Anticoagulation stewardship: Improving adherence to clinical guidelines and reducing overuse of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in hospitalized medical patients.

Adherence to guideline recommendations for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (VTE) in hospitalized medical patients is suboptimal despite national policies and institutional interventions. The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve adherence to guidelines and decrease the overuse of VTE prophylaxis in order to reduce the institutional cost for heparins. A multidisciplinary anticoagulation stewardship program (ACSP) using the audit and feedback strategy was implemented on the medicine inpatient units at a teaching hospital in Canada.

Targeting the psychosocial and functional fitness challenges of older adults with hearing loss: a participatory approach to adaptation of the walk and talk for your life program.

Objective: Explore the acceptability of a socialisation, health education and falls prevention programme (Walk and Talk for Your Life: WTL) as an adjunct to group auditory rehabilitation (GAR) and how it might be adapted for older adults with hearing loss (HL).

Design: Content theme analysis (CTA) of guided interviews explored the experience of HL, the acceptability of a WTL programme and suggestions on how to adapt the WTL programme to better suit the needs of older adults with HL.

Study Sample: Twenty-eight (20 women, 8 men) adults (>55 years of age) with HL were interviewed.

Targeting functional fitness, hearing and health-related quality of life in older adults with hearing loss: Walk, Talk 'n' Listen, study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is a disability associated with poorer health-related quality of life including an increased risk for loneliness, isolation, functional fitness declines, falls, hospitalization and premature mortality. The purpose of this pilot trial is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention to reduce loneliness, improve functional fitness, social connectedness, hearing and health-related quality of life in older adults with HL.

Methods: This 10-week, single-blind, pilot randomized control trial (RCT) will include a convenience sample of ambulatory adults aged 65 years or older with self-reported HL.