Improving the safety of medicines management when people leave hospital is an international priority. There is evidence that poor co-ordination of medicines between providers can cause preventable harm to patients, yet there is insufficient evidence of the structure and function of the medicines management system that patients experience. This research used a mixed-methods social network analysis to determine the structure, content and function of that system as experienced by patients. Patients’ networks comprised a range of loosely connected healthcare professionals in different organisations and informal, personal contacts. Networks performed multiple functions, including health condition management, and orienting patients concerning their medicines. Some patients experienced safety incidents as a function of their networks. Staff discharging patients from hospital were also observed. Contributory factors that were found to risk the safety of patients’ discharge with medicines included active failures, individual factors and local working conditions. System defences involving staff and patients were also observed. The study identified how patients often co-ordinated a system that lacked personalisation and there is a need to provide more consistent support for patients’ self-management of medicines after they leave hospital. This could be achieved through interventions that include patients’ informal contacts in supporting their medicines use, enhancing their resilience to preventable harm, and developing and testing the role of a ‘medicines key worker’ in safely managing the transfer of care. The role of GP practices in co-ordinating the involvement of multiple professionals in patient polypharmacy needs to be further explored. / University of Bradford studentship

Yes / Background Interventions to reduce medicines discontinuity at transitions during and reinforced after discharge are effective. However, few studies have linked hospital-based counseling with onward referral for community pharmacy-based follow-up to support patients' medicines use. Objective To determine the effects of targeted hospital pharmacist counseling on discharge or targeted community pharmacy medicines reviews post-discharge on patients' knowledge of newly started medication. Methods The study was a controlled trial of targeted medicines discharge counseling provided by hospital pharmacists or follow-up post-discharge medicines review provided by community pharmacists compared with usual care (nurse counseling). Outcomes measured using a structured telephone survey conducted at two and four weeks after patients were discharged from hospital. Results Patients who received hospital pharmacist counseling were significantly more likely to report being told the purpose of their new medicine and how to take it versus those receiving usual care. Fewer than half of the patients who were allocated to receive a community pharmacy medicines review received one. Conclusions Patient knowledge of medicines newly prescribed in the hospital was increased by targeted counseling of hospital pharmacists. The findings suggest the need to improve the consistency of the information covered when providing counseling, perhaps by the implementation of a counseling checklist for use by all disciplines of staff involved in patient counseling. The potential of community pharmacy follow-up medicines review is currently undermined by several barriers to uptake.

Yes / Health and social care services are under strain providing care in the community particularly at hospital discharge. Patient and carer experiences can inform and shape services. Objective To develop service user-led recommendations enabling smooth transition for people living with memory loss from acute hospital to community. Design Lead and co-researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 pairs of carers and patients with memory loss at discharge, 6 and 12 weeks post-discharge and one semi-structured interview with health and social care professionals and Admiral Nurses. Framework analysis was guided by co-researchers. Two focus groups of study participants, facilitated by co-researchers, met to shape and finalize recommendations. Setting and participants Recruitment took place in acute hospitals in two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England. Patients were aged 65 and over, with memory loss, an in-patient for at least 1 week returning to the community, who had a carer consenting to be in the study. Results Poor delivery of services caused considerable stress to some study families living with memory loss. Three key recommendations included a need for a written, mutually agreed discharge plan, a named coordinator of services, and improved domiciliary care services. Discussion and conclusions Vulnerable patients with memory loss find coming out of hospital after an extended period a stressful experience. The SHARED study contributes to understanding the hospital discharge process through the eyes of the patient and carer living with memory loss and has the potential to contribute to more efficient use of resources and to improving health outcomes in communities. / National Institute for Health Research. Grant Number: PB-PG-1112-29064

Yes / Sepsis is one of the most common causes of mortality in postnatal women globally and many other women who develop sepsis are left with severe morbidity. Women’s knowledge of postnatal sepsis and how it can be prevented by simple changes to behaviour is lacking. Methods: This paper describes the co-development and feasibility testing of a digital animation intervention called DAISI (digital animation in service improvement). This DAISI is designed to enhance postnatal women’s awareness of sepsis and how to reduce their risk of developing the condition. We co-designed the digital animation over a six-month period underpinned by theory, best evidence and key stakeholders, translated it into Urdu then assessed its use, firstly in a focus group with women from different Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups and secondly with 15 clinical midwives and 15 women (including BAME women). Following exposure to the intervention, midwives completed a questionnaire developed from the COM-B behaviour change model and women participated in individual and focus group interviews using similar questions. Results: The animation was considered acceptable, culturally sensitive and simple to implement and follow. Discussion: DAISI appears to be an innovative solution for use in maternity care to address difficulties with the postnatal hospital discharge process. We could find no evidence of digital animation being used in this context and recommend a study to test it in practice prior to adopting its use more widely. If effective, the DAISI principle could be used in other maternity contexts and other areas of the NHS to communicate health promotion information. / This study was funded by Translate Medtech, Leeds City Region. DAISI was developed by HMA Digital, Barnsley, UK.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perception of given information at discharge from a urological ward at Akademiska sjukhuset, and to investigate whether the patients had searched for information themselves after discharge.   The study is an empirical cross -sectional study with descriptive design. All the patients inscribed as urologic patients, discharged to their home during month of March 2009, were asked to participate in the study (in total 82 patients), which led to 57 participants. The data collection method was an interview over the phone, with 20 structured questions. The interview form was sent by mail to the patients after the discharge from the ward, the authors thereafter called the participants at home and performed the interview within 10-20 days after discharge.   The most common concerns for surgical patients after discharge are wound care, pain management, daily activity, the detection of complications, handling symptoms, elimination and quality of life. This study shows that 72 % of the participants considered the given information as sufficient for handling their self-care at home. The lack of information experienced by the participants concerned daily activity, eventual complications that may occur and pain management. The majority of the discharge information was given in the patient room.   Postoperative complications that occur after discharge can be expensive for the society and is a cause of unnecessary suffering for the patient, therefore the patient need to understand what to be observant of after discharge. This requires that both doctors and nurses provide relevant information for each individual patient. / Syftet var att undersöka patienters uppfattning av information given vid utskrivning från en urologisk vårdavdelning på Akademiska sjukhuset samt att undersöka om patienterna själva sökt information efter utskrivningen.   Studien är en empirisk tvärsnittstudie med deskriptiv design. Alla patienter inskrivna som urologpatienter, som skrevs ut till hemmet från en urologisk vårdavdelning under mars månad 2009 tillfrågades att delta (sammanlagt 82 patienter), 57 patienter deltog. Som datainsamlingsmetod användes en telefonintervju med 20 strukturerade frågor. Frågorna skickades hem till patienterna efter hemgång och författarna ringde sedan upp patienterna i hemmet och genomförde intervjun.   De områden som kirurgiska patienter upplever störst bekymmer för efter utskrivning från sjukhuset är sårvård, smärthantering, daglig aktivitet, att upptäcka komplikationer, symtomhantering, elimination och livskvalitet. Studien visar att 72 % av deltagarna tyckte att den information de fått var tillräcklig för att sköta sin egenvård. Den information som saknats har varit inom områdena daglig aktivitet, eventuella komplikationer som kan uppstå och smärtlindring. Majoriteten av utskrivningssamtalen ägde rum på patientsalen.   Postoperativa komplikationer som uppträder efter utskrivning kan bli kostsamma för samhället och är källa till onödigt lidande för patienten, patienten behöver därför förstå vad denne skall vara uppmärksam på efter hemgång. Detta ställer krav på både läkare och sjuksköterskor att ge information som är relevant för varje individuell patient.

Communication of hospital discharge instructions between patient and provider is an important component of hospital discharge to ensure that patients have the information they need to manage their post-acute care. Patient perception of this interaction is a key indicator of the quality of services provided. This study examined whether there is a correlation between hospital continuity and transition scores (a measure of patient perceptions of hospital discharge instructions) and hospital readmissions in Ontario. The final regression model for the outcome of all medical readmissions within three days of hospital discharge, showed a significant positive relationship (coefficient=0.0090, p=0.011). The estimate was smaller and not significant once the data was restricted to only community hospitals located outside of Toronto (coefficient=0.0085, p=0.060), and when restricted to urban community hospitals outside of Toronto (coefficient=0.0041, p=0.384). For the outcome of specific medical readmissions within 28 days of hospital discharge, no statistically significant relationship was found.

Communication of hospital discharge instructions between patient and provider is an important component of hospital discharge to ensure that patients have the information they need to manage their post-acute care. Patient perception of this interaction is a key indicator of the quality of services provided. This study examined whether there is a correlation between hospital continuity and transition scores (a measure of patient perceptions of hospital discharge instructions) and hospital readmissions in Ontario. The final regression model for the outcome of all medical readmissions within three days of hospital discharge, showed a significant positive relationship (coefficient=0.0090, p=0.011). The estimate was smaller and not significant once the data was restricted to only community hospitals located outside of Toronto (coefficient=0.0085, p=0.060), and when restricted to urban community hospitals outside of Toronto (coefficient=0.0041, p=0.384). For the outcome of specific medical readmissions within 28 days of hospital discharge, no statistically significant relationship was found.

Esta tese discute a vida após a alta hospitalar através de uma etnografia da experiência de um grupo de famílias, ao cuidarem de um membro dependente de cuidados de saúde. Foi realizada entre agosto de 2001 e julho de 2005 em Juiz de Fora-MG. O foco da investigação foi a convivência cotidiana da família com um membro requerendo cuidados de saúde especializados após ter recebido assistência de alta complexidade. O objetivo foi compreender a questão: como a família cuida, em casa, de um familiar que necessita de cuidados de saúde após a alta hospitalar? Adotamos a etnografia orientada por Geertz (1989), que nos permitiu, através da análise interpretativa das teias de significados apreendidas pela observaçãoconvivência com os sujeitos, uma compreensão de como o fenômeno (cuidado) se evidencia e se transforma em experiência nas relações que se estabelecem dentro e fora da família. A identificação das famílias-sujeito iniciou com a observação das internações na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) do Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, no segundo semestre de 2003, seguida da observação nas enfermarias e, posteriormente, nos seus domicílios. De 137 pacientes internados nesta UTI naquele semestre, 59 foram a óbito, 12 foram transferidos para outro hospital da cidade, por demandarem tecnologias não oferecidas pela instituição e 66 tiveram alta hospitalar na condição de melhorado. Destes, observamos 12 casos, residentes na cidade de Juiz de Fora, que compartilham de uma mesma cultura assistencial e que foram submetidas a um mesmo padrão de organização e de fluxo de atendimento no sistema de saúde local. Destas, uma família se destacou como principal sujeito, pela repetição de eventos significativos à questão principal da pesquisa e utilizamos dados de outras cinco dentre as observadas. Os dados foram arquivados em um banco de dados qualitativos LOGOS. A prioridade nos cuidados com o corpo; a dependência dos serviços de saúde especializados do SUS e as alterações na organização e no funcionamento da família, com redefinições de papéis, para se adaptar à realidade de convivência com um membro doente, estão dentre os achados. Dois fenômenos que se relacionam com o desenvolvimento da experiência de cuidar pelas famílias se destacaram: a individualização na família, que parece influenciar a forma de abordagem clínica (individualizada) pelos profissionais de saúde, e uma concepção de família como sujeito coletivo Bourdieu (1998) como possibilidade para o planejamento de ações coletivas. O sofrimento, observado pela contínua convivência dos sujeitos com sentimentos de angústia nas trajetórias de busca de cuidados no Sistema, nas instituições de saúde, evidenciou a desassistência a que esse grupo de cidadãos está exposto no modelo assistencial vigente. A lida das famílias com uma diversidade de cuidados, incluindo a prática de cuidados técnicos desencadeou uma rede extrafamiliar de aproximações, para o enfrentamento das necessidades. Apesar da dependência de tecnologias, de saberes técnicos e das restrições no acesso a esses, evidenciou-se um tipo de autonomia pelos sujeitos na prática de cuidados no espaço intrafamiliar e no entorno micro-sociológico de convivência. No Sistema de Saúde a preferência primeira das famílias para busca de ajuda é o hospital, depois, as unidades de referência secundária e, por último, as Equipes de Saúde da Família (ESF). A procura pelas ESF é por que estas representam parte obrigatória no fluxo inicial dos usuários do SUS local, garantem a aquisição de medicamentos, oferecem serviços de natureza cartorial, como atestados e pareceres para juiz e, ainda, encaminhamentos e solicitação de exames. / This thesis discusses life after discharge from the hospital, using the ethnography of the experience of a group of families, as they cared for dependent family members. It was carried out between August 2001 and July 2005 in Juiz de Fora, MG. The focus of the investigation was the familys daily life with a member who required specialized health care after receiving highly complex care. The objective was to answer the question: how does the family care, at home, for a member who still needs care after being discharged from the hospital? We adopted Geertzs (1989) ethnography, which allowed us, through interpretive analysis of the webs of meanings learned through observance-contact with the subjects, an understanding of how the phenomenon (care) is evidenced, and is transformed into experience in the relationships that arise within and outside of the family. Identification of the subject families began with observation of hospital admittances at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Juiz de Fora Federal University Hospital during the second semester of 2003, followed by observation in the wards, and later, at the homes. Of 137 patients admitted to the ICU that semester, 59 died, 12 were transferred to other hospitals in the same city, as they required technology not offered by the University Hospital, and 66 were released under the category of improved. Of these, we observed only 12 cases, all residing in the city of Juiz de Fora, who fall under the same care culture and who received the same organizational standard and care flow in the local health system. Of these, one family stood out as the principal subject, due to repetition of events that were significant for the main issue of this study. We also used data from 5 of the other observed patients. The data were stored in a LOGOS qualitative data bank. Among the results we found were the priority given to physical care, the dependence on specialized SUS health services and the alterations in the organization and functioning of the family, with redefinition of roles to adapt to the reality of living with a sick family member. Two phenomena related to the experience of caring by the families stand out: individualization in the family, which seems to influence the clinical approach (individualized) by health professionals, and a conception of the family as a collective subject, Bourdieu (1998), as a possibility for planning collective action. The suffering that was observed through continuous contact of the subjects with anguish as they sought health care in the SUS, in the health care institutions, demonstrated the uncare that this group of citizens is exposed to under the present health care system. The families experiences in dealing with a variety of types of care, including technical care, led to a network of contacts with people outside of the family, to meet the patients needs. In spite of dependence on technology, technological knowledge, and the restrictions on them, there was evidence of a kind of autonomy on the part of the subjects in terms of health care practice within the intra-family space an in the micro-sociological surroundings. In the Health Care System, the families first preference was to seek help at hospitals, then at secondary reference units, and lastly, from the Family Health Teams. They sought help from the Family Health Teams because they represented an obligatory part of the initial flow of users in the local SUS, they guarantee the supply of medicine, offer services of a bureaucratic nature, such as bills of health and doctors opinions to present to judges, as well as requests and forwarding for laboratory exams.

Esta tese discute a vida após a alta hospitalar através de uma etnografia da experiência de um grupo de famílias, ao cuidarem de um membro dependente de cuidados de saúde. Foi realizada entre agosto de 2001 e julho de 2005 em Juiz de Fora-MG. O foco da investigação foi a convivência cotidiana da família com um membro requerendo cuidados de saúde especializados após ter recebido assistência de alta complexidade. O objetivo foi compreender a questão: como a família cuida, em casa, de um familiar que necessita de cuidados de saúde após a alta hospitalar? Adotamos a etnografia orientada por Geertz (1989), que nos permitiu, através da análise interpretativa das teias de significados apreendidas pela observaçãoconvivência com os sujeitos, uma compreensão de como o fenômeno (cuidado) se evidencia e se transforma em experiência nas relações que se estabelecem dentro e fora da família. A identificação das famílias-sujeito iniciou com a observação das internações na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) do Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, no segundo semestre de 2003, seguida da observação nas enfermarias e, posteriormente, nos seus domicílios. De 137 pacientes internados nesta UTI naquele semestre, 59 foram a óbito, 12 foram transferidos para outro hospital da cidade, por demandarem tecnologias não oferecidas pela instituição e 66 tiveram alta hospitalar na condição de melhorado. Destes, observamos 12 casos, residentes na cidade de Juiz de Fora, que compartilham de uma mesma cultura assistencial e que foram submetidas a um mesmo padrão de organização e de fluxo de atendimento no sistema de saúde local. Destas, uma família se destacou como principal sujeito, pela repetição de eventos significativos à questão principal da pesquisa e utilizamos dados de outras cinco dentre as observadas. Os dados foram arquivados em um banco de dados qualitativos LOGOS. A prioridade nos cuidados com o corpo; a dependência dos serviços de saúde especializados do SUS e as alterações na organização e no funcionamento da família, com redefinições de papéis, para se adaptar à realidade de convivência com um membro doente, estão dentre os achados. Dois fenômenos que se relacionam com o desenvolvimento da experiência de cuidar pelas famílias se destacaram: a individualização na família, que parece influenciar a forma de abordagem clínica (individualizada) pelos profissionais de saúde, e uma concepção de família como sujeito coletivo Bourdieu (1998) como possibilidade para o planejamento de ações coletivas. O sofrimento, observado pela contínua convivência dos sujeitos com sentimentos de angústia nas trajetórias de busca de cuidados no Sistema, nas instituições de saúde, evidenciou a desassistência a que esse grupo de cidadãos está exposto no modelo assistencial vigente. A lida das famílias com uma diversidade de cuidados, incluindo a prática de cuidados técnicos desencadeou uma rede extrafamiliar de aproximações, para o enfrentamento das necessidades. Apesar da dependência de tecnologias, de saberes técnicos e das restrições no acesso a esses, evidenciou-se um tipo de autonomia pelos sujeitos na prática de cuidados no espaço intrafamiliar e no entorno micro-sociológico de convivência. No Sistema de Saúde a preferência primeira das famílias para busca de ajuda é o hospital, depois, as unidades de referência secundária e, por último, as Equipes de Saúde da Família (ESF). A procura pelas ESF é por que estas representam parte obrigatória no fluxo inicial dos usuários do SUS local, garantem a aquisição de medicamentos, oferecem serviços de natureza cartorial, como atestados e pareceres para juiz e, ainda, encaminhamentos e solicitação de exames. / This thesis discusses life after discharge from the hospital, using the ethnography of the experience of a group of families, as they cared for dependent family members. It was carried out between August 2001 and July 2005 in Juiz de Fora, MG. The focus of the investigation was the familys daily life with a member who required specialized health care after receiving highly complex care. The objective was to answer the question: how does the family care, at home, for a member who still needs care after being discharged from the hospital? We adopted Geertzs (1989) ethnography, which allowed us, through interpretive analysis of the webs of meanings learned through observance-contact with the subjects, an understanding of how the phenomenon (care) is evidenced, and is transformed into experience in the relationships that arise within and outside of the family. Identification of the subject families began with observation of hospital admittances at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Juiz de Fora Federal University Hospital during the second semester of 2003, followed by observation in the wards, and later, at the homes. Of 137 patients admitted to the ICU that semester, 59 died, 12 were transferred to other hospitals in the same city, as they required technology not offered by the University Hospital, and 66 were released under the category of improved. Of these, we observed only 12 cases, all residing in the city of Juiz de Fora, who fall under the same care culture and who received the same organizational standard and care flow in the local health system. Of these, one family stood out as the principal subject, due to repetition of events that were significant for the main issue of this study. We also used data from 5 of the other observed patients. The data were stored in a LOGOS qualitative data bank. Among the results we found were the priority given to physical care, the dependence on specialized SUS health services and the alterations in the organization and functioning of the family, with redefinition of roles to adapt to the reality of living with a sick family member. Two phenomena related to the experience of caring by the families stand out: individualization in the family, which seems to influence the clinical approach (individualized) by health professionals, and a conception of the family as a collective subject, Bourdieu (1998), as a possibility for planning collective action. The suffering that was observed through continuous contact of the subjects with anguish as they sought health care in the SUS, in the health care institutions, demonstrated the uncare that this group of citizens is exposed to under the present health care system. The families experiences in dealing with a variety of types of care, including technical care, led to a network of contacts with people outside of the family, to meet the patients needs. In spite of dependence on technology, technological knowledge, and the restrictions on them, there was evidence of a kind of autonomy on the part of the subjects in terms of health care practice within the intra-family space an in the micro-sociological surroundings. In the Health Care System, the families first preference was to seek help at hospitals, then at secondary reference units, and lastly, from the Family Health Teams. They sought help from the Family Health Teams because they represented an obligatory part of the initial flow of users in the local SUS, they guarantee the supply of medicine, offer services of a bureaucratic nature, such as bills of health and doctors opinions to present to judges, as well as requests and forwarding for laboratory exams.

La surveillance des infections sur prothèses ostéo-articulaires (IPOA) est une cible de la surveillance des infections nosocomiales, calcul d'incidence difficile et peu robuste (données manquantes, pas de suivi à long terme), sur cette chirurgie à faible incidence d'infection du site opératoire (ISO). Le PMSI est une base exhaustive de données médico-administratives, permettant de suivre la trajectoire des patients (chainage). L'objectif de la thèse était d'évaluer la validité du PMSI pour la surveillance des IPOA et d'estimer son utilisation en routine sur une cohorte régionale. Une cohorte rétrospective régionale de patients avec première arthroplastie de hanche ou de genou a été constituée en utilisant la base PMSI. La définition d'IPOA était basée sur un algorithme PMSI utilisant les codes CIM-10 et les actes CCAM. Une étude de sensibilité sur 1 000 dossiers médicaux était réalisée par une enquête cas-témoin nichée dans la cohorte. L'application de la définition validée (Se 97%, Spe 95%, VPP 87%, VPN 98%) dans la cohorte a permis le calcul du taux d'IPOA, 2,2/100 pers-année [IC 95% 2,0- 2,6] et d'estimer les facteurs de risque : sexe masculin, dénutrition, obésité, maladies chroniques. La médiane de survenue de l'IPOA était 71 jours (1 à 1 650 j) mais un tiers des IPOA survenait plus d'un an après la pose. Ce travail a démontré le potentiel de l'outil PMSI (fiabilité, facilité d'utilisation, moindre coût) pour la surveillance des ISO, sous conditions d'un algorithme approprié de sélection des cas. / One target of surgical site infections (SSI) surveillance is hip or knee arthroplasty infections (HKAI), however, HKAI incidence estimations are considered to be poorly effective, especially regarding data collection and patient follow-up. In France, each hospital discharge must be registered in the National Hospital Discharge Database (HDD), convenient and permanent medico-administrative database that can be mined for epidemiological studies and evaluation. This study aims to assess performance criteria of using the HDD as an additional tool to survey SSI occurring after HKA and to study its use in routine. A cohort study was conducted using retrospectively collected regional data from the French HDD. Surveillance of HKAI occurrence was performed based on various algorithms using the ICD-10, and the classification of procedures in a case-control study nested in the cohort. The HKAI case definition was validated by checking 1,000 medical charts as the gold standard, giving performance criteria as Se 97%, Spe 95%, PPV 87%, PNV 98%. The HKAI incidence density was 2.2/100 pers-year [CI95% 2.0- 2.6] and risk factors were male gender, undernutrition, obesity, chronic diseases. The median time for HKAI occurrence was 71 days (1-1,650 d), but 1/3 of HKAI occurred more than one year after arthroplasty. The HDD potential for routine SSI surveillance in low risk surgery was demonstrated, under conditions of having appropriate algorithm for selecting infections.