Unfinished nursing care in intensive care units and the mediating role of the association between nurse working environment, and quality of care and nurses' wellbeing

OBJECTIVES

Unfinished care refers to the situation in which nurses are forced to delay or omit necessary nursing care. The objectives was: 1) to measure the prevalence of unfinished nursing care in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) to examine whether unfinished nursing care has a mediating role in the relationship between nurse working environment and nurse-perceived quality of care and risk of burnout among nurses.

DESIGN

A national cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Seventy-five intensive care units in Belgium (December 2021 to February 2022).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to measure the work environment. The perception of quality and safety of care was evaluated via a Likert-type scale. The risk of burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale.

RESULTS

A total of 2,183 nurse responses were included (response rate of 47.8%). Seventy-six percent of nurses reported at least one unfinished nursing care activity during their last shift. The staffing and resource adequacy subdimension of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index had the strongest correlation with unfinished nursing care. An increase in unfinished nursing care led to significantly lower perceived quality and safety of care and an increase in high risk of burnout. Unfinished nursing care appears to be a mediating factor for the association between staffing and resource adequacy and the quality and safety of care perceived by nurses and risk of burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Unfinished nursing care, which is highly related to staffing and resource adequacy, is associated with increased odds of nurses being at risk of burnout and reporting a lower level of perceived quality of care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

The monitoring of unfinished nursing care in the intensive care unit is an important early indicator of problems related to adequate staffing levels, the well-being of nurses, and the perceived quality of care.

Evaluation of patient reported outcome measures and costs of managing osteoarthritis of the hip

The number of hospital admissions for a hip prosthesis increased by more than 91% between 2002 and 2019 in Belgium (1), making it one of the most common interventions in hospitals. The objective of this study is to evaluate patient-report- ed outcomes and hospital costs of hip replacement six months after surgery. Both generic (EQ-5D) and specific (HOOS) PROMs of general hospital patients undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2021 were conducted. The results of these PROMs were then combined with financial and health management data. The mean difference (SD) in QALYs between the preoperative and postoperative phases is 0.20 QALYs (0.32 QALYs). The average cost (SD) of all stays is €4,792 (€1,640). Amongst the five dimensions evaluated in the EQ-5D health questionnaire, the 'pain' dimension seems to be associated with the greatest improvement in quality of life. As regards Belgium, the 26,066 arthroplasties performed in 2020 might constitute a gain of 123,000 years of life in good health. The relationship between QALYs and costs described in this study posits a ratio of €23,960 per year of life gained in good health. Given that in Belgium more than 3% of the hospital healthcare budget is devoted to hip prostheses, it would seem relevant to us to apply PROM tools to the entire patient population to assess treatment effectiveness more broadly, identify patient needs and, also, monitor the quality of care provided.

Daly/Cost comparison in the management of peripheral arterial disease at 17 Belgian hospitals

OBJECTIVE

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a manifestation of atherosclerosis that affects the lower extremities and afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide. Because of limited resources, the need to provide quality care associated with cost control is essential for health policies. Our study concerns an interhospital comparison among seventeen Belgian hospitals that integrates the weighting of quality indicators and the costs of care, from the hospital perspective, for a patient with this pathology in 2018.

METHODS

The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were calculated by adding the number of years of life lost due to premature death and the number of years of life lost due to disability for each in-hospital stay. The DALY impact was interpreted according to patient safety indicators. We compared the hospitals using the adjusted values ​​of costs and DALYs for their case mix index, obtained by relating the observed value to the predicted value obtained by linear regression.

RESULTS

We studied 2,437 patients and recorded a total of 560.1 DALYs in hospitals. The in-hospital cost average [standard deviation (SD)] was €8,673 (€10,893). Our model identified the hospitals whose observed values were higher than predicted; six needed to reduce the costs and impacts of DALYs, six needed to improve one of the two factors, and four seemed to have good results. The average cost (SD) for the worst performing hospitals amounted to €27,803 (€28,358).

CONCLUSIONS

Studying the costs of treatment according to patient safety indicators permits us to evaluate the entire chain of care using a comparable unit of measurement.

Cost comparisons and factors related to cost per stay in intensive care units in Belgium

BACKGROUND

Given the variability of intensive care unit (ICU) costs in different countries and the importance of this information for guiding clinicians to effective treatment and to the organisation of ICUs at the national level, it is of value to gather data on this topic for analysis at the national level in Belgium. The objectives of the study were to assess the total cost of ICUs and the factors that influence the cost of ICUs in hospitals in Belgium.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study using data collected from the ICUs of 17 Belgian hospitals from January 01 to December 31, 2018. A total of 18,235 adult ICU stays were included in the study. The data set was a compilation of inpatient information from analytical cost accounting of hospitals, medical discharge summaries, and length of stay data. The costs were evaluated as the expenses related to the management of hospital stays from the hospital's point of view. The cost from the hospital perspective was calculated using a cost accounting analytical methodology in full costing. We used multivariate linear regression to evaluate factors associated with total ICU cost per stay. The ICU cost was log-transformed before regression and geometric mean ratios (GMRs) were estimated for each factor.

RESULTS

The proportion of ICU beds to ward beds was a median [p25-p75] of 4.7% [4.4-5.9]. The proportion of indirect costs to total costs in the ICU was 12.1% [11.4-13.3]. The cost of nurses represented 57.2% [55.4-62.2] of direct costs and this was 15.9% [12.0-18.2] of the cost of nurses in the whole hospital. The median cost per stay was €4,267 [2,050-9,658] and was €2,160 [1,545-3,221] per ICU day. The main factors associated with higher cost per stay in ICU were Charlson score, mechanical ventilation, ECMO, continuous hemofiltration, length of stay, readmission, ICU mortality, hospitalisation in an academic hospital, and diagnosis of coma/convulsions or intoxication.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that, despite the small proportion of ICU beds in relation to all services, the ICU represented a significant cost to the hospital. In addition, this study confirms that nursing staff represent a significant proportion of the direct costs of the ICU. Finally, the total cost per stay was also important but highly variable depending on the medical factors identified in our results.

Analysis of Nursing Staff Management for a Semi-intensive Pulmonology Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using the Nursing Activities Score

OBJECTIVES

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of intensive care unit beds was encountered across Europe. Opening a semi-intensive pulmonary ward freed up intensive care unit beds. This study aimed to determine the appropriate nurse staffing level for a semi-intensive pulmonology unit (SIPU) for patients with COVID-19 and to identify factors associated with an increase in nursing workload in this type of unit.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of the SIPU of the Erasme university clinics in Belgium. Nursing staff was determined with the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) during the second wave of COVID-19 in Belgium.

RESULTS

During the study period, 59 patients were admitted to the SIPU, and a total of 416 NAS scores were encoded. The mean (±SD) NAS was 70.3% (±16.6%). Total NAS varied significantly depending on the reason for admission: respiratory distress (mean [SD] NAS, 71.6% [±13.9%]) or critical illness-related weakness (65.1% ± 10.9%). The items encoded were significantly different depending on the reason for admission. In multivariate analysis, body mass index > 30 (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-3.30) and higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score (OR, 1.05; 95 CI, 1.02-1.11) were associated with higher NAS. Patients admitted via the emergency department (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.15-5.22) had higher NAS. Patients on noninvasive ventilation (OR, 13.65; 95% CI, 3.76-49.5) and oxygen therapy (OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 1.27-14.48) had higher NAS. High peripheral venous oxygen saturation (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.94) was a predictor of lower workload.

CONCLUSION

A ratio of 2 nurses to 3 patients is necessary for SIPU care of patients with COVID-19. Factors associated with higher workload were high Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score, body mass index > 30, admission via emergency room, patients on oxygen, and noninvasive ventilation.

Emergency Medicine with Advanced Surgery Protocols: A Review

One of the most burning issues in health system is the concern of handling patients that requires emergency surgery. Emergency general surgery is done on both traumatic and nontraumatic acute disorders. Severe traumatic injury and bleeding is one of the causing agents for high mortality rate globally. Another group of patients that are in need of emergency surgery are those with heart failure, and in this particular paper, we analyzed emergency medicine with advanced surgery protocols focusing on gastric cancer, cardiac surgery, and bleeding as well as coagulopathy following traumatic injury.

A Critical Scrutiny on Liposomal Nanoparticles Drug Carriers as Modelled by Topotecan Encapsulation and Release in Treating Cancer

The medical field is looking for drugs and/or ways of delivering drugs without harming patients. A number of severe drug side effects are reported, such as acute kidney injury (AKI), hepatotoxicity, skin rash, and so on. Nanomedicine has come to the rescue. Liposomal nanoparticles have shown great potential in loading drugs, and delivering drugs to specific targeted sites, hence achieving a needed bioavailability and steady state concentration, which is achieved by a controlled drug release ability by the nanoparticles. The liposomal nanoparticles can be conjugated to cancer receptor tags that give the anticancer-loaded nanoparticles specificity to deliver anticancer agents only at cancerous sites, hence circumventing destruction of normal cells. Also, the particles are biocompatible. The drugs are shielded by attack from the liver and other cytochrome P450 enzymes before reaching the desired sites. The challenge, however, is that the drug release is slow by these nanoparticles on their own. Scientists then came up with several ways to enhance drug release. Magnetic fields, UV light, infrared light, and so on are amongst the enhancers used by scientists to potentiate drug release from nanoparticles. In this paper, synthesis of liposomal nanoparticle formulations (liposomal-quantum dots (L-QDs), liposomal-quantum dots loaded with topotecan (L-QD-TPT)) and their analysis (cytotoxicity, drug internalization, loading efficiency, drug release rate, and the uptake of the drug and nanoparticles by the HeLa cells) are discussed.

Association between nursing cost and patient outcomes in intensive care units: A retrospective cohort study of Belgian hospitals

INTRODUCTION

Hospitals with better nursing resources report more favourable patient outcomes with almost no difference in cost as compared to those with worse nursing resources. The aim of this study was to assess the association between nursing cost per intensive care unit bed and patient outcomes (mortality, readmission, and length of stay).

METHODOLOGY

This was a retrospective cohort study using data collected from the intensive care units of 17 Belgian hospitals from January 01 to December 31, 2018. Hospitals were dichotomized using median annual nursing cost per bed. A total of 18,235 intensive care unit stays were included in the study with 5,664 stays in the low-cost nursing group and 12,571 in the high-cost nursing group.

RESULTS

The rate of high length of stay outliers in the intensive care unit was significantly lower in the high-cost nursing group (9.2% vs 14.4%) compared to the low-cost nursing group. Intensive care unit readmission was not significantly different in the two groups. Mortality was lower in the high-cost nursing group for intensive care unit (9.9% vs 11.3%) and hospital (13.1% vs 14.6%) mortality. The nursing cost per intensive care bed was different in the two groups, with a median [IQR] cost of 159,387€ [140,307-166,690] for the low-cost nursing group and 214,032€ [198,094-230,058] for the high-cost group. In multivariate analysis, intensive care unit mortality (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.92, p < 0.0001), in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72-0.93, p < 0.0001), and high length of stay outliers (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.42-0.55, p < 0.0001) were lower in the high-cost nursing group. However, there was no significant effect on intensive care readmission between the two groups (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.97-1.51, p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that higher-cost nursing per bed was associated with significantly lower intensive care unit and in-hospital mortality rates, as well as fewer high length of stay outliers, but had no significant effect on readmission to the intensive care unit. .

Biochemical Behaviours of Salmeterol/Fluticasone Propionate in Treating Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and asthma are fatal. The respiratory tract may be blocked, robbed of the adequate amounts of oxygen; hence, death ensues if a quick medical attention is not provided. The treatment available for the duo are inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). The ICS can work synergically with LABAS (long-acting β 2-antagonists) and so many other medicines like bronchodilators. The drugs used for the treatment of asthma and COPD are metabolised once in the body system and at the same time exerting the therapeutic effect provided the concentration of the drug is within the therapeutic window. The CYP3A isoforms metabolise the ICS, in this case, salmeterol and fluticasone propionate (FP). Methods of administration are not limited to inhalation. Specific doses are prescribed accurately paying attention to factors like age, gender, race, and genetic makeup since these affect drug metabolisms. Generally, the ICS work by translocating glucocorticoid receptors to the nucleus from the cytosol. The mechanism is potentiated by the β-antagonists and this brings about an anti-inflammatory effect which is greater than either of the two drugs alone. Once this happens, it is not necessary to increase ICS dose. The ICS, in addition, cause more production of β-receptors by activating the β-receptor genes. This mode of action begets the LABAs' bronchodilator-effects. The challenge is that ICS are not limited only to "double" therapy. Analysing such therapies is daunting since coadministration interferes with pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of drugs. This work focuses on salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination and aspects which has to do with administration, monitoring, metabolism, toxicity, and adverse effects.

Preparation of PCL Electrospun Fibers Loaded with Cisplatin and Their Potential Application for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a global fatal type of cancer. It is a type of cancer that affect men. Signs and symptoms of the disease include blood in the urine, pain when one micturates, and difficulties in penis erection. Cisplatin chemotherapy is a principal treatment normally given to the prostate cancer patients. Nonetheless, on its own, cisplatin loses efficacy once administered due to liver pass effects and other biochemical attacks. In this paper, we looked at preparation of PCL nanoparticles loaded with cisplatin and their potential for the treatment of prostate cancer. PCL nanoparticles protect cisplatin from biochemical attack, thus increasing drug efficacy. Incorporation of P-glycoprotein inhibitors in PCL nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with cisplatin could improve prostate cancer treatment even more.

Associations between two nursing workload scales and the cost of intensive care unit nursing staff: A retrospective study of one Belgian hospital

AIMS

The aim of this study was to assess associations between a general nursing funding scale and an intensive care unit specific nursing workload scale and the cost of nursing staff.

BACKGROUND

Nurse staffing represents the most important cost in the intensive care unit, so it is essential to evaluate it accurately. In addition, the assessment of nursing workload is important for the daily management of the intensive care unit and to ensure quality of care.

METHODS

This was a retrospective and quantitative study carried out in the intensive care unit of a Belgian hospital. The extraction of data from the Nursing Activities Score and the Minimum Hospital Summary Nursing Dataset were carried out during 2 periods of 15 days, from 1 June 2018 to 15 June 2018 and from 1 September 2018 to 15 September 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 234 patients were included in the study. A total of 773 Nursing Activities Score and Minimum Hospital Summary Nursing Dataset recordings were analyzed in the study per intensive care unit day. A strong correlation was observed between Nursing Activities Score and Minimum Hospital Summary Nursing Dataset for the entire intensive care unit stay with a rho (95% CI) of .88 (0.83-.93); however, the correlation was moderate per intensive care unit day with a rho of .51 (0.45-0.57). A strong association was observed between the Minimum Hospital Summary Nursing Dataset and the Nursing Activities Score with the costs of intensive care unit nurses with a rho (95% CI) of .78 (0.72-0.86) and .74 (0.65-0.84), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

A general nursing funding scale in Belgium was strongly correlated with the nursing workload for the whole intensive care unit stay, but this correlation was moderate per intensive care unit day. In contrast, both scales showed a good correlation with intensive care unit nursing costs.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

In Belgium, a general funding scale for nurses does not allow for an assessment of the nursing workload in the intensive care unit. The Nursing Activities Score is strongly correlated with the cost of nursing staff in the intensive care unit. The authors recommend that the Belgian authorities carry out this type of study in several intensive care units in the country and eventually replace the general funding scale for nurses with the Nursing Activities Score.

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INTRODUCTION

One of the main recommendations to improve chronic asthmatic patients' adhesion to their treatment is the implementation of a coordinated care pathway aiming at facilitating disease management by the patient while meeting his needs and expectations.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

To study through a critical literature review and a short survey how this care pathway can be set up and adapted to the Belgian context.

RESULTS

A model including the three healthcare levels in Belgium was developed. The first level is mainly formed by general practitioners while the second and third are centralized around a structure called asthma clinic. This latter would provide a full asthma assessment, its chronic follow-up and treatment for severe asthma. Roles of healthcare professionals working with the asthmatic patient were identified and described. This model is discussed in the light of the present Belgian situation according to different plans: asthma management, effective interdisciplinary communication, advanced nurse practitioner's role implementation.

CONCLUSION

Although the Belgian context is currently not suitable enough for allowing this new nursing function to arise, our model lays the foundations of a system which is adapted to complexity of Belgium, follows from validated experiences on international scene, and offers an answer to chronic asthmatic patient's needs and expectations.

Cost-DALY comparison of hip replacement care in 12 Belgian hospitals

BACKGROUND

In view of the expected increase in expenditure on hip replacement treatment in Belgium, the complication rate and potential waste reduction, as estimated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, we are not yet in a position to assess the efficiency of hip replacement treatment in Belgian hospitals. This objective study uses a cost-disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) ratio to propose a comparison of hip replacement surgery among 12 Belgian hospitals.

METHODS

Our study seeks to innovate by proposing an interhospital comparison that simultaneously integrates the weighting of quality indicators and the costs of managing a patient. To this end, we associated a DALY impact with each patient safety indicator, readmission and mortality outcome. We then compared hospitals using both costs and DALYs adjusted to their case mix index. The adjusted values (costs and DALYs) were obtained by relating the observed value to the predicted value obtained from the linear regression model.

RESULTS

We registered a total of 246.5 DALYs for the 12 hospital institutions, the average cost (SD) of a stay being €8013 (€4304). Our model allowed us to identify hospitals with observed values higher than those predicted. Out of the 12 hospitals evaluated, 4 need to reduce costs and DALYs impacts, 6 have to improve one of the two factors and 2 appear to have good results. The costs for the worst performing hospitals can rise to over €150 000.

CONCLUSION

Evaluating the rates of patient safety indicators, associated with cost, is a prerequisite for quality and cost improvement efforts on the part of managers and practitioners. However, it appears essential to evaluate the entire care chain using a comparable unit of measurement. The hospital's case mix index must also be considered in benchmarking to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions. In addition, other indicators, such as the patient's perception of the actual results, should be added to our study.

Prevalence of burnout risk and factors associated with burnout risk among ICU nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in French speaking Belgium

OBJECTIVE

Burnout is a global work-related phenomenon. Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are at risk of burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic may increase this risk. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of burnout risk and identify risk factors among ICU nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Web-based survey performed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in French speaking Belgium.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Risk of burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale.

RESULTS

A total of 1135 ICU nurses responded to the questionnaire. The overall prevalence of burnout risk was 68%. A total of 29% of ICU nurses were at risk of depersonalisation (DP), 31% of reduced personal accomplishment (PA), and 38% of emotional exhaustion (EE). A 1:3 nurse-to-patient ratio increased the risk of EE (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.07-2.95) and DP (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.09-2.40). Those who reported having a higher perceived workload during the COVID-19 pandemic were at higher risk for all dimensions of burnout. Shortage of personal protective equipment increased the risk of EE (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.35-3.34) and nurses who reported having symptoms of COVID-19 without being tested were at higher risk of EE (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.68-1.87).

CONCLUSIONS

Two-thirds of ICU nurses were at risk of burnout and this risk was associated with their working conditions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend monitoring the risk of burnout and implementing interventions to prevent and manage it, taking into account the factors identified in this study.

Comparing feeling of competence regarding humanistic caring in Belgian nurses and nursing students: A comparative cross-sectional study conducted in a French Belgian teaching hospital

Aim

The aim of the study was to describe and compare feeling of competence regarding humanistic caring in Registered Nurses (RN) and nursing students (NS).

Design

A quantitative comparative cross-sectional research design was used.

Methods

A convenience sample of 196 RN and 47 NS in a teaching hospital in Belgium completed a self-administered questionnaire composed of a sociodemographic survey and the Caring Nurse-Patient Interactions Scale (CNPI-23) developed by Cossette et al.

Results

The four dimensions of the CNPI-23 were compared using the Skillings-Mack test. Both groups scored higher on "humanistic" and "comforting" than on "clinical" and "relational" care and both scored lowest on this last dimension. Linear regressions showed that none of the variables had a statistically significant influence on the CNPI-23 scores, except for NS "state of health," which influenced their feeling of competence regarding "relational care."

Common clinical thresholds of intraoperative hypotension and 30-day mortality following surgery: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

A wide range of thresholds define intraoperative hypotension and can be used to guide intraoperative blood pressure management. Many clinicians use the systolic blood pressure (SBP) <80 mmHg, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) <60 mmHg and the SBP percent drop from baseline (ΔSBP) >20% as alarming limits that should not be exceeded. Whether these common thresholds are valid limits that can inform clinicians on a possible increased risk of post-operative complications, particularly 30-day mortality, is currently unclear.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective registry-based cohort study between January 2015 and July 2016 using departmental hospital databases and the National Death Registry. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between each of these three thresholds and 30-day post-operative mortality. Six specific markers of hypotension were used.

RESULTS

Of 11 304 patients, 86 (0.76%) died within 30 days following surgery. All intraoperative hypotension markers for SBP < 80 mmHg and MAP < 60 mmHg were significantly associated with 30-day mortality (P < .005). Markers of ΔSBP > 20% were not significant. After adjustment for age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, emergency status and risk related to the type of surgery, both SBP < 80 mmHg and MAP < 60 mmHg (the per cent area under the threshold marker) showed the strongest associations with 30-day mortality, with odds ratios (ORs) of 3.02 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.81-5.07) and 3.77 (95% CI 2.25-6.31) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Commonly accepted thresholds of intraoperative hypotension, such as an SBP of 80 mmHg and an MAP of 60 mmHg, are valid alarming limits that are significantly and independently associated with 30-day mortality.

Impact of COVID-19 on nursing time in intensive care units in Belgium

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on nursing practice in intensive care unit and consequently, on workload.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the nurse-patient ratio required by COVID-19 patients and to identify the factors that influence nursing in this context.

DESIGN

This study was a retrospective observational study that evaluated the ratio using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS).

SETTING

Three Belgian French-speaking hospitals, including five ICUs. Patients included COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The study included 95 COVID-19 patients and 1604 non-COVID-19 patients (control group) resulting in 905 and 5453 NAS measures, respectively. The NAS was significantly higher among the COVID-19 patients than in the control group (p = <0.0001). In the COVID-19 group, these higher scores were also observed per shift and uniformly across the three hospitals. COVID-19 patients required more time in the activities of monitoring and titration (χ2 = 457.60, p = <0.0001), mobilisation (χ2 = 161.21, p = <0.0001), and hygiene (χ2 = 557.77, p = <0.0001). Factors influencing nursing time measured by NAS in the COVID-19 patients were age <65 years old (p = 0.23), the use of continuous venovenous hemofiltration (p = 0.002), a high APACHE II score (p = 0.006) and patient death (p = 0.002). A COVID-19 diagnosis was independently associated with an increase in nursing time (OR = 4.8, 95% CI:3.6-6.4).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients hospitalised in the ICU due to COVID-19 require significantly more nursing time and need an average ratio of almost 1:1.

[People living with chronic asthma: Needs and expectations regarding the accompaniment offered by Belgian health professionals.]

INTRODUCTION

Asthma remains a major public health problem, with 300 million people affected worldwide and a low rate of adherence to treatment.

CONTEXT

Few authors have considered one of the determinants of asthmatic patients' adherence to treatment : the accompaniment offered by health care professionals.

AIM

To describe the expectations and needs of people living with chronic asthma regarding their accompaniment.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative approach with reasoned sampling. Eight individual semi-structured interviews were conducted among chronic asthmatic adult patients and analyzed by an inductive approach. This was submitted to participants for validation.

RESULTS

Needs and expectations are branched out into six main themes : the wish to establish a trusting relationship, the need to perceive professional competence, the importance of the professional's availability, the wish to be more involved in one's life with the disease, the desire for the professional to adopt a humanist posture and to take into account patient singularity.

CONCLUSION

A better understanding of non-met expectations would help the adherence to treatment rate to improve. This qualitative research opens various avenues for reflection that are worth thinking about and provides the breeding ground for other studies.

The hospital cost of hip replacement for old inpatients in Belgium

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this research are (i) to describe the medico-administrative characteristics of inpatients aged 65 and more who are hospitalized for hip joint replacement, (ii) to evaluate the complete hospital cost into costs of medical procedures, drugs costs, prostheses costs, and the administrative costs, and (iii) to identify and to evaluate from administrative database predictors influencing the complete hospital costs.

METHODS

The study was based on 961 inpatient stays aged 65 and more, with the APR-DRG 301 "Hip joint replacement". The sample for this study was based on data collected in 2014 among nine Belgian general hospitals. We used the linear regression method for isolating predictors of hospital cost.

RESULTS

The study highlights three different types of patients hospitalized for hip replacement, depending on the primary diagnosis: osteoarthritis problems (57%), femur neck fracture (30%), or other reasons (13%) (complications, infections, or problems with the existing hip prosthesis). The median length of stay (P25-P75) was 9 days (6.29-20.91). The median cost (P25-P75) was 8,023.91 EUR (6678.32-13,670.78). The total cost was composed of the direct hospital cost (30%), the cost of medical procedures (31%), cost of drugs (4%), the cost of hip prosthesis (18%), and other costs (17%). The linear regression reveals that an extreme SOI or risk of mortality, an ICU stay, an in-hospital death, an index of Charlson comorbidities of 4 or 5, to be hospitalized for a hip replacement because of complications, infections, or problems with the existing hip prosthesis, and the length of stay, were predictors of an increase in hospital cost.

CONCLUSION

The cost is not increasing with the age of the patient, but mainly with the length of stay and the comorbidities linked to the age which are considered in the severity of illness and the Charlson comorbidities index. The hospital cost is higher for patients hospitalized for complications linked to an existing hip prosthesis than for a hip replacement linked to osteoarthritis problems.

What Means A Quality Professional-Patient Relationship From The Asthmatic Patients' Perspective? A Narrative Review Of Their Needs And Expectations

INTRODUCTION

Poor treatment adherence among asthmatic patients currently remains a public health challenge. One of the most quoted determinants is the quality of the professional-patient relationship although it has clearly not been fully described.

PURPOSE

This study aims at deeply exploring asthmatic patients' needs and expectations about the accompaniment proposed by their healthcare professionals.

METHODS

A rigorous narrative review was performed.

RESULTS

According to patients, what they expect from professionals can be split into eight themes: getting exhaustive information, relying on an available healthcare professional, being more involved into life with one's asthma, being accompanied by a multidisciplinary team, being respected in one's uniqueness, being cared through a humanist approach, feeling the professional is skilled and Other needs.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Asthmatic patients' needs have little evolved in 20 years illustrating that if they are met, that would positively affect the way patients want to be followed by healthcare professionals and so, that would increase their treatment adherence. Several recommendations such as setting up a doctor - asthma nurse practitioner binomial or studying a concrete care pathway may help in fulfilling these needs. Finally, this research opens the way to other studies since similar results have been found in populations suffering from other chronic diseases than asthma.

[Panorama of the Nursing Models used by Chief Nursing Officers in bilingual and French speaking Belgian hospitals.]

The use of a Nursing Model (NM) for nursing administration offers direct and indirect benefits for patients as for nurses. Depending the chosen NM, the concepts of person, health, nursing and environment are very different. Each NM has its special vision of the practice of nursing. The study investigated whether the Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) of the bilingual and French speaking Belgian hospitals integrate Nursing Models in the politics of their department. A quantitative descriptive and correlational survey was conducted. 97.5 % of the concerned CNO (78/80) participated to the research. It appears that a Nursing Model underlies the action of the nursing department in only 38 % of the departments (30/78). Where a Nursing Model is used, it is explicitly communicated to staff (26/30). Among the Models used, that of Virginia Henderson dominates (26/30). The seniority of the CNO in its function as well as variables related to educational courses and clinical context appear to influence the results. The Nursing Models of the paradigm of transformation remain rarely used. A qualitative research would be relevant to deepen the understanding of the experience of CNO related to Nursing Models.

Evaluation of the cost and length of hospital stays related to the management of an intestinal Clostridium difficile infection

INTRODUCTION

Intestinal Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) treated in hospitals may concern patients whose reason for admission is CDI (primary diagnosis) or who have acquired CDI during their stay (secondary diagnosis).

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study is to evaluate the cost for social security and hospitals and the length of hospital stays related to CDIs as the main reason for admission.

METHOD

This study was carried out in 2012 in 13 Belgian hospitals. Cases were selected by using diagnosis recorded in minimum discharge summaries. Pediatric stays are not part of the inclusion criteria (n= 86).

RESULTS

The average length of stay (standard deviation) was 13.53 days (11.95). The average cost (standard deviation) covered by social security/hospitals was €5,019.51 / €6,286.39 (9,638.42/ 6,368.45). 7% of patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit during hospitalization, for an average duration (standard deviation) of 8.18 days (2.93). The mortality rate was 8.1%. 19.8% of patients used vancomycin during the stay, 43% were treated with metronidazole only, 12.8% used vancomycin and metronidazole and 24.4% do not received vancomycin or metronidazole. No patients received fidaxomycin.

CONCLUSION

This study made it possible to approach the cost of CDI as the main reason for admission. Such data should allow contributing to optimally assess both the pharmacoeconomic impact of the implementation of prevention strategies and also therapeutic management making use of more expensive medicinal products but associated with decreased risk of recurrence.

In- and out-hospital mortality rate in surgical patients

BACKGROUND

Death rates after surgery are increasingly analysed for clinical audit and quality assessment. Many studies commonly provide information only on deaths that occur during hospital stay, known as in-hospital death rates. By using hospital data set linked to death certificate registry, we recorded in- and out-hospital deaths within 30 and 60 post-operative days.

METHODS

The study included all consecutive surgical procedures (denominator) under general or locoregional anaesthesia in adult patients admitted for elective or non-elective inpatient surgery. Patients undergoing planned day-case surgery or obstetrical procedures were excluded. The primary outcome was 30- and 60-day post-operative mortality rate (numerator) whether before or after discharge.

RESULTS

The study material consisted of a sample of 36,494 surgical procedures corresponding to 28,202 patients. At 30-day, 384 (crude mortality rate of 1.1%) patients died, 314 (82%) during their hospitalisation and 70 (18%) after discharge. Factors that were associated with in-hospital mortality are ASA scores, emergency, duration of surgery and rate of admission to critical care unit. Within the 30-60 days interval, we recorded 231 supplemental deaths, 103 (45%) after discharge.

CONCLUSION

In-hospital mortality alone is an incomplete measure of mortality even within 30 days of care. To identify the missing deaths, hospital records need to be linked to data from death certificate. This connection with the national death registry will allow obtaining the rate of in-hospital and out-hospital death.

Evaluation of cost and length of stay, linked to complications associated with major surgical procedures

INTRODUCTION

A lot of studies have demonstrated the possibility of reducing the number of post-operative complications in the domain of major surgical procedures with the use of medical preventive techniques. However, complications following surgical procedures are unfortunately frequent and are a major problem, not only because of the impact for the patient, but also because of economic consequences that they provoke. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the extra length of stay and the extra cost, born by the hospital and the social security, linked to complications, incurring after major surgical procedures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Study based on the data from 13 Belgian hospitals for the year 2012. Complications were extracted through medical discharge summaries. The cost born by the social security was assessed on the basis of the billing data, hospital cost are taken from cost accounting studies.

RESULTS

The rate of complication for all the hospitals is 6.6%. About 30.3% of inpatient stays having a major or extreme severity of index had a complication during the stay, 1.8% of stays with a minor or moderate severity of index had a complication. The extra length of stay is 19.38 days when the stay has had a complication (p < 0.001). The additional mean cost borne from the hospital perspective is €21 353.07 and €8 026.65 for the social security. This additional mean cost varies greatly from one hospital to another.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

The present study has shown that the actual financing do not cover real hospital costs in the field of major surgical procedures having caused complications. Results should encourage Belgian authorities to propose and finance preventive measures in order to reduce these complications, which represent major economic impacts, not only for authorities but also for hospitals.

[Analysis of interventions designed to improve clinical supervision of student nurses in Benin]

INTRODUCTION

The absence of an explicit and coherent conception of the articulation between theory and practice in the reform of nursing training in Benin has resulted in poor quality clinical supervision of student nurses. The objective of this article is to analyze two interventions designed to improve the quality of supervision.

METHODS

A student welcome booklet developed by means of a consultative and provocative participatory approach was tested with twelve student nurses versus a control group. Content analysis of the data collected by individual semi-directed interviews and during two focus groups demonstrated the value of this tool. Student nurses were also taught to use to training diaries inspired by the ?experiential learning?

MODEL

Training diaries were analysed using a grid based on the descriptive elements of the five types of Scheepers training diaries (2008).

RESULTS

According to the student nurses, the welcome booklet provided them with structured information to be used as a reference during their training and a better understanding of their teachers, and allowed them to situate the resources of the training course with a lower level of stress. Fifty-eight per cent of the training diaries were are mosaics, reflecting the reflective practice and self-regulated learning of student nurses. This activity also promoted metacognitive dialogue with their supervisors.

CONCLUSION

The student welcome booklet appeared to facilitate integration of student nurses into the clinical setting and promoted professional and organizational socialization. The training diary improved the quality of clinical learning by repeated reflective observation of student nurses and helped to maintain permanent communication with the supervisors.

[Cost evaluation of organ harvesting in a Belgian academic hospital]

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is (1) to describe the characteristics of the organ harvesting activity conducted in 2012 at the Erasme's Hospital, Brussels University Hospital, (2) to highlight the different combinations " type of donor/types of organ's retrieved " in relation to organ harvestings carried out within the hospital, and (3) to calculate the organ harvesting's cost of acts.

METHODS

The study is conducted according to the hospital perspective. It assesses the consumption of medical and nursing staff resources, disposable material costs, medical device costs, drugs costs, sterile instruments and biomedical equipment costs, of the 34 organ harvesting procedures that has been conducted this year. Costs are calculated by procedure, by donor's type, by organ and by combinations.

RESULTS

Total cost is 99.442 €, with an average cost per donor of 3.016 €, 3.292 € for DBD postmortem donor (Donor Brain Death) and 2.456 € for DCD type (Donor Cardio-Circulatory Death). The average cost per organ leading to a transplantation is 1.842 € for DCD type and 1.297 € for DBD.

CONCLUSION

The results show that there is as many costs as the number of organ harvesting's combinations. Integrate the revenue generated by organ harvestings could establish whether funding sources cover the costs generated by this activity or if a reform of the nomenclature should be considered.

[Medical supply planning : dynamic registry of physicians, sixth reform of the State and numerus clausus]

INTRODUCTION

The last few years have seen major changes in the Belgian medical planning. The paper aims to describe them and to assess how they will affect the medical demography.

METHOD

Grey literature review and federal and federated entities legislation summary.

RESULTS

A new dynamic register allows a better knowledge of medical workforce in all sectors of labour market. Recent legislation evolutions induce fragmentation of competences related to human resource for health planning : federal authorities are responsive for the fixation of number of GP and specialists and community authorities for registration of health professionals and fixation of sub-quotas in different branches of specialised medicine. Finally, the French Community has setting up a multiple selection system of medical students that have to past an 'orientation test', a possible reorientation after January examinations and then a numerus fixus at the end of the first academic year.

CONCLUSIONS

Dynamic register improves the knowledge of medical workforce repartition. However, the assessment of its volume shows methodological limitations. From an operational viewpoint, the fragmentation of competences will ask coordination effort from all authority levels to avoid impairment in planning process. Finally, French Community has to consider evaluation and ambitious revision of medical workforce planning in their region.

[Internship supervisors' perception of the management process and the quality of the clinical educational support in nursing and midwifery science in Benin]

BACKGROUND

the reform of nursing education requires to focus on the quality of clinical supervision.

OBJECTIVE

to identify the perception of internship supervisors of the management process and the quality of the clinical supervision of students of the National Institute Health Services (INMES).

METHOD

a qualitative and quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the supervisors of the National Hospital and University and the Hospital of the Mother and Child Lagoon Benin. Data collected using a self-administered questionnaire was treated with EPI INFO Version 3.5.4 and according to a content analysis.

RESULTS

92 % of supervisors have not received any specific training in coaching. There is no formal and regulatory framework conducive to coaching or mentoring repository. Collaboration between INMES and internship sites is low. The supervision is not integrated in the service missions, but rather related to a contextual occasion. The daily training period is considered short for a real learning. Summative assessment tool whose criteria are non adapted is done in the absence of the student.

DISCUSSION

these results demonstrate the low quality of clinical supervision.

CONCLUSION

the shortcomings identified will serve as basis for improving the quality of clinical supervision.

Predictors of costs from the hospital perspective of primary pulmonary embolism

The objective of this study was to estimate the total hospital cost per patient admitted through the emergency department with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE), and to identify the main components and predictors of costs.Actual costs of care of 652 consecutive patients hospitalised in 10 general hospitals in Belgium, including 31 outlier patients in terms of length of stay (4.8%), were obtained by aggregating all cost components contributing to care of each patient.In both inlier and outlier patients, the mean total cost per patient increased linearly with the degree of severity of illness classes related to the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group (p<0.0001). Medical procedures, nursing activities and hospitalisation accommodation were the main cost components. We identified six independent predictors of costs in inliers: age group, chronic pulmonary heart disease, heart failure, admission to intensive care unit, initial thrombolysis treatment and type of hospital. There was a statistically significant linear trend between age groups and costs (p<0.0001).An increasing burden of comorbid illness was strongly associated with increasing actual cost for caring hospitalised patients for PE. Increasing age was associated with an increase in all main cost components.

Costs of disposable material in the operating room do not show high correlation with surgical time: Implications for hospital payment

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are to analyze the variation of the surgical time and of disposable costs per surgical procedure and to analyze the association between disposable costs and the surgical time.

METHODS

The registration of data was done in an operating room of a 419 bed general hospital, over a period of three months (n = 1556 surgical procedures). Disposable material per procedure used was recorded through a barcode scanning method.

RESULTS

The average cost (standard deviation) of disposable material is €183.66 (€183.44). The mean surgical time (standard deviation) is 96 min (63). Results have shown that the homogeneity of operating time and DM costs was quite good per surgical procedure. The correlation between the surgical time and DM costs is not high (r = 0.65).

CONCLUSIONS

In a context of Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) based hospital payment, it is important that costs information systems are able to precisely calculate costs per case. Our results show that the correlation between surgical time and costs of disposable materials is not good. Therefore, empirical data or itemized lists should be used instead of surgical time as a cost driver for the allocation of costs of disposable materials to patients.

[How to develop advanced practice nursing in complex health care systems?]

Over the last few decades, advanced nursing practitioners (ANP) have developed new roles in health care systems and this tendency is continuing to grow. Postgraduate trainedANP interact directly with the person, i.e. the individual and his/her family - in many fields of practice and in a context of collaboration withfellow nurses and other health care professionals. The potential benefits of ANP interventions have been demonstrated in many fields. In particular, ANP are public health actors, able to participate in the interdisciplinary response to supportive care ofpatients with chronic diseases. However, the development of advanced practice nursing (APN) in a complex health care system requires a systemic approach coordinated with the various levels of training of nursing practitioners and other health care professionals. This is an essential prerequisite to allow ANPs to develop new roles adapted to their capacities (legal qualification, high level, specialist training, modalities of collaboration, etc.). To achieve an added value for patients, for the health care system in terms ofresults and to ensure adequate nursing conditions, the authors emphasize the importance of structured development of APN and propose an awareness phase comprising adoption of a conceptual model of APN and the establishment of a structured list of existing nursing practices in order to prepare a methodical implementation strategy.

Epidemiology of injuries in Belgium: contribution of hospital data for surveillance

OBJECTIVES

Investigating injuries in terms of occurrences and patient and hospital stay characteristics.

METHODS

17370 stays, with at least one E code, were investigated based on data from 13 Belgian hospitals. Pearson's chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to assess the variations between distributions of the investigated factors according to the injury's types.

RESULTS

Major injuries were accidental falls, transport injuries, and self-inflicted injuries. There were more men in the transport injuries group and the accidental falls group was older. For the transport injuries, there were more arrivals with the support of a mobile intensive care unit and/or a paramedic intervention team and a general practitioner was more implicated for the accidental falls. In three-quarters of cases, it was a primary diagnostic related to injury and poisoning which was made. The median length of stay was nearly equal to one week and for accidental falls, this value is three times higher. The median cost, from the social security point of view, for all injuries was equal to € 1377 and there was a higher median cost within the falls group.

CONCLUSION

This study based on hospitals data provides important information both on factors associated with and on hospital costs generated by injuries.

Variability of nursing care by APR-DRG and by severity of illness in a sample of nine Belgian hospitals

BACKGROUND

As soon as Diagnosis related Groups (DRG) were introduced in many hospital financing systems, most nursing research revealed that DRG were not very homogeneous with regard to nursing care. However, few studies are based on All Patient refined Diagnosis related Groups (APR-DRGs) and few of them use recent data. Objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate if nursing activity is homogeneous by APR-DRG and by severity of illness (SOI) (2) to evaluate the outlier's rate associated with the nursing activity and (3) to compare nursing cost homogeneity per DRG and SOI.

METHODS

Study done in 9 Belgian hospitals on a selection of APR-DRG with more than 30 patients (7 638 inpatient stays). The evaluation of the homogeneity is based on coefficients of variation (CV). The 75th percentile + 1.5 × inter-quartile range was used to select high outliers. 25th percentile -1.5 × inter-quartile range was used to select low outliers. Nursing costs per ward were distributed on inpatient stays of each ward following two techniques (the LOS vs. the number of nursing care minutes per stay).

RESULTS

The homogeneity of LOS by DRG and by SOI is relatively good (CV: 0.56). The homogeneity of the nursing activity by DRG is less good (CVs between 0.36 and 1.54) and is influenced by nursing activity outliers (high outliers' rate: 5.19%, low outliers' rate: 0.14%). The outlier's rate varies according to the studied variable. The high outliers' rate is higher for nursing activity than for LOS. The homogeneity of nursing costs is higher when costs are based on the LOS of patients than when based on minutes of nursing care (CVs between 0.26 and 1.46 for nursing costs based on LOS and between 0.49 and 2.04 for nursing costs based on minutes of nursing care).

CONCLUSIONS

It is essential that the calculation of nursing cost by stay and by DRG for hospital financing purposes was based on nursing activity data, that more reflect resources used in wards, and not on LOS data. The only way to obtain this information is the generalization of computerized nursing files.

Evaluation of the cost of atrial fibrillation during emergency hospitalization

OBJECTIVE

The number of hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation has increased dramatically. This increase, in the number of hospital stays will continue, given the growth projections based on epidemiological data, and will contribute to significantly increase expenses for the social security system.The objective of this study was to evaluate the length of hospital stay, the average cost borne by social security, and the types of hospital stay expenditures for patients admitted through the emergency department for atrial fibrillation.

METHODS

Patients were identified by using the minimal clinical summaries of seven general hospitals in Belgium in 2008. Only hospitalized patients having as primary diagnosis code ICD-9-CM 42731 'atrial fibrillation'were selected for this study. Hospital billing files were analysed in order to isolate the costs borne by social security. Outliers were isolated in order not to have results influenced by patients having an atypical length of stay.

RESULTS

Results show that the mean length of stay was 8.6 days and the mean cost charged to social security was euro 3,066.02 per hospital stay.The mean cost of care was strongly associated with the degree of severity index related to the APR-DRG. Approximately 85% of the total cost was related to the cost of hospital days and medical procedures with medical imaging and laboratory tests being the two main cost inductors. 18% of patients had cardioversion during their hospital stay, including 4% who had only that treatment. 19% of patients used amiodarone. Flecainide and propafenone were also used, but less frequently.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean cost of care for AF patients admitted via the emergency department is strongly associated with the degree of severity. Approximately 85% of the total cost is related to the cost of hospital days and medical procedures. Hypertension is the most common secondary diagnosis. An optimal treatment of this risk factor could help to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, and thereby reduce the morbidity and costs associated with this disease.

What can we learn from international comparisons of costs by DRG?

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to compare costs data by diagnosis related group (DRG) between Belgium and Switzerland. Our hypotheses were that differences between countries can probably be explained by methodological differences in cost calculations, by differences in medical practices and by differences in cost structures within the two countries.

METHODS

Classifications of DRG used in the two countries differ (AP-DRGs version 1.7 in Switzerland and APR-DRGs version 15.0 in Belgium). The first step of this study was to transform Belgian summaries into Swiss AP-DRGs. Belgian and Swiss data were calculated with a clinical costing methodology (full costing). Belgian and Swiss costs were converted into US$ PPP (purchasing power parity) in order to neutralize differences in purchasing power between countries.

RESULTS

The results of this study showed higher costs in Switzerland despite standardization of cost data according to PPP. The difference is not explained by the case-mix index because this was similar for inliers between the two countries. The length of stay (LOS) was also quite similar for inliers between the two countries. The case-mix index was, however, higher for high outliers in Belgium, as reflected in a higher LOS for these patients. Higher costs in Switzerland are thus probably explained mainly by the higher number of agency staff by service in this country or because of differences in medical practices.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to make international comparisons but only if there is standardization of the case-mix between countries and only if comparable accountancy methodologies are used. Harmonization of DRGs groups, nomenclature and accountancy is thus required.

Comparison of cost-weights scales methodologies in the perspective of a financing system based on pathologies

OBJECTIVES

Objectives of this article are to evaluate the possibility to create a CW scale by pathology on the basis of cost data from Belgian hospitals, to compare several methodologies to create this CW scale, and to evaluate the financial impact of a modification of the financing system on hospitals' income.

METHODS

CW scales were elaborated according to various methodologies in order to isolate the scale allowing the most adequate financing system, i.e. approaching the real costs as much as possible. Twelve scales were created. They vary according to the type of data used, according to DRGs and severities of illness included within the scale, and according to the variable used in order to isolate outliers.

RESULTS

For a similar case-mix, Hospitals H2 and H5 would see their financing increased through a prospective system based on the selected CW scale (No. 6). This modification would generate a reduction in financing going from -1 to -9% according to hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

The cost database created made it possible to create a CW scale according to a technique which could constitute the first step of a PPS if advantages of a such financing system were established. In the Belgian context, it would be probably judicious to envisage regional databases allowing diversified methodological approaches whose results would be confronted, discussed, and coordinated at the federal level.

[The financial impact of missed appointments in a gastroenterology unit and evaluation of preventive strategies]

Objectives of the study were to evaluate the missed appointments rate in a consultation of gastroenterology of a general hospital situated in the south part of the country, to evaluate financial consequences and to evaluate preventive strategies. During this study, the missed appointments rate was 19.4%. The risk to have a missed appointment is higher for patients that come for the first time in the hospital, coming for a visit, having an appointment in the afternoon, having less than 26 years and that have taken an appointment a long time ago. The loss of income in gastro-enterology was 77 Euro and 32 Euro outside gastro-enterology for a loss of income of 109.20 Euro by patient. The estimated loss of income for 711 patients that have missed their appointment is 71,984 Euro. Two preventive strategies of reminders were tested: the telephone reminder and the mail reminder. The non-attendance rate was lower for patients with a mail reminder. The percentage of deferred or cancelled appointments is higher for patients with a telephone reminder. The low cost of a reminder (telephone or mail) should stimulate the hospital direction to develop a system of reminders to limit the non-attendance rate, at least for patients with a higher risk of non-attendance.

[Are extra costs generated by patients justifiable? Methodology and results from a study carried out in a Belgian general hospital]

Cost outliers account for 6 to 8% of hospital inpatient stays and concentrate 22 to 30% of inpatient costs. Explanatory factors were highlighted in various studies. They are the lenght of stay, an intensive care unit stay, the severity of illness index related to DRG and social factors. Patients are not always explained by these factors. The objective of this study is to analyse cases not explained by those factors, through a detailed analysis of medical files. In the studied hospital, there are 6,3% high cost outliers and 1,1% low cost outliers. These stays were isolated on the basis of a rule based on percentiles. Extra costs generated by high cost outliers are 6.999 euro per stay. The extra lenght of stay for these patients is 20,42 days. Among the 454 patients high cost outliers, 334 patients are explained by factors extracted from a statistical analysis based on a logistic regression (intensive care unit stay, severity of illness index, lenght of stay and social factors). The analysis of medical files of the 120 not explained inpatient stays highlights new explanatory factors (coding errors, heterogeneity of DRGs, etc.). At the end of this study, the conclusion is that a statistical analysis combined with a precise analysis of medical files allowed to explain the majority of cost outliers. An explanation is however not necessarily synonymous with medical justification.