Publications by authors named "Stelfox H"

We aimed to understand how experiences with vaccine-related information and communication challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted motivations and behaviors among Canadian adults regarding future vaccines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants purposively selected to ensure diversity in age, sex at birth, self-identified gender, and region. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis; findings were mapped to the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model focusing on factors affecting vaccine hesitancy and uptake.

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Background: Multifaceted interventions that address barriers and facilitators have been shown to be most effective for increasing the adoption of high-value care, but there is a knowledge gap on this type of intervention for the de-implementation of low-value care. Trauma is a high-risk setting for low-value care, such as unnecessary diagnostic imaging and the use of specialized resources. The aim of our study was to develop and assess the usability of a multifaceted intervention to reduce low-value injury care.

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Purpose: There is significant variability in the application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. There are numerous studies assessing methods of determining optimal PEEP, but many methods, patient populations, and study settings lack high-quality evidence. Guidelines make no recommendations about the use of a specific method because of equipoise and lack of high-quality evidence.

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Background: Bloodstream infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Early, appropriate antibiotic therapy is important, but the duration of treatment is uncertain.

Methods: In a multicenter, noninferiority trial, we randomly assigned hospitalized patients (including patients in the intensive care unit [ICU]) who had bloodstream infection to receive antibiotic treatment for 7 days or 14 days.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study highlights the significance of reducing low-value care in pediatric trauma, suggesting that it can enhance patient experiences and outcomes while minimizing unnecessary healthcare resource use.* -
  • A retrospective cohort study involving over 10,700 children admitted to trauma centers in a Canadian province was conducted to identify and assess low-value practices in pediatric trauma care.* -
  • The research found 19 low-value practices, with five showing moderate to high frequency and variation across hospitals, indicating a need for standardized care to improve pediatric trauma treatment.*
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  • ICU patients often undergo a stressful process of weaning from sedation and ventilation, and a study pilot-tested a coaching tool led by family members to help ease this transition for both patients and their families.
  • Conducted in Calgary, the study involved 25 family-patient dyads from two ICUs, with surveys assessing family demographics, anxiety, tool feedback, and attitudes towards family presence during weaning trials.
  • Results showed that 60% of families found the coaching tool useful, 70% reported positive experiences with family involvement, and family anxiety significantly decreased after using the tool.
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Objectives: Although surgical site infection (SSI) is a commonly used quality metric after lower-limb revascularization surgery, outcomes associated with development of this complication are poorly characterized. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting associations between development of an SSI after these procedures and clinical outcomes and healthcare resource use.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (inception to April 4th, 2023) for studies examining adjusted associations between development of an SSI after lower-limb revascularization surgery and clinical outcomes and healthcare resource use.

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Background: Accurate patient outcome prediction in the intensive care unit (ICU) can potentially lead to more effective and efficient patient care. Deep learning models are capable of learning from data to accurately predict patient outcomes, but they typically require large amounts of data and computational resources. Transfer learning (TL) can help in scenarios where data and computational resources are scarce by leveraging pretrained models.

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  • The study compiled qualitative evidence on how COVID-19 visitation restrictions affected patients, families, and healthcare professionals in NICUs, PICUs, and adult ICUs.
  • Researchers analyzed 184 studies and found 54 key impacts, including disruptions to family-centered care, negative mental health effects, and loss of support systems and bonding opportunities.
  • The review emphasizes the need for compassionate family presence policies in future health crises to address these issues and improve care.
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Purpose: Opioids remain the mainstay of analgesia for critically ill patients, but its exposure is associated with negative effects including persistent use after discharge. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be an effective alternative to opioids with fewer adverse effects. We aimed to describe beliefs and attitudes towards the use of NSAIDs in adult intensive care units (ICUs).

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  • The study aims to reduce the unnecessary use of routine laboratory tests in hospitals, which leads to healthcare waste and potential harm to patients, by implementing a multicomponent intervention across 16 hospitals in British Columbia, Canada.
  • It uses a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial design, evaluating key metrics such as the number of tests ordered per patient-day and overall healthcare costs, while ensuring the intervention's sustainability after implementation.
  • The research builds on an existing effective intervention, with adaptable elements to allow wider application in different healthcare settings, enhancing its potential impact on improving patient care.
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Background: Our previous work synthesized published studies on well-being interventions during COVID-19. As we move into a post-COVID-19 pandemic period there is a need to comprehensively review published strategies, approaches, and interventions to improve child and youth well-being beyond deleterious impacts experienced during COVID-19.

Methods: Seven databases were searched from inception to January 2023.

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Introduction: Hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF) affects nearly 15% of critically ill adults admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). An evidence-based, stakeholder-informed multidisciplinary care pathway () was created to standardise the diagnosis and management of patients with HRF and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Successful adherence to the pathway requires a coordinated team-based approach by the clinician team.

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Background: Despite longstanding efforts and calls for reform, Canada's incremental approach to healthcare changes has left the country lagging behind other OECD nations. Reform to the Canadian healthcare system is essential to develop a higher performing system. This study sought to gain a deeper understanding of the views of Canadian stakeholders on structural and process deficiencies and strategies to improve the Canadian healthcare system substantially and meaningfully.

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Background: Audit and Feedback (A&F) interventions based on quality indicators have been shown to lead to significant improvements in compliance with evidence-based care including de-adoption of low-value practices (LVPs). Our primary aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding a hypothetical A&F module targeting LVPs for trauma admissions to an existing quality assurance intervention targeting high-value care and risk-adjusted outcomes. A secondary aim was to assess how certain A&F characteristics might influence its cost-effectiveness.

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Introduction: Mental disorders are common in adult patients with traumatic injuries. To limit the burden of poor psychological well-being in this population, recognised authorities have issued recommendations through clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). However, the uptake of evidence-based recommendations to improve the mental health of trauma patients has been low until recently.

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Article Synopsis
  • The COVID-19 pandemic had significant negative effects on the daily lives of children and youth, leading to poorer relationships with family and friends, and increased mental health issues such as worsened mood, anxiety, and irritability.
  • A national online survey conducted in Canada from April to May 2022 analyzed self-reported mental health symptoms among children (11-14 years) and youth (15-18 years), focusing on how social factors like relationship quality affected their mental well-being.
  • Results showed that over a third of participants reported worsened mood, anxiety, or irritability during the pandemic compared to before, with poor familial relationships being a significant contributing factor to these symptoms.
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We sought in-depth understanding on the evolution of factors influencing COVID-19 booster dose and bivalent vaccine hesitancy in a longitudinal semi-structured interview-based qualitative study. Serial interviews were conducted between July 25th and September 1, 2022 (Phase I: univalent booster dose availability), and between November 21, 2022 and January 11, 2023 (Phase II: bivalent vaccine availability). Adults (≥18 years) in Canada who had received an initial primary series and had not received a COVID-19 booster dose were eligible for Phase I, and subsequently invited to participate in Phase II.

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Unlabelled: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious condition that presents a diagnostic challenge for which diagnostic errors often happen. The literature suggests that a gap remains between PE diagnostic guidelines and adherence in healthcare practice. While system-level decision support tools exist, the clinical impact of a human-centred design (HCD) approach of PE diagnostic tool design is unknown.

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Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a common and potentially preventable complication of lower limb revascularization surgery associated with increased healthcare resource utilization and patient morbidity. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate multivariable prediction models designed to forecast risk of SSI development after these procedures.

Methods: After protocol registration (CRD42022331292), we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (inception to April 4th, 2023) for studies describing multivariable prediction models designed to forecast risk of SSI in adults after lower limb revascularization surgery.

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Objective: To describe a study protocol and statistical analysis plan (SAP) for the identification and treatment of hypoxemic respiratory failure (HRF) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with protection, paralysis, and proning (TheraPPP) study prior to completion of recruitment, electronic data retrieval, and analysis of any data.

Design: TheraPPP is a stepped-wedge cluster randomised study evaluating a care pathway for HRF and ARDS patients. This is a type-1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design evaluating both intervention effectiveness and implementation; however primarily powered for the effectiveness outcome.

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Purpose: The ABCDEF bundle may improve delirium outcomes among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, however population-based studies are lacking. In this study we evaluated effects of a quality improvement initiative based on the ABCDEF bundle in adult ICUs in Alberta, Canada.

Material And Methods: We conducted a pre-post, registry-based clinical trial, analysed using interrupted time series methodology.

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Background: A significant gap exists between ideal evidence-based practice and real-world application of evidence-informed therapies for patients with hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Pathways can improve the quality of care provided by helping integrate and organise the use of evidence informed practices, but barriers exist that can influence their adoption and successful implementation. We sought to identify barriers to the implementation of a best practice care pathway for HRF and ARDS and design an implementation science-based strategy targeting these barriers that is tailored to the critical care setting.

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Purpose: To understand the epidemiology and healthcare use of critically ill patients experiencing homelessness compared to critically ill patients with stable housing.

Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study included adults admitted to any ICU in Alberta, Canada, for a 3-year period. Administrative and clinical data from the hospital, ICU and emergency department were used to examine healthcare resource use (processes of care, ICU and hospital length of stay, hospital readmission and emergency room visits).

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