by Sophie Lekkerkerker, Karin A. H. Kaasjager, Saskia Haitjema, Cornelia Hulsbergen-Veelken, Karin H. Herbschleb, Marianne C. Verhaar, Meriem Khairoun, Gurbey Ocak
BackgroundAlthough immune checkpoint inhibitors improve survival in patients with malignancies, a substantial number of patients treated with these agents experience immune-related adverse events. It is unknown whether inflammation-related hematological ratios are associated with immune-related adverse events or mortality.
ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the association between pretreatment inflammation-related hematological ratios and the occurrence of immune-related adverse events and mortality in patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors.
MethodsPatients treated with checkpoint inhibitors within a tertiary hospital in the Netherlands were studied using routine care data between January 2013 and May 2020. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocytes and platelets ratio (NLPR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and outcomes (immune-related adverse events or mortality).
ResultsAmong 664 patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors, 397 (59.8%) patients developed an immune-related adverse event and 363 (54.7%) patients died during a median follow-up period of 17 months (interquartile range 7–30 months). Hematological ratios were not associated with immune-related adverse events. However, highest tertiles as compared with lowest tertiles of all hematological ratios were independently associated with mortality (NLR: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.23, 95% CI 1.69–2.95; PLR: adjusted HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.43–2.47; NLPR: adjusted 1.59, 95% CI 1.22–2.06; SII: adjusted HR 2.33, 95% CI 1.77–3.08).
ConclusionIn this study, pretreatment inflammation-based hematological ratios were not associated with future immune-related adverse events in patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. However, elevated hematological ratios were associated with an increased mortality risk.
This study aims at documenting the frequency of reported abuse, stigma and discrimination and exploring the perspectives for improving the quality of maternal-newborn care (QMNC) of migrant mothers’ reporting abuse, stigma or discrimination.
Mixed methods multicentre cross-sectional study.
All maternal facilities (tertiary and secondary levels of care, n=9) from Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Northeast Italy, between November 2019 and January 2022 in Northeast Italy.
874 migrant and 3968 non-migrant women answering a validated WHO Standard-based questionnaire after birth.
Frequency of reported abuse, stigma and discrimination during facility-based childbirth was calculated and compared with those of non-migrant mothers. Thematic analysis was conducted on eight open questions, using WHO Standards as a framework for the analysis.
Among migrant women, 84 (9.6%) reported some type of abuse, stigma and discrimination, a frequency similar to non-migrant women (9.8%, p=0.880). The most frequently reported was verbal abuse (87.7%), followed by stigma and discrimination (15.1%). Most women (86.9%) provided at least one comment, with a frequency comparable to non-migrant women (p=0.076). Among a total of 327 comments, 104 (31.8%) were practical suggestions for improving QMNC. Experience of care was the domain with the highest frequency both of negative (64.9% of negative comments) and positive comments (51.7% of positive comments) and with the highest frequency of suggestions for improving QMNC (52.9% of suggestions). Overall, suggestions mainly focused on strengthening healthcare professionals’ communication skills, allowing companionship during childbirth, increasing healthcare professionals’ availability and timely support.
This study shows that both migrant and non-migrant mothers are exposed to abuse, stigma and discrimination during childbirth, and that both are willing to provide practical suggestions, which should be used for planning actions to improve QMNC.
To develop a reflection method for community nurses and certified nursing assistants to support the implementation of the Dutch Informal Care guideline in daily care.
Design-based research.
A design group and four test groups of community nurses and nursing assistants were formed to develop a reflection method that aligns with the needs and preferences of its end-users. The design and test group meetings were video recorded. The video data were iteratively discussed and analysed thematically to adapt and refine the method and to identify its key features.
A final reflection method was developed. Five main themes were identified from the analysis: the group, reflective triggers, knowledge about the guidelines, the coach and preconditions. The themes are linked to nine key features representing the building blocks of the reflection method. The key features are group size, participants with different (educational) backgrounds, pairs of participants, expressing thoughts, video feedback, reflection game, making the connection with the guideline, coaching as a process facilitator and meeting organizational and contextual conditions for implementation.
An evidence- and practice-based reflection method for community nurses and certified nursing assistants is developed to support the implementation. By involving community nurses and certified nursing assistants, the method closely matches their needs and preferences. Critical elements of the reflection method are a game element, video feedback and working in pairs in a group of participants from different (educational) backgrounds. Guidance is needed to make the transfer from theory to practice.
A reflection method for community nurses and certified nursing assistants was developed to enhance care work according to guideline recommendations, aiming to improve the care provided by informal caregivers.
The COREQ guideline was used.
This reflection method was developed in close collaboration with all stakeholders during the entire study.
To explore what healthcare staff and staff in pharmacies experiences, as challenges, and possibilities in handling and use medications by foreign-born persons or their relatives, and how necessary information is exchanged between different units in the healthcare chain to prevent medication errors.
A qualitative explorative single-unit case study in a primary healthcare centre, with connected home care and pharmacies in an immigrant-dense area.
Individual semi-structured interviews with 17 respondents, including pharmacists, physicians and registered nurses, were conducted between May and December 2022, in Sweden. Inductive qualitative content analysis was applied.
Six categories were identified: limited knowledge about medications, lack of knowledge about the Swedish system for medication prescriptions and pharmacy regulations, insufficient time to develop trusting relations, communication to support medication management, tools for facilitating safe use of medications and problems in exchange of information in the healthcare chain.
Good communication is both a challenge and a prerequisite for safe medication management by well-informed patients. To ensure patient safety, it is crucial to establish ways to communicate with patients about their medications, regardless of their language skills. Improving communication within the healthcare chain is essential to prevent medication errors.
Understanding the complexity of medication management and preventing medication errors requires staff to communicate effectively with patients at all steps in the healthcare chain to identify their informational and educational needs.
This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the importance of communication within the healthcare chain, including prescribing physicians, nurses, pharmacists and patients, to prevent medication errors.
COREQ checklist.
This study focused on staff at a healthcare centre and two pharmacies.
To develop a reflection method for community nurses and certified nursing assistants to support the implementation of a professional reporting guideline for nurses and certified nursing assistants in daily care and to identify its key features.
Design-based research.
This study was conducted in the Netherlands from February 2021 to April 2022. The reflection method was developed by a design group (community nurses, certified nursing assistants and a patient representative) and four test groups of nurses. Experiences of participants were explored with video recordings and observational notes from test group meetings. The data were thematically analysed to refine the reflection method and identify key features.
A final reflection method was developed. We identified three main themes: (1) Impact on behaviour change, (2) group learning and (3) conditional factors for critical reflection. Seven key features emerged as essential, forming the building blocks of the reflection method: focus on critical reflection, allocate time to formulate themes, include participants from various backgrounds and organisations, ensure the group is appropriately sized, allow for sufficient time, keep it simple and attractive and stimulate the group to make the transfer of learning to their clinical practice.
The final method included two 2 h meetings with up to six participants and a coach. Participants learned from critical reflection and feedback to improve the reporting quality and critical assessment of daily practices, especially from colleagues with varying team affiliations and educational backgrounds.
This reflection method enables community nurses and certified nursing assistants to learn collaboratively, aligning with the ‘Nursing and Caring Reporting’ guideline and bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.
The COREQ guideline was used.
The study design facilitated close collaboration among researchers, community nurses, certified nursing assistants and clients.
Geographical isolation compounds limited access to healthcare services and skilled workforce for the provision of rural aged care. Residents have complex chronic disease management and end-of-life care needs. An undersupply of general medical practitioners due to retirement, attrition or unfilled training places in Australia has impacted recruitment to rural areas. Nurse practitioners have been identified as a potential solution.
To describe and explore the inner (local and organisational) and outer (wider health system) contexts of healthcare, from the perspective of care staff and residents' families. This, in turn, aims to inform the planned implementation of a nurse practitioner model, in several aged care facilities, operating within rural and remote settings, in Queensland Australia.
A convergent mixed methods design.
Qualitative data were collected, in 2022–2023, using semistructured interviews with staff focusing on role, knowledge development, workplace culture and care relationships with local community. Resident's family's perspectives were obtained as a secondary analysis of organisational feedback data. Quantitative data were collected from direct care workers using the Alberta Context Tool for Long-Term Care. Data were analysed according to type and integrated.
Relational care for residents and families is highly valued but provision of quality is challenging where time-poor staff are perceived to be doing the best they can. Scarce local healthcare services make it difficult to meet resident healthcare needs. Despite the supportive organisational culture, evolving policy requirements have impacted already difficult staff recruitment in rural settings.
Identifying contextual needs of organisations in readiness for change highlights geographical and sectoral nuances influencing any future implementation. As government policy changes to improve the older adult care sector, rural and remote facilities are forced to increasingly adapt.
Context-specific needs extend far beyond a nurse practitioner providing additional expertise in care provision.
What problem did the study address? Nurse practitioners have been successfully implemented into residential aged care facilities in metropolitan and major regional centres but translating this role into rural and remote Australia requires being cognisant of the needs, unique challenges and context of this setting.
What were the main findings? In an organisational culture of support, the importance of staff providing relational care and having connection with older adult residents and families was a central driver. It was challenging for staff to meet complex care requirements in the absence of local healthcare options and support. Time pressures, from inadequate staffing and changing structural aged care sector, force the prioritising of care requirements.
Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Older adults, policy makers and aged care providers will benefit from understanding the context of rural and remote settings, particularly in identifying potential solutions when there are gaps in primary and secondary healthcare.
The GRAMMS checklist was followed in reporting of this study.
Two lived experience consumers were involved as research team members. One was involved during the development and submission of the funding application and another during project activities including data collection and analysis and the development of publications.
by Ugo Picciotti, Giuseppe Francesco Racaniello, Marianna Ivone, Pasquale Trotti, Angela Assunta Lopedota, Paolo Damiani, Francesca Garganese, Nunzio Denora, Francesco Porcelli
Predation on Aphrophoridae and other olive tree pests makes Zelus renardii a candidate for biocontrol actions to limit Xylella fastidiosa infections while mitigating other olive tree pests. The opportunity drives the search for an effective mass rearing method of Z. renardii. Predator rearing on artificial diets greatly benefits from feed-effective formulation, preparation, storage, preservation, and delivery. Given the several oligidic, meridic, and holidic available formulations, we face the challenge of a proper diet processing for delivery. To understand how to obtain a large number of preservable and sterile diet portions while avoiding microbial contamination, we explore prilling/vibration techniques to rear Z. renardii. Prilling or vibrating the diets yields multicore microbeads or monocore microcapsules; water domains exist, whose arrangements are well-documented by the cryo-SEM study and represented in corresponding false-color images. Issues include the density interplay between low- or high-density alginate and the liquid diet formulation during prilling/vibration. Other options relate to alginate stickiness or consistency, which makes it difficult to disperse the diet domains in the microbeads or to obtain a single diet domain per microcapsule because of unpredictable wall thickness and core lateralization. We suggest options to make microbeads and microcapsule portions available for up to one year for predators, stored in cold, pure water.To assess the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a tailored exercise intervention compared with usual care for people aged 80 years and older with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis (OA) and comorbidities.
Two-arm, parallel-design, multicentre, pragmatic, feasibility RCT.
Four National Health Service outpatient physiotherapy services across England.
Adults aged 80 years and over with clinical hip and/or knee OA and ≥1 comorbidity.
Participants were randomised 1:1 via a central web-based system to be offered: (1) a 12-week tailored exercise programme or (2) usual care. Participants and outcome assessors were not blinded to treatment allocation.
(1) Ability to screen and recruit participants; (2) retention of participants at 14-week follow-up; (3) intervention fidelity (proportion of participants who received ≥4 intervention sessions as per protocol) and (4) participant engagement (assessed by home exercise adherence).
Between 12 May 2022 and 26 January 2023, 133 potential participants were screened, of whom 94 were eligible. The main reasons for ineligibility were symptoms not consistent with hip or knee OA (10/39, 25.6%) or already having had a physiotherapy appointment (8/39, 20.5%). 51 of 94 (54%) eligible participants were recruited. Participants had a mean age of 84 years (SD 3.5), 31 (60.8%) were female and 96.1% reported their ethnicity as White British (n=49/51). 45 of 51 participants (88%) provided outcome data at the 14-week follow-up time point. Four or more intervention sessions were attended by 13/25 (52%) participants. Home exercise log completion declined over time: 6/23 participants (26.1%) returned completed exercise logs for all 12 weeks. The median number of days home exercises were recorded each week was 5 (range 0–7).
This study demonstrated that a definitive trial would be feasible. Before proceeding, modifications to ensure recruitment of a diverse population and intervention fidelity should be addressed.
To explore the familial, emotional, social and school-related challenges experienced by school-aged siblings of children with cancer, focusing on how these challenges intersect across hospital, home and school in their everyday lives.
Qualitative, two-phase, multi-site study.
Fieldwork was conducted at two distinct paediatric oncology wards, followed by semi-structured interviews with 11 siblings (aged 7–19 years) and 20 parents, recruited through criterion-based sampling. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Analysis showed that siblings were often marginalised in hospital life due to (1) family logistics; (2) hospital-induced restrictions, rules and physical spaces and (3) perceptions of their presence as ‘problematic’, ultimately limiting their access. In family life, siblings experienced peripheral roles because (1) they were cared for by others, (2) had their needs subordinated and (3) faced shifting expectations. At school, siblings encountered (1) limited understanding from classmates and teachers and (2) insufficient support resources.
Siblings of children with cancer face significant, interconnected challenges, often amplified by the structural frameworks of healthcare, family and school contexts.
Siblings of children with cancer are often marginalised in their own lives. In healthcare, a family-centred approach to care should formally and actively include siblings. Nurses are well-positioned to promote this, ensuring whole-family support. Siblings would benefit from coordinated support bridging hospital, home and school.
This study adheres to the SRQR Checklist.
Parents helped shape the study focus by discussing preliminary observations and potential support needs.
To analyse the incidence of physical restraint use during painful and stressful procedures in hospitalised children, as well as the factors associated with its use.
Observational, longitudinal and prospective study.
Children aged between 28 days and 10 years in a public hospital in Brazil were each observed undergoing clinical procedures over a 6-h period. Data were collected on demographics, observed pain using validated measures, stress behaviours, and the use of physical restraint. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. National ethical guidelines were strictly followed.
1210 procedures were observed on 75 children, including 351 painful and 859 stressful procedures. Physical restraint was used in 270 (22.3%) procedures; of these, 131 (48.5%) were painful procedures and 139 (51.5%) were stressful procedures. In stressful procedures, at least one stress-related behaviour was observed before the initiation of physical restraint. Factors associated with increased use of physical restraint during painful procedures were younger children, with higher levels of care dependency, higher pain scores during procedures, and those who underwent intravenous medication administration, airway suctioning, tube insertion, and fixation changes. In stressful procedures, the factors associated with higher use of physical restraint were younger children, hospitalisation due to respiratory conditions, those who underwent physical examinations, inhaled medication, and nasal lavage; and the child's expression of stress behaviour before the procedure starts. Predictors of physical restraint included morning period, younger age group, male or female sex, and transfer from the Intensive Care Unit.
A high incidence of physical restraints was observed across multiple painful and stressful procedures performed within a 6-h period, associated with variables related to both the child's characteristics and the procedures.
This study aims to encourage reconsideration of the frequent use of physical restraint in paediatric procedures, calling for a reframing of its application as an unquestioned practice toward an approach that prioritises protecting and respecting a child as a subject with needs, rights, and desires.
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).
Nos enfocamos en conocer las representaciones de los curanderos náhuatl de los estados de Colima y Jalisco, en relación con el mundo, la salud, la enfermedad, los enfermos; y las prácticas que realizan para tratar de recuperar la salud. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, fenomenológico, y la recolección de datos se realizó a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas. Para la organización y análisis de los datos, se siguieron las directrices del Modelo Dialéctico Estructural del Cuidado (MDEC), estructurando los datos en tres estructuras: unidad funcional, marco funcional y elemento funcional. Teniendo como resultado, el curandero describe dimensiones de contacto visual y corporal con el paciente, crea un canal no convencional, poniendo en juego pasiones, deseos y sentimientos, en conclusión, El curandero ofrece servicios más cercanos al individuo, proporcionando una «explicación» a los acontecimientos desde la perspectiva biológica, psicológica, ecológica y sobrenatural.
Parastomal hernia or bulging is a long-recognised complication in relation to a stoma. Around half of patients develop a parastomal bulge and up to 75% experience symptoms. Only a minority is offered surgical treatment; thus, most patients manage the bulge on their own or by interventions provided by stoma care nurses.
To identify and present the available information on nursing interventions for the management of symptoms caused by the parastomal bulge.
This scoping review followed the framework by the Joanna Briggs Institute, conducting searches in 11 databases and through stoma organisations. Literature on nursing management of parastomal bulges was included. Two authors independently screened and selected the studies, with data-charting performed by one author and verified by another. The PAGER framework depicted the state of the evidence and the PRISMA-ScR checklist guided the process.
Of 8361 screened publications, 44 were included. Management of the parastomal bulge and related symptoms were described in eight nursing interventions: appliances, support garments, irrigation and regulation of stool, strangulation, disguise and intimacy, physical activity, support and education, record keeping, follow-up and referral. Most evidence was based on expert opinion with only ⅓ of papers using study designs, such as cross-sectional, qualitative, review, before and after study, Delphi and RCT.
This scoping review highlights the complexity of providing nursing interventions for parastomal bulging. It shows that one intervention can manage multiple symptoms and potentially several symptoms simultaneously, whereas several interventions may be needed to address a single symptom. Therefore, decisions on interventions must be based on the underlying cause of the problem. Due to the limited number of studies on the effects of nursing interventions, more rigorous research is needed in the future.
The results can be used as an inspirational guide for clinical practice.
To explore long-term care recipients' perceptions of high-quality care and how person-centred approaches are applied in the services.
A descriptive explorative qualitative design.
Data were collected through individual interviews with 19 care recipients and 197 h of participant observation at 10 nursing homes and home care units in three Norwegian municipalities. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
The analysis revealed a main theme—to be seen and cared for as an individual—describing the core of the recipients' perceptions of high-quality care. This main theme encompassed two sub-themes. The first—individually adapted care—showed that the recipients valued whether their healthcare workers understood them and their individual care needs and preferences. The second theme—interpersonal encounters—captured the recipients' appreciation of their healthcare workers' presence and ability to create moments where they were seen and treated as human beings.
From the perspective of care recipients, high-quality care services depend on how they are treated as individuals and how the care they receive is adapted to their individual needs and preferences. These recipients' perceptions of individualised care delivered by healthcare workers are consistent with the goal of person-centred care. These results highlight the value of and need for non-standard approaches to providing high-quality care.
Despite the long-term care services' extensive caregiving tasks and time pressure, they should enable healthcare workers to be present in the moment with care recipients.
Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines are used for this study (Tong, Sainsbury, and Craig 2007).
Long-term care recipients and the units where they received care contributed to this study. The recipients' perceptions of the care and the units' arrangements facilitating participant observation played significant roles in this research.
To assess the proportions and associated factors of different post-discharge referrals among adolescents treated in the emergency department after a suicide attempt.
Observational, cross-sectional retrospective study.
We conducted a study using the medical records of 140 adolescents treated for a suicide attempt between January 2015 and May 2023 in a Brazilian emergency department, focusing on post-discharge referrals, defined as discharge without referral, unaddressed referral and referral addressed to the network. Associations between the outcomes and other variables were analysed using a Poisson regression model.
Discharges without referrals prevailed, followed by addressed and unaddressed referrals. Regression models showed associations between post-discharge and age, prior continuous use of psychotropic medications, location of care, continued suicidal ideation at discharge and evaluation by a multi-professional team.
A high number of adolescents were discharged from emergency departments without co-ordination with the mental health network, and the involvement of the multi-professional team was positively associated with addressed referrals.
This study informs healthcare professionals by raising awareness of their practices in discharging adolescents after suicide attempts in emergency departments, with the possibility of improving care quality and reducing the likelihood of readmission.
STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).
No patient or public contribution.
Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, is a subjective experience, and can only be assessed by patient-reported outcomes. These instruments should be reliable, valid and responsive.
To identify and critically appraise the available evidence for the measurement properties of specific patient-reported outcome measures used for dysmenorrhea.
The PRISMA statement was used to report this systematic review. Databases searched were PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar (April 2021; updated on February 2023). Original studies with primary data collection, with no restriction on language and publication date that reported psychometric properties of one or more dysmenorrhea-related patient-reported outcome measure. The literature searches, selection of studies, data extraction and assessment of the risk of bias were performed independently by two reviewers and followed the COSMIN guidelines.
Thirty studies were analysed in this review, and 19 patient-reported outcome measures were evaluated. The instruments varied in relation to the measured construct and measurement properties (validity, reliability and responsiveness). The methodological quality of the studies and the quality of evidence of the patient-reported outcome measures were variable. Among the 13 studies that reported the development of patient-reported outcome measures, most had inadequate methodological quality, and the overall rating was insufficient or inconsistent.
The Dysmenorrhea Symptom Interference (DSI) scale was the only identified patient-reported outcome measure that has the potential to be recommended because of its sufficient rating combined with moderate quality of evidence for content validity. Future studies should further evaluate the measurement properties of the existing patient-reported outcome measures, or develop new patient-reported outcome measures following the COSMIN methodology.
Not applicable as this is a systematic review.
PROSPERO protocol: CRD42021244410. Registration on April 22, 2021.
To analyse the qualitative evidence on the role of critical care nurses in rapid response teams.
Qualitative systematic review.
This qualitative systematic review employed Bettany-Saltikov and McSherry’s guidelines and is reported according to the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research checklist. Two pairs of blinded researchers screened the articles. The data were synthesised using a thematic analysis approach.
A systematic literature search was conducted using the CINAHL, Embase and MEDLINE databases.
Seven studies were included, and three main roles were identified: (1) balancing between confidence and fear in clinical encounters, (2) facilitating collaboration and (3) managing challenging power dynamics in decision-making.
Critical care nurses possess extensive knowledge and skills in providing critical care to patients experiencing deterioration on general wards. They play a vital role in facilitating collaboration between team members and ward staff. Furthermore, within the rapid response team, critical care nurses assume leadership responsibilities by overseeing the comprehensive coordination of patient care and actively engaging in the decision-making process concerning patient care.
Highlighting the central role of critical care nurses in rapid response teams as well such a team’s benefits in healthcare organisations can promote applications for funding to support further quality assurance of rapid response teams and thus enhance patient safety.
Health care organisations can assure the quality of rapid response team by providing economical resources and training. The education providers should facilitate and standardise curriculum for critical care nursing students to achieve necessary knowledge and skills as members in rapid response teams.
No patient or public contribution.