scholarly journals Maintaining the Link Between Patients and Their Families During the COVID Pandemic Using Visio: Iterative Development and Evaluation

Author(s):  
Frederic Ehrler ◽  
Helena Bornet Dit Vorgeat ◽  
Catherine Zimmermann Ivol

Access to hospitals has been dramatically restricted during the COVID 19 pandemic. As a result, the patients were unable to communicate with their families other than through virtual communication channels. A still significant number of patients, which do not have access to modern videoconference tools, were completely isolated. As a result, the University Hospitals of Geneva decided to implement a Visio conference system inside their patient app ecosystem to allow every patient to remain connected. This article presents the iterative development of the solution in order to respond to the specific timely constraint of the situations as well as its evaluation by the patients and caregivers. Two iterations of the tool have been developed. The first relied on an existing commercial platform whereas the second is a fully integrated solution in our patient app ecosystem. The very positive evaluation at the first stage by more than 300 patients, relatives and caregivers convinced us to invest additional effort to provide a fully integrated solution. The second version, evaluated by 16 patients, confirmed that the Visio reaches its objective of reducing isolation during hospitalization. This initiative is completely in line with the objective of the hospital of providing human centered care.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Costanza ◽  
Julia Ambrosetti ◽  
Philippe Spagnoli ◽  
Andrea Amerio ◽  
Andrea Aguglia ◽  
...  

AbstractA considerable number of patients who made a carbon monoxide (CO) suicidal attempt are treated with urgent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). For these patients at potential persistent risk of suicide, the hyperbaric chamber is a dangerous environment and their management a complex challenge for the Emergency Department (ED) and Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (UMH) teams. We aimed to (1) identify cases of intentional CO poisoning treated with urgent HBOT in the UMH of the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) during 2011–2018 and (2) test a proposed operational and integrated somatic-psychiatric protocol based on acquired experience. A total of 311 patients with CO poisoning were treated using urgent HBOT, for which poisoning was assumed suicidal in 40 patients (12.9%). This percentage appears greater than in other European countries. Both the excess of cases of intentional CO poisonings and difficulties encountered in their management resulted in the implementation of an operational and integrated somatic-psychiatric protocol addressing the entire patient’s clinical trajectory, from the admission at ED-HUG to the treatment at the UMH-HUG. The established institutional protocol includes (1) clinical evaluation, (2) suicide risk assessment, and (3) safety measures. This is the first report—at our best knowledge—of a protocol detailing a practical procedure algorithm and focusing on multidisciplinary and mutual collaboration between the medical-nursing teams at the ED, psychiatric ED, and UMH. Improvements in patient’s safety and care team’s sense of security were observed. In conclusion, the opportunity to refer to a standardized protocol was beneficial in that it offers both reduced risks for suicidal patients and reduced stress for care teams operating in very acute and complex situations. Further studies are needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii26-ii26
Author(s):  
Emma Toman ◽  
Claire Goddard ◽  
Frederick Berki ◽  
William Garratt ◽  
Teresa Scott ◽  
...  

Abstract INTRODUCTION Controversy exists as to whether telephone clinics are appropriate in neurosurgical-oncology. The COVID-19 pandemic forced neuro-oncology services worldwide to re-design and at the University Hospitals Birmingham UK, telephone clinics were quickly implemented in select patients to limit numbers of patients attending hospital. It was important to determine how these changes were perceived by patients. METHODS A 20-question patient satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to patients who attended neuro-oncology clinic in person (“face-to-face”), or via the telephone. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine significance, which was set at p< 0.05. RESULTS Eighty questionnaires were distributed between June 2020 and August 2020. Overall, 50% (n=40) of patients returned the questionnaire, 50% (n=23) of face-to-face and 50% (n=17) telephone patients. Of those who received telephone consultations, 88% (n=15) felt the consultation was convenient, 88% (n=15) were satisfied with their consultation and 18% (n=3) felt they would have preferred to have a face-to-face appointment. Of those who attended clinic in person, 96% (n=22) felt their consultation was convenient, 100% (n=23) were satisfied with their consultation and 13% (n=3) would have preferred a telephone consultation. Within the face-to-face clinic attendees, only 13% (n=3) were concerned regarding the COVID risk associated with attending hospital. There was no significant difference in patient convenience or satisfaction (p=0.565 and p=0.174 respectively) between face-to-face and telephone clinics. There was no significant difference in whether patients would’ve preferred the alternative method of consultation (p > 0.999). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that careful patient selection for neuro-oncology telephone clinic is not inferior to face-to-face clinic. Telephone clinic during COVID-19 pandemic proved to be convenient, safe and effective. This global health crisis has transformed telephone neuro-oncology consultations from an experimental innovation into established practice and should be continued beyond the pandemic in select cases.


2021 ◽  
pp. 084653712110263
Author(s):  
James Huynh ◽  
David Horne ◽  
Rhonda Bryce ◽  
David A Leswick

Purpose: Quantify resident caseload during call and determine if there are consistent differences in call volumes for individuals or resident subgroups. Methods: Accession codes for after-hours computed tomography (CT) cases dictated by residents between July 1, 2012 and January 9, 2017 were reviewed. Case volumes by patient visits and body regions scanned were determined and categorized according to time period, year, and individual resident. Mean shift Relative Value Units (RVUs) were calculated by year. Descriptive statistics, linear mixed modeling, and linear regression determined mean values, differences between residents, associations between independent variables and outcomes, and changes over time. Consistent differences between residents were assessed as a measure of good or bad luck / karma on call. Results: During this time there were 23,032 patients and 30,766 anatomic regions scanned during 1,652 call shifts among 32 residents. Over the whole period, there were on average 10.6 patients and 14.3 body regions scanned on weekday shifts and 22.3 patients and 29.4 body regions scanned during weekend shifts. Annually, the mean number of patients, body regions, and RVUs scanned per shift increased by an average of 0.2 (1%), 0.4 (2%), and 1.2 (5%) (all p < 0.05) respectively in regression models. There was variability in call experiences, but only 1 resident had a disproportionate number of higher volume calls and fewer lower volume shifts than expected. Conclusions: Annual increases in scan volumes were modest. Although residents’ experiences varied, little of this was attributable to consistent personal differences, including luck or call karma.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3515
Author(s):  
Christelle de la Fouchardière ◽  
Mustapha Adham ◽  
Anne-Marie Marion-Audibert ◽  
Antoine Duclos ◽  
Claude Darcha ◽  
...  

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a major public health challenge, and faces disparities and delays in the diagnosis and access to care. Our purposes were to describe the medical path of PDAC patients in the real-life setting and evaluate the overall survival at 1 year. We used the national hospital discharge summaries database system to analyze the management of patients with newly diagnosed PDAC over the year 2016 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (AuRA) (France). A total of 1872 patients met inclusion criteria corresponding to an incidence of 22.6 per 100,000 person-year. Within the follow-up period, 353 (18.9%) were operated with a curative intent, 743 (39.7%) underwent chemo- and/or radiotherapy, and 776 (41.4%) did not receive any of these treatments. Less than half of patients were operated in a high-volume center, defined by more than 20 PDAC resections performed annually, mainly university hospitals. The 1-year survival rate was 47% in the overall population. This study highlights that a significant number of patients with PDAC are still operated in low-volume centers or do not receive any specific oncological treatment. A detailed analysis of the medical pathways is necessary in order to identify the medical and territorial determinants and their impact on the patient’s outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 230949902199607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Lung Shih ◽  
Peng-Ju Huang ◽  
Hsuan-Ti Huang ◽  
Chung-Hwan Chen ◽  
Tien-Ching Lee ◽  
...  

Aim: Taiwan’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) differed in that it successfully prevented the spread without having to shutdown or overburden medical services. Patients’ fear regarding the pandemic would be the only reason to reduce surgeries, so Taiwan could be the most suitable place for research on the influence of psychological factors. This study aimed to assess the impact of patients’ fear on orthopedic surgeries in Taiwan amid the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: The investigation period included the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to April 2020) and the corresponding period in the previous year. The following data on patients with orthopedic diseases were collected: outpatient visits, hospital admission, and surgical modalities. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 22%–29% and 20%–26% reduction in outpatients, 22%–27% and 25%–37% reduction in admissions, and 26%–35% and 18%–34% reduction in surgeries, respectively, at both hospitals. The weekly mean number of patients was significantly smaller during the COVID-19 pandemic for all types of surgery and elective surgeries at the university hospital, and for all types of surgery, elective surgeries, and total knee arthroplasties at the community hospital. Further, patients visiting the community hospital during the pandemic were significantly younger, for all types of surgery, elective surgeries, and total knee arthroplasties. Conclusions: The reduction in orthopedic surgeries in Taiwan’s hospitals during COVID-19 could be attributed to patients’ fear. Even without restriction, the pandemic inevitably led to a reduction of about 20%–30% of the operation volume.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S A Stanley ◽  
C T Berridge ◽  
T R L Griffiths

Abstract Introduction Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy may be considered for suspected testicular malignancy if widespread life-threatening metastases are identified on computed tomography (CT) imaging. Staging preoperatively enables this and may prevent delays in ongoing oncological care. This project aimed to increase the proportion of staging scans performed preoperatively in the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS trust. Method All referrals between 01/01/2016 and 31/12/2018 to the urology multidisciplinary team for suspected testicular cancer were reviewed. Exclusion criteria were applied prior to collecting treatment pathway data for each patient. Based on initial audit findings, clinicians were advised to request staging CT scans at the first urology clinic appointment. Re-audit was between 01/01/2019 and 31/12/2019. Results Initial audit included 95 patients and re-audit included 23 patients. The proportion of preoperative scans increased from 28.4% to 82.6% following intervention. Median time from first ultrasound to CT was reduced from 44 days to 17 days without affecting median time to orchidectomy (27 to 23 days) or oncology appointment (61 days). Conclusions Requesting a staging CT scan as part of the first clinic assessment improved the proportion of preoperative scans without affecting time to surgery or oncology appointment.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1954 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-179

The author of this excellent monograph has been for many years connected with the University Children's Hospital in Zürich, as a coworker of Fanconi who wrote the preface of this book. The University hospitals in Zürich are a traditional center of clinical hematologic research. Feer, Fanconi and Naegeli made important contributions dealing with the constitutional etiology of blood dyscrasias. The stationary population of Zürich facilitates study of hereditary traits such as spherocytosis, the international influx, e.g., experiences in Mediterranean anemia and the location as university and city center abundant material of mushroom poisoning and erythroblastosis.


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