Predictors of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and risk score formulation for prioritizing tertiary care-An experience from South India.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively data-mined the case records of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized to a tertiary care centre to derive mortality predictors and formulate a risk score, for prioritizing admission. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data on clinical manifestations, comorbidities, vital signs, and basic lab investigations collected as part of routine medical management at admission to a COVID-19 tertiary care centre in Chengalpattu, South India between May and November 2020 were retrospectively analysed to ascertain predictors of mortality in the univariate analysis using their relative difference in distribution among 'survivors' and 'non-survivors'. The regression coefficients of those factors remaining significant in the multivariable logistic regression were utilised for risk score formulation and validated in 1000 bootstrap datasets. Among 746 COVID-19 patients hospitalised [487 "survivors" and 259 "non-survivors" (deaths)], there was a slight male predilection [62.5%, (466/746)], with a higher mortality rate observed among 40-70 years age group [59.1%, (441/746)] and highest among diabetic patients with elevated urea levels [65.4% (68/104)]. The adjusted odds ratios of factors [OR (95% CI)] significant in the multivariable logistic regression were SaO2<95%; 2.96 (1.71-5.18), Urea ≥50 mg/dl: 4.51 (2.59-7.97), Neutrophil-lymphocytic ratio (NLR) >3; 3.01 (1.61-5.83), Age ≥50 years;2.52 (1.45-4.43), Pulse Rate ≥100/min: 2.02 (1.19-3.47) and coexisting Diabetes Mellitus; 1.73 (1.02-2.95) with hypertension and gender not retaining their significance. The individual risk scores for SaO2<95-11, Urea ≥50 mg/dl-15, NLR >3-11, Age ≥50 years-9, Pulse Rate ≥100/min-7 and coexisting diabetes mellitus-6, acronymed collectively as 'OUR-ARDs score' showed that the sum of scores ≥ 25 predicted mortality with a sensitivity-90%, specificity-64% and AUC of 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The 'OUR ARDs' risk score, derived from easily assessable factors predicting mortality, offered a tangible solution for prioritizing admission to COVID-19 tertiary care centre, that enhanced patient care but without unduly straining the health system.

Clinical outcomes of immunomodulatory therapies in the management of COVID-19: A tertiary-care experience from Pakistan.

The pharmacological management of COVID-19 has evolved significantly and various immunomodulatory agents have been repurposed. However, the clinical efficacy has been variable and a search for cure for COVID-19 continues. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 916 patients hospitalized with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 between February 2020 and October 2020 at a tertiary care academic medical center in Karachi, Pakistan. The median age was 57 years (interquartile range (IQR) 46-66 years). The most common medications administered were Methylprednisolone (65.83%), Azithromycin (50.66%), and Dexamethasone (46.6%). Majority of the patients (70%) had at least two or more medications used in combination and the most frequent combination was methylprednisolone with azithromycin. Overall in-hospital mortality was 13.65% of patients. Mortality was found to be independently associated with age greater than or equal to 60 years (OR = 4.98; 95%CI: 2.78-8.91), critical illness on admission (OR = 13.75; 95%CI: 7.27-25.99), use of hydrocortisone (OR = 12.56; 95%CI: 6.93-22.7), Ferritin> = 1500(OR = 2.07; 95%CI: 1.18-3.62), Creatinine(OR = 2.33; 95%CI: 1.31-4.14) and D-Dimer> = 1.5 (OR = 2.27; 95%CI: 1.26-4.07). None of the medications whether used as monotherapy or in combination were found to have a mortality benefit. Our study highlights the desperate need for an effective drug for the management of critical COVID-19 which necessitates usage of multiple drug combinations in patients particularly Azithromycin which has long term implications for antibiotic resistance particularly in low-middle income countries.

Inpatient consultations with the vascular and endovascular surgery team at an academic tertiary hospital / Interconsultas realizadas pela equipe de cirurgia vascular e endovascular em um hospital universitário terciário

ABSTRACT Background Inpatient consultations are a fundamental component of practice in tertiary care centers. However, such consultations demand resources, generating a significant workload. Objectives To investigate the profile of inpatient consultations requested by other specialties and provided by the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery team at an academic tertiary hospital. Methods Prospective observational study. Results From May 2017 to May 2018, 223 consultations were provided, representing 2.2% of the workload. Most consultations were requested by Oncology (16.6%), Hematology (9.9%), Nephrology (9.0%), and Cardiology (6.3%). The leading reasons for inpatient consultation were: need for vascular access (51.1%) and requests to evaluate a vascular disease (48.9%). Acute venous diseases accounted for 19.3% of consultations, chronic arterial diseases for 14.8%, acute arterial diseases for 7.2%, diabetic feet for 5.4%, and chronic venous diseases accounted for 2.2%. Surgical treatment was performed in 57.0%, either conventional (43.9%) or endovascular (13.0%). Almost all (98.2%) patients' issues were resolved. Conclusions Inpatient consultations with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery team in a tertiary academic hospital accounted for 2.2% of the team's entire workload. Most patients were elective and underwent low-complexity elective surgical procedures. There may be an opportunity to improve healthcare, redirecting these patients to the outpatient flow.

RESUMO Introdução Interconsultas são um componente fundamental da prática clínica em centros de atendimento terciários. No entanto, esse tipo de consulta requer recursos, resultando em uma alta carga de trabalho. Objetivo Investigar o perfil das interconsultas solicitadas por outros departamentos e realizadas pela equipe de Cirurgia Vascular e Endovascular em um hospital universitário terciário. Métodos Estudo observacional prospectivo. Resultados De maio de 2017 a maio de 2018, foram realizadas 223 consultas, correspondendo a 2,2% da carga de trabalho. A maioria das consultas foram solicitadas pelos departamentos de Oncologia (16,6%), Hematologia (9,9%), Nefrologia (9,0%) e Cardiologia (6,3%). As principais razões das interconsultas foram a necessidade de acesso vascular (51,1%) e de avaliação de doenças vasculares (48,9%). As doenças venosas agudas corresponderam a 19,3% das avaliações; as doenças arteriais crônicas, a 14,8%; as doenças arteriais agudas, a 7,2%; o pé diabético, a 5,4%; e as doenças venosas crônicas corresponderam a 2,2%. Foi realizado tratamento cirúrgico em 57,0% dos casos, tanto convencional (43,9%) quanto endovascular (13,0%). Foram resolvidos os problemas de quase todos os pacientes (98,2%). Conclusão As interconsultas realizadas pela equipe de Cirurgia Vascular e Endovascular em um hospital universitário terciário corresponderam a 2,2% da carga de trabalho total. A maioria dos pacientes eram eletivos e foram submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos eletivos de baixa complexidade. O redirecionamento desses pacientes para o atendimento ambulatorial poderia auxiliar na melhoria dos serviços de saúde.

Coping with COVID: Developing a Rapid-cycle Frontline Quality-improvement Process to Support Employee Well-being and Drive Institutional Responsiveness in a Tertiary Care Faith-based Hospital in Rural Kenya.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demanded rapid institutional responses to meet the needs of patients and employees in the face of a serious new disease. To support the well-being of frontline staff, a series of debriefing sessions was used to drive a rapid-cycle quality-improvement process. The goals were to confidentially determine personal coping strategies used by staff, provide an opportunity for staff cross-learning, identify what staff needed most, and provide a real-time feedback loop for decision-makers to create rapid changes to support staff safety and coping. Data were collected via sticky notes on flip charts to protect confidentiality. Management reviewed the data daily. Institutional responses to problems identified during debrief sessions were tracked, visualized, addressed, and shared with staff. More than 10% of staff participated over a 2-week period. Feedback influenced institutional decisions to improve staff schedules, transportation, and COVID-19 training.

Evaluating the Technical Efficiency of Hospitals Providing Tertiary Health Care in Turkey: An Application Based on Data Envelopment Analysis.

Tertiary care hospitals use more resources compared to other hospitals, which makes technical efficiency measurements specific to these hospitals important. This study explored the factors affecting the efficiencies of training and research hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health (n = 41) and university hospitals (n = 51) in Turkey via Data Envelopment Analysis, Malmquist Total Factor Productivity Index and panel Tobit Regression. The results showed that hospital size and the status of being a training and research or a university hospital affected the technical efficiency (p < 0.05). The size and the status of the hospitals should be taken into consideration while allocating the resources.

Early Mobilization in People With Acute Cardiovascular Disease.

BACKGROUND: Early mobilization (EM) is recommended in critical care units. However, there is little known about EM in people with acute cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Consecutive admissions to a tertiary-care cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) before and after implementation of an EM program were reviewed. The Level of Function (LOF) Mobility Scale, which ranges from 0 (bed immobile) to 5 (able to walk >20 m), was used to measure and guide mobility. The primary outcome was discharge home. RESULTS: There were 1489 patients included in the analysis (preintervention, N = 637; intervention, N = 852). There were no differences in age, sex, or admission for ischemic heart disease (age 68.1 ± 16.1 years; 39.3% female). In the intervention cohort, one-quarter (N = 222; 26.1%) had at least mildly impaired prehospital functional status. The LOF was 4.6 ± 0.7 prehospital, 3.2 ± 1.4 on admission, and 4.2 ± 0.9 on CICU discharge. Half of patients (51.6%) increased their LOF by ≥1 during CICU admission. Nearly all mobility opportunities had a mobility activity (97.0%). The adverse event rate was 0.3% with no life-threatening events, falls, line dislodgements, or health care personnel injuries. The intervention group, compared with the preintervention group, was more likely to be discharged home (83.9% vs 78.3%, P < 0.007) and had a lower rate of in-hospital death (4.2% vs 6.8%; P = 0.04). When adjusted for age, sex, and comorbid illness, admission LOF was a predictor of discharge to health care facility (odds ratio = 0.72; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EM is safe and feasible in the CICU and effective at increasing discharge home.

Perfil epidemiológico de pacientes com queimaduras admitidos em hospital terciário / Epidemiological profile of patients with burns admitted to tertiary hospital

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil epidemiológico de pacientes queimados admitidos em unidade hospitalar de Passo Fundo, norte do Rio Grande do Sul. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal, realizado em um hospital terciário por meio da coleta de dados de prontuários eletrônicos, no período de 2015 a 2020, de pacientes com queimaduras e suas complicações. RESULTADOS: Com uma amostra de 132 participantes, o perfil epidemiológico foi caracterizado por predomínio de pacientes do sexo masculino (55,3%), adultos (55,3%), não empregados (61,4%), brancos (82,6%), com ensino fundamental (45,4%), não casados (75,8%) e provenientes do próprio município (54,5%). As queimaduras foram, na maioria das vezes, de origem térmica (88%), de 2° grau (83,3%) e acometeram membros superiores (34,1%). As internações ocorreram, quase sempre, pelo Sistema Único de Saúde (80,3%), em grande parte das vezes não foi necessário tratamento intensivo (76,5%) e quase todos os pacientes receberam alta com recuperação (90,9%). Quanto às complicações, embora possam ser de vários tipos, as infecciosas foram as mais frequentes (34,1%). CONCLUSÕES: O perfil dos pacientes atendidos apresenta semelhanças com a literatura nacional e internacional, mas com algumas diferenças. Logo, é importante a ciência dessas características, para que possam ser promovidas ações para minimização dos acidentes por queimaduras, assim como, para o adequado manejo dos pacientes. Finalmente, com base nos resultados, mas com a necessidade de novos estudos, sugere-se o credenciamento de um Centro de Referência aos Queimados na região.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological profile of burn patients admitted to a hospital in Passo Fundo, northern Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS: Crosssectional study, carried out in a tertiary hospital through the collection of data from electronic medical records, from 2015 to 2020, of patients with burns and their complications. RESULTS: With a sample of 132 participants, the epidemiological profile was characterized by a predominance of male patients (55.3%), adults (55.3%), non-employed (61.4%), white (82.6%), with elementary education (45.4%), not married (75.8%) and coming from the municipality itself (54.5%). The burns were, in most cases, of thermal origin (88%), of 2nd degree (83.3%) and affected the upper limbs (34.1%). Hospitalizations almost always occurred through the Unified Health System (80.3%), in most cases intensive treatment was not required (76.5%) and almost all patients were discharged with recovery (90.9%). As for complications, although they can be of several types, infectious were the most frequent (34.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The profile of the patients seen is similar to the national and international literature, but with some differences. Therefore, it is important to be aware of these characteristics, so that actions can be promoted to minimize burn accidents, as well as for the proper management of patients. Finally, based on the results, but with the need for further studies, it is suggested the accreditation of a Reference Center in the region.

¿Qué experiencias internacionales se han desarrollado en la implementación de servicios/hospitales de alta complejidad en neurología/neurocirugía y cuáles son sus características? / What international experiences have been developed in the implementation of highly complex services / hospitals in neurology / neurosurgery and what are their characteristics?

INTRODUCCIÓN: El Instituto de Neurocirugía Alfonso Asenjo (INCA) de Chile es un hospital de referencia a nivel nacional de alta complejidad para pacientes adultos y pediátricos, creado en el año 1942(1). Es un Establecimientos Autogestionado en Red, es decir, que está integrado a la red asistencial, entrega atención de alta complejidad técnica, desarrollo de especialidades, tiene atribuciones para organizarse internamente, administrar sus recursos y cuenta con un alto número de prestaciones(2). El actual Instituto se encuentra en un edificio de construcción del año 1953 por lo que a lo largo de estos años ha tenido cierto deterioro en su materialidad, en relaciones funcionales y necesidades clínicas. En la cuenta pública del 2019, el INCA menciona que es imprescindible su reposición ya que no es posible mejorar las actuales condiciones y pensar en un proyecto a futuro en el actual edificio. Para ello se está trabajando en un proyecto de pre-inversión hospitalario para el nuevo INCA y se espera para principios del año 2021 tener la aprobación para pasar a la etapa de anteproyecto(3). En este contexto la División de Gestión de Redes Asistencial (DIGERA) del Ministerio de Salud ha solicitado información en torno a las experiencias de implementación de servicios u hospitales de alta complejidad en neurocirugía reportadas a nivel internacional con el fin de tener información actualizada de los modelos de atención y gestión de centros de este tipo. RESUMEN DE HALLAZGOS: Siguiendo con la metodología de síntesis rápidas de evidencia se hizo una búsqueda de Revisiones Sistemáticas (RS), al no encontrarse ninguna que respondiera a la pregunta de investigación se realizó una búsqueda de estudios primarios (EP). Se incluyeron todo tipo de publicaciones: artículos de investigación, experiencias, cartas al editor u otro medio de comunicación que describiera la forma de organización, experiencias de trabajo o implementación de servicios u hospitales de alta complejidad, en neurocirugía u otra especialidad neurológica. Se incluyeron todo tipo de experiencias, independiente de la población de atención del centro o del tipo de financiamiento. No se utilizaron filtros por idioma, país o fecha de publicación. De acuerdo a las necesidades del solicitante, se excluyeron publicaciones que tuvieran como objetivo describir las características de pacientes hospitalizados o ambulatorios; publicaciones que describieran o propusieran una intervención sin haberla implementado; publicaciones que tuvieran como objetivo describir o justificar la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías a sus centros; y publicaciones que se desarrollaran en un contexto de atención primaria en salud. Al realizar la búsqueda, los títulos y resúmenes fueron seleccionados por dos revisoras independientes, discutiendo cada uno de los disensos encontrados. Se encontraron inicialmente 173 EP. De éstos, se excluyeron 133 por disenso o duplicados. Luego de la revisión a texto completo de 40 EP, se excluyeron 20 por no cumplir con los criterios de inclusión descritos anteriormente. De esta forma, se utilizaron 20 estudios primarios(4,5,14­23,6­13) publicados entre 2012 y 2020. Los estudios incluidos corresponden a siete de diseño de cohorte(7,10­12,15,22,23), un estudio ecológico(8), una descripción sobre la historia de un centro(21), dos estudiostransversales(4,20), cuatro estudios cuasi experimentales antes-después (13,14,17,19), dos cartas al editor(16,18), una serie de casos(5), un ensayo controlado no aleatorizado(6) y un estudio cualicuantitativo: análisis de contenido inductivo y comparación antes-después de la intervención(9). CONSIDERACIONES DE IMPLEMENTACIÓN: Consideraciones de Aplicabilidad: La evidencia aquí contemplada proviene de documentos publicados en distintos países en 4 continentes, con los que se pudieran identificar similitudes con Chile. Por ejemplo, el tema de respuesta ante la pandemia de COVID-19 al cual tuvieron que adaptarse los hospitales a nivel mundial o el tipo de ingreso per cápita al que pertenece cada país, ya que algunos países como Canadá, EEUU, Alemania y España que, al igual que Chile, pertenecen a la OCDE y son catalogados de ingresos altos, sin embargo, esto no es un indicativo de una asignación de recursos adecuada para un buen funcionamiento hospitalario. Por otro lado, los estudios no informan respecto del tipo de financiamiento que posee cada institución mencionada. Tampoco se menciona el tipo de población cubierta, el porcentaje, ni el tipo de sistemas de salud en los que están insertos los servicios/hospitales mencionados. Dicho lo anterior, se recomienda un análisis profundo y cauteloso de los datos o características de interés para evaluar su posible aplicabilidad al contexto chileno. Por otro lado,cabe destacar que en este resumen incluyó documentos de distintos tipos de publicaciones (cartas al editor, artículos científicos, documentos narrativos), sin asignar un valor ni la graduación de la calidad a estos resultados. Consideraciones Económicas: Solamente un documento hizo referencia a los costos de los procedimientos neuroquirúrgicos de un hospital de alto volumen vs uno de bajo volumen, concluyendo que los hospitales de alto volumen son más rentables(8). No se mencionan costos directos o indirectos del resto de los procesos o intervenciones mencionados. Consideraciones de Equidad: Si bien no se pueden realizar comparaciones entre los hospitales, se puede mencionar que la los estudios muestran una diversidad en las estructuras hospitalarias y recursos tanto económicos, estructurales y de RRHH, por ejemplo, ante la misma pandemia COVID-19 el Departamento de Neurocirugía de la Universidad del Sur de Florida, pudo implementar un protocolo específico, que incluye entre otras cosas, dividir el personal en 3 equipos para que cada equipo trabaje 1 semana y cumpla 2 semanas de cuarentena, y otorgar equipamiento de protección personal adecuado, mientras que el Hospital Mayo en Lahoreno (Pakistán) no contaba con un protocolo, las medidas de protección eran básicas (mascarilla, toma de temperatura) y reasignó el personal de neurología a la atención de urgencias(18). Otro ejemplo sería el Centro Médico Hadassah (Israel), que cuenta con un grupo de enfermeras que dan atención personalizada y de acompañamiento a los pacientes(20) mientras el Centro Médico Bugando (Tanzania)(5) se encuentra en estado de precariedad y no cuenta con RRHH suficientes para dar atención de pacientes, estos cuatro ejemplos son todos hospitales de tercer nivel y de referencia en sus países. Consideraciones de Monitoreo y Evaluación: No se encontraron revisiones sistemáticas que respondan esta pregunta de investigación y los estudios primarios encontrados presentan información poco especifica. Sin embargo, estos resultados pueden ayudar a identificar un hospital, país o sistema de referencia sobre la cual se desee seguir profundizando. Además, es necesario monitorear la publicación de nueva evidencia que evalúe de manera más específica intervenciones o características requeridas para la implementación del nuevo INCA y la población hará uso de este hospital.

Adherence of Type 2 Diabetic Patients to Self-Care Activity: Tertiary Care Setting in Saudi Arabia.

AIM: To analyse the prevalence of self-care practices in T2D patients in KSA. METHODS: The study was conducted in King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) in Saudi Arabia, and 385 patients were selected as samples. Data were collected using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities-Arabic (SDSCA) and consisted of 14 items related to self-care activities of T2D patients related to management and control of disease and four other aspects related to education and advice from healthcare members regarding management of T2D. RESULTS: The self-care attributes including adherence to medication commitment activities (M = 6.13, SD = 1.25) were the most practised of all the domains. Glucose monitoring (M = 4.15, SD = 2.42) and foot care (M = 3.28, SD = 1.69) were at an average level, and adherence to the diet plan and exercise was found to be at a poor level (M = 2.57, SD = 1.73 and M = 2.13, SD = 2.00) respectively. About 179 patients (74.3%) were found to be advised to follow a low-fat eating plan, and only 89 patients (36.9%) had received information concerning fruits and vegetables in their diet. More than 90% patients were found to be advised to strictly carry out exercise and blood sugar monitoring. CONCLUSION: It was found that adherence to self-care activities including diet, exercise, and foot care was relatively poor while intake of medication was strictly followed. The education provided by healthcare providers related to self-management attributes was found to be significant and had positive effects on the overall health and well-being of T2D patients.

Preparedness, administrative challenges for establishing obstetric services, and experience of delivering over 400 women at a tertiary care COVID-19 hospital in India.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a descriptive account of the challenges and administrative preparedness for establishing and sustaining safe obstetric services during the COVID-19 pandemic at Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital (NH), Mumbai, India. METHODS: The management of pregnant women with COVID-19 was implemented as per international (WHO, RCOG, ACOG) and national (Indian Council of Medical Research) recommendations and guidelines at an academic, tertiary care, COVID-19 hospital in India. RESULTS: Using a multidisciplinary approach and active engagement of a multispecialty team, obstetric services were provided to over 400 women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. A sustainable model is established for providing services to pregnant women with COVID-19 in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. CONCLUSION: With limited resources, it is possible to set up dedicated maternity services, aligned to international guidelines, for safe pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19 settings. This COVID-19 hospital addressed the challenges and implemented several known and novel methods to establish and sustain obstetric services for women with COVID-19. The model established in the present study can be replicated in other low- and middle-income countries.

Telemonitoring for Patients With COVID-19: Recommendations for Design and Implementation.

Despite significant efforts, the COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous pressure on health care systems around the world, threatening the quality of patient care. Telemonitoring offers the opportunity to carefully monitor patients with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 from home and allows for the timely identification of worsening symptoms. Additionally, it may decrease the number of hospital visits and admissions, thereby reducing the use of scarce resources, optimizing health care capacity, and minimizing the risk of viral transmission. In this paper, we present a COVID-19 telemonitoring care pathway developed at a tertiary care hospital in the Netherlands, which combined the monitoring of vital parameters with video consultations for adequate clinical assessment. Additionally, we report a series of medical, scientific, organizational, and ethical recommendations that may be used as a guide for the design and implementation of telemonitoring pathways for COVID-19 and other diseases worldwide.

Identification and referral of patients with refractory epilepsy from the primary to the tertiary care interface in New South Wales, Australia.

OBJECTIVES: This mixed-method feasibility study conducted in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, aimed to explore clinical practices around the identification of patients with refractory epilepsy and referral from primary care to Tertiary Epilepsy Centers. The perceptions of general practitioners, neurologists, and adults living with refractory epilepsy were considered. METHODS: Fifty-two data collection events were achieved through 22 semi-structured interviews with six neurologists and 12 adults who currently have, or have had refractory epilepsy, and four family members, 10 clinical observations of patient consultations and 20 surveys with general practitioners. A thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data alongside assessment of observational fieldnotes and survey data. FINDINGS: Two main themes emerged: 1) Patient healthcare pathways and care experiences highlighted the complex and deeply contextualized experiences of both patients and healthcare professionals, from first identification of people's seizures, in primary and community care settings, to referral to Tertiary Epilepsy Centers, shedding light on a fragmented, nonstandardized referral process, influenced by both individual and shared-care practices. 2) Factors impacting referrals and patient pathways indicated that onward referral to a Tertiary Epilepsy Center is affected by the knowledge, or the lack thereof, of healthcare professionals regarding treatment options. Barriers include limited person-centered care, shared decision-making, and refractory epilepsy education for healthcare professionals, which can delay patients' disease identification and can hinder speedy referral pathways and processes, in Australia for up to 17 years. In addition, person-centered communication around care pathways is affected by relationships between clinicians, patients, and family members. CONCLUSION: This study has identified a noticeable lack of standardized care across epilepsy-related healthcare sectors, which recognizes a need for developing and implementing clearer epilepsy-related guidelines and Continuing Professional Development in the primary and community care settings. This, however, requires greater collaboration and commitment in the primary, community, and tertiary care sectors to address the ongoing misconceptions around professional roles and responsibilities to optimize shared-care practices. Ultimately, prioritizing person-centered care on both patients' and professionals' agendas, in order to improve satisfaction with care experiences of people living with complex epilepsy.

A new complication registration system for errors in radiology: Initial 5-year experience in a tertiary care radiology department.

PURPOSE: To describe and evaluate our initial 5-year experience with a new complication registration system for errors in radiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study reviewed all cases that were submitted to a new complication registration system of a tertiary care radiology department between 2015-2019. RESULTS: Sixty-seven cases were included. In the group of diagnostic complications/errors (n = 34), there were 21 perceptual errors and 13 cognitive errors. This 61.8 % (21/34) perceptual error rate was not significantly different (P = 0.297) from the 70 % perceptual error rate known from previous literature. In the group of interventional complications (n=19), most cases (47.4 % [9/19]) concerned symptomatic or major hemorrhage. In the group of organizational complications/errors (n=14), the leading incident type according to the International Classification System for Patient Safety was clinical process/procedure with wrong body part/side/site as subclassification (35.7 % [5/14]). Harm severities were none (n=35), mild (n=10), moderate (n=10), severe (n=6), death (n=5), and unknown (n=1). Harm severity of interventional complications was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of organizational complications, while there were no significant differences in harm severities between other groups of complications. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to implement the radiologic complication registration system that was described in this study. Perceptual mistakes, hemorrhage, and procedures on the wrong body part/side/site dominated in the categories of diagnostic, interventional, and organizational complications/errors, respectively, and these should be the topic of vigilance in clinical practice and further research. Future studies are also required to determine whether this complication registration system reduces radiologic errors and improves healthcare quality.

Teleconsultation at a tertiary care government medical university during COVID-19 Lockdown in India - A pilot study.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 related pan- India lockdown brought teleophthalmology to the forefront. The study ventures to understand the relevance of this modality in a government setup. The objective is to understand the feasibility, clinical profile and addressability of patients using teleconsultation in ophthalmology at a tertiary care government medical university during the COVID-19 Lockdown in India. METHODS: An online survey targeting faculty members and resident doctors in a tertiary eye center in a government medical university in north India was conducted. Various aspects of teleconsultation were analyzed including the number and preferential mode of consultations, commonest complaints and diagnoses made. Frequency and factors mandating physical examination of patients was also analyzed. RESULTS: The questionnaire was sent to 40 ophthalmologists of whom 38 responded. A total of 4880 teleconsultations were given. The commonest mode of communication was by WhatsApp messages (65.6%) and E-mail was the least preferred medium. More than 80% consultations were from previously seen patients. Red eye was the commonest presenting complaint (22.8%), followed by watering (18.7%) and foreign body sensation (14.5%). Computer vision syndrome was the commonest diagnosis (25.9%) followed by conjunctivitis (17.7%) and refractive error (17.7%). About 40% required physical examination, mostly due to uncertain diagnosis (22%) or inadequate response to prescribed treatment (19%). CONCLUSION: Teleconsultation was feasible in a government medical university for providing ophthalmic services during lockdown. WhatsApp was the preferred communication modality, computer vision syndrome was the most frequent tentative diagnosis and approximately 60% did not require in-person physical examination.

Close to Home: Perinatal Palliative Care in a Community Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Advances in prenatal testing and diagnosis have resulted in more parents learning during pregnancy that their child may die before or shortly after birth. These advances in testing and diagnosis have also resulted in more parents choosing, despite the diagnosis, to continue their pregnancies and pursue a palliative approach to their infant's short life. Perinatal hospice and palliative care is a growing model of care developed in response to these parents' previously unmet needs. A seldom-discussed opportunity to provide this care exists in outlying community hospitals, which are ideally placed to provide care close to home for families who have chosen comfort measures and time with their child. PURPOSE: This article reviews the definition and utility of perinatal palliative care, the population it serves, attempts to support a rational for development of community-based programs, and describes one community hospital's experience with perinatal palliative care in their community. METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY: This article describes the development and processes of a perinatal palliative care program at a community hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Perinatal palliative care can be developed with the assistance of already existing training materials, resources, and staff. While the cohort of patients may be small, implementing perinatal palliative care in a community setting may result in wider availability of this care and more accessible options for these families. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Research possibilities include developing a template for creating a perinatal palliative care program at community hospitals that could be replicated elsewhere; assessing parental satisfaction and quality indicators of perinatal palliative care at community hospitals and at referral hospitals; and assessing outcomes in various settings.

Cognitive impairment, quality of life and healthcare utilization in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 to 5.

AIM: This study aimed to examine associations between cognitive impairment and quality of life and healthcare utilization in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3 to 5. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 379 outpatients with a mean age of 65.7 years at tertiary care hospitals in Thailand. Cognitive function was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination, and quality of life was measured using the five-dimension European quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) multi-attribute utility instrument. The effects of cognitive impairment on the likelihood of reporting 'no problems' for each EQ-5D dimension, the quality of life scores and healthcare utilization were determined using an appropriate multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with CKD stages 3 to 5 was 15.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.3, 19.9). Patients with cognitive impairment had a significantly lower likelihood of achieving good outcomes in the mobility, self-care, usual activities and anxiety/depression dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L than those with normal cognition. Patients with cognitive impairment had a significantly lower quality of life score than those with normal cognition by 0.06 points (95% CI, 0.01, 0.10). Cognitive impairment increased the number of emergency visits (rate ratio, RR, 3.47; 95% CI, 1.45, 8.29). Compared to CKD stage 3, CKD stage 5 decreased the quality of life score by 0.06 points (95% CI, 0.01, 0.10) and increased the rate of hospitalization (RR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.27, 4.12). CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairment in patients with CKD was associated with lower quality of life scores and increased healthcare utilization.

Outcomes of a tertiary-based innovative approach to engage primary care providers in provision of hepatitis C treatment in community settings.

BACKGROUND: Australia is committed to eliminating the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. Despite regulations in Australia that enable the prescription of subsidised direct acting antiviral (DAA) by primary health care providers, the number of providers who treat patients for HCV remains low and this limits the prospect of HCV elimination. The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, implemented an innovative program called Cure-It aimed at engaging primary care providers in community-based HCV treatment. This paper aims to describe initial experiences and short-term patient outcomes of this program. METHODS: A formative evaluation was conducted using program data for the period March 2016 to April 2018. Descriptive statistics were used to report the number of engaged primary care providers, patients' baseline characteristics, treatment plans, and treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty primary care providers from different settings were engaged in HCV treatment. Among 331 patients eligible for community-based treatment, 315 (95.2%) commenced treatment, the completion rate was 92.4 and 66.5% achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12). The SVR12 had not been documented for 26.8% of patients. Among patients whose SVR12 was documented, 98.2% achieved SVR12. Only 1.3% of patients experienced treatment failure. CONCLUSION: A flexible tertiary-led model can improve primary care providers and patients' engagement with provision of HCV treatment. Tertiary centres need to play their role to improve the accessibility of HCV treatment through providing training and on-going support for primary care providers while enabling those providers to become more confident in providing treatment independently.

Cardiac disease in pregnancy and the multidisciplinary team: the Wellington experience.

AIM: To define the range and severity of cardiac disease in pregnant women in New Zealand, as well as the maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality compared with the background obstetric population. METHODS: We retrospectively audited pregnant women with cardiac comorbidity seen by a multidisciplinary team at a tertiary referral centre consisting of midwives, cardiologists, obstetricians and anaesthetists in 2016-2017. RESULTS: Seventy-two women were referred to the multidisciplinary team. The most common referral reasons were arrhythmia (n=20, 27.8%), congenital anomalies (n=19, 26.4%) and palpitations (n=10, 13.9%). Fifty-two of these women were found to be at increased risk of morbidity or mortality. A specific delivery plan was devised for 37 of these women (69.8%). There was no serious maternal morbidity or mortality. Instrumental delivery rates were higher for women with cardiac comorbidity than the background obstetric population (19.2% vs 10.8%, p=0.049), however, neonatal admissions were not increased (11.5% compared with 16.5%). CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary review of obstetric patients with cardiac disease provides an important service to ensure risk modification prior to conception and throughout pregnancy and the puerperium.