critical care practitioner

IMPORTANCE: Screening for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography is associated with reduced lung cancer-specific mortality, but uptake is low in the US; understanding how patients make decisions to engage with lung cancer screening is critical for increasing uptake. Prior research has focused on individual-level psychosocial factors, but environmental factors (eg, historical contexts that include experiencing racism) and modifying factors-those that can be changed to make it easier or harder to undergo screening-also likely affect screening decisions...

Metatarsal fractures pose significant challenges in orthopedic practice, necessitating effective treatment methods to ensure optimal patient outcomes. This comprehensive review focuses on intramedullary Kirschner wire fixation as a promising intervention for metatarsal fractures. Beginning with an overview of metatarsal fractures and the imperative for effective treatments, the review delves into intramedullary fixation's definition, historical background, advantages, and disadvantages. Indications for its use in metatarsal fractures are discussed, providing a foundation for understanding its application...

UNLABELLED: An artificial intelligence-based case-finding strategy has been developed to systematically identify individuals with osteoporosis or at varying risk of fragility fracture. This strategy has the potential to close the critical care gap in osteoporosis treatment in primary care, thereby lessening the societal burden imposed by fragility fractures. BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic fractures represent a major cause of morbidity and, in older adults, a precursor of disability, loss of independence, poor quality of life and premature death...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent clinical uses of low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to guide incorporation into neurological practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Use of low-field MRI has been demonstrated in applications including tumours, vascular pathologies, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, and paediatrics. Safety, workflow, and image quality have also been evaluated. SUMMARY: Low-field MRI has the potential to increase access to critical brain imaging for patients who otherwise may not obtain imaging in a timely manner...

BACKGROUND: Acute agitation frequently occurs in the emergency department. Appropriate management is critical for the safety of all parties involved. Benzodiazepines and antipsychotics are commonly used for agitation, but safety concerns exist with these medications in older adults, even with acute use. The purpose of this study was to compare prescribing practices of anti-agitation medications between adults aged 18 to 64 years and those aged ≥ 65 years. METHODS: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients who presented to the Veteran Affairs Southern Nevada Healthcare System emergency department and received haloperidol, droperidol, lorazepam, olanzapine, or ziprasidone from August 1, 2019, to July 31, 2022...

AIM: To discuss person-centred care in nursing education and the role of online pedagogy to facilitate meaninful learning. BACKGROUND: The core principles and values of person-centred care are at the centre of national and international healthcare education. Person-centred care recognises partnerships and relationships between nurses, healthcare practitioners and individual patients, carers and their families and part of the training of healthcare professionals...

HIV activism has a long history of advancing HIV treatment and is critical in dismantling HIV-related stigma. This study evaluated the psychometric quality of the HIV Activist Identity, Commitment, and Orientation Scale (HAICOS) to assess clinicians' propensity towards HIV activism in Malaysia. From November 2022 to March 2023, 74 general practitioners and primary care physicians in Malaysia participated in the study. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted an internally consistent three-factor solution with 13 items: (1) HIV activist identity and commitment, orientation towards (2) day-to-day, and (3) structural activism...

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVES: Appropriate and timely lifelong access to healthcare following a spinal cord injury (SCI) is critical, yet unmet healthcare needs in this population are common. Poor experiences with healthcare providers can be a barrier to health-seeking behaviour, and we hypothesised that there would be an association between unmet healthcare needs and care experiences. This study aimed to: (1) describe healthcare provider utilisation in the past year, unmet care needs and satisfaction with healthcare services; (2) explore the association between experiences with healthcare providers and unmet healthcare needs; and (3) explore the association between healthcare provider utilisation and participant characteristics, including unmet healthcare needs...

INTRODUCTION: Hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF) affects nearly 15% of critically ill adults admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). An evidence-based, stakeholder-informed multidisciplinary care pathway ( Venting Wisely ) was created to standardise the diagnosis and management of patients with HRF and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Successful adherence to the pathway requires a coordinated team-based approach by the clinician team. The overall aim of this study is to describe the acceptability of the Venting Wisely pathway among critical care clinicians...

INTRODUCTION: Staffing is critical to hospital quality, but recent years have seen hospitals grappling with severe shortages, forcing them to rely on contract or agency staff for urgent patient care needs. This shift in staffing mix has raised questions about its impact on quality. Consequently, this study investigated whether the increased use of agency staff has affected healthcare quality in hospitals. Given the limited recent research on this topic, practitioners remain uncertain about the effectiveness of their staffing strategies and their potential impact on quality...

INTRODUCTION: The Army utilizes Individual Critical Task Lists (ICTLs) to track and ensure competency and deployment readiness of its medical service members. ICTLs are the various skills and procedures that the Army has deemed foundational for each area of concentration (AOC)/military occupational specialty (MOS). While many ICTLs involve the patient care that military medical providers regularly provide, some procedures are not as commonly performed. This, when coupled with lower patient volume at military treatment facilities (MTF), poses a challenge for maintaining skill competency and deployment readiness...

BACKGROUND: In medical emergencies adherence to standardized clinical protocols is crucial to ensure a better outcome for patients. Newly qualified physicians may play several roles in serving the National Health Service (substituting general practitioners, on-call duty, working in emergency rooms, etc.) in Italy. In these situations, the physician may have to manage critical patients autonomously. Moreover, newly qualified physicians may show a considerable deficiency in routine medical activities...

The special collection on Maternal Health Considerations offers a comprehensive exploration of critical issues surrounding maternal well-being across diverse contexts and disciplines. Recognising that maternal health extends beyond the physiological realm, this collection delves into the multifaceted dimensions of maternal well-being, including physical, mental, and socio-ecological factors. The collection comprises a series of interdisciplinary studies that investigate various facets of maternal health, from conception to postpartum stages...

BACKGROUND: Given the prevalence of ADHD and the gaps in ADHD care in Australia, this study investigates the critical barriers and driving forces for innovation. It does so by conducting a preparatory evaluation of an ADHD prototype digital service innovation designed to help streamline ADHD care and empower individual self-management. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with ADHD care consumers/participants and practitioners explored their experiences and provided feedback on a mobile self-monitoring app and related service innovations...

Despite the growing body of literature supporting the use of point-of-care lung ultrasound (POC-LU) in neonates, its adoption in Canadian neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) remains limited. This study aimed to identify healthcare providers' perceptions and barriers to implementing POC-LU in Canadian NICUs. We conducted an electronic survey targeting neonatologists, neonatal fellows, neonatal nurse practitioners, and registered respiratory therapists in 20 Canadian NICUs. The survey comprised a 28-item questionnaire divided into four sections: (1) participants' demographics and availability of POC-LU equipment, (2) experience and interest in POC-LU learning, (3) perception of POC-LU as a diagnostic tool, and (4) barriers to POC-LU implementation in NICUs...

OBJECTIVE: Primary care practitioners are crucial to engaging people in Australia's national cervical screening program. From July 2022, practitioners have been able to offer all screen-eligible people the choice to collect their own self-collected sample; an option introduced to increase equity. This study explored how practitioners are intending to incorporate universal access to self-collection into their clinical care. METHODS: Semi-structed interviews with 27 general practitioners, nurses, and practice managers from 10 practices in Victoria, Australia conducted between May and August 2022...

The number of advanced practice roles in healthcare is increasing in response to several factors such as changes in medical education, economic pressures, workforce shortages and the increasing complexity of health needs of the population. The Advanced Critical Care Practitioner Curriculum, developed by the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in the UK (United Kingdom), enables the development and delivery of a structured education programme which can contribute to addressing these challenges. This article outlines how one university designed and implemented this programme, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland...

INTRODUCTION: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) manifests distinctive features, such as macroglossia, overgrowth, and abdominal wall defects. In this report, we describe a case of BWS in an extremely low birth weight infant diagnosed at three months after birth because of the intensive care for low birth weight. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A female infant was delivered at 24 weeks and 6 days of gestation with a weight of 845 g. After birth, significant small intestinal intra-umbilical prolapse was observed, and abdominal wall closure using a sutureless method was performed on day zero...

BACKGROUND: Task shifting from general practitioners (GPs) to other health professionals could solve the increased workload, but an overview of the evidence is lacking for out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the content and quality of task shifting from GPs to other health professionals in clinic consultations and home visits in OOH-PC. METHODS: Four database literature searches were performed on 13 December 2021, and updated in August 2023...

BACKGROUND: Managing multimorbidity poses significant challenges for individuals, their families, and society due to issues with health information comprehension, communication with healthcare providers, and navigating the healthcare system. These challenges emphasise the critical need to prioritize individual and organisational health literacy. Multimorbidity is associated with a lack of social support for health; however, social networks and community dynamics can enhance health literacy...