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Evidence-based practice. A philosophical and political analysis: some matters for consideration by professional practitioners.

This paper evaluates the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) and appraises critically the implementation process of the EBP initiative, noting its consonance with the aspirations of the dominant political culture and offering a critique of the inherent contradictions and ethical dilemmas associated with it. A critical evaluation of the implications for practitioners and service users is offered and the authors argue that while the concept of EBP is a laudable one, there is a need to exercise caution about uncritical acceptance and evidence that a more eclectic and less reductionist approach to EBP is essential for quality service development.

Diffusion of Innovation↗

Development of a family liaison model during operative procedures.

The essence of family-centered care is the provision, by all health professionals, of psychosocially supportive care that fosters family integrity and functioning. Data from a hospital-based satisfaction survey at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) indicated that the primary reason for parents being "less than completely satisfied" was lack of communication. A search of recent literature suggests also that breakdown in family-centered care in intensive care units is neither new nor unique. The purpose of this article is to describe how efforts to improve communication with parents and families led to the development of a family liaison program and an expanded role for staff nurses in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). The goals of this family liaison program were three-fold: to facilitate establishment of a relationship between CICU nursing staff, parents, and families at the earliest possible point in time; to ensure communication with parents and families at regular intervals during their child's surgery; and to promote practice that incorporates principles of family-centered care within the CICU. The design and implementation of such a program presented nurses in the CICU with both a challenge and an opportunity to take an innovative approach to meeting the fundamental need for information reported by parents and families, and echoed throughout nursing literature. This family liaison program serves to educate parents and families, communicate updates, provide physical and emotional support, and establish continuity of care for the patient and family. Additionally, nurses involved in the program have given positive feedback regarding their expanded role in this family-centered care model.

Child↗

Point-of-care laboratory testing in critical care.

BACKGROUND: Critical care practitioners are searching for ways to improve the quality and outcomes of care while decreasing cost and length of stay. One technological advance that may facilitate meeting these objectives is bedside or point-of-care laboratory equipment. Evaluation of point-of-care testing for application in each institution requires information about the devices available; knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies, the clinical impact, and cost of the process change; and strategies for successful implementation. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on point-of-care testing and the experience of healthcare professionals who have already successfully implemented this type of testing. METHODS: A total of 81 relevant published articles were reviewed, and 21 critical care units in 8 facilities that use point-of-care testing were visited. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 83 subjects: 56 nurses, 14 laboratory personnel, 9 respiratory therapists, and 4 others. CONCLUSIONS: Point-of-care testing is a technological innovation with the potential for improving patients' care without increasing costs. It most likely will soon become part of the standard of care.

Critical Care↗

Implementing the American Diabetes Association's nutrition recommendations.

Evidence-based "Nutrition Principles and Recommendations for the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes and Related Complications" outline the goals of medical nutrition therapy for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Those goals are (1) to attain and maintain optimal metabolic outcomes, (2) to prevent and treat the chronic complications of diabetes, (3) to improve health through healthy food choices and through physical activity, and (4) to address individual patient nutritional needs. Discussion focuses on moderate caloric restriction and an increase in physical activity. Carbohydrate counting is offered as an option for all patients with diabetes. Working with other health care professionals can be a benefit to both the primary health care provider and the patient.

Adult↗

Gaining insight into the Clinical Practice Guideline development processes: qualitative study in a workshop to implement the GRADE proposal in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The GRADE method represents a new approach to grading the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations in the preparation of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG). In the context of a pilot study to assess the implementability of the system in Spain, we considered it relevant to gain an insight into the significance of the perceptions and attitudes expressed by the actual experts participating in the system try-out. METHODS: Qualitative research with an ethnographic approach, through non-participant observation and focus groups within the context of a consensus workshop in which 19 CPG experts participated to evaluate the GRADE proposal using 12 evidence tables taken from hypertension, asthma and arthritis CPGs. The interventions were recorded, under a guarantee of confidentiality. The transcriptions and field notes were analyzed, based on a sociological discourse analysis model, and the provisional findings were re-sent to participants in order to improve their validity. RESULTS: 1) Certain problems over procedure and terminology hindered the acceptance of this new method as a common reference system for the preparation of CPGs. 2) A greater closeness to clinical practice was accompanied by concerns over value judgments and subjectivity, with a demand for greater explicitness in the consensus process. 3) The type of "evidence" on which the guidelines are based, how and by whom the evidence is prepared, and what the role of the different actors should be, all constitute unresolved concerns in the CPG preparation and implementation processes. 4) The grading process is not neutral: professional background, prior experience and the degree of leadership all condition the participants' input and interactions. CONCLUSION: The findings obtained allow the quantitative evaluation to be better interpreted and, in turn, go beyond the particularities of the GRADE method. Adaptation to the complexities of clinical practice, the need for carefully designed multi-disciplinary work and the reflexivity present in the CPG preparation process, all represent lines of debate that are necessary to improve the CPG quality in the Spanish health care sector.

Anthropology, Cultural↗

Practice innovation: a methodological maze.

Practice innovation is an inevitable feature of a health culture preoccupied with evidence-based practice. The cyclical process of defining best practice, implementing and evaluating change represents an unparalleled opportunity for nurse researchers to engage in, and develop, practice through 'realistic evaluation'. However, the methodological dilemmas and challenges inherent in evaluation research which informs policy should not be under-estimated. This paper seeks to introduce and wrestle with some of the political tensions and methodological issues surrounding practice innovation when it is undertaken within an evaluative research framework. A critical pathway is presented to stimulate discussion and guide novice evaluators through this often perplexing methodological maze. A case study in audiological rehabilitation in elder care is used to illustrate the issues raised.

Aged↗

The establishment of a Jamaican all-injury surveillance system.

The impact of injuries on the Jamaican health care system is a growing problem. Based on the successful implementation of a Violence-Related Injury Surveillance System (VRISS) in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), Ministry of Health (MOH) officials decided to expand the system to the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS), allowing for the surveillance of both intentional and unintentional injuries. A working group designed the expanded injury surveillance system based on the International Classification of External Causes of Injury. The expanded system allowed for the collection of data on all injuries seen in the A&E departments by adding four injury projects to the computerized A&E registration process. These were (1) unintentional injury, (2) violence-related injury, (3) suicide attempt (also known as intentional self-harm) and (4) motor vehicle-related injuries. The expanded JISS was implemented at the KPH and four additional hospitals across the island. The geographic distribution of these hospitals provided a reflection of rural and urban, highland and coastal communities and their distinctive injury profiles. Data collected at registration were printed on trauma sheets and reviewed by medical staff before being incorporated into the patient's record. Monthly reports detailing demographics and summary statistics were generated and made available at the local and national level. By monitoring the national injury profile, the JISS provides data to support needed policy changes to minimize the impact of injuries on the health services and on the health of the population.

Data Collection↗

Implementing a smoking ban in an acute psychiatric admissions unit.

In contrast to general medical hospitals, psychiatric hospitals often allow patients to smoke cigarettes. In addition to obvious health concerns, smoking can also interfere with clinical assessments and therapeutic activities, Implementation of a smoking ban on an acute male admissions unit did not result in any increase in aggressive behaviors. In addition, staff attitudes following the ban improved, and most staff members believed the ban was both ethical and beneficial to patients. Our research indicates that banning smoking on an acute admissions unit is feasible and well tolerated by patients and staff, although it may require extra vigilance for smoking-related contraband.

Adult↗

Moving assertive community treatment into standard practice.

This article describes the assertive community treatment model of comprehensive community-based psychiatric care for persons with severe mental illness and discusses issues pertaining to implementation of the model. The assertive community treatment model has been the subject of more than 25 randomized controlled trials. Research has shown that this type of program is effective in reducing hospitalization, is no more expensive than traditional care, and is more satisfactory to consumers and their families than standard care. Despite evidence of the efficacy of assertive community treatment, it is not uniformly available to the individuals who might benefit from it.

Community Mental Health Services↗

Implementing an i.v. iron maintenance regimen protocol in a hemodialysis practice.

Iron-deficiency anemia is commonly encountered in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring chronic hemodialysis and can occur as a result of blood loss from frequent laboratory tests, blood retention in the dialysis tubing and dialyzer, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, repeated access surgery, poor oral iron intake and/or absorption, and low protein diets (Sakiewicz, 1998; Eschbach, 1999). Further compounding the deficiency is the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates erythropoiesis to abnormally high levels and leads to functional iron deficiency in up to 90% of patients (Macdougall, 1995; Sunder-Plassmann, 1997).

Aged↗

Implementing the revised American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the treatment of patients with eating disorder.

Practice guidelines aspire to be authoritative statements regarding the state of the art in quality care for various clinical problems. The American Medical Association Partnership has set forth stringent parameters for guideline development by professional organizations, and these have been followed by the American Psychiatric Association in creating its practice guidelines for the treatment of patients with eating disorders. The revised edition, published in January 2000, benefitted from extensive input from a wide array of psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, and other recognized experts who blended together available evidence-based practice with a considerable amount of clinical experience and consensus. These guidelines are useful for practitioners, students, and health-resource managers. Future research will continue to lead to constant upgrades.

Feeding and Eating Disorders↗

A model for the implementation of a hybrid digital clinical photographic service.

This paper considers the potential that digital capture has for patient photography in a large teaching hospital, as well as drawing attention to the flaws of the technology which, at the present time, make it an unrealistic option for general use. It suggests that a 'hybrid' system--of analogue capture, digital storage and digital output--remains in place until digital camera technology becomes cheaper, more stable and more comparable with current 35 mm film technology. It makes recommendations for the digital storage and output of these images, and argues that the 35 mm slide be gradually phased out of large teaching hospitals' lecture theatres in order to help pave the way for a total digital service.

Databases as Topic↗

Community-based treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Lima, Peru: 7 years of experience.

Programs implementing community-based directly observed therapy (DOT) have demonstrated success in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. However, given complexities in the management and treatment of patients infected with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the utilization of community-based DOT to treat MDR-TB patients has only recently been successfully attempted. We describe the first such program and highlight the crucial components and most critical challenges to creating a successful community-based MDR-TB treatment program.

Community Health Services↗

Ambulatory computerized physician order entry implementation.

As part of broader effort to identify success factors for implementing computerized physician order entry(CPOE), factors specific to the ambulatory setting were investigated in the field at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. A multidisciplinary team of five qualitative researchers spent seven months at four clinics conducting observations, interviews, and focus groups. The team analyzed the data using a combination of template and grounded theory approaches. The result is a description of fourteen themes, clustered into technology, organizational,personal, and environmental categories. While similar to inpatient study results in many respects,this outpatient CPO investigation generated subtly different themes.

Ambulatory Care Information Systems↗

Implementation of intelligent decision support systems in health care.

The full implementation of any intelligent system in health care, which is designed for decision support, has several stages, from initial problem identification through development and, finally, cost-benefit analysis. Central to this is formal objectivist evaluation with its core component of inherent performance of the outputs from these systems. A Medline survey of one type of intelligent system is presented, which demonstrates that this issue is not being addressed adequately. Lack of criteria for dealing with the outputs from these "black box" systems to prescribe adequate levels of inherent performance may be preventing their being accepted by those in the health-care domain and, thus, their being applied widely in the field.

Decision Support Systems, Clinical↗

Prevention of neural tube defects: effect of an intervention aimed at implementing the official recommendations.

OBJECTIVES: The periconceptional intake of 0.4 mg folic acid is recommended in many countries to prevent neural tube defects. This paper describes the poor implementation of corresponding guidelines in Germany, the effectiveness of an intervention-based on providing adequate information and the problems associated with the implementation. METHODS: Two cross sectional studies investigated knowledge, attitude, and behaviour of randomly sampled gynaecologists (n = 24/27), pharmacists (n = 21/21), and women in childbed (n = 131/118) before and after the information campaign. RESULTS: Before the intervention, 3.8% of the women implemented folic-acid-prophylaxis compared with 9.3% afterwards (p = n.s.). The awareness of the prophylaxis before pregnancy correlated with socio-economic status and rose from 28% (before) to 42% after intervention (p < 0.05). Before the intervention, 38% of the gynaecologists and 38% of the pharmacists recommended the prophylaxis compared with 74% (p < 0.05) and 43% (p = n.s.) afterwards. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of the intervention was small. To improve the situation, fortification of specially selected and labelled food should be considered. An accompanying nationwide information campaign should focus on women with lower socio-economic status.

Female↗

The Ontario ban on smoking on school property: issues and challenges in enforcement.

We document implementation and enforcement activities undertaken by high schools and health units with regard to the 1994 ban on smoking on school property in Ontario. Telephone interviews were conducted in the early summer of 1996 with 213 high school administrators and 38 tobacco enforcement personnel in health units. While some schools are unclear about enforcement responsibility, most are making efforts to enforce the ban, including warning and suspending students. Some school administrators (30%) suggest the reinstitution of designated smoking areas on school property. One quarter of health units had not made enforcement visits in schools in the 1995-96 school year and a minority accounted for most of the warnings and tickets issued to students. While most tobacco enforcement officers perceive that schools support the ban, they report some problems in obtaining cooperation in enforcement. However, only 11% suggest returning to designated smoking areas on school property.

Adolescent↗

An institutional commitment to pain management.

PURPOSE: To share the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program called "An Institutional Commitment to Pain Management," which is based on the philosophy of organizational influence on pain management. METHODS: A tested pain education model was disseminated to 32 physician/nurse teams in settings throughout California, after which the 64 professionals returned to their institutions to serve as role models and catalysts to change the practice of pain management. Each team member completed a 39-item survey about knowledge and attitudes related to pain, which was developed by B.R.F. and colleagues, and also identified three goals for the implementation of course information. Precourse data also included administration of the knowledge and attitudes survey to participating physicians' and nurses' colleagues (10 physicians and 20 nurses per institution). Each team completed five chart audits using the pain audit tool (PAT), which was developed by B.R.F. and colleagues at the City of Hope National Medical Center. The PAT identifies how pain is managed currently at the institutional level. Final course evaluation 8 months after course completion included a summary of activities implemented by the teams as well as the factors that served as barriers and benefits to improve the quality of pain management. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-two physicians and 629 nurses completed the survey about knowledge and attitudes related to pain, and 154 PATs were submitted. These results, as well as evaluation at the completion of the course, are discussed. CONCLUSION: The Institutional Commitment to Pain Management program is an evolving model that was developed to overcome barriers to pain relief by obtaining the commitment from institutions to improve the management of pain for their patients.

Adult↗