Guest Editorial - Shifting Dynamics: ICU Admissions in Denmark during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The advent of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. As the virus spread across continents, hospitals faced a surge in patient admissions, particularly to intensive care units (ICUs). Understanding the impact of the pandemic on the sickest patients admitted to hospital is crucial for enhancing preparedness for future outbreaks.

Digital Remote Monitoring Using an mHealth Solution for Survivors of Cancer: Protocol for a Pilot Observational Study.

Background: Healthy lifestyle interventions have a positive impact on multiple disease trajectories, including cancer-related outcomes. Specifically, appropriate habitual physical activity, adequate sleep, and a regular wholesome diet are of paramount importance for the wellness and supportive care of survivors of cancer. Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to support novel tailored lifestyle interventions.

Wearables in Wales: Entering clinical practice through the backdoor?

The number of people using wearable technology such as smartwatches and fitness trackers is increasing. Many of these devices can alert the user to a potential arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. We aimed to assess potential changes to cardiology practice resulting from their use.

Blockchain: What is the use case for physicians in 2024? A rapid review of the literature.

Blockchain is topical in many areas of science. The impact on clinical care of physicians is not known. We undertook a rapid review of the literature to identify areas of interest for clinicians in active practice focusing on evidence relevant to clinical care.

Quality metrics for same day emergency care-Consensus of a multi-professional panel of experts using a modified Delphi process.

Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) services are at the heart of recovery plans for Emergency Care in the National Health Service. There are no validated metrics for the quality of care in SDEC. The Society for Acute Medicine's Quality Improvement Committee invited to a three-stage modified Delphi process to gather metrics used by clinicians.

Can acutely ill patients predict their outcomes? A scoping review.

Introduction: The full impact of an acute illness on subsequent health is seldom explicitly discussed with patients. Patients' estimates of their likely prognosis have been explored in chronic care settings and can contribute to the improvement of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. This scoping review aimed to identify studies of acutely ill patients' estimates of their outcomes and potential benefits for their care.

Circadian lifestyle determinants of immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionised cancer care in recent years. Despite a global improvement in the efficacy and tolerability of systemic anticancer treatments, a sizeable proportion of patients still do not benefit maximally from ICI. Extensive research has been undertaken to reveal the immune- and cancer-related mechanisms underlying resistance and response to ICI, yet more limited investigations have explored potentially modifiable lifestyle host factors and their impact on ICI efficacy and tolerability.

The third Medical Emergency Teams - Hospital outcomes in a day (METHOD3) study: The application of quality metrics for rapid response systems around the world.

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the readiness of international hospitals to implement consensus-based quality metrics for rapid response systems (RRS) and evaluate the feasibility of collecting these metrics.

Methods: A digital survey was developed and distributed to hospital administrators and clinicians worldwide. The survey captured data on the recommended quality metrics for RRS and collected information on hospital characteristics.

Exercise testing to guide safe discharge from hospital in COVID-19: a scoping review to identify candidate tests.

Objectives: We aimed to identify exercise tests that have been validated to support a safe discharge to home in patients with or without COVID-19.

Study Design: Scoping review, using PRISMA-ScR reporting standards. Medline, PubMed, AMED, Embase, CINAHL and LitCovid databases were searched between 16 and 22 February 2021, with studies included from any publication date up to and including the search date.

National Early Warning Scores Following Emergency Hospital Transfer: Implications for Care Home Residents.

Objective: Care home residents have high rates of hospital admission. The UK National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) standardizes the secondary care response to acute illness. However, the ability of NEWS2 to predict adverse health outcomes specifically for care home residents is unknown.

Feasibility and accuracy of the 40-steps desaturation test to determine outcomes in a cohort of patients presenting to hospital with and without COVID-19.

Desaturation on exercise has been suggested as a predictive feature for deterioration in COVID-19. The objective of this paper was to determine the feasibility and validity for the 40-steps desaturation test.A prospective observational cohort study was undertaken in patients assessed in hospital prior to discharge.

When patients (and families) raise the alarm: Patient and family activated rapid response as a safety strategy for hospitals.

Patients and those close to them often have an intimate understanding of their condition and can participate in a broad range of clinical processes. During times of deterioration, their concerns might go unheard. Advocacy of family and friends can fulfil an important safety function and can support patients and healthcare professionals looking after them.

An audible patient voice: How can we ensure that patients are treated as partners in their own safety?

How can patients and their relatives make their concerns heard by healthcare professionals? Many serious adverse events are preceded by patients' worry and concern. This article explores changes in the structures and processes of healthcare that might facilitate safer systems. One important tool might be the ability of patients to become equal partners in the recording of their clinical history.

The Use of Different Sepsis Risk Stratification Tools on the Wards and in Emergency Departments Uncovers Different Mortality Risks: Results of the Three Welsh National Multicenter Point-Prevalence Studies.

Objectives: To compare the performance of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, Red Flag Sepsis, and National Institute of Clinical Excellence sepsis risk stratification tools in the identification of patients at greatest risk of mortality from sepsis in nonintensive care environments.

Design: Secondary analysis of three annual 24-hour point-prevalence study periods.

Setting: The general wards and emergency departments of 14 acute hospitals across Wales.

Express check-in: developing a personal health record for patients admitted to hospital with medical emergencies: a mixed-method feasibility study.

Background: Patient participation is increasingly recognized as a key component in the redesign of healthcare processes and is advocated as a means to improve patient safety.

Objective: To explore the usage of participatory engagement in patient-created and co-designed medical records for emergency admission to the hospital.

Methods: design: prospective iterative development and feasibility testing of personal health records; setting: an acute medical unit in a university-affiliated hospital; participants: patients admitted to hospital for medical emergencies; interventions: we used a design-led development of personal health record prototypes and feasibility testing of records completed by patients during the process of emergency admission.

Impact of assessment frequency of patient-reported outcomes: an observational study using an eHealth platform in cancer patients.

Background And Aim: The evaluation of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in cancer has proven relevant positive clinical impact on patients' communication with healthcare professionals, decision-making for management, well-being, and overall survival. However, the optimal frequency of PRO assessment has yet to be defined. Based on the assumption that more frequent sampling would enhance accuracy, we aimed at identifying the optimal sampling frequency that does not miss clinically relevant insight.

Can vital signs recorded in patients' homes aid decision making in emergency care? A Scoping Review.

Aim: Use of tele-health programs and wearable sensors that allow patients to monitor their own vital signs have been expanded in response to COVID-19. We aimed to explore the utility of patient-held data during presentation as medical emergencies.

Methods: We undertook a systematic scoping review of two groups of studies: studies using non-invasive vital sign monitoring in patients with chronic diseases aimed at preventing unscheduled reviews in primary care, hospitalization or emergency department visits and studies using vital sign measurements from wearable sensors for decision making by clinicians on presentation of these patients as emergencies.

Impact of electronic health records on predefined safety outcomes in patients admitted to hospital: a scoping review.

Objectives: Review available evidence for impact of electronic health records (EHRs) on predefined patient safety outcomes in interventional studies to identify gaps in current knowledge and design interventions for future research.

Design: Scoping review to map existing evidence and identify gaps for future research.

Data Sources: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Trial registers.

Scenario-based design for a hospital setting: An exploratory study of opportunities and barriers for personal health records usage.

Personal health records (PHRs) offer patients the opportunity to be more actively involved in their own care. There is limited research into the application during hospital admissions for elective or emergency presentations. We used techniques from scenario-based design to test the opportunities and boundaries of a commercially available PHR in a simulated environment.