Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Emotions of endometriosis in clinical encounters: An analysis of women's experiences of health care.
A large number of illnesses that lack physical visibility are characterised by troubled clinical encounters. Endometriosis is one such condition with very real and often debilitating symptoms that remain invisible to the clinician's eye, but are experienced and lived by the patient. ⋯ The paper concludes by indicating the urgency of improved medical training, that better educates and facilitates health care professionals in dealing with conditions with complicated aetiology, difficult diagnosis and no cure.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Undergraduate Medical Doctor (MD) Programme at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) was unable to run in-person medical school interviews in March 2020, prompting an alternate solution that maximised admission opportunities for Indigenous applicants, prioritised admission for those rated most highly in the interview determination process, and allocated subsequent offers via lottery. ⋯ The negative responses to this unexpected change highlight the profound upstream impact admission policies have on the preapplication behaviours of aspiring medical students. The outcomes support a refined understanding of the value candidates place on the interview in appraising their own suitability for a career as a physician.
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Unsafe patient events not only entail a clinical impact but also lead to economic burden in terms of prolonged hospitalization or unintended harm and delay in care delivery. Monitoring and time-bound investigation of patient safety events (PSEs) is of paramount importance in a healthcare set-up. ⋯ Effective training and sensitization regarding the need to report the patient unsafe incidents or near misses to the healthcare system can help avert many untoward experiences. The notion of 'No Blame No Shame' should be well inculcated within the minds of each hospital unit such that even if an error occurs, its prompt reporting does not get harmed.
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When implementing new interventions into clinical practice, it is of great importance to investigate the implementation process to better understand factors promoting and impeding the implementation to stimulate engagement and sustainability of the intervention. It is essential to consider perspectives both from the health professionals delivering the intervention and those receiving the intervention to be open to their suggestions for enhancing the dissemination and implementation of the intervention. The aim of the study was to evaluate adoption, acceptability and appropriateness of a person-centred group intervention (PCGI) from the perspectives of facilitators and participants with mental illness in mental health outpatient services right after delivery. ⋯ Facilitators and participants found the form and structure of the PCGI useful and meaningful. Some participants dropped out as they did not feel comfortable in a group setting. The components in the sessions, questions on cards and reflection sheets together with peer-to-peer interactions provided a safe environment. However, facilitation from facilitators requires appropriate skills and qualifications, which must be provided by the hospital together with supervision and the possibility for peer feedback and exchange of experiences.
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Use of algorithms to identify patients with high data-continuity in electronic health records (EHRs) may increase study validity. Practical experience with this approach remains limited. ⋯ We found that a simple, portable algorithm to predict data continuity gave comparable performance to more complex methods. Use of the algorithm significantly impacted the results of an empirical study, with evidence of more valid results at higher levels of data continuity.