Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire in a Spanish-speaking population in Colombia.

Background: The quality of recovery is an important component in the evaluation of perioperative care. To measure this, the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scale has been validated previously. The aim of this study was to culturally, linguistically, and psychometrically adapt this scale to the Colombian Spanish language. Methods: After linguistic adaptation, a validation study of the psychometric properties was carried out. These included validity, reliability, and responsiveness. The scale was administered after the administration of general anaesthesia. Validity was determined by correlating with the general recovery VAS, surgical risk, surgical duration, and length of hospital stay. Structural validity was assessed using factor analysis. Test-retest and internal consistency were used to measure reliability. Results: Interviews were conducted with 161 adults. A positive correlation was found between the Spanish version of the QoR-15 scale (QoR-15C) and VAS scores (r=0.51), and a negative correlation between the QoR-15C score and the duration of surgery (r=-0.47) and hospital stay (r=-0.62). The reliability of the scale was adequate. Cronbach's alpha was 0.74, and Lin's correlation concordance coefficient was 0.99. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale in the Colombian Spanish version does not have a single domain, whilst exploratory factor analysis indicated that the scale may measure an additional factor. Conclusions: The QoR-15C scale for assessing the quality of recovery after general anaesthesia showed psychometric properties comparable with those of the English scale. This allows the scale to be considered for use in research and clinical practice.

Barriers to Quality Perioperative Care Delivery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Rapid Appraisal Study.

BACKGROUND: Provision of timely, safe, and affordable surgical care is an essential component of any high-quality health system. Increasingly, it is recognized that poor quality of care in the perioperative period (before, during, and after surgery) may contribute to significant excess mortality and morbidity. Therefore, improving access to surgical procedures alone will not address the disparities in surgical outcomes globally until the quality of perioperative care is addressed. We aimed to identify key barriers to quality perioperative care delivery for 3 "Bellwether" procedures (cesarean delivery, emergency laparotomy, and long-bone fracture fixation) in 5 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Ten hospitals representing secondary and tertiary facilities from 5 LMICs were purposefully selected: 2 upper-middle income (Colombia and South Africa); 2 lower-middle income (Sri Lanka and Tanzania); and 1 lower income (Uganda). We used a rapid appraisal design (pathway mapping, ethnography, and interviews) to map out and explore the complexities of the perioperative pathway and care delivery for the Bellwether procedures. The framework approach was used for data analysis, with triangulation across different data sources to identify barriers in the country and pattern matching to identify common barriers across the 5 LMICs. RESULTS: We developed 25 pathway maps, undertook >30 periods of observation, and held >40 interviews with patients and clinical staff. Although the extent and impact of the barriers varied across the LMIC settings, 4 key common barriers to safe and effective perioperative care were identified: (1) the fragmented nature of the care pathways, (2) the limited human and structural resources available for the provision of care, (3) the direct and indirect costs of care for patients (even in health systems for which care is ostensibly free of charge), and (4) patients' low expectations of care. CONCLUSIONS: We identified key barriers to effective perioperative care in LMICs. Addressing these barriers is important if LMIC health systems are to provide safe, timely, and affordable provision of the Bellwether procedures.

Factores asociados con anestesia regional fallida de plexo braquial para cirugía de extremidad superior / Factors associated with failed brachial plexus regional anesthesia for upper limb surgery

Introduction: Brachial plexus block as an anesthetic technique for upper limb surgery has some advantages over general anesthesia. The technique is widely used in our practice, with high effectiveness and adequate safety profile. However, the relationship between block failure and failure-determining factors has not been measured. Objectives: To identify and quantify brachial plexus block failure-associated factors for upper limb surgery as an initial observation aimed at developing prevention-oriented risk profiles and strategies. Materials and methods: An analytical observational study was conducted by collecting data from electronic medical records of upper limb surgery using brachial plexus block from the San Ignacio University Hospital between 2011 and 2012. Block failures were identified using standardized clinical criteria, measuring potentially associated factors. Dichotomous comparisons were made and uni-and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify potential statistically significant variables, based on failed cases and successful controls. Results: None of the proposed factors was independently associated with failure of brachial plexus block. A qualitative description of failed cases presented confounding factors associated with local practices and the failure characteristics did not show a clinically plausible trend. Conclusions: There were no factors determined by patient, anesthetic procedure, surgical procedure and operator that could be independently associated with brachial plexus block failure. The suggestion is to fine-tune the definition of failures, not just in the research environment, but in the current clinical practice; to improve the anesthesia records to rise the numbers and the quality of data bases for a quantitative determination of the risk of peripheral regional anesthesia failure and design prevention strategies focused on risk groups.

Introducción: El bloqueo de plexo braquial como técnica anestésica para cirugía de extremidad superior presenta ventajas sobre la anestesia general. Es ampliamente usada en nuestro medio con alta efectividad y adecuado perfil de seguridad. Sin embargo, no existe la cuantificación de las asociaciones entre fallo del bloqueo y factores determinantes del fallo. Objetivos: Identificar y cuantificar los factores asociados al fallo del bloqueo de plexo braquial como observación inicial para crear perfiles de riesgo y estrategias para prevenirlo. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional analítico, recolectando los datos de historias clínicas de bloqueos de plexo braquial para cirugía de miembro superior del Hospital Universitario San Ignacio de los años 2011-2012, identificando los bloqueos fallidos con criterios clínicos estandarizados, midiendo los factores potencialmente asociados a estos. Partiendo del grupo de fallos (casos) y grupo exitoso (controles) se establecieron comparaciones dicotómicas y análisis de regresión logística con análisis uni- y multivariado para identificar variables con significancia estadística. Resultados: Ninguno de los factores propuestos se asoció de forma independiente al fallo de bloqueo de plexo braquial. La descripción cualitativa de los casos fallidos presenta factores de confusión asociados a prácticas clínicas locales y ninguna tendencia clínicamente plausible en la característica de los fallos. Conclusiones: Ningún factor determinado por el paciente, procedimiento anestésico, procedimiento quirúrgico, operador se asocia de forma independiente a fallo del bloqueo de plexo braquial. Se propone afinar la definición de fallo, no solo en el contexto investigativo, si no en la práctica clínica actual, mejorar los sistemas de registro en anestesia para ampliar en número y calidad las bases de datos que permitan aproximarse cuantitativamente al riesgo de fallo de anestesia regional periférica y plantear estrategias de prevención enfocadas en grupos de riesgo.