Supporting people who have eating and drinking difficulties

Leveraging artificial intelligence to identify high-risk patients for postoperative sore throat: An observational study

Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a prevalent complication after general anesthesia and targeting high-risk patients helps in its prevention. This study developed and validated a machine learning model to predict POST. A total number of 834 patients who underwent general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation were included in this study. Data from a cohort of 685 patients was used for model development and validation, while a cohort of 149 patients served for external validation. The prediction performance of random forest (RF), neural network (NN), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models was compared using comprehensive performance metrics. The Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) methods elucidated the best-performing model. POST incidences across training, validation, and testing cohorts were 41.7%, 38.4%, and 36.2%, respectively. Five predictors were age, sex, endotracheal tube cuff pressure, endotracheal tube insertion depth, and the time interval between extubation and the first drinking of water after extubation. After incorporating these variables, the NN model demonstrated superior generalization capabilities in predicting POST when compared to the XGBoost and RF models in external validation, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.81 (95% CI 0.74-0.89) and a precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.77 (95% CI 0.66-0.86). The model also showed good calibration and clinical usage values. The NN model outperforms the XGBoost and RF models in predicting POST, with potential applications in the healthcare industry for reducing the incidence of this common postoperative complication.

Experience-based Modifications of the Bed Band ReAlised through Co-dEsign (EMBRACE)

BACKGROUND

Upper body limitations are a common disability in neurological conditions including stroke and multiple sclerosis. Care of patients with upper body limitations while in bed involves positioning techniques to maximise comfort and independence. The Bed Band is a nurse-led innovation to support people with limited mobility to maintain a comfortable position in bed, thereby promoting comfort and independence with activities of daily living.

AIM

To co-design and implement adaptations to the Bed Band prototype with recommendations for user instructions towards enhanced product design and future development.

METHODS

A co-design approach involving collaboration between academic and industry partners. Expert stakeholders provided feedback on the Bed Band via an online focus group before healthy volunteers tested the product in a healthcare simulation suite. Data were thematically analysed and findings sense checked by expert stakeholders who then prioritised adaptations to the Bed Band using a modified Delphi technique.

RESULTS

Three themes resulted from the analysis: (1) reaction to the Bed Band; (2) potential risks and mitigation; and (3) product adaptations. Simplicity was a strength of the innovation which easily enabled positional support. Adaptations to the Bed Band informed the development of an enhanced prototype for testing in future studies.

CONCLUSION

Co-design of the Bed Band prototype involving experts and healthy volunteers enabled early identification of potential risks with recommendations to mitigate them and priority adaptations. Further studies are required in hospital patients and community populations with upper mobility issues to determine the efficacy of the Bed Band and optimal duration of use.

An ethnography of mealtime care for people living with dementia in care homes

Many people living with dementia have difficulties at mealtimes, which can result in serious complications for physical and mental health, leading to hospital admissions and even death. However, current training in mealtime care for staff working with this population has been found to be poorly reported, with variable effectiveness. It is essential that care home staff are able to provide good care at mealtimes. This study used ethnography to explore current practice in mealtime care for this population, identify good practice, and understand the factors influencing mealtime care. Approximately 28 h of mealtime observations were conducted in two UK care homes with diverse characteristics. Observations focused on interactions between care staff and residents living with dementia. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were carried out with care home staff, family carers, and visiting health and social care professionals, to explore mealtime care from their perspectives. A constant comparative approach was taken, to probe emergent findings and explore topics in greater depth. Key thematic categories were identified, including: tensions in mealtime care; the symbolic nature of mealtime care; navigating tensions via a person-centred approach; contextual constraints on mealtime care; and teamwork in mealtime care. The findings indicated that a person-centred approach helps carers to find the right balance between apparently competing priorities, and teamwork is instrumental in overcoming contextual constraints. This evidence has contributed to development of a training intervention for care home staff. Future research should investigate the feasibility of mealtime care training in care homes.

On the Discontinuation of Enteral Feeding in Head and Neck Cancer: A Case Report

Introduction

The goal of palliative care is to preserve the quality of life or patient "comfort" in patients with serious diseases. Palliative care providers serve a wide range of patients: from those who seek curative treatment to those who are actively dying. Given this range, palliative care must mirror the dynamic goals of the patient at different stages of life and treatment. Throughout these stages, a goal of the palliative care provider would be to avoid hastening death; however, this often leads to clinical decisions that directly pit the patient's comfort against the patient's life span. This is most salient with clinical decisions of withdrawing treatments that prolong life even at the expense of comfort. An example of this dichotomy can be seen when providers use enteral nutrition to treat head and neck cancer patients.

Case Presentation

We describe a patient with stage IV pancreatic cancer with metastases to her head and neck. The patient was experiencing increased morbidity related to her percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding. These complications included tube-related concerns such as infection, leakage, and diarrhea but also decreased intended benefits as she lost weight and functionality while maintaining enteral feeding. Despite the patient experiencing a common and expected disease course, she remained unsure and was fearful about considering discontinuation of her enteral feeding. However, the care team who understood the risks, benefits, and harms related to withdrawal provided a foundation of discussion and mitigated patient fears, allowing for the successful removal of her PEG tube and increased quality of life at the end of life.

Conclusion

To care for a patient in their entirety is also to care for them at all stages of disease. Care is not limited to those who might be cured of disease, but should also consider those who continue to live with disease and the downstream effects of medical interventions used to support them. Discontinuing treatments whose harms outweigh the benefits to patients is a moral imperative to providers; yet, how providers approach discontinuing life-prolonging treatment is seen as morally distressing. Our patient did not see the discussion as morally distressing and continued to benefit from active discussions even at the end of her life.

The Clinical Frailty Scale as a Risk Assessment Tool for Dysphagia in Older Inpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Dysphagia is a common problem with potentially serious consequences including malnutrition, dehydration, pneumonia, and death. However, there are challenges in screening for dysphagia in older adults. We assessed the feasibility of using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) as a risk assessment tool for dysphagia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital from November 2021 to May 2022 and included 131 older patients (age ≥65 years) admitted to acute wards. We used the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10), which is a simple measure for identifying individuals at risk of dysphagia, to assess the relationship between EAT-10 score and frailty status as measured using the CFS.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 74.3±6.7 years, and 44.3% were male. Twenty-nine (22.1%) participants had an EAT-10 score ≥3. The CFS was significantly associated with an EAT-10 score ≥3 after adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio=1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-2.02). The CFS was able to classify the presence of an EAT-10 score ≥3 (area under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve=0.650; 95% CI, 0. 544-0.756). The cutoff point for predicting an EAT-10 score ≥3 was a CFS of 5 according to the highest Youden index, with a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 46.1%. The positive and negative predictive values were 30.4% and 90.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The CFS can be used as a tool to screen for the risk of swallowing difficulty in older inpatients to determine clinical management encompassing drug administration routes, nutritional support, prevention of dehydration, and further evaluation of dysphagia.

Dietitians: roles in the community and contribution to patient care

This article focuses on the main areas in which dietitians can impact patient care, particularly within a community setting, as well as discussing the contribution from dietitians in extended roles and working at advanced practice. A range of research papers and national guidance on dietetic practice are discussed to develop a summative article on the scope of their practice. This article aims to provide insight into the work of dietitians in the community - strengthening the understanding of the roles and to demonstrate how dietetic practice can influence patient care as part of a community multidisciplinary team.