Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
-
The Drug Burden Index (DBI) measures exposure to anticholinergic and sedative drugs, which are associated with harm in older adults. To facilitate deprescribing in older Australian inpatients, we piloted an intervention bundle integrating the DBI in Electronic Medical Records, clinician deprescribing guides, consumer information leaflets and a stewardship pharmacist. ⋯ The intervention was well accepted by hospital clinicians. The bundle requires further integration into workflows for sustainability and assessment of generalisability in other health services. Given patients, carers and GPs reported poor medication-related communication, future interventions may target this.
-
Approximately 50% of Americans report having low health insurance literacy, leading to uncertainty when choosing their insurance coverage to best meet their healthcare needs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between lack of prescription drug benefit knowledge and problems paying medical bills among Medicare beneficiaries. ⋯ Tailored programmes aimed at improving beneficiaries' knowledge of prescription drug benefits, reducing out-of-pocket costs and preventing comorbidities may be considered for the at-risk population to address the problem.
-
Telehealth has been consistently viewed as a viable solution for addressing healthcare inaccessibility and mitigating the impact of health workforce shortages in rural areas. However, despite high utilisation in rural areas, little is known about the unintended consequences of telehealth in terms of unexpected benefits and drawbacks. ⋯ This study provides insights into the unintended consequences of telehealth. While telehealth has improved certain aspects of healthcare in rural areas such as the improved support for rural clinicians and the reduced disruption to patients' daily routines, it has also introduced unforeseen challenges such as the transfer of medicolegal burden to local clinicians in rural emergency care facilities to compensate for the absence of physical examinations. These findings feed into decision-making useful for informing and improving telehealth implementation in rural Australia to maximise unexpected benefits, minimise risks, and ensure the long-term viability of telehealth services.
-
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is prevalent and a complex multifactorial condition. The incidence is rising. CPPS patients may benefit from multidisciplinary care in a structured care pathway. ⋯ Stakeholder focus groups using the nominal group technique was a pivotal step in the development of our CPPS care pathway. This step led to fundamental recommendations, of which a personalised treatment plan at an earlier stage in the patient journey might be the most impactful. This is now implemented, and we monitor the effects on outcomes, quality of life and patient's satisfaction.
-
Parents' medicine-seeking behavior is often influenced by their own experiences with illness. The purpose of this study was to investigate parents' medicine-seeking behavior and their beliefs regarding the efficacy of medicines. ⋯ There was inadequate information among parents concerning the use of medicines, including side effects, proper utilization, and the importance of seeking medical assistance. Furthermore, parents have false beliefs about the efficacy of medicines.