Implementation of remote home care: assessment guided by the RE-AIM framework

BACKGROUND

Welfare technology interventions have become increasingly important in home-based palliative care for facilitating safe, time-efficient, and cost-effective methods to support patients living independently. However, studies evaluating the implementation of welfare technology innovations are scarce, and the empirical evidence for sustainable models using technology in home-based palliative care remains low. This study aimed to report on the use of the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess the implementation of remote home care (RHC) a technology-mediated service for home-living patients in the palliative phase of cancer. Furthermore, it aimed to explore areas of particular importance determining the sustainability of technologies for remote palliative home-based care.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of data collected by semi-structured interviews with patients with cancer in the palliative phase, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals (HCPs) experienced with RHC was performed. A deductive reflexive thematic analysis using RE-AIM dimensions was conducted.

RESULTS

Five themes illustrating the five RE-AIM dimensions were identified: (1) Reach: protective actions in recruitment - gatekeeping, (2) Effectiveness: potential to offer person-centered care, (3) Adoption: balancing high touch with high tech, (4) Implementation: moving towards a common understanding, and (5) Maintenance: adjusting to what really matters. The RE-AIM framework highlighted that RHC implementation for patients in the palliative phase of cancer was influenced by HCP gatekeeping behavior, concerns regarding abandoning palliative care as a high-touch specialty, and a lack of competence in palliative care. Although RHC facilitated improved routines in patients' daily lives, it was perceived as a static service unable to keep pace with disease progression.

CONCLUSIONS

A person-centered approach that prioritizes individual needs and preferences is necessary for providing optimal care. Although technologies such as RHC are not a panacea, they can be integrated as support for increasingly strained health services.

Factors associated with pain and functional impairment five years after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Few studies have evaluated the associations between preoperative factors and pain and physical function outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) from a mid-term perspective. Identification of such factors is important for optimizing outcomes following surgery. Thus, we examined the associations between selected preoperative factors and moderate to severe pain and pain-related functional impairment as measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), five years after TKA in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

METHODS

In this prospective observational study, all patients scheduled for primary unilateral TKA for osteoarthritis were consecutively recruited. Preoperative factors identified from previous meta-analyses were included to assess their associations with pain severity and pain-related functional impairment five years after TKA. Pain severity was the primary outcome, while pain-related functional impairment was the secondary outcome. The BPI was used to evaluate outcomes five years post-TKA. Statistically significant factors from univariate regressions were entered into a multiple logistic regression model to identify those with the strongest associations with pain severity or pain-related functional impairment five years after TKA.

RESULTS

A total of 136 patients were included, with a mean age of 67.7 years (SD 9.2) and a majority being female (68%). More severe preoperative pain (OR = 1.34, 95% CI [1.03 to 1.74]), more painful sites (OR = 1.28., 95% CI [1.01 to 1.63]), and more severe anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.14., 95% CI [1.01 to 1.28]) were associated with increased likelihood of moderate to severe pain five years after TKA surgery, while more severe osteoarthritis (OR = 0.13, 95% CI [0.03 to 0.61]) was associated with reduced likelihood of moderate to severe pain five years after TKA. More severe anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.08 to 1.46]) were also associated with increased likelihood of moderate to severe pain-related functional impairment five years after surgery, while male sex (OR = 0.23, 95% CI [0.05 to 0.98]) was associated with reduced likelihood of pain-related functional impairment five years after surgery.

CONCLUSION

The identified preoperative factors should be included in larger prognostic studies evaluating the associations between preoperative factors and mid-term pain severity and physical function outcomes after TKA surgery.

Patients' experiences with a welfare technology application for remote home care: A longitudinal study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the longitudinal experiences using an application named remote home care for remote palliative care among patients with cancer living at home.

BACKGROUND

Introducing welfare technology in home-based care for patients with cancer in the palliative phase is internationally suggested as a measure to remotely support palliative care needs. However, little is known about the experiences of patients utilising welfare technology applications to receive home-based care from healthcare professionals in a community care context. Although living with cancer in the palliative phase often presents rapidly changing ailments, emotions and challenges with patients' needs changing accordingly, no studies exploring the longitudinal experiences of patients were found.

DESIGN

A qualitative study with a longitudinal, exploratory design.

METHODS

Data were collected through individual interviews with 11 patients over 16 weeks. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist guided the reporting of the study.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified: (1) potential to facilitate self-governance of life-limiting illness in daily life, (2) need for interpersonal relationships and connections, and (3) experiences of increased responsibility and unclear utility of the Remote Home Care.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that remote home care facilitated patients' daily routines, symptom control and improved illness-management at home. Interpersonal relationships with healthcare professionals were considered pivotal for satisfactory follow-up. Infrastructural glitches regarding data access, information sharing and lack of continuous adjustments of the application represented major challenges, with the potential to impose a burden on patients with cancer in the palliative phase.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

By exploring the experiences of patients in palliative care over time as the disease progresses, this study provides constructive insights for the design and development of welfare technology applications and optimal care strategies.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The remote home care was developed by interdisciplinary healthcare professionals.

"I am accustomed to something in my body causing pain": a qualitative study of knee replacement non-improvers' stories of previous painful and stressful experiences

BACKGROUND

Approximately 20% of total knee arthroplasty patients experience persistent postsurgical pain one year after surgery. No qualitative studies have explored previous stories of painful or stressful life experiences in patients experiencing persistent postsurgical pain after total knee replacement. This study aimed to explore stories of previous painful or stressful experiences in life in a cohort of patients that reported no improvement in pain one year after total knee arthroplasty.

METHODS

The study employed an explorative-descriptive qualitative design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews five to seven years after surgery, with patients who reported no improvement in pain-related interference with walking 12 months after total knee replacement. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 13 women and 10 men with a median age of 67 years at the time of surgery. Prior to surgery, six reported having at least one chronic illness and 16 reported having two or more painful sites. Two main themes were identified in the data analysis: Painful years - the burden of living with long lasting pain, and the burden of living with psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS

The participants had severe longlasting knee pain as well as longlasting pain in other locations, in addition to experiences of psychologically stressful life events before surgery. Health personnel needs to address the experience and perception of pain and psychological struggles, and how it influences patients' everyday life including sleeping routines, work- and family life as well as to identify possible vulnerability for persistent postsurgical pain. Identifying and assessing the challenges enables personalized care and support, such as advice on pain management, cognitive support, guided rehabilitation, and coping strategies both pre-and post-surgery.

Advantages and Challenges of Using Telehealth for Home-Based Palliative Care: Systematic Mixed Studies Review

BACKGROUND

Owing to the increasing number of people with palliative care needs and the current shortage of health care professionals (HCPs), providing quality palliative care has become challenging. Telehealth could enable patients to spend as much time as possible at home. However, no previous systematic mixed studies reviews have synthesized evidence on patients' experiences of the advantages and challenges of telehealth in home-based palliative care.

OBJECTIVE

In this systematic mixed studies review, we aimed to critically appraise and synthesize the findings from studies that investigated patients' use of telehealth in home-based palliative care, focusing on the advantages and challenges experienced by patients.

METHODS

This is a systematic mixed studies review with a convergent design. The review is reported according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. A systematic search was performed in the following databases: Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods; studies that investigated the experience of using telehealth with follow-up from HCPs of home-based patients aged ≥18; studies published between January 2010 and June 2022; and studies published in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English, Portuguese, or Spanish in peer-reviewed journals. Five pairs of authors independently assessed eligibility of the studies, appraised methodological quality, and extracted data. The data were synthesized using thematic synthesis.

RESULTS

This systematic mixed studies review included 41 reports from 40 studies. The following 4 analytical themes were synthesized: potential for a support system and self-governance at home; visibility supports interpersonal relationships and a joint understanding of care needs; optimized information flow facilitates tailoring of remote caring practices; and technology, relationships, and complexity as perpetual obstacles in telehealth.

CONCLUSIONS

The advantages of telehealth were that patients experience a potential support system that could enable them to remain at home, and the visual features of telehealth enable them to build interpersonal relationships with HCPs over time. Self-reporting provides HCPs with information about symptoms and circumstances that facilitates tailoring care to specific patients. Challenges with the use of telehealth were related to barriers to technology use and inflexible reporting of complex and fluctuating symptoms and circumstances using electronic questionnaires. Few studies have included the self-reporting of existential or spiritual concerns, emotions, and well-being. Some patients perceived telehealth as intrusive and a threat to their privacy at home. To optimize the advantages and minimize the challenges with the use of telehealth in home-based palliative care, future research should include users in the design and development process.

Many Patients With Persistent Pain 1 Year After TKA Report Improvement by 5 to 7 Years: A Mixed-methods Study

BACKGROUND

Approximately 20% of patients report pain 12 months after TKA. No studies have investigated patients' experiences of living with persistent postsurgical pain 5 to 7 years after TKA by combining a qualitative and quantitative methodology.

QUESTION/PURPOSE

In a mixed-methods study, we explored patients' experiences of living with persistent pain up to 7 years after primary TKA. We asked: In a subgroup analysis of patients who reported persistent pain 1 year after TKA surgery, how do patients live with persistent pain at the 5- to 7-year postoperative timepoint?

METHODS

This follow-up study was part of a longitudinal study of pain, symptoms, and health-related quality of life in patients who underwent TKA for osteoarthritis. The present study targeted a subgroup of patients (22% [45 of 202]) identified in the longitudinal study who reported no improvement in pain interference with walking at 12 months after surgery. Inclusion criteria were: all 31 patients in this subgroup who attended their 5-year follow-up at the hospital and lived within a 2-hour drive from the hospital. Eight patients declined or were unable to participate due to illness or death. Hence, the final sample consisted of 23 patients (13 women and 10 men). The participants' mean age at surgery was 66 ± 10 years. There were no differences in sociodemographic baseline data between the 23 included and the 22 excluded participants. A mixed-methods approach was employed, in which the quantitative data were followed up and investigated with qualitative interviews. Instruments used were the Brief Pain Inventory preoperatively, 12 months, and 5 years after surgery, as well as a semistructured interview guide. The individual interviews were conducted at one timepoint 5 to 7 years postsurgery to capture how pain was experienced at that timepoint. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Meaning units were identified, condensed, and sorted into subthemes that were interpreted and abstracted into themes, guided by the research question. With a small sample, the quantitative analysis focused on descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistics when comparing demographics of included and nonincluded patients. In addition, two multivariate mixed models for repeated measures were employed to estimate within-patient and between-patient variations as well as to assess the effect of time on the pain outcomes.

RESULTS

Pain with walking decreased from 12 months to 5 years postoperatively (estimated mean score 7 versus 4, difference of means -3 [95% CI -5 to -2]; p < 0.001). Pain with daily activity decreased from 12 months to 5 years postoperatively (estimated mean score 6 versus 3, difference of means -3 [95% CI -4 to -1]; p < 0.001). Pain intensity (average pain) decreased from 12 months to 5 years postoperatively (estimated mean score 5 versus 4, difference of means -1 [95% CI -3 to 0]; p = 0.03). The results are presented as point estimates rounded up to whole numbers. The qualitative data analysis yielded three themes: persistent limitations after TKA, regained wellness over time, and complexity in physical challenges. Intermittent pain with certain movements resulted in limitations with some activities in everyday life and seemed to persist beyond 5 years. Multiple painful body sites and presence of comorbidities seemed to interfere with regained wellness over time.

CONCLUSION

In this subgroup of patients experiencing postsurgical persistent pain 12 months after primary TKA, persistent postsurgical pain still limited certain activities for the participants, although pain seemed to be less influential in their everyday lives after 5 years to 7 years. Clinicians may use these findings to inform and guide patients with delayed improvements in pain into more realistic expectations for recovery, rehabilitation, and strategies for coping with pain and impaired function. However, it is imperative to rule out other reasons for pain in patients reporting pain 12 months and longer after surgery and to be attentive of possible changes in pain over time.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, therapeutic study.

Intensive care nurses' experiences using volatile anaesthetics in the intensive care unit: An exploratory study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the experiences intensive care nurses have with volatile anaesthetics in the intensive care unit.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN

A qualitative exploratory and descriptive design was used. Data were collected in 2019 from individual interviews with nine intensive care nurses, who were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation.

SETTING

The study was undertaken in two general intensive care units from different university hospitals in Norway where volatile anaesthetics were utilised.

FINDINGS

Three categories emerged from the data analysis: experiencing the benefits of volatile anaesthetics; coping with unfamiliarity in handling volatile anaesthetics; and meeting challenges related to volatile anaesthetics in practice.

CONCLUSION

The intensive care nurses had positive experiences related to administering volatile anaesthetics in the intensive care unit and responded positively to the prospect of using it more often. Because volatile anaesthetics were rarely used in their units, the participants felt uncertain regarding its use due to unfamiliarity. Collegial support and guidelines were perceived as pivotal in helping them cope with this uncertainty. The participants also experienced several challenges in using volatile anaesthetics in the intensive care unit, with ambient pollution being regarded as the main challenge.

Implementing welfare technology in palliative homecare for patients with cancer: a qualitative study of health-care professionals' experiences

BACKGROUND

Introducing welfare technology in home-based palliative care has been suggested to be beneficial for improving access to health care at home and enhancing patients' feelings of security and safety. However, little is known about the experiences of municipal health-care professionals using welfare technology in palliative home care. The aim of this study was to explore municipal health-care professionals' experiences regarding the significant challenges, facilitators, and assessments associated with implementing a technological solution named "remote home care" in palliative home care for patients with cancer.

METHODS

A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory design was used. Data were collected through focus-group interviews and individual semi-structured interviews with interdisciplinary health-care professionals who had experience using remote home care in clinical encounters with cancer patients who were in the palliative phase and living at home. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified: 1) shifting from objective measures to assessing priorities for patients, 2) lack of experience and personal distress regarding cancer inhibits professional care, and 3) prominent organizational challenges undermine the premise of remote home care.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that shifting from a disease-focused to a person-centered approach enables health-care professionals to assess patients' personal priorities. However, health-care professionals' uncertainty and lack of knowledge and experience, along with organizational issues concerning information-sharing, represent great challenges that have the potential to inhibit professional care. The availability of networks through which difficult issues can be discussed was highlighted as being a fundamental resource for facilitating the provision of care.

The effects of a psycho-educational intervention to improve pain management after day surgery: A randomised clinical trial

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of a psycho-educational intervention for shoulder and breast day surgery patients in decreasing pain intensity and pain interference with function and strengthening adherence with the analgesic regimen; and further to identify factors that influence average pain intensity and pain interference with function.

BACKGROUND

Pain is one of the most prevalent symptoms after day surgery. However, pain management is left to the patients and family, and interventions to help patients are needed.

DESIGN

Randomised clinical trial with an intervention (n = 101) and a usual care group (n = 119) using multiple measurements during 6 months postoperatively. The CONSORT checklist is used.

METHODS

Patients in the intervention group received a booklet about pain and pain management and coaching by research nurses on postoperative days 2, 3 and 7. Differences between groups were identified using the chi-squared analysis and t tests. Changes with time were identified using a linear mixed model with repeated measures.

RESULTS

After controlling for covariates, group differences at any time in average pain intensity and pain interference with function were not statistically significant. Changes over time within any one group in average pain intensity and pain interference with function were statistically significant and decreased with time. Higher levels of average pain intensity and pain interference over time were associated with shoulder surgery, female, younger, pain expectation, preoperative pain and poorer adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

No group differences related to the intervention were revealed, and preoperative teaching together with a pain management booklet and coaching may help to strengthen the intervention's effects. Further research on interventions directed towards pain management is needed.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Day surgery patients' postoperative pain and pain management is not satisfactorily handled. To encourage and educate patients to use the prescribed analgesics in the immediate postoperative days may be necessary to enhance pain management.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01595035).

Empowerment in healthcare: A thematic synthesis and critical discussion of concept analyses of empowerment

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to shed light on common characteristics revealed in concept analyses of empowerment to contribute to further understanding. A further objective is to discuss how the perspective of healthcare service users appeared in the concept analyses.

METHODS

The review was performed by systematically searching Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC. The search yielded 255 abstracts, which were reduced by relevance and critical appraisal to the 12 concept analyses included. The analysis process involved thematic synthesis as described by Thomas and Harden.

RESULTS

The synthesis led to 13 descriptive themes structured according to antecedents, attributes and consequences of empowerment. The synthesis revealed how sparsely the question of equality and power in the relation between health professionals and healthcare service users is addressed.

DISCUSSION

To a great extent empowerment is viewed as a helping process of making patients act differently, rather than redistribution of power. For groups that are particularly vulnerable to oppression, questions of power are of severe importance.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

As user participation is a growing discourse in health policy, health professionals need education to develop and address dimensions of power and reciprocity in empowering relations between users and themselves.

Nurses' experiences and perspectives on collaborative discharge planning when patients receiving palliative care for cancer are discharged home from hospitals

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore nurses' experiences and perspectives on discharge collaboration when patients receiving palliative care for cancer are discharged home from hospitals.

BACKGROUND

Patients receiving palliative care for cancer experience multiple transitions between the hospital and their home. Poor discharge collaboration is a major cause of preventable hospital readmissions. Collaborative discharge planning could improve the care for these patients outside the hospital setting. Previous research has mostly been conducted in noncancer populations. Further research regarding both home care nurses' and hospital nurses' perspectives on care transitions is required.

DESIGN

A qualitative study with descriptive and explorative design.

METHODS

Data were collected through 10 individual, semi-structured interviews of nurses working at two oncology wards at a university hospital and home care services in four municipalities within the hospital's catchment area. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. COREQ guidelines were adhered to in the reporting of this study.

RESULTS

Three categories emerged from the data analysis: lack of familiarity and different perceptions lead to distrust; inefficient communication creates a need for informal collaboration; and delayed discharge planning challenges collaboration.

CONCLUSIONS

The nurses lacked an understanding of each other's work situation, which created distrust, misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding each other's abilities to care for the patient. This led to inefficient communication, relying on individual knowledge, informal communication and personal networking. Delays in the discharge planning resulted in poorly prepared discharges often lacking necessary equipment and documentation.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

To improve the care of patients receiving palliative care for cancer outside the hospital setting, better communication is a key factor to promote confidence and understanding between nurses working in different settings of health care.

Patients' Experiences of Telehealth in Palliative Home Care: Scoping Review

Background

Telehealth is increasingly being used in home care and could be one measure to support the needs of home-based patients receiving palliative care. However, no previous scoping review has mapped existing studies on the use of telehealth for patients in palliative home care.

Objective

The aim of this study was to map and assess published studies on the use of telehealth for patients in palliative home care.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted using the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley. Reporting was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. A systematic and comprehensive search of Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health was performed for studies published between January 2000 and October 2018. Two authors independently assessed eligibility and extracted data.

Results

The review included 22 papers from 19 studies. Four thematic groupings were identified among the included papers: easy and effortless use of telehealth regardless of the current health condition, visual features that enhance communication and care via telehealth, symptom management and self-management promotion by telehealth, and perceptions of improved palliative care at home.

Conclusions

The use of telehealth in palliative home care seems to be feasible, improving access to health care professionals at home and enhancing feelings of security and safety. The visual features of telehealth seem to allow a genuine relationship with health care professionals. However, there are contradicting results on whether the use of telehealth improves burdensome symptoms and quality of life. Future research should investigate the experiences of using telehealth among patients with life-limiting illness other than cancer and patients aged 85 years or older. More research is needed to increase the body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of telehealth on symptoms and quality of life.

Studenterfaringer med veiledning og læring knyttet til deltagelse i et kvalitetsforbedringsprosjekt på sykehus med kunnskapsbasert praksis som arbeidsform, -en beskrivende og utforskende studie

Student experiences with supervision and learning through participation in a quality improvement evidence-baced practice project in a hospital, -a descriptive and explorative study A significant part of health care students’ education is provided through clinical placement supervised by practitioners with required education and experience. This study has been conducted to increase knowledge of students’ experiences with supervision and learning related to participation in a quality improvement project in a hospital using evidence-based practice tools. A descriptive and exploratory design with focus group interviews. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three main themes emerged: changed student role, understanding the importance of keeping professional knowledge updated and need for the facilitation of the clinical placement period. The study showed that supervision helped students become equals of their supervisors and part of the community of practice. The project contributed to students`' coping skills. Integrating evidence-based practice into practice taught students a method of professional knowledge updating and quality improvement.

Use of simulation-based learning among perioperative nurses and students: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Simulation-based learning has been extensively explored, especially in baccalaureate nursing programmes. Recently, simulation-based learning has been introduced in perioperative nursing. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate work published on the use of simulation-based learning in the field of perioperative nursing.

DESIGN AND DATA SOURCES

A scoping review was conducted using the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley to identify a broad range of relevant literature, regardless of study design. A comprehensive and systematic search was performed using Medline, CINAHL, Eric, Svemed+, PsychINFO and Embase in May 2016 and then was updated in February 2018. Each database was searched for literature published between 1st January 2005 and 8th February 2018.

REVIEW METHOD

Two authors independently assessed literature eligibility and extracted data to answer our research question 'What is known about the use of simulation-based learning in the field of perioperative nursing?'

RESULTS

Nine articles and one doctoral thesis were included in the review. There appears to be a paucity of research or results-oriented evidence regarding the use of simulation-based learning in the field of perioperative nursing. Different goals of simulation-based learning were reported. It was difficult to confirm whether these goals had been reached as none of the articles included control groups, and no evaluations had been undertaken against Kirkpatrick's level 3 to see changes in participants' behaviours, and level 4, to determine whether the training had a positive impact on, for example, patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Owing to the lack of research and the inadequate descriptions of design and method in simulation-based learning in most of the articles included, there is little evidence in the existing literature to guide practitioners of this learning in the field of perioperative nursing. This indicates a need for further research in this area.

A qualitative study of women's experiences of living with COPD

Aim

To explore women's experiences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at home.

Design

An explorative and descriptive qualitative design.

Methods

A consecutive sample of nine women with COPD living at home. Data were collected in 2014 using semi‐structured interviews and analysed using a qualitative content analysis.

Results

Three main themes were identified: having a good life with COPD despite limitations; predictability and confidence in getting help; and the struggle to achieve a balance between insight and compliance with management of COPD. These women experienced limitations related to the traditional female role and felt unable to fulfil their own expectations. They experienced a good life despite limitations arising from adaptation and coping strategies. To feel safe, they needed to feel confident that they would receive the necessary help in case of exacerbation of their disease. To enhance compliance with COPD management, the women wanted education that provided specific suggestions.

The Norwegian version of the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire: reliability and validity of three subscales

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To examine some psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the American Pain Society's Patient Outcome Questionnaire(APS-POQ-N).

BACKGROUND

This study is part of an investigation of Norwegian orthopaedic surgical patients, where the overall aim is to evaluate the quality of postoperative pain management. Therefore, an adequate questionnaire on the quality of postoperative pain management was needed.

METHODS

The sample included 114 orthopaedic postoperative patients. The instrument consists of three main subscales, namely the modified Brief Pain Inventory(modified BPI subscale), the subscale on satisfaction with pain management(Satisfaction subscale) and the subscale on beliefs about pain management (Beliefs subscale), together with six single items about pain management. The reliability of these three main subscales was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the construct validity was evaluated using principal-axis factor analysis with oblimin rotation.

RESULTS

Face and content validity of the APS-POQ-N were satisfactory, while the modified BPI and the Beliefs subscales showed acceptable internal consistency but the Satisfaction subscale did not. Factor analyses yielded a three-factor solution for the modified BPI, a one-factor solution for the Satisfaction subscale and a two-factor solution for the Beliefs subscale.

CONCLUSIONS

The APS-POQ-N appears, in general, to be an acceptable method of evaluating postoperative pain management in orthopaedic postoperative patients.However, the alpha value of the Satisfaction subscale was low, and thus the subscale is not recommended for this purpose.

The Exploration of the Establishment of Cutpoints to Categorize the Severity of Acute Postoperative Pain

OBJECTIVES

Although several studies have established different cutpoints (CPs) for mild, moderate, and severe pain for a variety of chronic pain conditions, only one study by Mendoza and colleagues reported on CPs for acute postoperative pain that were derived using ratings of worst pain. The purpose of this study was to explore the establishment of the optimal CPs for mild, moderate, and severe postoperative pain using ratings of average and worst pain and to determine if these CPs distinguished among the pain severity groups on several outcomes.

METHODS

The study is a reanalysis of data from patients who underwent hip and knee replacement surgery. Using the methodology described by Serlin et al, a series of CP derivations were performed based on both single item scores for pain intensity and mean scores for pain intensity. One-way analyses of variance, chi analyses, or Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to determine if the optimal CPs for pain severity distinguished among the 3 pain severity groups on several outcomes.

RESULTS

CPs 3,5 were found using a mean score based on patients' ratings of average and worst pain on the third postoperative day. Findings suggest that mean pain scores of >3 have a significant effect on general activity, mood, walking ability, and sleep.

DISCUSSION

Possible explanations for the differences in the CPs found in this study compared with the results by Mendoza and colleagues are discussed. The findings warrant replication in other samples of postoperative patients.

Using the American Pain Society's patient outcome questionnaire to evaluate the quality of postoperative pain management in a sample of Norwegian patients

In the United States, quality improvement (QI) approaches have been used to evaluate pain management. However, the use of QI approaches to evaluate the quality of patient care is just emerging in many European countries. The purposes of this study, using the American Pain Society's QI Standards, were: to describe changes over time, in pain severity, in pain interference with function, and in the doses of analgesics administered; to describe patients' level of satisfaction with postoperative pain management; and to determine the relationships between pain severity and patient outcomes. Results from a sample of patients who underwent orthopedic surgery suggest that undertreatment of pain persists across the first 5 postoperative days and that pain's level of interference with function decreases significantly between the third and fifth postoperative days. As in other studies, despite high pain intensity scores, patients reported high levels of satisfaction with postoperative pain management.

PERSPECTIVE

Findings suggest that the undertreatment of pain results in significant decrements in function over the first 5 postoperative days. Future studies designed to improve the quality of postoperative pain management need to use multimodal approaches and evaluate not only pain intensity, but improvements in function as critical outcome measures.

The gap between saying and doing in postoperative pain management

AIM

To understand how nurses contribute to postoperative pain management in a surgical setting and to identify barriers to achieving optimal postoperative pain alleviation.

BACKGROUND

Postoperative pain is inadequately managed. Nurses play an important role in assessment, treatment and evaluation of postoperative pain in surgical wards, but combined observational and interview studies about how they approach these activities have rarely been undertaken.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study design is descriptive. Observations and in-depth interviews were conducted with nine nurses on three surgical wards at two hospitals. Each nurse was observed during five shifts, day and night, and interviewed after the final observation. The collection and analysis of data followed principles of qualitative research.

FINDINGS

One main theme emerged about the nurses' approach to postoperative pain management: a discrepancy between what the nurses said they did and what they actually did.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed a gap between what nurses said and did in postoperative pain management, and this gap was smaller when the nurses took an active approach. An active approach towards patients about postoperative pain seemed to enhance pain alleviation.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Nursing education and practice both need to promote knowledge of pain and pain management, as well as empathy and empathic communication in relation to pain. They need to collaborate in guiding nurses to act in accord with theoretical knowledge and so enhance competence in nursing actions related to postoperative pain management.