The benefits and opportunities: Engaging patients in identifying and reporting patient safety incidents.

There is growing recognition that patients can and should be engaged in the identification of patient safety incidents arising during their experiences across health systems. In this article, we describe the benefits that can be harnessed from engaging patients in reporting patient safety incidents; identify opportunities to support patient engagement in reporting and learning from patient safety incidents; and describe the potential role of health leaders in connecting patient experience and patient safety using patient-reported patient safety incident data.

The Impact of Primary Care Practice Models on Indicators of Unplanned Health Care Utilization for Ontario Adults Newly Diagnosed With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent chronic disease. Most of the care for this population occurs within the primary care setting; however, the extent to which different primary care practice models influence the outcomes of patients with COPD remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to compare and analyze the influence of different primary care practice models on indicators of unplanned health care utilization among newly diagnosed COPD patients in Ontario. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using health administrative database within the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. The cohort included persons who were 35 years and older with physician-diagnosed COPD between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. Patients were assigned into 3 practice models: team-based, traditional, and no enrolment. The primary outcomes examined was unplanned health care utilization, specifically emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. To account for excessive zero values, the zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) models were used to analyze the association between different practice models and unplanned health care utilization. RESULTS: Among 57,145 individuals who met the inclusion criteria, 55,994 were included in the regression analysis. Of the included participants, 62.8% of patients were in the traditional group, 30.3% were in the team-based group, and 6.9% were in the no enrolment group. Between 2014 and 2019, 70.7% of the cohort had at least 1 all-cause ED visit without hospitalization. The adjusted ZINB models showed no significant difference in risks of experiencing an unplanned health care utilization between the team-based and traditional groups. However, patients in the no enrolment group had a significantly higher risk of ED visit without hospitalization regardless of cause, ED visit with hospitalization regardless of cause, and 30-day readmissions regardless of cause. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care practice models are complex, influenced by remuneration and organizational structures, reinforcing the need for further research to enhance our understanding of primary care reforms. Furthermore, given the growing shortage of primary care providers, patients with COPD and other chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable.

Facilitators and Barriers to Clinical Pathway Uptake and Utilization Among Primary Care Providers in Saskatchewan - A Qualitative Study.

PURPOSE: Clinical Pathways (CPWs) are multidisciplinary, evidence-based, complex interventions designed to standardize patient care. In Saskatchewan, development, implementation and evaluation of the seven provincial CPWs (Hip & Knee, Spine, Pelvic Floor, Prostate Assessment, Fertility Care, Lower Extremity Wound Care and Acute Stroke) present significant challenges, leading to low utilization. This study aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to CPW utilization by Saskatchewan family physicians. METHODS: To identify the facilitators and barriers to CPWs, a qualitative interpretive approach consisted of eight one-on-one key informant interviews and five focus groups held with 30 family physicians in two larger urban and two smaller Saskatchewan cities. Inductive, thematic analysis of the interviews based on the Theoretical Domain Framework for behavioral changes was used to identify facilitators and barriers to CPW uptake and utilization. RESULTS: Fifty-one themes were mapped under 14 Theoretical Domain Framework domains. Major barriers included the following: system-level (knowledge and communication, social/professional identity, family physician engagement and education); objective clarification (goals, belief about consequences of implementing CPW); and technical and resource related (administrative, access to local specialists, enforcement and incentives). The most prominent barrier was lack of systematic CPW promotion and inconsistencies in communication between the following: organization-to-practitioner; organization-to-organization; and practitioner-to-practitioner. Facilitators who mitigated barriers were need for optimized and integrated information technology services (i.e., Electronic Medical Records) and optimism towards CPW usage and patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study identified specific improvements and recommendations required to promote uptake of CPWs based on perceived facilitators and barriers.

A physical therapist and nurse practitioner model of care for chronic back pain using telehealth: Diagnostic and management concordance.

INTRODUCTION: Virtual care using videoconference links between urban-based physical therapists and nurse practitioners in rural primary care may overcome access challenges and enhance care for rural and remote residents with chronic low back disorders (CBD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concordance of this new model of care with two traditional models. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study design, each of 27 participants with CBD were assessed by: 1) a team of a nurse practitioner (NP) located with a patient, joined by a physical therapist (PT) using videoconferencing (NP/PTteam); 2) in-person PT (PTalone); and 3) in-person NP (NPalone). Diagnostic and management concordance between the three groups were assessed with percent agreement and kappa. RESULTS: Overall diagnostic categorization was compared for PTalone versus NPalone and NP/PTteam: percent agreement was 77.8% (k = 0.474, p = 0.001) and 74.1% (k = 0.359, p = 0.004), respectively. In terms of management recommendations, the PTalone and NPalone demonstrated strong agreement on "need for urgent surgical referral" (92.6%, k = 0.649 (p < 0.00) and slight agreement for "refer to primary physician for pharmacology, lab or imaging" (81.5%, k = 0.372 (p = 0.013). The PTalone and NP/PTteam demonstrated strong agreement on "need for urgent surgical referral" (96.3%, k = 0.649, p = 0.000) and "recommendation for PT follow up" (88.9%, k = 0.664, p = 0.000). DISCUSSION: The diagnostic categorization and management recommendations of the team using videoconferencing for CBD were similar to decisions made by an in-person PT. This model of care may provide a method for enhancing access to PT for CBD assessment and initial management in underserved areas.

Mid-infrared interband cascade light emitting devices grown on off-axis silicon substrates.

The high-quality growth of midwave infrared light emitters on silicon substrates will advance their incorporation into photonic integrated circuits, and also introduce manufacturing advantages over conventional devices grown on lattice-matched GaSb. Here we report interband cascade light emitting devices (ICLEDs) grown on 4 degree offcut silicon with 12% lattice mismatch. Four wafers produced functioning devices, with variations from wafer to wafer but uniform performance of devices from a given wafer. The full width at half maxima for the (004) GaSb rocking curves were as narrow as ∼ 163 arc seconds, and the root mean square surface roughness as small as 3.2 nm. Devices from the four wafers, as well as from a control structure grown to the same design on GaSb, were mounted epitaxial-side-up (epi-up). While core heating severely limited continuous wave (cw) emission from the control devices at relatively modest currents, efficient heat dissipation via the substrate allowed output from the devices on silicon to increase up to much higher currents. Although the devices on silicon had higher leakage currents, probably occurring primarily at dislocations resulting from the lattice-mismatched growth, accounting for differences in architecture the efficiency at high cw current was approximately 75% of that of our previous best-performing standard epi-down ICLEDs grown on GaSb. At 100 mA injection current, 200-µm-diameter mesas produced 184 µW of cw output power when operated at T = 25 °C, and 140 µW at 85°C. Epi-up mid-IR light emitters grown on silicon will be far simpler to process and much less expensive to manufacture than conventional devices grown on GaSb and mounted epi-down.

German translation and pre-testing of Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC).

BACKGROUND: Implementation frameworks may support local implementation strategies with a sound theoretical foundation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) facilitates identification of contextual barriers and facilitators, and the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) allows identifying adequate implementation strategies. Both instruments are already used in German-speaking countries; however, no standardised and validated translation is available thus far. The aim of this study was to translate the CFIR and ERIC framework into German, in order to increase the use of these frameworks and the adherence to evidence-based implementation efforts in German-speaking countries. METHODS: The translation of the original versions of the CFIR and ERIC framework was guided by the World Health Organisation's recommendations for the process of translating and adapting both conceptual frameworks. Accordingly, a four-step process was employed: first, forward translation from English into German was conducted by a research team of German native speakers with fluent knowledge of the English language. Second, a bilingual expert panel comprising one researcher with German as his mother tongue and expert command of the English language and one English language expert and university teacher reviewed the translation and discussed inconsistencies with the initial translators. Third, back-translation into English was conducted by an English native speaking researcher. The final version was pre-tested with 12 German researchers and clinicians who were involved in implementation projects using cognitive interviews. RESULTS: The translation and review process revealed some inconsistencies between the original version and the German translations. All issues could be solved by discussion. Central aspects of the items were confirmed in 60 to 70% of the items, and modifications were proposed in 30% of the items. Finally, we revised one CFIR-item heading after pre-testing. The final version was given consent by all involved parties. CONCLUSIONS: Now, two validated and tested implementation frameworks to guide implementation efforts are available in the German language and can be used to increase the application of agreed-on implementation strategies into practice.

The assessment of general movements in term and late-preterm infants diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy, as a predictive tool of cerebral palsy by 2 years of age-a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The General Movements Assessment is a non-invasive and cost-effective tool with demonstrated reliability for identifying infants at risk for cerebral palsy. Early detection of cerebral palsy allows for the implementation of early intervention and is associated with better functional outcomes. No review to date has summarized the utility of the General Movements Assessment to predict cerebral palsy in term and late-preterm infants diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review involving infants born greater than or equal to 34 weeks gestational age to identify all available evidence and delineate research gaps. We extracted data on sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values and described the strengths and limitations of the results. We searched five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL) and the General Movements Trust website. Two reviewers conducted all screening and data extraction independently. The articles were categorized according to key findings, and a critical appraisal was performed. RESULTS: Only three studies, a cohort and two case series, met all of the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants was 118. None of the final eligible studies included late-preterm neonates. All three studies reported on sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive and negative predictive values. An abnormal General Movement Assessment at 3-5 months has a high specificity (84.6-98%) for cerebral palsy with a similarly high negative predictive value (84.6-98%) when it was normal. Absent fidgety movements, in particular, are highly specific (96%) for moderate to severe cerebral palsy and carry a high negative predictive value (98%) when normal. In the time period between term and 4-5 months post-term, any cramped synchronized movements had results of 100% sensitivity and variable results for specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: A normal General Movements Assessment at 3 months in a term high-risk infant is likely associated with a low risk for moderate/severe cerebral palsy. The finding of cramped synchronized General Movements is a strong predictor for the diagnosis of cerebral palsy by 2 years of age in the term population with neonatal encephalopathy. The deficit of high-quality research limits the applicability, and so the General Movements Assessment should not be used in isolation when assessing this population. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Title registration with Joanna Briggs Institute. URL: http://joannabriggswebdev.org/research/registered_titles.aspx .

The impact of web-based and face-to-face simulation education programs on nurses' response to patient deterioration: A multi-site interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' response to patient deterioration in acute hospital wards is a priority issue. Simulation education programs improve nurses' knowledge and confidence, but the translation into better care is largely unknown for both web based (WB) and face to face (F2F) simulation programs. AIM: To measure the impact of simulation education on nurses' response to patient deterioration in acute medical ward settings, and to compare the impact of WB and F2F versions. DESIGN: An interrupted time series, non-randomised trial across four medical wards in Victoria, Australia. Wards were allocated to either web-based or face-to-face versions of the same simulation program, FIRST2ACT. Interrupted time series measurement for six fortnights both before and after the intervention were used to measure and compare responses to deterioration. Responses to patient deterioration were extracted from medical records and grouped into outcomes for escalation (e.g. initiation of clinical review), assessment and observation (e.g. increased recording of vital signs, conscious state and pain scores) and clinical interventions (e.g. oxygen administration). RESULTS: 126 nurses (89%) participated across the four wards. 946 patient records (506 in the F2F; 440 in the WB group) were included in analyses. There were significant and sustained improvements between pre and post samples in outcomes for escalation (13.0% to 28.8%; p = 0.000) and assessment and observation (conscious state recorded increased from 91.1% to 100%; p = 0.000, and pain score recorded increased from 97.8% to 99.8%; p = 0.000). There were no differences between the web-based and face-to-face groups except in appropriate oxygen application which increased by 7.7% in the F2F group and decreased by 11.8% in the WB group (p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant improvement in nurses' response to patient deterioration following both versions of simulation, indicating that both have a role to play in supporting nurses' response to patient deterioration.

An Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience for Community Pharmacies Based on a Clinical Intervention Targeting Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Experiential education is a critical component of any pharmacy undergraduate curriculum. Establishing new, high-quality practice sites can be challenging. We designed a new advanced pharmacy practice experiential rotation suitable for implementation in most community pharmacy settings. The aim of this article is to describe the design of this rotation entitled the Targeted Pharmacy Intervention in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TPI-IBD) and to determine its impact on student knowledge and confidence using a before-after survey design. The TPI-IBD utilizes a student-delivered intervention as a platform for experiential learning in community pharmacy practice. The TPI was focused on patients with IBD, and implementation was guided by a co-preceptor from the university in collaboration with onsite-preceptors at each pharmacy. The TPI-IBD rotation was delivered from 6 community pharmacies during 5 weeks in 2018. Students conducted standardized monitoring on patients with IBD and met weekly with the university preceptor for case presentations and therapeutic discussions. Electronic charts were maintained by students who were responsible for ensuring detailed documentation on each patient. Knowledge, confidence, and overall satisfaction were assessed by a survey given to students before and after the rotation. Students were highly satisfied with the learning experience and improvements in knowledge and confidence were clearly demonstrated. The TPI strategy was an effective way to expand rotation options in community pharmacy sites with minimal burden on local preceptors.

Effects of oncological care pathways in primary and secondary care on patient, professional and health systems outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pathways are frequently used to improve care for cancer patients. However, there is little evidence about the effects of pathways used in oncological care. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to identify and synthesize existing literature on the effects of pathways in oncological care. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with cancer in primary and secondary/tertiary care whose treatment can be characterized as the strategy "care pathways" are included in this review. A systematic search in seven databases was conducted to gather evidence. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers. Study outcomes regarding patients, professionals, and system level were extracted from each study. RESULTS: Out of 13,847 search results, we selected 158 articles eligible for full text assessment. One hundred fifty studies were excluded and the remaining eight studies represented 4786 patients. Most studies were conducted in secondary/tertiary care. Length of stay (LOS) was the most common used indicator, and was reported in five studies. Meta-analysis based on subgroups showed an overall shorter LOS regarding gastric cancer (weighted mean difference (WMD)): - 2.75, CI: - 4.67 to - 0.83) and gynecological cancer (WMD: - 1.58, CI: - 2.10 to - 1.05). Costs were reported in six studies and most studies reported lower costs for pathway groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the differences between the included studies, we were able to present an evidence base for cancer care pathways performed in secondary/tertiary care regarding the positive effects of LOS in favor of cancer care pathways. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017057592.

Barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of multi-disciplinary care pathways in primary care: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Care pathways (CPWs) are complex interventions that have the potential to reduce treatment errors and optimize patient outcomes by translating evidence into local practice. To design an optimal implementation strategy, potential barriers to and facilitators of implementation must be considered. The objective of this systematic review is to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of CPWs in primary care (PC). METHODS: A systematic search via Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and MEDLINE via PubMed supplemented by hand searches and citation tracing was carried out. We considered articles reporting on CPWs targeting patients at least 65 years of age in outpatient settings that were written in the English or German language and were published between 2007 and 2019. We considered (non-)randomized controlled trials, controlled before-after studies, interrupted time series studies (main project reports) as well as associated process evaluation reports of either methodology. Two independent researchers performed the study selection; the data extraction and critical appraisal were duplicated until the point of perfect agreement between the two reviewers. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies, a narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: Fourteen studies (seven main project reports and seven process evaluation reports) of the identified 8154 records in the search update were included in the synthesis. The structure and content of the interventions as well as the quality of evidence of the studies varied. The identified barriers and facilitators were classified using the Context and Implementation of Complex Interventions framework. The identified barriers were inadequate staffing, insufficient education, lack of financial compensation, low motivation and lack of time. Adequate skills and knowledge through training activities for health professionals, good multi-disciplinary communication and individual tailored interventions were identified as facilitators. CONCLUSIONS: In the implementation of CPWs in PC, a multitude of barriers and facilitators must be considered, and most of them can be modified through the careful design of intervention and implementation strategies. Furthermore, process evaluations must become a standard component of implementing CPWs to enable other projects to build upon previous experience. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018087689.

Nurse managers implementing the lean management system: A qualitative study in Western Canada.

AIM: This study explores the perceptions and experiences of nurse managers involved in implementing the Lean management system in a Western Canadian province. BACKGROUND: The provincial government of Saskatchewan, Canada, implemented a multimillion-dollar investment in the Lean management system to transform health care delivery by reducing waste and increasing efficiency of processes and outcomes. METHODS: This qualitative exploratory study employed semi-structured interviews with 14 nurse managers in urban and rural health regions in one Canadian province. RESULTS: Six themes outline the difficulties nurse managers experienced in juggling role responsibilities alongside a poorly implemented change system with scarce resources. CONCLUSION: The results showed tensions in the implementation of a Lean model adapted in the context of health care organisations. The expectations for nurse managers to be pivotal players in the implementation of transformative health care practices that promote and sustain strategies to reduce waste, improve coordination and increase patient safety require investment in leadership development. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Lean management systems significantly impact the roles of nurse managers who require adequate resources and training to successfully adapt. The results of this study may be used for more effective support mechanisms for nurse managers.

A realist evaluation to identify contexts and mechanisms that enabled and hindered implementation and had an effect on sustainability of a lean intervention in pediatric healthcare.

BACKGROUND: In 2012, the Saskatchewan Ministry for Health mandated a system-wide Lean transformation. Research has been conducted on the implementation processes of this system-wide Lean implementation. However, no research has been done on the sustainability of these Lean efforts. We conducted a realist evaluation on the sustainability of Lean in pediatric healthcare. We used the context (C) + mechanism (M) = outcome (O) configurations (CMOcs) heuristic to explain under what contexts, for whom, how and why Lean efforts are sustained or not sustained in pediatric healthcare. METHODS: We employed a case study research design. Guided by a realist evaluation framework, we conducted qualitative realist interviews with various stakeholder groups across four pediatric hospital units 'cases' at one acute hospital. Interview data was analyzed using an integrated approach of CMOc categorization coding, CMOc connecting and pattern matching. RESULTS: We conducted thirty-two interviews across the four cases. Five CMOcs emerged from our realist interview data. These configurations illustrated a 'ripple-effect' from implementation outcomes to contexts for sustainability. Sense-making and staff engagement were prominent mechanisms to the sustainment of Lean efforts. Failure to trigger these mechanisms resulted in resistance. The implementation approach used influenced mechanisms and outcomes for sustainability, more so than Lean itself. Specifically, the language, messaging and training approaches used triggered mechanisms of innovation fatigue, poor 'sense-making' and a lack of engagement for frontline staff. The mandated, top-down, externally led nature of implementation and lack of customization to context served as potential pitfalls. Overall, there was variation between leadership and frontline staff's perceptions on how embedded Lean was in their contexts, and the degree to which participants supported Lean sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: This research illuminates important contextual factors and mechanisms to the process of Lean sustainment that can be applicable to those implementing systems changes. Future work is needed to continue to develop the science on the sustainability of interventions for healthcare improvement.

Systematic review of the use of process evaluations in knowledge translation research.

BACKGROUND: Experimental designs for evaluating knowledge translation (KT) interventions can provide strong estimates of effectiveness but offer limited insight into how the intervention worked. Consequently, process evaluations have been used to explore the causal mechanisms at work; however, there are limited standards to guide this work. This study synthesizes current evidence of KT process evaluations to provide future methodological recommendations. METHODS: Peer-reviewed search strategies were developed by a health research librarian. Studies had to be in English, published since 1996, and were not excluded based on design. Studies had to (1) be a process evaluation of a KT intervention study in primary health, (2) be a primary research study, and (3) include a licensed healthcare professional delivering or receiving the intervention. A two-step, two-person hybrid screening approach was used for study inclusion with inter-rater reliability ranging from 94 to 95%. Data on study design, data collection, theoretical influences, and approaches used to evaluate the KT intervention, analysis, and outcomes were extracted by two reviewers. Methodological quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). RESULTS: Of the 20,968 articles screened, 226 studies fit our inclusion criteria. The majority of process evaluations used qualitative forms of data collection (43.4%) and individual interviews as the predominant data collection method. 72.1% of studies evaluated barriers and/or facilitators to implementation. 59.7% of process evaluations were stand-alone evaluations. The timing of data collection varied widely with post-intervention data collection being the most frequent (46.0%). Only 38.1% of the studies were informed by theory. Furthermore, 38.9% of studies had MMAT scores of 50 or less indicating poor methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS: There is widespread acceptance that the generalizability of quantitative trials of KT interventions would be significantly enhanced through complementary process evaluations. However, this systematic review found that process evaluations are of mixed quality and lack theoretical guidance. Most process evaluation data collection occurred post-intervention undermining the ability to evaluate the process of implementation. Strong science and methodological guidance is needed to underpin and guide the design and execution of process evaluations in KT science. REGISTRATION: This study is not registered with PROSPERO.

Building patient capacity to participate in care during hospitalisation: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: To map the existing literature and describe interventions aimed at building the capacity of patients to participate in care during hospitalisation by: (1) describing and categorising the aspects of care targeted by these interventions and (2) identifying the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used in these interventions. A patient representative participated in all aspects of this project. DESIGN: Scoping review. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL (Inception -2017). STUDY SELECTION: Studies reporting primary research studies on building the capacity of hospitalised adult patients to participate in care which described or included one or more structured or systematic interventions and described the outcomes for at least the key stakeholder group were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Title and abstract screening and full text screening were conducted by pairs of trained reviewers. One reviewer extracted data, which were verified by a second reviewer. Interventions were classified according to seven aspects of care relevant to hospital settings. BCTs identified in the articles were assigned through consensus of three reviewers. RESULTS: Database searches yielded a total 9899 articles, resulting in 87 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Interventions directed at building patient capacity to participate in care while hospitalised were categorised as those related to improving: patient safety (20.9%); care coordination (5.7%); effective treatment (5.7%) and/or patient-centred care using: bedside nursing handovers (5.7%); communication (29.1%); care planning (14%) or the care environment (19.8%). The majority of studies reported one or more positive outcomes from the defined intervention. Adding new elements (objects) to the environment and restructuring the social and/or physical environment were the most frequently identified BCTs. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of studies to build capacity for participation in care report one or more positive outcomes, although a more comprehensive analysis is warranted.

Effects of Clinical Pathways for COPD on Patient, Professional, and Systems Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: COPD has a substantial burden seen in both patient quality of life and health-care costs. One method of minimizing this burden is the implementation of clinical pathways (CPWs). CPWs bring the best available evidence to a range of health-care professionals by adapting guidelines to a local context and detailing essential steps in care. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to address the following question: What are the effects of CPWs for COPD on patient-, professional-, and systems-level outcomes? The review used methods outlined by the Cochrane Collaboration. We included all studies that met our operational definition for CPWs and focused on COPD. All studies were evaluated for risk of bias, and all data regarding patient, professional, and systems outcomes were extracted. RESULTS: The search strategy identified 497 potentially relevant titles. Of these, 13 studies were included in the review. These studies reported a total of 398 outcomes, with sufficient data for meta-analysis of five outcomes: complications, length of stay, mortality, readmissions, and quality of life. Results showed statistically significant reductions in complications, readmissions, and length of stay but did not show changes in mortality or quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review reveals evidence to suggest that CPWs for COPD have the potential to reduce complications, readmissions, and length of stay without negatively influencing mortality or quality of life. However, quality of evidence was generally low. The authors therefore acknowledge that results should be interpreted with caution and note the need for additional research in this area.

Hospital nurse-staffing models and patient- and staff-related outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Nurses comprise the largest component of the health workforce worldwide and numerous models of workforce allocation and profile have been implemented. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staff-allocation models, staffing levels, nursing shifts, or nurses' work patterns. This is the first update of our review published in 2011. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review was to explore the effect of hospital nurse-staffing models on patient and staff-related outcomes in the hospital setting, specifically to identify which staffing model(s) are associated with: 1) better outcomes for patients, 2) better staff-related outcomes, and, 3) the impact of staffing model(s) on cost outcomes. SEARCH METHODS: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, two other databases and two trials registers were searched on 22 March 2018 together with reference checking, citation searching and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised trials, non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted-time-series or repeated-measures studies of interventions relating to hospital nurse-staffing models. Participants were patients and nursing staff working in hospital settings. We included any objective reported measure of patient-, staff-related, or economic outcome. The most important outcomes included in this review were: nursing-staff turnover, patient mortality, patient readmissions, patient attendances at the emergency department (ED), length of stay, patients with pressure ulcers, and costs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We worked independently in pairs to extract data from each potentially relevant study and to assess risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We included 19 studies, 17 of which were included in the analysis and eight of which we identified for this update. We identified four types of interventions relating to hospital nurse-staffing models:- introduction of advanced or specialist nurses to the nursing workforce;- introduction of nursing assistive personnel to the hospital workforce;- primary nursing; and- staffing models.The studies were conducted in the USA, the Netherlands, UK, Australia, and Canada and included patients with cancer, asthma, diabetes and chronic illness, on medical, acute care, intensive care and long-stay psychiatric units. The risk of bias across studies was high, with limitations mainly related to blinding of patients and personnel, allocation concealment, sequence generation, and blinding of outcome assessment.The addition of advanced or specialist nurses to hospital nurse staffing may lead to little or no difference in patient mortality (3 studies, 1358 participants). It is uncertain whether this intervention reduces patient readmissions (7 studies, 2995 participants), patient attendances at the ED (6 studies, 2274 participants), length of stay (3 studies, 907 participants), number of patients with pressure ulcers (1 study, 753 participants), or costs (3 studies, 617 participants), as we assessed the evidence for these outcomes as being of very low certainty. It is uncertain whether adding nursing assistive personnel to the hospital workforce reduces costs (1 study, 6769 participants), as we assessed the evidence for this outcome to be of very low certainty. It is uncertain whether primary nursing (3 studies, > 464 participants) or staffing models (1 study, 647 participants) reduces nursing-staff turnover, or if primary nursing (2 studies, > 138 participants) reduces costs, as we assessed the evidence for these outcomes to be of very low certainty. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review should be treated with caution due to the limited amount and quality of the published research that was included. We have most confidence in our finding that the introduction of advanced or specialist nurses may lead to little or no difference in one patient outcome (i.e. mortality) with greater uncertainty about other patient outcomes (i.e. readmissions, ED attendance, length of stay and pressure ulcer rates). The evidence is of insufficient certainty to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of other types of interventions, including new nurse-staffing models and introduction of nursing assistive personnel, on patient, staff and cost outcomes. Although it has been seven years since the original review was published, the certainty of the evidence about hospital nurse staffing still remains very low.

What Is Lean Management in Health Care? Development of an Operational Definition for a Cochrane Systematic Review.

Industrial improvement approaches such as Lean management are increasingly being adopted in health care. Synthesis is necessary to ensure these approaches are evidence based and requires operationalization of concepts to ensure all relevant studies are included. This article outlines the process utilized to develop an operational definition of Lean in health care. The literature search, screening, data extraction, and data synthesis processes followed the recommendations outlined by the Cochrane Collaboration. Development of the operational definition utilized the methods prescribed by Kinsman et al. and Wieland et al. This involved extracting characteristics of Lean, synthesizing similar components to establish an operational definition, applying this definition, and updating the definition to address shortcomings. We identified two defining characteristics of Lean health-care management: (1) Lean philosophy, consisting of Lean principles and continuous improvement, and (2) Lean activities, which include Lean assessment activities and Lean improvement activities. The resulting operational definition requires that an organization or subunit of an organization had integrated Lean philosophy into the organization's mandate, guidelines, or policies and utilized at least one Lean assessment activity or Lean improvement activity. This operational definition of Lean management in health care will act as an objective screening criterion for our systematic review. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence-based operational definition of Lean management in health care.

The sustainability of Lean in pediatric healthcare: a realist review.

BACKGROUND: Lean is a quality improvement management system from the Toyota manufacturing industry. Since the early 2000's, Lean has been used as an intervention for healthcare improvement. Lean is intended to reduce costs and improve customer value through continuous improvement. Despite its extensive use, the contextual factors and mechanisms that influence the sustainability of Lean in healthcare have not been well studied. Realist synthesis is one approach to "unpack" the causal explanations of how and why Lean is sustained or not in healthcare. We conducted a realist synthesis using the context (C) + mechanim (M) = outcome (O) heuristic, to further develop and refine an initial program theory with seven CMO hypotheses, on the sustainability of Lean efforts across pediatric healthcare. METHODS: Our search strategy was multi-pronged, iterative, and purposeful in nature, consisting of database, gray literature, and contact with three healthcare organizations known for Lean implementation. We included primary research studies, published and unpublished case studies or reports, if they included Lean implementation with a pediatric focus and sustainability outcome. We used the Normalization Process Theory and the National Health Services Sustainability Model, an operational definition for Lean and a comprehensive definition for sustainability as guidance for data extraction and analysis. Our initial program theory with was refined using a blend of abductive and retroductive analytical processes. RESULTS: We identified six published primary research studies, two published quality improvement case studies, and three unpublished quality improvement case reports. Five CMO hypotheses from our initial program theory were substantially supported after synthesis, "sense-making and value congruency," "staff engagement and empowerment," and the "ripple effect" or causal pathway between Lean implementation outcomes that served as facilitating or hindering contexts for sustainability. Overall, there was variation with the conceptualization and measurement of sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to examine Lean sustainability in pediatric healthcare using realist methods. Future research should examine whether the predictors of implementation are the same or different to sustainability and evaluate the underlying mechanisms that influence the sustainability of Lean. There is also a need for research to develop and test conceptual models and frameworks on sustainability. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO-CRD42015032252 .

Assessing the implementation processes of a large-scale, multi-year quality improvement initiative: survey of health care providers.

BACKGROUND: Beginning in 2012, Lean was introduced to improve health care quality and promote patient-centredness throughout the province of Saskatchewan, Canada with the aim of producing coordinated, system-wide change. Significant investments have been made in training and implementation, although limited evaluation of the outcomes have been reported. In order to better understand the complex influences that make innovations such as Lean "workable" in practice, Normalization Process Theory guided this study. The objectives of the study were to: a) evaluate the implementation processes associated with Lean implementation in the Saskatchewan health care system from the perspectives of health care professionals; and b) identify demographic, training and role variables associated with normalization of Lean. METHODS: Licensed health care professionals were invited through their professional associations to complete a cross-sectional, modified, online version of the NoMAD questionnaire in March, 2016. Analysis was based on 1032 completed surveys. Descriptive and univariate analyses were conducted. Multivariate multinomial regressions were used to quantify the associations between five NoMAD items representing the four Normalization Process Theory constructs (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring). RESULTS: More than 75% of respondents indicated that neither sufficient training nor resources (collective action) had been made available to them for the implementation of Lean. Compared to other providers, nurses were more likely to report that Lean increased their workload. Significant differences in responses were evident between: leaders vs. direct care providers; nurses vs. other health professionals; and providers who reported increased workload as a result of Lean vs. those who did not. There were no associations between responses to normalization construct proxy items and: completion of introductory Lean training; participation in Lean activities; age group; years of professional experience; or employment status (full-time or part-time). Lean leader training was positively associated with proxy items reflecting coherence, cognitive participation and reflexive monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: From the perspectives of the cross-section of health care professionals responding to this survey, major gaps remain in embedding Lean into healthcare. Strategies that address the challenges faced by nurses and direct care providers, in particular, are needed if intended goals are to be achieved.