Delegation by Allied Health Professionals to Allied Health Assistants: a mixed methods systematic review

Abstract Background There is a compelling rationale that effective communication between hospital allied health professionals and primary care practitioners could improve quality and continuity of patient care. It is not known which methods of communication are used, nor how effectively they facilitate the transition of care when a patient is discharged home from hospital. Our systematic review aims to investigate the methods and effectiveness of communication between hospital allied health professionals and primary care practitioners. Method Systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies with narrative synthesis. Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycInfo and Proquest Nursing and Allied Health Sources were searched from January 2003 until January 2020 for studies that examined hospital allied health professionals communicating with primary care practitioners. Risk of bias in the different study designs were appraised using recognised tools and a content analysis conducted of the methodologies used. Results From the located 12,281 papers (duplicates removed), 24 studies met the inclusion criteria with hospital allied health professionals communicating in some form with primary care practitioners. There was, however, limited literature investigating the methods and/or the effectiveness of communication between hospital allied health professionals and primary care practitioners.Conclusion There is currently no 'gold standard' method or measure of communication between hospital allied health professionals and primary care practitioners. There is an urgent need to develop and evaluate multidisciplinary communication with enhanced health information technologies to improve collaboration across healthcare settings and facilitate continuity of integrated people-centred care.Registration: www.crd.york.uk PROSPERO CRD42019120410

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Interventions used by allied health professionals in sexual rehabilitation after stroke: A systematic review

Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation ◽

10.1080/10749357.2020.1845014 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Louis-Pierre Auger ◽

Myrian Grondin ◽

Mélanie Aubertin ◽

Audrey Marois ◽

Johanne Filiatrault ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Sexual Rehabilitation

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A systematic review of evidence about extended roles for allied health professionals

Journal of Health Services Research & Policy ◽

10.1258/135581906778476544 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 240-247 ◽

Cited By ~ 79

Author(s):

Kathryn McPherson ◽

Paula Kersten ◽

Steve George ◽

Val Lattimer ◽

Alice Breton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Allied Health Professionals

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LO15: Paramedic and allied health professional interventions at long-term care facilities to reduce emergency department visits: systematic review

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2020.71 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (S1) ◽

pp. S12-S12

Author(s):

S. Leduc ◽

Z. Cantor ◽

P. Kelly ◽

V. Thiruganasambandamoorthy ◽

G. Wells ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Term Care ◽

Ed Visits

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) crowding, long waits for care, and paramedic offload delay are of increasing concern. Older adults living in long-term care (LTC) are more likely to utilize the ED and are vulnerable to adverse events. We sought to identify existing programs that seek to avoid ED visits from LTC facilities where allied health professionals are the primary providers of the intervention and, to evaluate their efficacy and safety. Methods: We completed this systematic review based on a protocol we published apriori and following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. We systematically searched Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE with terms relating to long-term care, emergency services, hospitalization and allied health personnel. Two investigators independently selected studies and extracted data using a piloted standardized form and evaluated the risk of bias of included studies. We report a narrative synthesis grouped by intervention categories. Results: We reviewed 11,176 abstracts and included 22 studies. Most studies were observational and few assessed patient safety. We found five categories of interventions including: 1) use of advanced practice nursing; 2) a program called Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT); 3) end-of-life care; 4) condition specific interventions; and 5) use of extended care paramedics. Of the 13 studies that reported ED visits, all (100%) reported a decrease, and of the 16/17 that reported hospitalization, 94.1% reported a decrease. Patient adverse events such as functional status and relapse were seldom reported (6/22) as were measures of emergency system function such as crowding/inability of paramedics to transfer care to the ED (1/22). Only 4/22 studies evaluated patient mortality and 3/4 found a non-statistically significant worsening. When measured, studies reported decreased hospital length of stay, more time spent with patients by allied health professionals and cost savings. Conclusion: We found five types of programs/interventions which all demonstrated a decrease in ED visits or hospitalization. Many identified programs focused on improved primary care for patients. Interventions addressing acute care issues such as those provided by community paramedics, patient preferences, and quality of life indicators all deserve more study.

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Effective clinical supervision of allied health professionals: a mixed methods study

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4873-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David A. Snowdon ◽

Michelle Sargent ◽

Cylie M. Williams ◽

Stephen Maloney ◽

Kirsten Caspers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Learning Style ◽

Clinical Supervision ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Supervisory Relationship ◽

Allied Health Professionals

Abstract Background Clinical supervision is recommended for allied health professionals for the purpose of supporting them in their professional role, continued professional development and ensuring patient safety and high quality care. The aim of this mixed methods study was to explore allied health professionals’ perceptions about the aspects of clinical supervision that can facilitate effective clinical supervision. Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted on a purposive sample of 38 allied health professionals working in a metropolitan public hospital. Qualitative analysis was completed using an interpretive description approach. To enable triangulation of qualitative data, a quantitative descriptive survey of clinical supervision effectiveness was also conducted using the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26). Results Three main themes emerged from qualitative analysis: Allied health professionals reported that clinical supervision was most effective when their professional development was the focus of clinical supervision; the supervisor possessed the skills and attributes required to facilitate a constructive supervisory relationship; and the organisation provided an environment that facilitated this relationship together with their own professional development. Three subthemes also emerged within each of the main themes: the importance of the supervisory relationship; prioritisation of clinical supervision relative to other professional duties; and flexibility of supervision models, processes and approaches to clinical supervision. The mean MCSS-26 score was 79.2 (95%CI 73.7 to 84.3) with scores ranging from 44 to 100. MCSS-26 results converged with the qualitative findings with participants reporting an overall positive experience with clinical supervision. Conclusions The factors identified by allied health professionals that influenced the effectiveness of their clinical supervision were mostly consistent among the professions. However, allied health professionals reported using models of clinical supervision that best suited their profession’s role and learning style. This highlighted the need for flexible approaches to allied health clinical supervision that should be reflected in clinical supervision policies and guidelines. Many of the identified factors that influence the effectiveness of clinical supervision of allied health professionals can be influenced by health organisations.

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