A Model Program of Community‐Based Supports for Older Adults at Risk of Nursing Facility Placement

Transitioning an older adult into a nursing facility is a major life event for older adults (care recipients, CRs) and their family caregivers (CGs). This article describes the implementation of a community living program and presents findings on important health and well‐being indicators. One hundred ninety‐one participants aged 60 and older not eligible for or currently enrolled in Medicaid and meeting four risk domains (functional, health, cognitive/emotional, informal support system) were enrolled for the 10‐month program. Two evidence‐based interventions were blended into a comprehensive community‐based approach to long‐term care that included $750 per month for home care services. Measures were conducted at baseline and 6 and 12 months. Nine (6%) participants did not complete the program because of nursing facility admission. CRs had fewer physician visits (4.1 vs 7.3, P < .001), emergency department visits (0.3 vs 1.4, P < .001), hospital stays (0.4 vs 0.9, P < .001), and total nights in the hospital (0.8 vs 5.1, P < .001) at 12 months than at baseline. Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES‐D) scores also improved significantly (6.8 vs 9.4, P < .001). CGs had improvements in CES‐D scores (5.9 vs 3.9, P < .001) and CG burden (14.7 s 12.6, P = .01) from baseline to 12 months. This multicomponent program improved the physical and mental health of CGs and CRs at risk of nursing facility placement. Future studies are needed to compare the overall placement rate to determine the success of diverting nursing facility placement in this population of older adults.     

重庆市某医联体医患双方对双向转诊认知的调查研究

背景　医疗联合体（以下简称医联体）模式是促进医疗资源合理分配、完善分级诊疗的有效途径之一。截至2018年,重庆市已经实现医联体模式全面覆盖,重庆医科大学附属第一医院医联体于2011年3月成立,经过6年多的发展,医联体取得一定成效。本研究选择该医联体为样本,研究医疗体内医患双方对双向转诊的运行情况,为完善重庆市分级诊疗格局提供政策参考。目的　调研重庆市某医联体医患双方对双向转诊的认知现状、双向转诊中存在的问题,探讨问题解决方案。方法　2017年9-11月和2017年8-10月,采用随机抽样调查分别对重庆医科大学附属第一医院医联体内共6家医疗机构的医务人员和住院患者进行问卷调查。自行设计调查问卷,问卷内容包括医务人员及患者基本信息、对双向转诊的知晓情况,医务人员双向转诊开展情况及相关因素、患者双向转诊及影响因素,医患双方对双向转诊顺畅的认可情况及对双向转诊实施的认可情况。结果　医务人员有效问卷应答率为88.3%（309/350）。288例（93.2%）医务人员对双向转诊知晓。不同职称、来源医院医务人员对双向转诊知晓情况比较,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。在工作中有过为患者提供转诊服务经历的医务人员282例（91.3%）。有过为患者提供转诊服务经历的医务人员中双向转诊者151例（53.5%）,向上转诊诊者62例（22.0%）,向下转诊者69例（24.5%）。核心医院医务人员向下转诊患者时考虑因素主要是病情已稳定,处于康复期或恢复期;托管区县医院医务人员向上转诊患者时考虑因素主要是患者病情需要。阻碍核心医院医务人员向下转诊的因素主要是患者对基层医疗技术水平不满意。阻碍托管区县医院医务人员向下转诊的因素主要是下级医院能力不足。核心医院、托管区县医院医务人员对双向转诊顺畅的认可率比较,差异无统计学意义（χ2=0.090,P=0.764）。医务人员对双向转诊实施的认可率为57.9%（179/309）。核心医院、托管区县医院医务人员对双向转诊实施的认可情况比较,差异有统计学意义（χ2=4.742,P<0.05）。患者有效问卷应答率为85.7%（257/300）。182例（70.8%）患者对双向转诊知晓。不同文化程度患者对双向转诊的知晓情况比较,差异有统计学意义（χ2=8.555,P<0.05）。有过转诊经历的患者83例（32.3%）。促进患者向上转诊的主要因素是患者病情需要,阻碍患者向上转诊的主要因素是诊疗费用高。促进患者向下转诊的主要因素是病情已经处于康复期,没有必要继续治疗;阻碍患者向下转诊的主要因素是对基层医疗技术水平不满意。核心医院和托管区县医院患者对双向转诊顺畅的认可率分别为98.8%（79/80）和89.3%（158/177）,差异无统计学意义（χ2=0.011,P=0.918）。核心医院、托管区县医院患者对双向转诊实施的认可率分别为42.5%（34/80）和33.3%（59/177）,差异无统计学意义（χ2=-1.484,P=0.138）。结论　重庆市某医联体医患双方对双向转诊的认知普遍较高,双向转诊不够顺畅,向上转诊易向下转诊难,医联体医患双方认可度低,基层医疗机构服务能力有待提高。应提高基层医疗机构服务能力,加大医联体内双向转诊指导、监管和激励力度,保障转诊顺畅。     

结伴互助成组式教学模式在留学生手外伤临床实践中的应用

目的 分析结伴互助成组式教学模式在医学留学生手外伤临床实践中的应用。方法 将2018 年9 月～2019 年8 月在安徽医科大学第二附属医院骨科轮转的30 名留学生分为两组,A 组15 名留学生分别与安徽医科大学第二附属医院骨科专业型研究生结伴成对子为“结伴互助成组式教学模式组”,B 组15 名留学生采用传统带教模式。实习结束后记录并比较两组留学生日常工作考核、手外伤急诊处理的理论知识考核、清创缝合临床实践能力考核,以及留学生对“结伴互助成组式教学模式”满意度调查。结果 A 组留学生日常工作考核、清创缝合临床实践能力考核成绩和对“结伴互助成组式教学模式”满意度明显高于B 组,差异有统计学意义;而二者在手外伤急诊处理的专业知识理论知识考核成绩比较无统计学差异。结论 结伴互助成组式教学模式可以充分提高留学生对手外伤处理的教学兴趣,发挥学生学习的主观能动性,培养学生的团队合作精神,提高医师临床实践教学质量。     

商业保险机构参与长期护理保险经办模式比较——基于北京市海淀区、青岛市的分析

本文从公私合作角度比较商业保险机构参与长期护理保险经办的两种典型模式的异同及应用前景。本文选取了北京市海淀区、青岛市作为典型模式代表。两种模式中商保机构均是由市区政府招标引入,并委托相应机构进行监管,但海淀区模式中商保机构参与度比青岛市模式更深;在盈亏承担方面,海淀区模式比青岛市模式的商保机构承担更多盈亏风险。两种模式的应用前景方面,海淀区模式适合在人口多、经济发达、管理水平高的大城市推广,而青岛市模式更适合在人口规模较小、商业保险机构独立承办风险较大、监管能力较弱的城市实行。     

Implementing health and social care integration in Scotland: Renegotiating new partnerships in changing cultures of care

Health and social care integration has been a long‐term goal for successive governments in Scotland, culminating in the implementation of the recent Public Bodies (Joint Working) Scotland Act 2014. This laid down the foundations for the delegation of health and social care functions and resources to newly formed Integrated Joint Boards. It put in place demands for new ways of working and partnership planning. In this article, we explore the early implementation of this Act and how health and social care professionals and the third sector have begun to renegotiate their roles. The paper draws on new empirical data collated through focus groups and interviews with over 70 professionals from across Scotland. The data are explored through the following key themes: changing cultures, structural imbalance, governance and partnership and the role of individuals or “boundary spanners” in implementing change. We also draw on evidence from other international systems of care, which have implemented integration policies, documenting what works and what does not. We argue that under the current framework much of the potential for integration is not being fulfilled and that the evidence suggests that at this early stage of roll‐out, the structural and cultural policy changes that are required to enable this policy shift have not yet emerged. Rather, integration has been left to individual innovators or “boundary spanners” and these are acting as key drivers of change. Where change is occurring, this is happening despite the system. As it is currently structured, we argue that too much power is in the hands of health and despite the rhetoric of partnership working, there are real structural imbalances that need to be reconciled.     

Experiences of living with asthma – a focus group study with adolescents and parents of children with asthma

Objective: The goal for asthma treatment is that every individual, so far as possible, shall live without symptoms and exacerbations. Patients and health care professionals sometimes have different perceptions of what is important for achieving good quality of life. This work aims to describe the experiences among adolescents as well as those of parents with young children living with asthma. Methods: Four focus group interviews were performed, two with parents of young children and two with adolescents. The data were qualitatively analyzed, using Systematic Text Condensation. Result: Three themes relevant to the participants’ experiences of living with asthma were presented; strategies, frustrations and expectations. The adolescents wanted to be like their peers and developed their own strategies for self-management of asthma, which included not always taking medication as prescribed. The parents emphasized frustration regarding not being believed, lack of understanding feelings of loneliness, or anxiety. One identified expectation was that the participants wanted to be met with competence and understanding in asthma care from health care professionals. Another expectation expressed among parents was that teachers in nursery and primary schools should have more knowledge and understanding on how to care for children with asthma. Conclusion: Living with asthma leads to developing personal strategies in self-management of asthma. Moreover both parents and adolescents had expectations of being met by competent and understanding health care professionals. Developing a partnership between patients and health care professionals could be a successful way to improve the care of patients with asthma.     

Practices to support co-design processes: A case-study of co-designing a program for children with parents with a mental health problem in the Austrian region of Tyrol

Forms of collaborative knowledge production, such as community-academic partnerships (CAP), have been increasingly used in health care. However, instructions on how to deliver such processes are lacking. We aim to identify practice ingredients for one element within a CAP, a 6-month co-design process, during which 26 community- and 13 research-partners collaboratively designed an intervention programme for children whose parent have a mental illness. Using 22 published facilitating and hindering factors for CAP as the analytical framework, eight community-partners reflected on the activities which took place during the co-design process. From a qualitative content analysis of the data, we distilled essential practices for each CAP factor. Ten community- and eight research-partners revised the results and co-authored this article. We identified 36 practices across the 22 CAP facilitating or hindering factors. Most practices address more than one factor. Many practices relate to workshop design, facilitation methods, and relationship building. Most practices were identified for facilitating ‘trust among partners’, ‘shared visions, goals and/or missions’, ‘effective/frequent communication’, and ‘well-structured meetings’. Fewer practices were observed for ‘effective conflict resolution’, ‘positive community impact’ and for avoiding ‘excessive funding pressure/control struggles’ and ‘high burden of activities’. Co-designing a programme for mental healthcare is a challenging process that requires skills in process management and communication. We provide practice steps for delivering co-design activities. However, practitioners may have to adapt them to different cultural contexts. Further research is needed to analyse whether co-writing with community-partners results in a better research output and benefits for participants.     

Can a Video Curriculum on the Social Determinants of Health Affect Residents' Practice and Families' Perceptions of Care?

IntroductionScreening and management of the social determinants of health (SDH) are critical for child health promotion. We sought to evaluate the impact of a facilitated video curriculum on resident SDH screening competence, parental perceptions of resident practice, resident-initiated referrals to a medical–legal partnership (MLP), and formula distribution to food-insecure families.MethodsThis was a pre–post study with concurrent control performed at a large pediatric residency program. Second- and third-year residents were assigned to control and intervention groups on the basis of their continuity clinic day. The curriculum included videotaped vignettes of screening for SDH and a “day in the life” series of families describing the impact of intervention on their lives. Residents completed self-assessments on screening competence and resource knowledge. After a well-child encounter, families (3 per resident) assessed their level of trust and respect for the resident and the number of SDHs screened for. MLP referral rates and formula distribution were compared.ResultsThe intervention group's self-assessed competence in screening for housing, benefits, and educational concerns was significantly higher compared to controls (each P ≤ .05). Parents' rating of trust and respect was high and did not differ between groups. Screening for each SDH was higher in the intervention group with domestic violence (odds ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.01–4.63) and depression (odds ratio 2.63, 95% confidence interval 1.15–5.99), reaching statistical significance. MLP referral rates increased (P = .06), and formula distribution (P = .02) reached statistical significance in the intervention group.ConclusionsThis SDH video curriculum improved resident self-assessed screening competence, parental perception of screening, and both MLP referrals and formula distribution.     

Views of healthcare consumer representatives on defensive practice: ‘We are your biggest advocate and supporter… not the enemy’

BackgroundThe patient–clinician interaction is a site at which defensive practice could occur, when clinicians provide tests, procedures and treatments mainly to reduce perceived legal risks, rather than to advance patient care. Defensive practice is a driver of low‐value care and exposes patients to the risks of unnecessary interventions. To date, patient perspectives on defensive practice and its impacts on them are largely missing from the literature. This exploratory study conducted in Australia aimed to examine the views and experiences of healthcare consumer representatives in this under‐examined area.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with healthcare consumer representatives involved in healthcare consumer advocacy organisations in Australia. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsNine healthcare consumer representatives participated. Most had over 20 years of involvement and advocacy in healthcare, including personal experiences as a patient or carer and/or formal service roles on committees or complaint bodies for healthcare organisations. Participants uniformly viewed defensive practice as having a negative impact on the clinician–patient relationship. Themes identified the importance of fostering patient–clinician partnership, effective communication and informed decision‐making. The themes support a shift from the concept of defensive practice to preventive practice in partnership, which focuses on the shared interests of patients and clinicians in achieving safe and high‐value care.ConclusionThis Australian study offers healthcare consumers'' perspectives on the impacts of defensive practice on patients. The findings highlight the features of clinician–patient partnership that will help to improve communication and decision‐making, and prevent the defensive provision of low‐value care.Patient or Public ContributionHealthcare consumer representatives were involved as participants in this study.