defensive medicine was the physicians' experience of being a second victim after an adverse event (OR=1.88; 95%CI, 1.38-2.57). Other determinants included age, years of experience, activity volume and risk of specialty. CONCLUSIONS: Malpractice reform, effective support to second victims in hospitals together with a systematic use of evidence-based clinical guidelines, emerged as possible recommendations for reducing defensive medicine.

Becoming a 'second victim' in health care: Pathway of recovery after adverse event / Convertirse en 'segunda víctima' en asistencia sanitaria: la vía de la recuperación después de un episodio adverso

Introduction. The healthcare worker involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event can become second victim. These workers suffer physically and psycho-socially and try to overcome the post-event emotional stress by obtaining emotional support in a variety of ways. The goal of this research was to study second victims among health care providers in Italy. Methods. This contribution contains the results of 33 interviews of nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers. After institutional approval, the semi-structured interview, composed of 25 questions, was translated from English into Italian. The audio-interviews were transcribed on paper verbatim by the interviewer. It was then verified if the interviewees experienced the six post-event stages of second victim recovery previously described within the literature. Results. The interviewees described the post-event recovery stages described by literature but stages were not detailed in the exact succession order as the American study. All participants clearly remembered the adverse event and referred the physical and psycho-social symptoms. The psychological support obtained by second victims was described as poor and inefficient. Discussion. The post-event recovery pathway is predictable but not always clearly respected as defined within this Italian sample. Future study of the second-victim phenomenon and desired supportive interventions is necessary to understand the experience and interventions to mitigate harm of future clinicians. Every day healthcare workers become second victims and, considering that human resources are the most important heritage of healthcare infrastructures, after an adverse event it is very important to execute valid interventional programs to support and train these workers (AU)

Introducción. El trabajador sanitario implicado en un episodio adverso imprevisto de un paciente puede convertirse en la segunda víctima. Estos trabajadores sufren física y psicosocialmente, y tratan de superar de varias maneras el estrés emocional posterior al episodio mediante la obtención de apoyo emocional. El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar segundas víctimas entre el personal sanitario en Italia. Métodos. Esta contribución contiene los resultados de 33 entrevistas a enfermeras, médicos y otros profesionales sanitarios. Después de la aprobación institucional, la entrevista semiestructurada, compuesta por 25 preguntas, se tradujo del inglés al italiano. El entrevistador transcribió las entrevistas sonoras literalmente. A continuación se comprobó que los entrevistados hubieran experimentado las 6 etapas de recuperación posteriores al episodio de segunda víctima descritas en la bibliografía. Resultados. Los entrevistados describieron las etapas de recuperación posteriores al episodio descritas en la bibliografía, pero las etapas no se presentaron en el orden de sucesión exacto en que aparecieron en el estudio norteamericano. Todos los participantes recordaban claramente el episodio adverso e hicieron referencia a los síntomas físicos y psicosociales. El apoyo psicológico obtenido por las segundas víctimas se describió como deficiente e ineficaz. Discusión. La vía de recuperación posterior al episodio es previsible, pero no siempre se respeta con claridad, como se define en esta muestra italiana. Es necesario un futuro estudio sobre el fenómeno de la segunda víctima y las intervenciones de apoyo deseadas para entender la experiencia y las intervenciones para atenuar el perjuicio de los futuros médicos. Cada día, trabajadores sanitarios se convierten en segundas víctimas, y teniendo en cuenta que los recursos humanos son el patrimonio más importante de las infraestructuras sanitarias, después de un episodio adverso es muy importante ejecutar programas de intervención válidos para apoyar y formar a estos trabajadores (AU)

The determinants of defensive medicine in Italian hospitals: The impact of being a second victim / Los determinantes de la medicina defensiva en hospitales italianos: el efecto de ser una segunda víctima

Background. Defensive medicine affects healthcare systems worldwide. The concerns and perception about medical liability could lead practitioners to practise defensive medicine. Second victim is a healthcare worker involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event. The role of being second victim and the other possible determinants for defensive medicine is mostly unclear. Objective. To study the condition of being second victim as a possible determinants of defensive medicine among Italian hospital physicians. Design, setting and participants. A secondary analysis of the database of the national survey study on the prevalence and the costs of defensive medicine in Italy that was carried out between April 2014 and June 2014 in 55 Italian hospitals was performed for this study. The demographic section of the questionnaire was selected including the physician's age, gender, specialty, activity volume, grade and the variable being a second victim after an adverse event. Results. A total sample of 1313 physicians (87.5% response rate) was used in the data analyses. Characteristics of the participants included a mean age 49.2 of years and 19.4 average years of experience. The most prominent predictor for practising defensive medicine was the physicians’ experience of being a second victim after an adverse event (OR=1.88; 95%CI, 1.38-2.57). Other determinants included age, years of experience, activity volume and risk of specialty. Conclusions. Malpractice reform, effective support to second victims in hospitals together with a systematic use of evidence-based clinical guidelines, emerged as possible recommendations for reducing defensive medicine (AU)

Antecedentes. La medicina defensiva afecta a los sistemas de salud de todo el mundo. Las preocupaciones y la percepción acerca de la responsabilidad médica podrían llevar a los médicos a ejercer la medicina defensiva. La segunda víctima es un trabajador sanitario que participa en un episodio adverso imprevisto del paciente. Sin embargo, el papel de segunda víctima y otros posibles determinantes de la medicina defensiva son poco claros. Objetivo. Estudiar la situación de segunda víctima como posible determinante de la medicina defensiva entre los médicos hospitalarios italianos. Diseño, entorno y participantes. En este estudio se realizó un análisis secundario de la base de datos de la encuesta nacional sobre prevalencia y costes de la medicina defensiva en Italia, que se había llevado a cabo entre abril y junio de 2014 en 55 hospitales italianos. Se seleccionaron los datos personales del cuestionario, como edad del médico, sexo, especialidad, volumen de la actividad, grado y la variable de ser segunda víctima después de un episodio adverso. Resultados. Se utilizó una muestra total de 1.313 médicos (87,5% de tasa de respuesta) en el análisis de datos. Las características de los participantes incluyeron una media de edad de 49,2 años y 19,4 años de experiencia por término medio. El factor predisponente más importante para la práctica de la medicina defensiva fue la experiencia de los médicos de haber sido segunda víctima después de un episodio adverso (OR=1,88; IC 95%: 1,38-2,57). Otros factores determinantes fueron: edad, años de experiencia, volumen de la actividad y riesgo de la especialidad. Conclusiones. La reforma de la responsabilidad médica, un apoyo efectivo a segundas víctimas en hospitales y un uso sistemático de las guías clínicas basadas en la evidencia se presentaron como posibles recomendaciones para la reducción de la medicina defensiva (AU)

Clinical series of patients with cutaneous melanoma followed-up at the Novara Melanoma Centre from 1983 to 2009: description of the cohort and prognostic factors.

AIM: The aim of this study was to review our experience with regards to patients with cutaneous melanoma diagnosed from 1983 to 2009, followed-up in our Dermatological Department of Novara. METHODS: A retrospective study of 762 patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma in the Dermatological Department of Novara between 1983 and 2009 was conducted. Information was extracted from our melanoma patient database. The database included demographical, clinical and pathological variables of the patient. Clinical and pathological factors predicting survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier curves and the Log-Rank Test (univariate analysis). RESULTS: Staging (American Joint Committee on Cancer 2001) of patients (P=0.000), Breslow thickness (P=0.000), primary ulceration and regression of the lesion (P=0.000), type of first (P<0.039) and second recurrence (P<0.011) were strongly correlated with overall and disease free survival. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was not correlated with disease free survival (P=0.153), it influences only overall survival (P=0.007) CONCLUSION: Our results confirms that sentinel node biopsy, Breslow thickness, ulceration, regression, staging, first and second recurrence are important variable for overall survival and disease free survival, sentinel lymph node status influence only overall survival instead.

Impact of care pathways for in-hospital management of COPD exacerbation: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital management of COPD exacerbation is suboptimal, and outcomes are poor. Care pathways are a possible strategy for optimizing care processes and outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the literature review was to explore characteristics of existing care pathways for in-hospital management of COPD exacerbations and to address their impact on performance of care processes, clinical outcomes, and team functioning. METHODS: A literature search was conducted for articles published between 1990 and 2010 in the electronic databases of Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Main inclusion criteria were (I) patients hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation; (II) implementation and evaluation of a care pathway; (III) report of original research, including experimental and quasi experimental designs, variance analysis, and interviews of professionals and patients about their perception on pathway effectiveness. RESULTS: Four studies with a quasi experimental design were included. Three studies used a pre-post test design; the fourth study was a non randomized controlled trial comparing an experimental group where patients were treated according to a care pathway with a control group where usual care was provided. The four studied care pathways were multidisciplinary structured care plans, outlining time-specific clinical interventions and responsibilities by discipline. Statistic analyses were rarely performed, and the trials used very divergent indicators to evaluate the impact of the care pathways. The studies described positive effects on blood sampling, daily weight measurement, arterial blood gas measurement, referral to rehabilitation, feelings of anxiety, length of stay, readmission, and in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Research on COPD care pathways is very limited. The studies described few positive effects of the care pathways on diagnostic processes and on clinical outcomes. Though due to limited statistical analysis and weak design of the studies, the internal validity of results is limited. Therefore, based on these studies the impact of care pathways on COPD exacerbation is inconclusive. These findings indicate the need for properly designed research like a cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of COPD care pathways on performance of care processes, clinical outcomes, and teamwork.

[Analysis of the active components of a complex intervention for the care management of stroke patients: impact on in-hospital mortality]. / Analisi delle componenti attive di un intervento complesso di gestione assistenziale del paziente con stroke: impatto sulla mortalità ospedaliera.

We conducted a cohort observational study in 29 Italian hospitals to identify which factors of the acute care management process of ischemic stroke patient can reduce in-hospital mortality. This complex intervention is based on some potential organizational and clinical active components, so data are collected both at organizational unit and individual patient level. We built the variables in relation to presence/absence of clinical-demographic, care-process and organizational characteristics. We compared categorical variables and evaluated the studied independent variables effects on the in-hospital mortality risk at 7 and 30 days from admission. One of the main care success determinants is to be admitted in a stroke unit during the acute-stroke-phase. The most important organizational factor is to be short-time assessed by a stroke team: active role in patients' needs evaluation is provided by the stroke specialists' multidisciplinary team. Antithrombotic therapy is influencing mortality at 7 and 30 days likewise: it is a indispensable factor for the clinical protocols. Our study emphasizes the fact that higher access to different and integrated levels of organized care is associated to better stroke outcomes and that some active and interactive components of the patient's care management have to be identified in the complex intervention.