Barriers to implementation of evidence into clinical practice in low-resource settings

Fluid Volume Assessment in Acute Haemodialysis by Dialysis Nurses Using Clinical Signs, Symptoms and Bio-Electrical Impedance-A Pilot Implementation Study

AIM

To evaluate the acceptability and safety of a fluid volume assessment tool integrating clinical signs, patient-reported symptoms and bioimpedance analysis as a clinical decision aid in haemodialysis.

DESIGN

Single-centre, 6-month clinical implementation feasibility pilot study.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 50 healthcare staff and 50 hospitalised haemodialysis patients was recruited. The intervention involved a fluid volume assessment tool combining clinical signs, patient-reported symptoms and bioimpedance analysis. We utilised the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist to describe the intervention. Nurses used a decision algorithm to guide them in setting the ultrafiltration target. Staff acceptability was assessed using the NoMAD survey, and safety outcomes, including intradialytic hypotension, intradialytic events and fluid overload, were monitored. Trends between Charlson Comorbidity Index scores and safety risks were explored.

RESULTS

The tool achieved high acceptability among staff, with cognitive participation (100%) and collective action (92%) being the strongest domains. Safety analysis indicated minimal adverse events (intradialytic hypotension: 10%, intradialytic events: 12%). Participants with higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (> 6) were more likely to experience intradialytic hypotension or intradialytic events, highlighting the need for tailored approaches for these populations.

CONCLUSION

The tool was acceptable, safe and feasible, empowering dialysis nurses to deliver real-time, individualised fluid management, reducing dependency on nephrologists and addressing operational challenges in the acute setting.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

The tool promotes nursing autonomy, enhances care efficiency and ensures safe, patient-centred fluid management in resource-limited settings.

IMPACT

Addresses fluid management challenges in haemodialysis care through introduction of an evidence-based fluid assessment tool. Support a scalable nurse-led protocol for ultrafiltration management, promoting patient safety and workflow efficiency in acute dialysis settings.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution was required for this work.

Diagnosis of Chronic Granulomatous Disease: Strengths and Challenges in the Genomic Era

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a group of rare primary inborn errors of immunity characterised by a defect in the phagocyte respiratory burst, which leads to severe and life-threatening infective and inflammatory complications. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular pathophysiology of X-linked and autosomal recessive CGD, and growth in the availability of functional and genetic testing, there remain significant barriers to early and accurate diagnosis. In the current review, we provide an up-to-date summary of CGD pathophysiology, underpinning current methods of diagnostic testing for CGD and closely related disorders. We present an overview of the benefits of early diagnosis and when to suspect and test for CGD. We discuss current and historical methods for functional testing of NADPH oxidase activity, as well as assays for measuring protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits. Lastly, we focus on genetic and genomic methods employed to diagnose CGD, including gene-targeted panels, comprehensive genomic testing and ancillary methods. Throughout, we highlight general limitations of testing, and caveats specific to interpretation of results in the context of CGD and related disorders, and provide an outlook for newborn screening and the future.

Can 'What Is Known' about Social Isolation and Loneliness Interventions Sufficiently Inform the Clinical Practice of Health Care and Social Service Professionals Who Work with Older Adults? Exploring Knowledge-to-Practice Gaps

Establishing intervention effectiveness is an important component of a broader knowledge translation (KT) process. However, mobilizing the implementation of these interventions into practice is perhaps the most important aspect of the KT cycle. The purpose of the current study was to conduct an umbrella review to (a) identify promising interventions for SI&L in older adults, (b) interpret (translate) the findings to inform clinical knowledge and practice interventions in different settings and contexts, and (c) highlight research gaps that may hinder the uptake of these interventions in practice. The broader purpose of this study was to inform evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on SI&L for HCSSPs. In line with other reviews, our study noted variations in methods and intervention designs that prohibit definitive statements about intervention effectiveness. Perhaps, the most significant contribution of the current review was in identifying knowledge-to-practice gaps that inhibit the implementation of interventions into practice-based realities.

Pragmatic solutions to reduce the global burden of stroke: a World Stroke Organization-Lancet Neurology Commission

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. The burden of disability after a stroke is also large, and is increasing at a faster pace in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Alarmingly, the incidence of stroke is increasing in young and middle-aged people (ie, age <55 years) globally. Should these trends continue, Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 (reducing the burden of stroke as part of the general target to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases by a third by 2030) will not be met. In this Commission, we forecast the burden of stroke from 2020 to 2050. We project that stroke mortality will increase by 50%—from 6·6 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 6·0 million–7·1 million) in 2020, to 9·7 million (8·0 million–11·6 million) in 2050—with disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) growing over the same period from 144·8 million (133·9 million–156·9 million) in 2020, to 189·3 million (161·8 million–224·9 million) in 2050. These projections prompted us to do a situational analysis across the four pillars of the stroke quadrangle: surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation. We have also identified the barriers to, and facilitators for, the achievement of these four pillars. DISABILITY-ADJUSTED LIFE-YEARS (DALYS): The sum of the years of life lost as a result of premature mortality from a disease and the years lived with a disability associated with prevalent cases of the disease in a population. One DALY represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health On the basis of our assessment, we have identified and prioritised several recommendations. For each of the four pillars (surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation), we propose pragmatic solutions for the implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce the global burden of stroke. The estimated direct (ie, treatment and rehabilitation) and indirect (considering productivity loss) costs of stroke globally are in excess of US$891 billion annually. The pragmatic solutions we put forwards for urgent implementation should help to mitigate these losses, reduce the global burden of stroke, and contribute to achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (2022–2031), and the WHO Global Action Plan for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Reduction of the global burden of stroke, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, by implementing primary and secondary stroke prevention strategies and evidence-based acute care and rehabilitation services is urgently required. Measures to facilitate this goal include: the establishment of a framework to monitor and assess the burden of stroke (and its risk factors) and stroke services at a national level; the implementation of integrated population-level and individual-level prevention strategies for people at any increased risk of cerebrovascular disease, with emphasis on early detection and control of hypertension; planning and delivery of acute stroke care services, including the establishment of stroke units with access to reperfusion therapies for ischaemic stroke and workforce training and capacity building (and monitoring of quality indicators for these services nationally, regionally, and globally); the promotion of interdisciplinary stroke care services, training for caregivers, and capacity building for community health workers and other health-care providers working in stroke rehabilitation; and the creation of a stroke advocacy and implementation ecosystem that includes all relevant communities, organisations, and stakeholders.

Global synergistic actions to improve brain health for human development

The global burden of neurological disorders is substantial and increasing, especially in low-resource settings. The current increased global interest in brain health and its impact on population wellbeing and economic growth, highlighted in the World Health Organization's new Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders 2022-2031, presents an opportunity to rethink the delivery of neurological services. In this Perspective, we highlight the global burden of neurological disorders and propose pragmatic solutions to enhance neurological health, with an emphasis on building global synergies and fostering a 'neurological revolution' across four key pillars - surveillance, prevention, acute care and rehabilitation - termed the neurological quadrangle. Innovative strategies for achieving this transformation include the recognition and promotion of holistic, spiritual and planetary health. These strategies can be deployed through co-design and co-implementation to create equitable and inclusive access to services for the promotion, protection and recovery of neurological health in all human populations across the life course.

Determining ischemic stroke subtype: an improved algorithm and its use in a comprehensive stroke unit

Objective ‒ to implement a inified algorithm for determining an ischemic cerebral stroke (ICS) etiological subtype and evaluate the results of its use in patients who were admitted to a comprehensive stroke unit (CSU).Materials and methods. The study enrolled 689 patients with ICS (43.4 % women, 56.6 % men; median age 68.1 years (59.7–75.5)) who in 2010 to 2018 were admitted to a hospital unit where the structure and processes correspond to the principles of CSU. The participants’ age, gender, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale scores were analyzed. All patients underwent an initial workup that included neuroimaging, vascular imaging, a cardiologist’s exam and a set of laboratory tests, and an advanced evaluation, at his physician discretion. All ICS was assigned to one of the four etiological subtypes: cardioembolic, atherosclerotic, lacunar or other. Results. According to the proposed algorithm, 294 (42.7 %) cases were assigned to cardioembolic subtype, 282 (40.9 %) to atherosclerotic subtype, 52 (7.5 %) to lacunar subtype and 61 (8.9 %) to ischemic cerebral stroke unknown etiology. Differences in the shown frequency of the main etiological ICS subtypes compared to the results of epidemiological studies are due to the greater severity of ICS in our sample: baseline median NIHSS total score was 10 (6–17), and median modified Rankin scale score was 4 (3–5), and, on the other hand, to in-depth assessment using modern diagnostic technologies and a longer length of stay that allowed for the tests to be completed.Conclusions. Thorough evaluation and the use of a unified algorithm based on causal etiological classifications allow to successfully determine an ICS subtype in the CSU patients with low proportion of ICS of unknown etiology, which is the key to effective secondary prevention.