Building a generic architecture for medical information exchange among healthcare providers

Due to the inability to exchange clinical information among hospitals, continuity of care cannot be maintained and a tremendous amount of medical resource has been wasted. This paper describes an architecture that would facilitate exchange of clinical information among heterogeneous hospital information systems. It is dubbed 'Medical Information Exchange Center' or MIEC as part of a six-year Health Information Network Project hosted by the Department of Health. MIEC was designed so that it is innovative yet technically feasible today. It is convenient for authorized users yet secure enough so people can trust and has minimal impact to participated hospitals. Authorized users will be able to access information through two web-based interfaces directed to physician and non-physician users respectively. Hospitals are connected through a virtual private network to exchange patient information and users need to obtain a private key from the certificate authority in order to securely connect to MIEC. A pilot project was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of this architecture and the problems encountered were discussed.     

The feasibility of emergency medical technicians performing intermittent high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Background: Whether intermittent chest compressions have an effect on the quality of CPR is worthy of discussion. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the chest compression quality of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with different rest intervals.Methods: Seventy male firefighters with EMT licenses participated in this study. Participants completed body composition measurements and three CPR quality tests, as follows: (1) CPR-uninterrupted for 10 minutes; (2) after 2 days of rest, CPR 10s-intermittent (CPR-10s), for 2 minutes each time and 5 cycles; (3) after another 2 days of rest, CPR 20s-intermittent (CPR-20s), for 2 minutes each time and 5 cycles.Results: Body composition results showed that body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), upper limb muscle mass (ULMM), core muscle mass (CMM), and upper limb-core muscle mass (UL+CMM) were positively correlated with chest compression depth (CCD) (p < 0.05). Analysis of the three different modes of CPR quality analysis indicated significant differences in the chest compression fraction (CCF, F = 6.801, p = 0.001), chest compression rebound rate (CCRR, F = 3.919, p = 0.021), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, F = 23.815, p < 0.001). Among the different performance cycles of CPR-10s, significant differences were found in CCF, CCD, CCR (chest compression rate), and RPE (p < 0.05). On the other hand, among the different performance cycles of CPR-20s, significant differences were found in CCD, CCR, and RPE (p < 0.05). Moreover, the CCF, CCD, and RPE scores of the two tests reached significant differences in specific phases (p < 0.05).Conclusions: This study confirmed that the upper limb muscle mass or the weight of the upper body of EMTs is positively correlated with the quality of CPR. In addition, intermittent chest compressions with safe interruption intervals can reduce fatigue caused by long-term chest compressions and maintain better chest compression quality.     

A needs assessment of perceived life quality and life stressors among medical hospital employees

This study was designed to assist an employee-counseling program in a medical hospital by assessing the life quality and life stressors of its employees. 246 employees completed a written questionnaire which included a life events inventory and the Perceived Quality of Life (PQOL) Inventory (Andrews & Withey, 1976). Items on both inventories covered the areas of job, family/support, and financial affairs. Items measuring self-efficacy from the PQOL scale served as the criterion for potential counseling service utilization. Results indicated that family-support concerns were the most predictive of perceptions of self-efficacy. In addition, negatively perceived life changes were more powerful predictors of life quality than were life changes per se. Finally, employees who were identified as less satisfied in the various quality of life areas were separated from their spouses, over 55 years of age, and had lower education levels, large families, and low incomes.     

Knowledge and perception of microbicides among healthcare providers in Calabar,Nigeria

Background

With the worldwide spread of HIV/AIDS, the absence of a known cure and the challenges associated with existing prevention methodologies, there is need for new prevention technologies. The successful uptake of healthcare products and services depend, to a large extent, on healthcare providers'' knowledge, perception and attitude regarding them.

Objectives

To determine the knowledge and perception of healthcare providers regarding microbicides.

Methods

A semi-structured questionnaire was administered on 400 randomly selected health care providers in Calabar, Cross River State of Nigeria. Data obtained from the 350 returned questionnaire were analyzed using EPI -Info software version 3.5.1

Results

One hundred and sixty-four (46.9%) respondents were medical doctors while 157 (44.9%) were nurses, 7 (2%) were Pharmacists and 22 (6.2%) belonged to “other” categories. Thirty- two percent knew the advantages of microbicides over condoms. Sixty-eight percent indicated that microbicides would benefit only women while to 27%, it would benefit both men and women. Seventy-five percent of respondents would be willing to act as community advocates for microbicides while 21% would not be willing and 4% were not decided. There was a statistically significant association between professional group and willingness to act as community advocates for microbicides. Medical doctors were more likely to act as advocates than other professional groups (p<0.05). Female respondents were more likely to have correct knowledge regarding microbicides than males (p<0.05)

Conclusion

There are gaps in knowledge regarding microbicides among the health care providers. Capacity building would be successful since the majority are willing to act as community advocates.     

Contextual Computing: A Bluetooth based approach for tracking healthcare providers in the emergency room

Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently experience crowding. One of the factors that contributes to this crowding is the “door to doctor time”, which is the time from a patient’s registration to when the patient is first seen by a physician. This is also one of the Meaningful Use (MU) performance measures that emergency departments report to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Current documentation methods for this measure are inaccurate due to the imprecision in manual data collection. We describe a method for automatically (in real time) and more accurately documenting the door to physician time. Using sensor-based technology, the distance between the physician and the computer is calculated by using the single board computers installed in patient rooms that log each time a Bluetooth signal is seen from a device that the physicians carry. This distance is compared automatically with the accepted room radius to determine if the physicians are present in the room at the time logged to provide greater precision. The logged times, accurate to the second, were compared with physicians’ handwritten times, showing automatic recordings to be more precise. This real time automatic method will free the physician from extra cognitive load of manually recording data. This method for evaluation of performance is generic and can be used in any other setting outside the ED, and for purposes other than measuring physician time.     

Exploring beliefs on diabetes treatment adherence among Dutch type 2 diabetes patients and healthcare providers

Objective

Despite well-known beneficial effects, adherence to core elements of diabetes treatment is suboptimal. This study, conducted in the Netherlands, aimed to explore if and how treatment adherence success factors are applied in diabetes consultations, and to explore salient personal beliefs about type 2 diabetes treatment including both healthy lifestyle adaptations and pharmacotherapy.

A quality improvement study for medical devices usage in an acute healthcare setting

Abstract

The objectives of this study were, for a large NHS Trust, to (1) Implement a medical devices training information system which connects the medical equipment inventory to the electronic staff record. (2) Monitor the changes in safety-related practice in the Trust after implementation (3) Examine the association between training compliance and Trust-wide adverse incident data for high risk medical devices. (4) Identify possible gaps in training course content from adverse incident data. A new system was made available, showing medical devices training records for staff in each location. Relevant staff members were trained on how to set up courses, record training, adjust training requirements and view reports. Training practice, compliance and adverse incidents for high-risk equipment were monitored over 30?months after implementation. Trends and changes in training practice were analysed. The Trust now has monitoring information on medical devices training available that had previously been absent. Training compliance increased from 23% to 59%. The frequency and severity of adverse incidents remained relatively constant throughout and was not associated with the increased uptake of training Trust-wide. Training gaps were identified. A Trust-wide system for recording medical devices training has provided training assurance. After implementation changes in practice with training have been identified. It was not possible to show a direct association between increased training compliance and reduced medical device-related incidents Trust-wide. There were specific training courses where changes in content could increase the safe use of medical devices.     

Development and validation of the healthcare providers patient-activation scale

ObjectiveIt has become increasingly important to assess healthcare providers’ role in chronic disease self-management (CDSM) and patient activation (PA). The present study extends previous work relating to patients’ behaviours by assessing healthcare providers’ own behaviours in supporting PA.Method50 items were generated: half assessed a PA approach; half reflected a non-patient-activation approach. 105 healthcare providers working in cardiac rehabilitation who were participants in a CDSM online training program completed the items pre- and post-training. Factor analysis determined the presence of higher order factors. Item responses pre- and post-training were compared to assess sensitivity to change.ResultsResults indicated the presence of two factors: ‘patient-activation approach’ and ‘non-patient-activation approach’. While both demonstrated good internal consistency, the’ non-PA approach’ had superior discriminatory validity and sensitivity to change.ConclusionHealthcare providers’ beliefs about the importance of patient-activation behaviours can be measured by 40-item Healthcare Provider-Patient Activation Scale (HP-PAS). The scale could be easily converted to measure healthcare providers’ actual PA behaviours.Practice implicationsThe HP-PAS could be used to assess the effectiveness of clinician training for healthcare providers working in cardiac rehabilitation and other areas of CDSM. Further reliability and validity testing within other healthcare provider samples is warranted.     

Exploring obstacles to and opportunities for professional success among ethnic minority medical students.

PURPOSE: To explore the barriers and facilitators experienced by ethnic minority medical students in achieving personal and professional success. METHOD: In 2002 and 2003, 43 minority medical students participated in one of six two-hour focus groups located in Philadelphia, Pa; Kansas City, Mo; Baltimore, Md; Miami, Fl; New York, NY; and Los Angeles, Calif. Focus groups consisted of an average of seven (range 5-10) individuals. Eighty-eight percent were of black/African descent, 10% were Hispanic, and 2% were Asian/Pacific Islanders. Students discussed their views of personal and professional success, including opportunities and obstacles, and completed a brief demographic survey. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and reviewed for thematic content in a three-stage independent review/adjudication process. RESULTS: All 748 comments were grouped into themes relating to definitions of success (35%) and to perceived facilitators (25%) or inhibitors (40%) of success. Participants strove to achieve professional/academic status, financial security, and quality of life. In so doing, participants identified facilitators of success, including support systems, professional exposure, financial aid, and personal characteristics. Lack of financial and social support, challenges with standardized tests, experiences with racial stereotyping and discrimination, and self-imposed barriers were among inhibitors to success. CONCLUSIONS: The opportunities for and barriers to academic success identified by minority students should be heeded by educators and administrators who develop programs and policies to recruit minority medical students and to ensure their professional development. To enhance the institutional climate for diversity, programs that improve cultural awareness and reduce biases among all students, faculty, staff, and administrators are needed.     

Impact of respiratory symptoms on health-related quality of life and medical resource utilization of patients treated by allergy specialists and primary care providers.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory symptoms associated with allergy and asthma cause substantial health care burden. OBJECTIVE: This observational pilot study compared internal medicine/family practice (IM/FP) and pediatric primary care providers with allergists in the diagnosis, treatment, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes of adults and children with respiratory symptoms. METHODS: Two allergists, 2 IM/FP, and 2 pediatricians enrolled 242 patients with respiratory symptoms ages 5 to 16 years old (n = 123) and 17 to 70 years old (n = 119). HRQL questionnaires were completed at enrollment and quarterly for 1 year. The adult questionnaire included SF-36, respiratory symptom role productivity, ITG Asthma Short Form, and allergy symptom index (ASI) scales. The child questionnaire included CHQ-PF28, respiratory symptom family impact, ITG Child Asthma Short Form, and ASI scales. HRQL changes were evaluated over the study period. RESULTS: Adults treated by allergists reported significantly greater improvement in HRQL on 5 of 8 SF-36 scales, the respiratory symptom role productivity scale, 3 of 5 ITG Asthma Short Form scales, and 2 of 4 ASI scales compared with adults treated by an IM/FP (P < 0.05). Pediatric patients treated by allergists had significantly greater improvement on 3 of 15 CHQ-PF28 scales, the respiratory symptom family impact scale, and one ASI scale compared with patients treated by pediatricians (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients treated by primary care physicians, patients treated by allergists reported greater improvement in HRQL in a number of scales. Additional research is required to further evaluate the impact of provider specialty and patterns of care on outcomes of respiratory symptoms patients.     

Care of terminally-ill patients: an opinion survey among critical care healthcare providers in the Middle East

Background

Modern medicine has allowed physicians to support the dying terminally-ill patient with artificial means. However, a common dilemma faced by physicians in general, and intensivist in particular is when to limit or withdraw aggressive intervention.

Objective

To study the effect of training background and seniority on Do-not to resuscitate (DNR) decisions in the Middle East.

Methods

Anonymous questionnaire sent to members of the Pan Arab Society of Critical Care.

Results

The response rate was 46.2%. Most of the responders were Muslim (86%) and consultants (70.9%). Majority of the responders were trained in western countries. Religion played a major role in 59.3% for making the DNR decision. DNR was considered equivalent to comfort care by 39.5%. In a futile case scenario, Do Not Escalate Therapy was preferred (54.7%). The likelihood of a patient, once labeled DNR, being clinically neglected was a concern among 46.5%. Admission of DNR patients to the ICU was acceptable for 47.7%. Almost one-half of the responders (46.5%) wanted physicians to have the ultimate authority in the DNR decision. Training background was a significant factor affecting the interpretation of the term no code DNR (P< 0.008).

Conclusion

Training background and level of seniority in critical care provider does not impact opinion on most of end of life issues related to care of terminally-ill patients. However, DNR is considered equivalent to comfort care among majority of Middle Eastern trained physicians.     

Early osteoarthritis and reduced quality of life after retirement in former professional soccer players

OBJECTIVES:

This study aims to compare the prevalence of osteoarthritis in two groups: one comprising former professional soccer players and the other comprising non-professional-athlete participants.

METHODS:

Twenty-seven male former professional soccer players and 30 male volunteers from different non-sports professional areas participated in the study. All participants underwent bilateral knee radiography and magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, the quality of life, knee pain and joint function were evaluated and compared using questionnaires given to all participants in both groups. Specific knee evaluations, with regard to osteoarthritis and quality of life, were performed in both groups using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subjective questionnaires and the Short-form 36. The chi-squared test, Fisher''s exact test, the Mann-Whitney U test and Student''s t-test were used for group comparisons.

RESULTS:

The between-groups comparison revealed significant differences in the following: pain, symptoms and quality of life related to the knee in the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales; the physical aspects subscale of the SF-36; total whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging scores with regard to the dominant and non-dominant knees. Former soccer players had worse scores than the controls in all comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS:

Both the clinical and magnetic resonance evaluations and the group comparisons performed in this study revealed that former soccer players have a worse quality of life than that of a control group with regard to physical aspects related to the knee; these aspects include greater pain, increased symptoms and substantial changes in radiographic and magnetic resonance images of the knee.     

Use of an in-house-developed, 3D-printed mannequin for emergency medicine training among medical students

IntroductionTo describe, validate, and evaluate the effectiveness of an in-house-developed mannequin versus standard commercial mannequins for emergency medicine training among undergraduate medical students.Materials and methodsFirstly, we developed a 3-in-1 model consisting of 3 modules (sampling techniques, fluid resuscitation and IV drug administration, and minor surgery). Forty participants of 2nd-year medical students were enrolled. Each student completed three scenarios through the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) simulation assessment. The questionnaire was used to rate the mannequins' overall quality, usability, comparability, cost efficiency, and realism.ResultsAlthough students using an in-house-developed mannequin had similar OSCE scores to a standard mannequin, students rated an in-house-developed mannequin easier to use. On the other hand, most students agreed that the standard commercial mannequin was more realistic than a substitute one. The costs of the materials needed for mannequin fabrication were less than 100 USD, and it was functionally comparable.ConclusionAn in-house-developed mannequin was well accepted by students and teachers and could be used to deliver and assess clinical skills for medical students effectively at low-cost.     

Acceptability of pharmacy-based bone density measurement by women and primary healthcare providers

OBJECTIVES: To assess women's information sources regarding, and monetary value placed on, pharmacy-based bone density screening. In addition, we evaluated clinicians' response to peripheral bone mass measurements. DESIGN: We recruited 197 women 50 years of age or older in four rural Midwestern community pharmacies. Each woman completed a questionnaire and underwent calcaneal bone density testing. Results were sent to participants' primary care providers. These providers, and others practicing within a 50-mile radius, were surveyed anonymously to evaluate usefulness of bone density data provided by this program or pharmacy-based osteoporosis screening in general. In addition, clinicians were asked how they would manage a woman with a calcaneal T-score of -1.3. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of participants [95% CI, 49%-63%] became interested in screening through the media, and only 6% (CI, 3%-9%) became interested through contact with their primary care provider. Women were willing to pay a median of $25 for screening. Of 18 responding clinicians with patients in this study, 72% (CI, 47%-90%) found the results useful. Of the 67 responding clinicians, 51% (CI, 39%-63%) supported pharmacy-based bone mass measurement. For a case scenario of a woman with a calcaneal T-score of -1.3, 57% (CI, 46%-68%) of clinicians indicated that they would have ordered central dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and 20% (CI, 11%-29%) would have prescribed antiresorptive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that (1) women are an important force in obtaining bone density testing outside the clinic setting, both by self-education and willingness to pay, and (2) primary care clinicians receiving such results find them useful and indicate willingness to use them in decision-making.     

Predictors for lower quality of life in the HAART era among HIV-infected men

BACKGROUND: In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), maximizing health-related quality of life (QOL) has become a high priority of long-term management of HIV-infected individuals. Modifiable determinants of lower QOL should be identified for interventions specifically targeted to the HAART-using individuals to improve their QOL. OBJECTIVE: To identify the predictors for lower QOL among HAART-using study participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, a longitudinal study of HIV infection among homosexual and bisexual men in 4 cities. METHODS: In the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, 636 HAART-using subjects had QOL data before HAART initiation and at least 2 consecutive QOL measurements after HAART initiation to visit 40 (April 2004). Variables of sociodemographics, individual risk behaviors, social support, biological markers, HIV-related medication use and clinical outcome indicators preceding the study outcomes, the physical health summary score and the mental health summary score derived from the standard SF-36 QOL form, were assessed as possible predictors using random-effects mixed models. RESULTS: QOL before HAART initiation was a strong predictor of QOL subsequent to HAART initiation. Older age, lower socioeconomic status, less male sexual partners, no alcohol drinking, and more advanced HIV disease stage were significant predictors for lower physical health summary score. In addition, more outpatient visits, depression, amprenavir use, antiretroviral drug interruption, recreational drug use, and less social support were significantly associated with lower mental health summary score. DISCUSSION: Many predictors of lower QOL are alterable risk factors that can be effectively targeted for interventions to maximize patients' QOL. With appropriate treatment and management of HIV disease and depression, clinicians can help improve the QOL of their patients. Through modification of individual risk behaviors, HIV-infected individuals can enhance their own QOL with support from clinicians and the community. In addition, active social support can also be an effective way to improve mental health of the infected persons.     

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of healthcare providers for botanical and dietary supplement use for postmenopausal health

OBJECTIVE: To identify the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of health care providers (physicians and nurses) regarding the use of botanical dietary supplements (BDS) for peri- and postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Health care providers (physicians and nurse practitioners/nurse midwives) completed a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding botanical dietary supplement use for peri- and postmenopausal women. A total of 62 providers were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Two thirds of providers reported that they had limited or no knowledge about botanical dietary supplements. By far, the majority of providers had no formal training nor had they studied these supplements on their own. Although knowledge was limited, a majority of providers wanted additional training predominantly because of growing patient awareness and use and were open to using these therapies for their patients either in combination with conventional Western medicine or as the only support for relief of peri- and postmenopausal symptoms. However, only 25% of providers regularly asked their peri- and postmenopausal patients about use of botanical dietary supplements. Providers who had practiced longer (> or =11 y) were more likely to be knowledgeable about dietary supplements and to have studied on their own (P < 0.01), to believe that botanicals are part of evidence-based medicine (P < 0.05), and to have talked to their patients (P < 0.05) about use of these therapies. Increased knowledge also appeared to predict a more positive attitude on the part of providers toward their patients who use BDS (P < 0.001) as well as more proactive behavior related to referring and recommending these therapies as treatment (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that knowledge about botanical therapies among health care providers caring for peri- and postmenopausal women is quite low, but they are open to learning more about these modalities and using them for treatment, if appropriate. Our results suggest that increased years in practice is related to increased knowledge, more positive attitudes, and more proactive behaviors related to botanical dietary supplements.