Effectiveness of a community organizing intervention on mortality and its equity among older residents in Japan: A JAGES quasi-experimental study

Interventions that involve key aspects of community organizing, such as quantitative community assessments and organizational partnership support for the community, may promote residents' health. We evaluated the effectiveness of this form of intervention on mortality and its variability across individual-level household equivalized income tertiles, comparing 52,858 residents aged 65 and above in 12 intervention municipalities to 39,006 residents in nine control municipalities in Japan. During 1,166 days of follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratio for cumulative mortality among men in the intervention municipalities was 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 0.99) compared to those in the control group, with similar results being observed across all income levels. Active utilization of data to evaluate communities and building intersectoral partnerships might lower older male residents’ mortality risk, regardless of their income status.     

Policy Analysis for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Aged Care

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze national influenza infection control policy documents within aged care settings by identifying the consistencies, inconsistencies, and gaps with the current evidence and by evaluating methodological quality. Aged care providers can use these findings to identify their policy documents' strengths and weaknesses.DesignA quality and content analysis of national level policy documents.Setting and ParticipantsAged care settings rely on national agencies' policy recommendations to control and prevent outbreaks. There is limited research on the effectiveness of control measures to prevent and treat influenza within aged care settings. Because of the complexities around aged care governance, the primary responsibility in developing a comprehensive facility-level, infection-prevention policy, falls to the providers.MethodsThe analysis was conducted using the (1) International Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation assessment tool, containing 23 items across 6 domains; and the (2) Influenza Related Control Measures in Aged Care settings checklist, developed by the authors, with 82 recommendations covering: medical interventions, nonmedical interventions, and physical layout.ResultsThere were 19 documents from 9 different high-income countries, with a moderately high methodological quality in general. The quality assessment's average score was 40.2% (95% CI 31.9%–44.7%). “Stakeholder involvement” ranked third, and “Editorial independence” and “Rigor of development” had the lowest average scores across all domains. The content analysis' average score was 37.2% (95% CI 10.5%–21.5%). The highest scoring document (59.1%) included term definitions, cited evidence for recommendations, and clear measurable instructions. “Physical Layout” had the least coverage and averaged 21.9% (95% CI 4.2%–37.5%), which shows a substantial gap in built environment recommendations.Conclusions and ImplicationsExisting policy documents vary in their comprehensiveness. The higher scoring documents provide an ideal model for providers. The checklist tools can be used to assess and enhance documents. Further research on document end-user evaluation would be useful, as there is room for improvement in methodological quality and coverage of recommendation coverage, especially related to physical layout.     

老年人群共病问题现状挑战与应对策略

中国已进入老龄化社会，共病是老年人群较为突出的公共健康问题。总结梳理老年人群共病领域研究现状，分析探讨相应策略对于老年共病人群的临床综合管理具有重要意义。本文重点从共病管理研究实践、共病诊疗模式、共病用药策略、共病医护团队及健康管理服务体系建设方面分析了该领域研究现状，同时提出建立以患者为中心的共病管理研究方案、推广应用老年共病评估工具、开展共病共有病因及机制研究、制订共病管理规范性指南/共识、借鉴中医学"以证统病""整体观念"思想、融合互联网+技术与智能可穿戴设备及开展共病早期风险评估与管理等应对策略，综合展望共病领域后期研究方向，以期为该领域进一步深入研究提供参考。     

侧卧手术体位对老年患者眼压变化的影响及护理观察要点

目的探讨使用有效的测量工具和在适合的测量时间段采集侧卧手术体位老年患者基础数据,找出患者眼压变化随体位变化的规律,旨在制订有效的护理预防措施。方法选取2019年3—6月在首都医科大学附属北京同仁医院中心手术室完成胸科胸腔镜手术的老年患者31例。使用icare回弹式眼压计分别于患者入手术室后、全身麻醉插管后、侧卧5 min、侧卧30 min、术中1 h、术中2 h、术中3 h、翻身拔管、出室前9个时间点测量双眼眼压,同时记录每个时间点患者的血压、心率数据,记录手术过程中液体出入量、特殊用药等。结果患者侧卧5 min、侧卧30 min、术中1 h、术中2 h、术中3 h的血压与入室后比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);不同时间点的心率比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。麻醉插管后患者双眼眼压均低于入室时眼压,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);侧卧30 min、术中1 h、术中2 h、术中3 h的双眼眼压与入室后眼压比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);侧卧5 min、侧卧30 min、术中1 h、术中2 h、术中3 h的受压侧眼压与非受压侧眼压比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Pearson相关分析显示,患者平均动脉压与受压侧眼及非受压侧眼的眼压均无相关性(r值分别为-0.1138、0.0179,P>0.05)。进入手术间时患者测试视力与术后6 h回病房后测试视力比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论胸腔镜手术老年患者的眼压随手术体位变化而波动,从侧卧5 min开始眼压出现变化,2 h内受压侧眼眼压达到高峰,体位恢复平卧位后,眼压随即恢复到入室时水平。本研究未发现血压与眼压变化的相关性。     

老年体检人群高尿酸血症流行现况及影响因素分析研究

背景　高尿酸血症（HUA）与多种慢性病密切相关，是继高血压、高血糖、高血脂之后的“第四高”。上海市浦东新区高东社区人口老龄化严重，但尚不清楚该社区老年人群HUA的流行状况。目的　调查上海市高东社区老年人群HUA的流行现状及可能危险因素，为HUA及相关慢性病的防治和社区管理提供依据。方法　基于高东社区卫生服务中心2018年3-5月开展的60岁以上老年人健康体检项目，调查内容主要包括健康档案信息收集、体格检查及实验室检查，分析HUA患病率以及人群分布，采用非条件Logistic回归模型筛选HUA的影响因素。结果　8 600名老年体检人群的HUA粗患病率和标化患病率分别为21.76%（男性24.15%，女性19.66%）和24.10%（男性24.21%，女性20.58%）；男性HUA粗患病率高于女性（χ2=25.312，P<0.001）；60~69岁年龄组，男性HUA粗患病率高于女性（χ2=51.121，P<0.001）；70~79岁及≥80岁年龄组，不同性别HUA患病率比较，差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）；总体及不同性别HUA粗患病率均随年龄的增长而增高（P<0.001）。HUA组和非HUA组社区老年体检人群性别、年龄、退休前职业、文化程度、吸烟情况、饮酒情况、运动情况、高血压、中心性肥胖、肥胖、CKD、冠心病、高脂血症、痛风患病率、白细胞计数、总蛋白、血清清蛋白、丙氨酸氨基转移酶水平比较，差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。多因素Logistic逐步回归分析结果显示，性别〔OR=1.27，95%CI（1.11，1.45）〕、年龄〔OR=1.01，95%CI（1.00，1.02）〕、饮酒情况〔经常饮酒对比从不饮酒OR=1.43，95%CI（1.19，1.70）〕、运动情况〔经常运动对比不运动OR=0.84，95%CI（0.73，0.98）〕、高血压〔OR=1.47，95%CI（1.30，1.66）〕、糖尿病〔是，血糖控制不佳对比否OR=0.76，95%CI（0.65，0.88）〕、中心性肥胖〔OR=1.29，95%CI（1.13，1.48）〕、肥胖〔OR=1.43，95%CI（1.23，1.66）〕、CKD〔OR=4.59，95%CI（3.91，5.38）〕、痛风〔OR=5.07，95%CI（3.54，7.28）〕、白细胞计数〔OR=1.08，95%CI（1.04，1.11）〕、总蛋白〔OR=1.04，95%CI（1.03，1.06）〕、血清清蛋白〔OR=1.03，95%CI（1.01，1.05）〕、丙氨酸氨基转移酶〔OR=1.01，95%CI（1.00，1.01）〕与社区老年体检人群HUA患病有回归关系（P<0.05）。结论　上海市高东社区老年体检人群HUA患病率较高，且与许多不良临床指标有关联，需加强社区居民HUA的防治。     

Benefits of vestibular rehabilitation on patient-reported outcomes in older adults with vestibular disorders: a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundChronic dizziness has a negative impact on emotional aspects, functional capacity, and quality of life of older people.ObjectiveTo compare the effects of the conventional Cawthorne & Cooksey and the multimodal Cawthorne & Cooksey protocols on patient-reported outcomes in older adults with vestibular disorders.MethodsThis is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial with three-months’ follow-up. Older adults with chronic dizziness were randomly assigned to conventional or multimodal protocols. The protocols were performed in individual 50-minute sessions, twice weekly, for two months. The primary outcome was the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the secondary outcomes were the Visual Analogue Scale, the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale. Outcomes were collected at baseline, post-treatment and three-month follow-up; and analyzed on an intention-to-treat approach.ResultsEighty-two patients were randomized into the conventional (n = 40) or multimodal (n = 42) protocols. There was no between-group difference on DHI at post-treatment (Mean Difference (MD): −0.7; 95% CI: −9.2, 7.8) and at three-month follow-up (MD: −1.6; 95% CI: −9.5, 6.2). No between-group difference was found for the secondary outcomes. All patient-reported outcomes in the within-group analysis showed significant improvement between baseline and post-treatment, and changes were maintained between post-treatment and follow-up. Following treatment, 55% of patients in the conventional and 57% in the multimodal protocol reached DHI clinical improvement (decrease ≥18).ConclusionsThe addition of multimodal exercises to the conventional Cawthorne & Cooksey protocol did not promote extra benefits on patient-reported outcomes in older adults with chronic dizziness.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry-ANZCTR (ACTRN12610000018011), the trial was registered January 7, 2010 and the first participant was enrolled April 15, 2010. URL of the registry: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=334985.     

Readmissions of Elder Patients Presenting to Hospital for a Fall (RELIEF): A Systematic Review

ObjectivesFalls are an important issue in older adults as they are frequent, deleterious, and often lead to repeated consultations at the emergency department (ED) and unplanned hospitalizations. Our principal objective was to provide an inventory of interventions designed to prevent unplanned readmissions or ED visits of older patients presenting to hospital with a fall.DesignSystematic review performed on February 11, 2019 in MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science, without date or language restriction. We manually updated this search in August 1, 2019. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently by 2 reviewers.Setting and ParticipantsWe included studies reporting interventions to prevent unplanned readmissions or ED visits of older patients (aged 65 years or over) presenting to hospital because of a fall.ResultsWe identified 475 unique citations after removing duplicates and included 6 studies (2 observational and 4 interventional studies). The studies were published between 2012 and 2019; they evaluated heterogeneous interventions that were frequently multifaceted and multidisciplinary. The interventions were shown effective in reducing readmissions or ED revisits compared with control groups in 3 studies (relative risk reductions between 30% and 65%), all of which were multifaceted and 2/3 multidisciplinary.Conclusions and ImplicationsWith 6 articles showing inconsistent results, our study highlights the need to adequately design and evaluate interventions to reduce the burden of hospital readmissions among older fallers. Retrieved studies are recent, which underlines that hospital readmissions are a current concern for researchers and public health authorities [PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019131965].     

Empowerment of learning and knowledge: Appreciating professional development for registered nurses in aged residential care

Continued education and professional development ensures nursing competence and contributes positively to quality health outcomes, however it must also include a professional pathway that challenges the contextual confrontations faced by registered nurses within the workplace environment. This is especially relevant for the nursing workforce employed in the Aged Residential Care sector. This research was undertaken in New Zealand and uses Appreciative Inquiry to ‘Appreciate the professional development needs of registered nurses working in the sector’.The findings highlighted the uniqueness of the sector, along with the diversity of the nursing workforce which signals the need for ongoing formal and informal professional development methods. Currently, professional development and learning is not assimilated well into the sector and there remains a void in terms of a professional clinical pathway. This has implications for the future development of professional learning for registered nurses in other sectors. Quality is integral to developing any professional learning, accordingly there must be input from both clinical and education providers. This partnership, between the sector and academia, will integrate learning into the practice area and improve outcomes for residents in aged residential care facilities.