Beliefs and expectations of rural hospital practitioners towards a developing trauma system: A qualitative case study

BackgroundAn understanding of stakeholders’ views is key to the successful development and operation of a rural trauma system. Scotland, which has large remote and rural areas, is currently implementing a national trauma system. The aim of this study was to identify key barriers and enablers to the development of an effective trauma system from the perspective of rural healthcare professionals.MethodsThis is a qualitative study, which was conducted in rural general hospitals (RGH) in Scotland, from April to June 2017. We used an opportunistic sampling strategy to include hospital providers of rural trauma care across the region. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify and group participant perspectives on key barriers and enablers to the development of the new trauma system.ResultsWe conducted 15 interviews with 18 participants in six RGHs. Study participants described barriers and enablers across three themes: 1) quality of care, 2) interfaces within the system and 3) interfaces with the wider healthcare system. For quality of care, enablers included confidence in basic trauma management, whilst a perceived lack of change from current management was seen as a barrier. The theme of interfaces within the system identified good interaction with other services and a single point of contact for referral as enablers. Perceived barriers included challenges in referring to tertiary care. The final theme of interfaces with the wider healthcare system included an improved transport system, increased audit resource and coordinated clinical training as enablers. Perceived barriers included a rural staffing crisis and problematic patient transfer to further care.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into rural professionals’ perceptions regarding the implementation of a trauma system in rural Scotland. Barriers included practical issues, such as retrieval, transfer and referral processes. Importantly, there is a degree of uncertainty, discontent and disengagement towards trauma system development, and concerns regarding staffing levels and governance. These issues are unlikely to be unique to Scotland and warrant further study to inform service planning and the effective delivery of rural trauma systems.     

美国的卫生系统科学教育及其思考

卫生系统科学(health system science,HSS)是研究卫生系统如何为患者提供卫生保健、患者如何接受和获得卫生保健以及卫生系统如何促进健康的科学。作为美国医学会的核心创新成果之一,HSS教育于2013年开始在美国医学院校试行。HSS与基础医学和临床医学相协同、互补,在患者保健和群体保健中发挥着重要的作用。本文介绍了美国的卫生系统科学的产生、其所包含的知识模块以及在美国医学院校中的实施情况;同时,结合我国医学教育的现状,对我国医学院校开展卫生系统科学教育进行了思考。     

Diagnostic yield of inpatient video-electroencephalographic monitoring: Experience from a Chinese comprehensive epilepsy center

Video-electroencephalographic monitoring (VEEG) is useful in the diagnosis of seizure disorders; however, its diagnostic yield in developing countries is not well known. The current study retrospectively reviewed the charts of 484 consecutive patients who were admitted to our center between July 2012 and September 2013. Of these patients, 298 (61.6%) were admitted for diagnostic clarification and underwent VEEG for a mean duration of 1.3 days (range = 1–9 days). The patients were divided into two groups: those whose diagnosis was changed and those whose diagnosis was not changed as a result of VEEG. A patient with a preadmission diagnosis of epilepsy who was discharged with a diagnosis of nonepileptic events (NEEs) or who was further classified as focal/generalized epilepsy on discharge was included in the “change in diagnosis” group. A patient admitted with an uncertain diagnosis and discharged with a diagnosis of NEEs or epilepsy (including focal epilepsy and generalized epilepsy) was also included in the “change in diagnosis” group. Video-electroencephalographic monitoring recorded typical ictal events (epileptic events or nonepileptic events) in 147 (49.3%) of the patients admitted for diagnostic clarification. In total, 181 (60.7%) patients had a change in diagnosis after VEEG. Among them, 103 (56.9%) patients had a preadmission diagnosis of epilepsy, which was further classified as focal epilepsy (88 patients) or generalized epilepsy (15 patients); the diagnosis of NEEs and epilepsy was clarified in 78 (43.1%) patients. The number of patients diagnosed with NEEs increased from 31 (10.4%) on admission to 88 (29.5%) on discharge. Among all the patients admitted for diagnostic clarification, therapeutic plans were changed for 104 (57.5%) patients. In 117 (39.3%) patients with no diagnostic change, VEEG evaluation provided confirmative diagnostic information in 47 (15.8%) patients and no additional diagnostic information in 70 (23.5%) patients. The study indicates that VEEG is useful in terms of clarifying seizure diagnoses and evaluating seizure frequency. In our cohort study, VEEG of a relatively short mean duration produced a comparable diagnostic yield as that reported in other studies.     

Green Tea Consumption and the Risk of Liver Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Green tea is a commonly consumed beverage in Asia and has been suggested to have anticarcinogenic properties. To date, epidemiological evidence of the effect of green tea consumption on liver cancer risk remains ambiguous. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between green tea consumption and the risk of liver cancer. The summary relative risk for the highest consumption (≥5 cups/day) of green tea on liver cancer incidence compared with nondrinkers was 0.62 (95% confidence interval: 0.49–0.79). We also found a trend that the incidence of liver cancer was reduced with the increasing years of green tea intake (significance at >20 yr). A significant dose–response association was found between green tea drinking and liver cancer risk. The downward trend was most obvious when the consumption of green tea increased up to about 4 cups/day. The results showed that the increasing green tea intake may have a preventive effect against liver cancer.     

水迷宫训练逆转孕期应激造成的子代海马NR2B表达的降低

目的:比较空间学习记忆中孕期应激子代和对照组子代海马空间学习功能密切相关蛋白NR2B的表达。方法:建立孕期束缚应激小鼠模型,在出生后第3周用酶联免疫法检测子代雄性小鼠血清皮质酮;在出生后第9周,采用免疫蛋白印迹和real-timePCR法检测子代雄性小鼠非空间学习记忆状态及空间学习记忆中海马NR2B的表达水平。结果:(1)基础状态下孕期应激子代血清皮质酮水平与对照组子代并无差异,应激状态下孕期应激子代血清皮质酮水平(43.7×104pg/ml)明显高于对照组子代(18.7×104pg/ml);(2)孕期应激雄性子代在出生后第9周海马NR2B mRNA和蛋白表达均显著低于对照组雄性子代。但经过空间学习记忆训练,两组海马NR2B蛋白水平无明显差异。结论:孕期应激减少子代海马神经元NR2B的表达,但水迷宫行为训练可逆转孕期应激造成的子代海马神经元NR2B的表达降低。     

Seasonal influenza vaccination among cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the determinants

Cancer patients are among high-risk individuals for whom seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) is recommended, but rates of vaccination in this subpopulation remain suboptimal; even in jurisdictions with universal influenza vaccination programs. We sought to summarize the evidence to better understand the determinants of SIV uptake (vaccine receipt) among cancer patients. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL from 2000 to February 12, 2020, focusing on articles on the determinants of seasonal influenza vaccination among cancer patients, published in English. Study selection was conducted independently by 2 reviewers. One reviewer extracted data from the included studies and another reviewer checked the extracted data for errors. Outcomes were sociodemographic and health-related factors. We pooled adjusted results from studies using the inverse variance, random-effects method, and reported the odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Out of 2664 citations, 10 studies (mostly from USA and South Korea) met our eligibility criteria. Overall, being older (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.46-3.38; I² 92.3%, [6 studies]), a nonsmoker (1.43, 1.32-1.51; I² 0%, [4 studies]), having a chronic illness (1.18, 1.07-1.29; I² 15.7%, [5 studies]), having had a medical check-up in the past year (1.75, 1.65-1.86; I² 0%, [2 studies]), and having health insurance (1.39, 1.13-1.72; I² 21.8%, [3 studies]) were associated with increased SIV uptake. Compared with being African-American, being Caucasian was also associated with increased SIV uptake (1.79, 1.47-2.13; I² 10.7%, [3 studies]). Limited evidence suggests seasonal influenza vaccination among cancer patients may be determined by some sociodemographic and health-related factors.