Exploring the Application of Interpretive Description in Chronic Illness: A Scoping Review.

Background And Purpose: Chronic illness is a complex condition that affects over one billion people. To develop a deeper insight of the needs of this patient population, interpretive description uses disciplinary knowledge as the source of understanding. This methodology is a pragmatic approach to research without focusing on a strict methodological directive.

Efficacy of ferumoxytol versus sodium ferric gluconate in anemia management in outpatient hemodialysis patients: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Intravenous iron is one of the main therapies for anemia management in hemodialysis-dependent patients. Data comparing the efficacy of ferumoxytol versus other parenteral iron supplements are scarce. The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of ferumoxytol with that of sodium ferric gluconate in outpatient hemodialysis patients.

The Population Health OutcomEs aNd Information EXchange (PHOENIX) Program - A Transformative Approach to Reduce the Burden of Chronic Disease.

This concept article introduces a transformative vision to reduce the population burden of chronic disease by focusing on data integration, analytics, implementation and community engagement. Known as PHOENIX (The Population Health OutcomEs aNd Information EXchange), the approach leverages a state level health information exchange and multiple other resources to facilitate the integration of clinical and social determinants of health data with a goal of achieving true population health monitoring and management. After reviewing historical context, we describe how multilevel and multimodal data can be used to facilitate core public health services, before discussing the controversies and challenges that lie ahead.

Multivariate Outliers: A Conceptual and Practical Overview for the Nurse and Health Researcher.

The presence of statistical outliers is a shared concern in research. If ignored or improperly handled, outliers have the potential to distort parameter estimates and possibly compromise the validity of research findings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual and practical overview of multivariate outliers with a focus on common techniques used to identify and manage multivariate outliers.

Guidance for the Reporting of an Intervention's Theory.

Background: Interventions in clinical trials should be clearly and completely described to inform their evaluation in replication studies and implementation in clinical practice. Guidelines were developed to standardize the reporting of interventions, but failed to provide guidance on reporting of the theory of interventions. Further, space constraints imposed by many research journals often limit the comprehensive description of both the theoretical and operational aspects of interventions.

Exploring the factors associated with non-urgent emergency department utilisation for mental health care.

Background: Emergency department visits for mental health care are on the rise across North America. Patients with mental illness are at an increased risk for frequent and non-urgent emergency department visitation.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the independent predictors of non-urgent emergency department use for mental health care.

One Stop: Examining the Reasons Patients Use the Emergency Department for Nonurgent Care and the Barriers They Face.

Introduction: Despite the plethora of research on the use of emergency department services for nonurgent primary health care, the vast majority of this research is quantitative in nature. To date, there is little research that reports on the problem from the patients' perspective and/or lived experience, which compromises health care providers' understanding of the essence of the problem as described by the patients. Thus, this study will provide a qualitative description of nonurgent ED visits from the patients' perspective.

Factors predicting vancomycin therapy outcomes in hemodialysis outpatients and the role of the nephrology stewardship pharmacist.

Background: Vancomycin is the default antibiotic to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hemodialysis (HD) units. Current guidelines recommend a vancomycin trough range of 15 to 20 mg/L for serious infections. Data regarding the clinical success of these recommendations are scarce in HD patients.

Efficacy of alteplase 1 versus 2 mg dose in restoring haemodialysis catheter function (Alte-dose 2): A randomized double-blind controlled study.

Aim: Data about the optimal alteplase dose required to treat haemodialysis catheter occlusion (HDC) are scarce. The purpose of the clinical trial was to examine the effectiveness of alteplase 2 mg as compared with 1 mg in restoring HDC function.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in a single-centre in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Univariate Outliers: A Conceptual Overview for the Nurse Researcher.

The presence of statistical outliers is a shared concern in research. If ignored or improperly handled, outliers have the potential to distort the estimate of the parameter of interest and thus compromise the generalizability of research findings. A variety of statistical techniques are available to assist researchers with the identification and management of outlier cases.

Predicting Maintenance Doses of Vancomycin for Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Background: Methicillin-resistant is a leading cause of death in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, controversy exists about the optimal dose of vancomycin that will yield the recommended pre-hemodialysis serum concentration of 15-20 mg/L.

Objective: To develop a data-driven model to optimize the accuracy of maintenance dosing of vancomycin for patients undergoing hemodialysis.