Development of an online tool to support financial and legal planning in dementia.

Objective: To develop, assess, and refine an online educational tool, Plan for Clarity, to support financial and legal planning in dementia.

Methods: A Delphi mixed-method study with three rounds of anonymous review by lay and professional stakeholders was designed to reach consensus about the content of the online tool and explore the socio-cultural and behavioral factors that could affect access and use.

Results: Consensus showed that the online tool covered key information, knowledge, and communication skills for financial and legal planning.

Descriptive analysis and evaluation of Health Link referrals to the emergency department before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: In Alberta, Health Link (HL) provides a 24-h, nurse-staffed, phone resource to the public for health-care advice. HL directs callers to either seek care in the emergency department (ED), with a primary care provider or provide self-care at home. This work aims to describe HL ED referrals prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of Health Link utilization on emergency department visits.

Objectives: Our aim was to compare Health Link utilization in urban and rural Alberta by metrics relevant to the ED.

Methods: Data on Health Link callers from January 1, 2018-December 31, 2019 was extracted from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, including postal code, location of ED attended, Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) assigned at ED, age, and self-identified gender. Usage density (presentations/100/year), patient demographics (age, self-identified gender), and ED metrics (CTAS, investigations, admission) were compared for Health Link ED referrals and direct ED visits.

A quality control method enhancement concept-Continual improvement of regulatory approved QC methods.

Quality Control methods (QC-methods) play an important role in the overall control strategy for drug manufacturing. However, efficient life-cycle management and continual improvement are hindered due to a variety of post-approval variation legislations across territories and a lack of harmonization of the requirements. As a result, many QC-methods fall behind the technical development.

Patient expectations of emergency department care: phase I--a focus group study.

Objectives: To assess patient comprehension of emergency department discharge instructions and to describe other predictors of patient compliance with discharge instructions.

Methods: Patients departing from the emergency department of an inner-city teaching hospital were invited to undergo a structured interview and reading test, and to participate in a follow-up telephone interview 2 weeks later. Two physicians, blinded to the other's data, scored patient comprehension of discharge information and compliance with discharge instructions.

Patient expectations of emergency department care: phase II--a cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To explore emergency department (ED) patient expectations regarding staff communication with patients, wait times, the triage process and information management.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional English-language telephone survey among patients aged 18 years or older who visited the EDs in the Calgary Health Region in 2002. Survey items were based on a preceding qualitative study.