A balance of unsafe care incidents and interactive cooperative care: A constructivist grounded theory study of safe care ecosystem for older inpatients

AIMS

To explore older inpatients and their caregivers' care experience and how this relates to the gerontology care practice.

BACKGROUND

Research interest in the conceptualization of safe care for older inpatients was growing, and these studies were predominantly reported from a single or healthcare perspective. There is a shortage of literature on how patients and their caregivers conceptualise safe care.

DESIGN

Constructivist grounded theory.

METHODS

Stage 1 included semi-structured interviews with inpatients. Stage 2 included semi-structured interviews with caregivers and six field notes. Purposive and theoretical sampling were used to recruit 61 participants across six healthcare institutions. Data analysis included initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding using constant comparative, field notes and memo writing.

RESULTS

The substantive theory to emerge from the data was A balance of unsafe care incidents and interactive cooperative care. This core concept was informed by four categories: unsafe care incidents, interactive cooperative care, person-centred care, contextual conditions, and one care outcome. The relationships between these categories constituted a balance in which patient-centred care was the core, unsafe care incidents were the barriers, interactive cooperative care was the facilitator, and the result of the balance was the care outcome. The balance constituted a safe care ecosystem under the interaction of contextual conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Interactive cooperative care is vital in enabling care stakeholders to reduce unsafe care incidents, which facilitates them in achieving safe care and further constructing a healthy care ecosystem.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This theory identifies barriers and facilitators encountered by care stakeholders to cope with everyday problems and guides them in developing personalised care plans to ensure patient safety.

Patient and Medical Unit Staff Experiences of Proactive and Integrated Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in The HOME Study: A Qualitative Investigation

BACKGROUND

Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry services aim to help general hospital staff provide better care for their patients. Recently, many inpatient C-L psychiatry services have adopted proactive and integrated approaches to achieve this aim. Despite these developments, there have been no interview-based studies of patients' and staff members' experiences of the new approaches.

OBJECTIVE

To gain an in-depth understanding of patients' and medical unit staff members' experiences of a proactive and integrated C-L psychiatry service for older medical inpatients (Proactive Integrated C-L Psychiatry [PICLP]).

METHODS

We conducted an interview-based qualitative study with thematic analysis. The participants were patients and staff who had experienced PICLP during The HOME Study, a randomized trial that evaluated PICLP in 24 medical units of three UK general hospitals.

RESULTS

We conducted 97 interviews: 43 with patients or their proxies (family members who were interviewed on behalf of patients with significant cognitive impairment) and 54 with staff members of all relevant disciplines. Patients and staff both described how PICLP was a helpful addition to medical care and discharge planning. It enhanced the medical unit team's ability to address psychological, psychiatric, and social needs and provide patient-centered care. They welcomed proactive biopsychosocial assessments and the broader perspective that these offered on patients' complex problems. They also valued the integration of C-L psychiatrists into the unit teams and their daily contact with them. For patients, it fostered a therapeutic relationship and helped them to be more engaged in decisions about their medical care and discharge planning. For staff, it enabled ready access to psychiatric expertise and training opportunities. The few reported experiences of PICLP being unhelpful were mainly about the greater number of clinicians involved in patients' care and a lack of clarity about professional roles in the integrated team.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that older inpatients and medical unit staff experienced PICLP as both acceptable and generally helpful. Our findings add to the existing evidence for the benefits of proactive and integrated C-L psychiatry services.

Preliminary Report on the Influence of Acute Inflammation on Adiponectin Levels in Older Inpatients with Different Nutritional Status

Inflammation can be triggered by a variety of factors, including pathogens, damaged cells, and toxic compounds. It is a biological response of the immune system, which can be successfully assessed in clinical practice using some molecular substances. Because adiponectin, a hormone released by adipose tissue, influences the development of inflammation, its evaluation as a potential measure of inflammation in clinical practice is justified. In the present contribution, statistical comparison of adiponectin concentration and selected molecular substances recognized in clinical practice as measures of inflammation were utilized to demonstrate whether adipose tissue hormones, as exemplified by adiponectin, have the potential to act as a measure of rapidly changing inflammation when monitoring older hospitalized patients in the course of bacterial infection. The study showed no statistically significant differences in adiponectin levels depending on the rapidly changing inflammatory response in its early stage. Interestingly, the concentration of adiponectin is statistically significantly higher in malnourished patients than in people with normal nutritional levels, assessed based on the MNA. According to the results obtained, adiponectin is not an effective measure of acute inflammation in clinical practice. However, it may serve as a biomarker of malnutrition in senile individuals.

Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Older Inpatients with Suspected Infection

OBJECTIVES

To determine the rate and predictors of death in older individuals with suspected infection at any time during hospital stay in a geriatric acute ward and the prognostic ability of different tools [quick Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Modified and National Early Warning Scores (MEWS) and (NEWS)] in such population.

DESIGN

Prospective observational single-center cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Among patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit of an Italian University Hospital with at least 1 sepsis risk factor, all subjects with suspected infection at admission or during hospital stay (defined as antibiotic prescription and associated culture test) were considered.

METHODS

A geriatric assessment including comorbidity and social, functional, and cognitive status was performed for each patient. Clinical parameters were evaluated at least twice daily throughout hospital stay; qSOFA, MEWS, and NEWS were derived, with positive cutoffs set at ≥2, ≥5, and ≥7, respectively.

RESULTS

Among 305 older inpatients (median age 86.0 years, 49.2% female), 21% died during hospital stay. Sepsis was diagnosed in 31.8% of the overall sample and in 64.1% of deceased patients. Deceased patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of prior institutionalization, functional dependence, cognitive impairment, and multimorbidity. The prognostic accuracy of the qSOFA score at infection onset was only fair (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.79, P < .001) and comparable with that of MEWS and NEWS. After multivariable analysis, in-hospital death was positively associated with male sex [odds ratio (OR), 2.11; 95% CI, 1.01-4.44; P = .048] and abnormal white blood cells count (OR, 4.93; 95% CI, 2.36-10.29; P < .001), platelet count (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.10-6.16; P = .029) and serum creatinine (OR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.30-5.61; P = .008), along with any of the score considered, and negatively associated with autonomy in instrumental activities (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Prognosis in older inpatients with infection or sepsis appears to be determined both by the geriatric characteristics and by the severity of the acute event, expressed by recommended tools and blood test results.

Epidemiological characteristics of pressure injury and the predictive validity of Braden scale among the older hospitalized patients: A cross-sectional study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pressure injury (PI) in older inpatients and predictive validity of the Braden scale.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Conducted in a 2600-bed tertiary hospital in Northwestern China from January to June 2022, the study included older patients (≥60 years). The Braden scale was used for the risk assessment of PI, and the epidemiological characteristics of PI were observed. The contributing factors of PI in older inpatients were examined using univariate and multiple or multivariable logistic regression analysis. The predictive validity and optimal cut-off value were assessed using receiver operating curve (ROC).

RESULTS

The study included 13,064 older patients, with a PI incidence of 0.20%, with the highest incidence (0.95%) in those aged ≥80. Age, BMI, Braden score and length of hospital stay were related to PI occurrence. The Braden scale showed an AUC of 0.905 for predicting PI in older inpatients, with a sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 86.4%. The optimal cut-off value of 19 yielded the best predictive performance with a Yoden index of 0.710.

CONCLUSION

PI is most likely to occur in older inpatients with older age, longer hospital stay, lower BMI and Braden score. The Braden scale demonstrated good suitability for predicting PI risk in this population, with an optimal cut-off value of 19 showing improved predictive accuracy.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Throughout the investigation, patients or family members cooperated to complete all data investigation and evaluation, and nurses assisted in PI risk assessment, skin evaluation and other work.

Correlates of delirium care competency among shift leader nurses in acute medical wards in Japan: A cross-sectional study

AIM

This study identified the correlates of delirium care competency among shift leader nurses in acute medical wards in Japan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020. We sent request letters to a random sample of 381 general acute care hospitals in Japan. Of these, 68 agreed to participate and distributed 735 self-administered questionnaires to shift leader nurses working in their acute medical wards. The questionnaire included the Self-rated Delirium Care Competency Scale for Shift Leader Nurses in Acute Medical Wards (DCSL-M), developed by the authors. It gathered data on the respondents' demographics and delirium care competency, and investigated a total of 25 variables. We calculated descriptive statistics and examined associations between delirium care competency and the demographics using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of the total, 301 (40.9%) questionnaires were returned. Delirium care competency was high among shift leader nurses who: (1) had experience as a clinical practice preceptor for nursing students; (2) had experience attending training related to dementia or delirium care; (3) worked at a hospital/ward that charged additional medical fees for dementia care; and (4) had access to consulting psychiatrists to refer patients with delirium.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest the need for efforts to improve delirium care competency among shift leader nurses who work in hospitals that do not charge additional medical fees for dementia care or that do not have consulting psychiatrists to refer patients with delirium.

Development and Assessment of Assisted Diagnosis Models Using Machine Learning for Identifying Elderly Patients With Malnutrition: Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Older patients are at an increased risk of malnutrition due to many factors related to poor clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop an assisted diagnosis model using machine learning (ML) for identifying older patients with malnutrition and providing the focus of individualized treatment.

METHODS

We reanalyzed a multicenter, observational cohort study including 2660 older patients. Baseline malnutrition was defined using the global leadership initiative on malnutrition (GLIM) criteria, and the study population was randomly divided into a derivation group (2128/2660, 80%) and a validation group (532/2660, 20%). We applied 5 ML algorithms and further explored the relationship between features and the risk of malnutrition by using the Shapley additive explanations visualization method.

RESULTS

The proposed ML models were capable to identify older patients with malnutrition. In the external validation cohort, the top 3 models by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were light gradient boosting machine (92.1%), extreme gradient boosting (91.9%), and the random forest model (91.5%). Additionally, the analysis of the importance of features revealed that BMI, weight loss, and calf circumference were the strongest predictors to affect GLIM. A BMI of below 21 kg/m2 was associated with a higher risk of GLIM in older people.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed ML models for assisting diagnosis of malnutrition based on the GLIM criteria. The cutoff values of laboratory tests generated by Shapley additive explanations could provide references for the identification of malnutrition.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-EPC-14005253; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=9542.

Muscular Echo-Intensity of the Quadriceps by Ultrasound Is More Related to Improvement of Gait Independence than Muscle Thickness in Older Inpatients

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine whether the decrease in muscular echo-intensity of the quadriceps by ultrasound in older inpatients is related to the improvement of gait independence than the increase of muscle thickness.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

SETTING

Hospital-based study.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 171 inpatients aged ≥ 65 years (median age: 84.0 [77.0-88.0], 56.1% female). Patients who were able to walk independently at hospital admission were excluded from the study.

MEASUREMENTS

Improvement of gait independence during hospital stay was assessed using the change in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gait score (i.e., FIM gait score at hospital discharge minus FIM gait score at hospital admission) and FIM gait score at hospital discharge. Muscular echo-intensity and muscle thickness of the quadriceps were assessed at hospital admission and discharge using ultrasound images, respectively. Muscular echo-intensity has been shown to be mainly related to intramuscular adipose tissue. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the factors independently associated with the change in FIM gait score and FIM gait score at discharge.

RESULTS

Change in quadriceps echo-intensity was independently and significantly associated with the change in FIM gait score (β = -0.22, p = 0.017) and FIM gait score at hospital discharge (β = -0.21, p = 0.017). In contrast, change in quadriceps thickness was not independently and significantly associated with the change in FIM gait score (β = 0.16, p = 0.050) and FIM gait score at hospital discharge (β = 0.15, p = 0.050).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that a decrease in muscular echo-intensity of the quadriceps by ultrasound is more related to the improvement of gait independence than an increase of muscle thickness in older inpatients. Intervention for intramuscular adipose tissue of the quadriceps may be important for improving gait independence in older inpatients.

Higher Body Mass Index in Hospitalized Older Patients Is Related to Higher Muscle Quality

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the relationship between muscle mass, intramuscular adipose tissue, and body mass index (BMI) in older inpatients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Hospital-based study.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 413 inpatients aged ≥ 65 years (186 men and 227 women).

MEASUREMENTS

Muscle mass and intramuscular adipose tissue of the quadriceps were assessed by measuring the muscle thickness and echo intensity on ultrasound images. To examine the relationship between quadriceps thickness and echo intensity and BMI in total participants and each sex, the Kendall rank correlation coefficient was used. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine whether BMI was independently and significantly related to the quadriceps thickness and echo intensity, even after adjusting for other variables for total participants and each sex. The independent variables in multiple regression analyses were BMI, age, disease, days from onset disease.

RESULTS

The results of the correlation analyses showed that BMI was significantly related to the quadriceps thickness (total participants, τ = 0.431; men, τ = 0.491; women, τ = 0.388) and echo intensity (total participants, τ = -0.239; men, τ = -0.318; women, τ = -0.188). In the multiple regression analysis, BMI was independently and significantly associated with the quadriceps thickness (total participants, β = 0.535; men, β = 0.548; women, β = 0.519) and echo intensity (total participants, β = -0.287; men, β = -0.398; women, β = -0.210).

CONCLUSION

This study indicated that older inpatients with a higher BMI have greater muscle mass and less intramuscular adipose tissue of the quadriceps. These results suggested that a higher BMI in older inpatients is related to higher quadriceps muscle quality.

Nutritional Risk, Health Outcomes, and Hospital Costs Among Chinese Immobile Older Inpatients: A National Study

Purpose: Evidence of the impact of nutritional risk on health outcomes and hospital costs among Chinese older inpatients is limited. Relatively few studies have investigated the association between clinical and cost outcomes and nutritional risk in immobile older inpatients, particularly those with neoplasms, injury, digestive, cardiac, and respiratory conditions.

Methods: This China-wide prospective observational cohort study comprised 5,386 immobile older inpatients hospitalized at 25 hospitals. All patients were screened for nutritional risk using the Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS 2002). A descriptive analysis of baseline variables was followed by multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards models and generalized linear model) to compare the health and economic outcomes, namely, mortality, length of hospital stay (LoS), and hospital costs associated with a positive NRS 2002 result.

Results: The prevalence of a positive NRS 2002 result was 65.3% (n = 3,517). The prevalence of “at-risk” patients (NRS 2002 scores of 3+) was highest in patients with cardiac conditions (31.5%) and lowest in patients with diseases of the respiratory system (6.9%). Controlling for sex, age, education, type of insurance, smoking status, the main diagnosed disease, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), the multivariate analysis showed that the NRS 2002 score = 3 [hazard ratio (HR): 1.376, 95% CI: 1.031–1.836] were associated with approximately a 1.5-fold higher likelihood of death. NRS 2002 scores = 4 (HR: 1.982, 95% CI: 1.491–2.633) and NRS scores ≥ 5 (HR: 1.982, 95% CI: 1.498–2.622) were associated with a 2-fold higher likelihood of death, compared with NRS 2002 scores <3. An NRS 2002 score of 3 (percentage change: 16.4, 95% CI: 9.6–23.6), score of 4 (32.4, 95% CI: 24–41.4), and scores of ≥ 5 (36.8, 95% CI 28.3–45.8) were associated with a significantly (16.4, 32.4, and 36.8%, respectively) higher likelihood of increased LoS compared with an NRS 2002 scores <3. The NRS 2002 score = 3 group (17.8, 95% CI: 8.6–27.7) was associated with a 17.8%, the NRS 2002 score = 4 group (31.1, 95% CI: 19.8–43.5) a 31.1%, and the NRS 2002 score ≥ 5 group (44.3, 95% CI: 32.3–57.4) a 44.3%, higher likelihood of increased hospital costs compared with a NRS 2002 scores <3 group. Specifically, the most notable mortality-specific comorbidity and LoS-specific comorbidity was injury, while the most notable cost-specific comorbidity was diseases of the digestive system.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the high burden of undernutrition at the time of hospital admission on the health and hospital cost outcomes for older immobile inpatients. These findings underscore the need for nutritional risk screening in all Chinese hospitalized patients, and improved diagnosis, treatment, and nutritional support to improve immobile patient outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug-related problems and pharmacist interventions in geriatric acute care units

Objectives

To assess and compare the pharmaceutical analysis on drug management in a geriatric acute care unit prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This was a single-centre, retrospective, and comparative cohort study. All Pharmacist Interventions (PIs) carried out in the unit between 27 January 2020 and 30 April 2020 were distinguished according to whether they were conducted prior to or during the first wave of COVID-19. The main outcome measure was the rate of PIs per patient and per prescription lines analysed. Other data collected were the drug class managed by the PI, the Drug Related Problems (DRP) identified, the nature of the advice given, and the acceptance rate by geriatricians.

Results

A total of 355 patients were analysed, with PIs generated for 21.7% of the patients prior to COVID-19, and for 53.4% of the patients during the first wave (p < 0.001). Among the 4402 prescription lines analysed, 54 PIs were carried out for prescriptions prior to COVID-19, and 177 during the first wave (p = 0.002). DRPs were mostly related to anti-infectious drugs during the pandemic (20.3%, p = 0.038), and laxatives prior to the pandemic (13.0%, p = 0.023). The clinical impact of the PIs was mainly moderate (43.7%). The acceptance rate was 59.3%.

Conclusions

A greater amount of DRPs were detected and more therapeutic advice was proposed during the first wave of COVID-19, with a focus on drugs used for the management of COVID-19 rather than geriatric routine treatments. The needs for clinical pharmacists were strengthened during the pandemic.

Introduction to Bayesian statistics: a practical framework for clinical pharmacists

OBJECTIVES

Most pharmaceutical investigations have relied on p values to infer conclusions from their study findings. Central to this paradigm is the concept of null hypothesis significance testing. This approach is however fraught with overuse and misinterpretations. Several alternatives have already been proposed, yet uptake remains low. In this study, we aimed to discuss the pitfalls of p value-based testing and to provide readers with the basics to apply Bayesian statistics.

METHODS

Jeffreys's Amazing Statistical Package (JASP) was used to evaluate the effect of a clinical pharmacy (CP) intervention (opposed to usual care) on the number of emergency department (ED) visits without hospital admission. Basic Bayesian terminology was explained and compared with classical p value-based testing. In the study example, a Cauchy prior distribution was used to determine the effect size with a scale parameter r=0.707 at location=0 and Bayes factors (BF) were subsequently estimated. A robustness analysis was then performed to visualise the impact of different r values on the BF value.

RESULTS

A BF of 4.082 was determined, indicating that the observed data were about four times more likely to occur under the alternative hypothesis that the CP intervention was effective. The median effect size of the CP intervention on ED visits was found to be 0.337 with a 95% credible interval of 0.074 to 0.635. A robustness check was performed and all BF values were in favour of the CP intervention.

CONCLUSION

Bayesian inference can be an important addition to the statistical armamentarium of pharmacists, who should become more acquainted with the basic terminology and rationale of such testing. To prove our point, Jeffreys' approach was applied to a CP study example, using an easy-to-use software program JASP.

Pharmacokinetics of 2 oral paracetamol formulations in hospitalized octogenarians

AIMS

It is currently unclear how paracetamol should be dosed in order to increase its efficacy while warranting safety in very old adults. The objective was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of 2 oral paracetamol formulations and its metabolites in hospitalized octogenarians.

METHODS

Geriatric inpatients aged 80 years and older received a 1000-mg paracetamol tablet or granulate at 08.00, 14.00 and 20.00. After at least 4 consecutive gifts, plasma samples were collected around the 08.00 dose (trough, +0.5, +1, +2, +4, +5 and +6 h). Plasma concentrations of paracetamol and its metabolites were determined and individual pharmacokinetic parameters were derived. The Edmonton Frail Scale was used to assess frailty. An analgesic plasma target was defined as an average plasma concentration (C_avg ) of 10 mg/L.

RESULTS

The mean (±standard deviation) age was 86.78 (±4.20) years. The majority (n = 26/36, 72%) received the tablet, 10 (28%) the granulate. Thirty patients (85%) were classified with moderate to severe frailty. Seven (21%) patients had a C_avg above 10 mg/L. The median [interquartile range] time to reach the peak concentration was 50.5 [31.50-92.50] and 42.50 [33.75-106.75] min for the tablet and granulate, respectively. The coefficient of variation was 95% for time to reach the peak concentration and 30% for C_avg of paracetamol. A correlation of C_avg of paracetamol was observed with female sex and total serum bilirubin.

CONCLUSION

Large interindividual differences were found for pharmacokinetic parameters of oral paracetamol in frail inpatients after multiple dosing. Female sex and higher total serum bilirubin concentrations were associated with paracetamol exposure. No significant differences were observed between the tablet and granulate.

Relationship Between Aging and Intramuscular Adipose Tissue in Older Inpatients

OBJECTIVE

Although older inpatients are known to develop various conditions, whether aging affects intramuscular adipose tissue in older inpatients remains unclear. In particular, an increase in intramuscular adipose tissue in persons aged ≥85 years has previously not been revealed in either older inpatients or community-dwelling older individuals. This study therefore aimed to examine whether aging affects intramuscular adipose tissue in older inpatients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This study was clinical-based and included 404 inpatients aged ≥65 years.

METHODS

We divided the participants into the following age groups: 65-74 years (n = 63), 75-84 years (n = 171), and ≥85 years (n = 170). B-mode ultrasound imaging was performed, and the intramuscular adipose tissue of the quadriceps was assessed based on echo intensity. One-way analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were used to compare the echo intensity of the quadriceps between the 65-74-year, 75-84-year, and ≥85-year groups.

RESULTS

The median (25th-75th percentile) ages of the 65-74-year group, 75-84-year group, and ≥85-year group were 70.0 (68.0-73.0), 80.0 (77.0-82.0), and 89.0 (87.0-91.0), respectively. In the one-way analysis of variance, the quadriceps echo intensity of the ≥85-year group was significantly higher than that of the 65-74-year and 75-84-year groups. In addition, the ≥85-year group had significantly higher quadriceps echo intensity than the 65-74-year group, even after adjusting for other confounding factors.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The current study revealed that intramuscular adipose tissue in older inpatients increases with age, and the levels of intramuscular adipose tissue of older inpatients aged ≥85 years is higher than those of older inpatients aged 65-74 years.

Factors associated with adverse drug reaction occurrence and prognosis, and their economic impacts in older inpatients in Taiwan: a nested case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Older patients are likely to have higher disease complexity and more drug prescriptions of which are associated with a higher incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR). This study aimed to investigate factors associated with ADR occurrence, prognosis and medical expenses in older inpatients.

DESIGN

A nested case-control study.

SETTING

A medical centre located in north Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

539 reported ADR cases from a patient cohort containing 108 548 older inpatients were collected from 2006 to 2012. There were 1854 non-ADR matched controls; a maximum of 1:5 matched by age, sex and principal diagnosis were collected.

EXPOSURE

Polypharmacy, the number of drugs prescribed, comorbidities and the admission department were factors associated with ADRs, as well as subsequent poor prognosis, length of stay and medical expenses.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

ADR occurrence and poor prognosis (mortality, discharge against medical advice in critical conditions, or admitted to intensive care unit) were the primary outcomes. Additional medical expenses and the length of hospital stay were the secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

The admission department, number of comorbidities and number of drug prescriptions before ADRs were associated with ADR occurrence among older inpatients. ADR severity was a significant prognostic factor among ADR cases. The multivariate-adjusted OR of 1.63 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.95) for poor prognosis was found as the number of comorbidities increased. Patients prescribed ≥11 drugs including psychoactive drugs showed 2.45-fold (95% CI 1.40 to 4.28) poorer prognosis than other patients. ADRs caused the addition of US$1803.8, US$360.8 and 5.6 days in total medical expenses, drug expenses and length of stay among affected older inpatients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of comorbidities and polypharmacy including the use of psychoactive drugs has significant impacts on ADR occurrence and prognosis among older inpatients. The findings provide clues for future prescription modification and patient's safety improvement in geriatric care.

Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Could It Be Defined Through Increased Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test Time, Rather Than Slow Walking Speed?

Background: Slow walking speed, time to perform the five-times-sit-to-stand (FTSS) test and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR; defined as slow gait speed combined with subjective cognitive complaint) have been separately used to screen older individuals at risk of cognitive decline. This study seeks to (1) compare the characteristics of older individuals with MCR, as defined through slow walking speed and/or increased FTSS time; and (2) examine the relationship between MCR and its motor components as well as amnestic (a-MCI) and non-amnestic (na-MCI) Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Methods: A total of 633, individuals free of dementia, were selected from the cross-sectional “Gait and Alzheimer Interactions Tracking” study. Slow gait speed and increased FTSS time were used as criteria for the definition of MCR. Participants were separated into five groups, according to MCR status: MCR as defined by (1) slow gait speed exclusively (MCRs); (2) increased FTSS time exclusively (MCRf); (3) slow gait speed and increased FTSS time (MCRsaf); (4) MCR; irrespective of the mobility test used (MCRsof); and (5) the absence of MCR. Cognitive status (i.e., a-MCI, na-MCI, cognitively healthy) was also determined.

Results: The prevalence of MCRs was higher, when compared to the prevalence of MCRf (12.0% versus 6.2% with P ≤ 0.001). There existed infrequent overlap (2.4%) between individuals exhibiting MCRs and MCRf, and frequent overlap between individuals exhibiting MCRs and na-MCI (up to 50%). a-MCI and na-MCI were negatively [odd ratios (OR) ≤ 0.17 with P ≤ 0.019] and positively (OR ≥ 2.41 with P ≤ 0.019) related to MCRs, respectively.

Conclusion: Individuals with MCRf are distinct from those with MCRs. MCRf status does not relate to MCI status in the same way that MCRs does. MCRs is related negatively to a-MCI and positively to na-MCI. These results suggest that FTTS cannot be used to define MCR when the goal is to predict the risk of cognitive decline, such as future dementia.

Geriatric Patient Safety Indicators Based on Linked Administrative Health Data to Assess Anticoagulant-Related Thromboembolic and Hemorrhagic Adverse Events in Older Inpatients: A Study Proposal

Background

Frail older people with multiple interacting conditions, polypharmacy, and complex care needs are particularly exposed to health care-related adverse events. Among these, anticoagulant-related thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events are particularly frequent and serious in older inpatients. The growing use of anticoagulants in this population and their substantial risk of toxicity and inefficacy have therefore become an important patient safety and public health concern worldwide. Anticoagulant-related adverse events and the quality of anticoagulation management should thus be routinely assessed to improve patient safety in vulnerable older inpatients.

Objective

This project aims to develop and validate a set of outcome and process indicators based on linked administrative health data (ie, insurance claims data linked to hospital discharge data) assessing older inpatient safety related to anticoagulation in both Switzerland and France, and enabling comparisons across time and among hospitals, health territories, and countries. Geriatric patient safety indicators (GPSIs) will assess anticoagulant-related adverse events. Geriatric quality indicators (GQIs) will evaluate the management of anticoagulants for the prevention and treatment of arterial or venous thromboembolism in older inpatients.

Methods

GPSIs will measure cumulative incidences of thromboembolic and bleeding adverse events based on hospital discharge data linked to insurance claims data. Using linked administrative health data will improve GPSI risk adjustment on patients’ conditions that are present at admission and will capture in-hospital and postdischarge adverse events. GQIs will estimate the proportion of index hospital stays resulting in recommended anticoagulation at discharge and up to various time frames based on the same electronic health data. The GPSI and GQI development and validation process will comprise 6 stages: (1) selection and specification of candidate indicators, (2) definition of administrative data-based algorithms, (3) empirical measurement of indicators using linked administrative health data, (4) validation of indicators, (5) analyses of geographic and temporal variations for reliable and valid indicators, and (6) data visualization.

Results

Study populations will consist of 166,670 Swiss and 5,902,037 French residents aged 65 years and older admitted to an acute care hospital at least once during the 2012-2014 period and insured for at least 1 year before admission and 1 year after discharge. We will extract Swiss data from the Helsana Group data warehouse and French data from the national health insurance information system (SNIIR-AM). The study has been approved by Swiss and French ethics committees and regulatory organizations for data protection.

Conclusions

Validated GPSIs and GQIs should help support and drive quality and safety improvement in older inpatients, inform health care stakeholders, and enable international comparisons. We discuss several limitations relating to the representativeness of study populations, accuracy of administrative health data, methods used for GPSI criterion validity assessment, and potential confounding bias in comparisons based on GQIs, and we address these limitations to strengthen study feasibility and validity.

Use of clinical decision support to improve the quality of care provided to older hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND

Frail older inpatients are at risk of unintended adverse events while in hospital, particularly falls, functional decline, delirium and incontinence.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this pragmatic trial was to pilot and evaluate a multi-component knowledge translation intervention that incorporated a nurse-initiated computerized clinical decision support tool to reduce harms in the care of older medical inpatients.

METHODS

A stepped wedge trial design was conducted on six medical units at two hospitals in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The primary quantitative outcome was the rate of order set use. Secondary outcomes included the number of falls, the average number of days in hospital, and the total number of consults ordered for each of orthopedics, geriatrics, psychiatry and physiotherapy. Qualitative analysis included interviews with nurses to explore barriers and facilitators around the implementation of the electronic decision support tool.

RESULTS

The estimated mean rate of order set use over a 2 week period was 3.1 (95% CI 1.9-5.3) sets higher after the intervention than before. The estimated odds of a fall happening on a unit over a 2-week period was 9.3 (p = 0.065) times higher before than after the intervention. There was no significant effect of the intervention on length of hospital stay (p = 0.67) or consults to related clinical services (all p <0.2). Interviews with front-line nurses and nurse managers/educators revealed that the order set is not being regularly ordered because its content is perceived as part of good nursing care and due to the high workload on these busy medical units.

CONCLUSIONS

Although not statistically significant, a reduction in the number of falls as a result of the intervention was noted. Frontline users' engagement is crucial for the successful implementation of any decision support tool. New strategies of implementation will be evaluated before broad dissemination of this knowledge translation intervention.