Use of wearable devices to monitor post-operative activity following cardiac surgery: a systematic scoping review.

Aims: There is an emerging trend of using wearable digital technology to monitor patient activity levels in acute care contexts. However, the overall extent and quality of evidence for their use in acute cardiac surgery care are unclear. The purpose of this systematic scoping review was to evaluate current literature regarding the use of wearable activity trackers/accelerometers to monitor patient activity levels in the first 30 days following cardiac surgery.

Understanding the provision of goal-concordant care in the intensive care unit: A sequential two-phase qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Goal-concordant care in intensive care is care that aligns with the patient's expressed goals, values, preferences and beliefs. Communication and shared decision-making are key to ensuring goal-concordant care.

Aims: The aims of his study were to explore (i) critical care clinicians' perspectives on how patient goals of care were communicated between clinicians, patients, and family in the intensive care unit; (ii) critical care nurses' role in this process; and (iii) how goals of care were used to guide care.

Evaluation of IMproving Palliative care Education and Training Using Simulation in Dementia (IMPETUS-D) a staff simulation training intervention to improve palliative care of people with advanced dementia living in nursing homes: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: People with dementia have unique palliative and end-of-life needs. However, access to quality palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia living in nursing homes is often suboptimal. There is a recognised need for nursing home staff training in dementia-specific palliative care to equip them with knowledge and skills to deliver high quality care.

Impact of Pain on Postoperative Recovery and Participation in Care Following Knee Arthroplasty Surgery: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Background: Patient participation in care is key to optimising postsurgical outcomes and the quality of acute care delivery.

Aims: This study explored patient perceptions of the impact of pain on acute recovery following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), and barriers and facilitators to participating in pain management.

Design: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews.

Australian and Danish nurses' and midwives' wellbeing during COVID-19: A comparison study.

Background: Most investigations of nurses' and midwives' psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted in a single setting.

Aim: To assess and compare the psychological wellbeing of nurses and midwives in Australia and Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Nurses and midwives employed at four metropolitan health services in Australia and one in Denmark completed an anonymous online survey, which assessed depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21)), and sociodemographic and employment factors.

Inter-rater reliability and predictive accuracy of the Shkuratova Assessment of Falls-risk in Rehabilitation (SAFER) tool.

Despite the recognised importance of falls prevention in rehabilitation settings, there is limited research focusing on falls risk assessment tools designed to guide both patient screening and therapy. This study evaluated the predictive accuracy and inter-rater reliability of the Shkuratova Assessment of Falls-risk in Rehabilitation settings (SAFER) tool. The study was conducted at a subacute rehabilitation facility in Australia.

Nursing students' awareness and perceptions of nurses' role in antimicrobial stewardship.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to public health worldwide. Antimicrobial stewardship programs and interventions aiming to optimise the use of antibiotics, are increasingly used to ensure judicious use of antibiotics and limit the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Nurses are pivotal in antimicrobial stewardship however nursing students' awareness of such programs has not been investigated.

The relationship between the undergraduate clinical learning environment and work readiness in new graduate nurses: A pre-post survey study.

Background: Due to projected nurse shortages, it is necessary that undergraduate programs optimise work readiness outcomes in new graduate nurses. Research that quantitatively evaluates characteristics of clinical nursing programs that predict increased work readiness is required.

Objectives: To explore the relationship between the undergraduate clinical learning environment and nurse perceptions of work readiness prior to and following, commencement as a new graduate nurse.

Effectiveness of strategies to increase uptake of pertussis vaccination by new parents and family caregivers: A systematic review.

Objectives: Cocoon immunisation strategies involve administration of Bordetella pertussis containing vaccines to parents and family members who are in close contact with newborns. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to increase uptake of vaccination against Bordetella pertussis infection by parents and family caregivers of newborn children (< 3 months of age).

Design: A protocol driven systematic review was conducted between 2005 and February 2020.

Analgesic Outcomes in a Danish Acute Care Hospital Following Electronic Prescribing and Analgesic Self-Administration.

Background: Despite the long-term consequences of poorly controlled postoperative pain, inadequate pain control remains a problem.

Aims: To improve the quality of postoperative pain management, the study site, an acute care hospital in Denmark, introduced electronic prescribing with standard order-sets, and allowed patients to self-administer analgesia. This study aimed to describe analgesic prescribing, prescriptions for multimodal analgesia, analgesic administration, and patients' pain experience, in this context.

Resuscitation status and characteristics and outcomes of patients transferred from subacute care to acute care hospitals: A multi-site prospective cohort study.

Aims And Objectives: To examine the relationship between resuscitation status and (i) patient characteristics; (ii) transfer characteristics; and (iii) patient outcomes following an emergency inter-hospital transfer from a subacute to an acute care hospital.

Background: Patients who experience emergency inter-hospital transfers from subacute to acute care hospitals have high rates of acute care readmission (81%) and in-hospital mortality (15%).

Design: This prospective, exploratory cohort study was a subanalysis of data from a larger case-time-control study in five Health Services in Victoria, Australia.

Usability and feasibility of multimedia interventions for engaging patients in their care in the context of acute recovery: A narrative review.

Purpose: The purpose of this narrative review was to examine the usability and feasibility of multimedia intervention as a platform to enable patient participation in the context of acute recovery and to discover what outcomes have been measured.

Data Sources: A narrative review of primary research articles identified through a search of four electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsycInfo) identified peer-reviewed research evidence published in English language with no limitation placed on time period or publication type. Two authors independently assessed articles for inclusion.

A screen-based simulation training program to improve palliative care of people with advanced dementia living in residential aged care facilities and reduce hospital transfers: study protocol for the IMproving Palliative care Education and Training Using Simulation in Dementia (IMPETUS-D) cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Many people with advanced dementia live in residential aged care homes. Care home staff need the knowledge and skills to provide high-quality end-of-life (EOL) dementia care. However, several studies have found EOL dementia care to be suboptimal, and care staff have reported they would benefit from training in palliative care and dementia.

Use of excessive supplemental oxygen in mechanically ventilated patients is based on unit culture. A multiple-methods study in a regional intensive care unit.

Background: Administration of supplemental oxygen is widely used in the management of critically ill patients; however, there is evidence that excessive supplemental oxygen exposure is associated with increased mortality. There is limited research evaluating what factors clinicians take into consideration when managing oxygenation in critically ill adults.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians' experience and decision-making when managing supplemental oxygen therapy in mechanically ventilated patients in a regional intensive care unit.

Patient activation intervention to facilitate participation in recovery after total knee replacement (MIME): a cluster randomised cross-over trial.

Background: Patient participation in care is a fundamental element of safe and high-quality healthcare with the potential to enhance health outcomes and improve patient satisfaction.

Objectives: To test the efficacy of a clinician-facilitated, bedside multimedia () intervention designed to support patient participation in their recovery after total knee replacement surgery. The primary outcome was patients' reported worst pain intensity on postoperative day 3.

STOPDVTs: Development and testing of a clinical assessment tool to guide nursing assessment of postoperative patients for Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Aims And Objectives: To develop and test a clinical tool to guide nurses' assessment of postoperative patients for Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Background: Preventing venous thromboembolism in hospitalised patients is an international patient safety priority. Despite high-level evidence for optimal venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, implementation is inconsistent and the incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis remains high.

COPD: Health Care Utilisation Patterns with Different Disease Management Interventions.

Purpose: The management of COPD is a significant and costly issue worldwide, with acute healthcare utilisation consisting of admissions and outpatient attendances being a major contributor to the cost. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and integrated disease management (IDM) are often offered. Whilst there is strong evidence of physical and quality of life outcomes following IDM and PR, few studies have looked into healthcare utilisation.

Relationship between health-related quality of life, comorbidities and acute health care utilisation, in adults with chronic conditions.

Background: There is increased interest in developing multidisciplinary ambulatory care models of service delivery to manage patients with complex chronic diseases. These programs are expensive and given limited resources it is important that care is targeted effectively. One potential screening strategy is to identify individuals who report the greatest decrement in health related quality of life (HRQoL) and thus greater need.

Effect of a chronic disease management service for patients with diabetes on hospitalisation and acute care costs.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a diabetes-management program for patients with type 2 diabetes and related comorbidities on acute healthcare utilisation and costs.

Methods: This was a retrospective administrative dataset analysis using data for patients enrolled from 2007 to 2008. Inpatient admissions for diabetes-related conditions were compared before, during and following enrolment.

Risk factors associated with loss of position after closed reduction of distal radial fractures in children.

Background: Closed reductions of distal radial fractures are among the most common orthopaedic operations but up to 39% of fractures lose position postoperatively. This study was carried out to determine the most significant risk factors for loss of position so that high-risk patients can be identified early and their management tailored accordingly.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 48 consecutive children who had redisplacement of their distal radial fractures after closed reduction and compared them with 48 matched controls.

Communicating information regarding human H1N1-09 virus to high-risk consumers: knowledge and understanding of COPD patients in Melbourne, Australia.

Background: One of the public health challenges during an influenza pandemic is how to rapidly access groups of high-risk individuals to ensure that they have accurate information regarding prevention and management of infection. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the level of understanding of the H1N1-09 (Swine Flu) pandemic, amongst a high-risk group of individuals with chronic lung disease. This study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia towards the end of the 2009 pandemic.

Community care assessment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical algorithm to assess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation severity in a community setting.

Background: An important aspect of community management of exacerbations is assessing patient safety. Although researchers have investigated risk factors for rapid deterioration, there is a lack of evidence validating clinical measures of exacerbation severity.

Cost-benefit of minimally invasive staging of non-small cell lung cancer: a decision tree sensitivity analysis.

Background: Accurate staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is critical for optimal management. Minimally invasive pathologic assessment of mediastinal lymphadenopathy is increasingly being performed. The cost-benefit (minimization of health care costs) of such approaches, in comparison with traditional surgical methods, is yet to be established.

Identifying viral infections in vaccinated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients using clinical features and inflammatory markers.

Background: Known inflammatory markers have limited sensitivity and specificity to differentiate viral respiratory tract infections from other causes of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). To overcome this, we developed a multi-factorial prediction model combining viral symptoms with inflammatory markers.

Methods: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum amyloid A (SAA) and viral symptoms were measured in stable COPD and at AECOPD onset and compared with the viral detection rates on multiplex PCR.