Bernard McCarthy

The effectiveness of a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme for improving the health status of people with moderate and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care: the PRINCE cluster randomised trial

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme on the health status of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Design Two-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting 32 general practices in the Republic of Ireland. Participants 350 participants with a diagnosis of moderate or severe COPD. Intervention Experimental group received a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme, delivered by the practice nurse and physiotherapist. Control group received usual care. Main outcome measure Health status as measured by the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) at baseline and at 12–14 weeks postcompletion of the programme. Results Participants allocated to the intervention group had statistically significant higher mean change total CRQ scores (adjusted mean difference (MD) 1.11, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.87). However, the CI does not exclude a smaller difference than the one that was prespecified as clinically important. Participants allocated to the intervention group also had statistically significant higher mean CRQ Dyspnoea scores after intervention (adjusted MD 0.49, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.78) and CRQ Physical scores (adjusted MD 0.37, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.60). However, CIs for both the CRQ Dyspnoea and CRQ Physical subscales do not exclude smaller differences as prespecified as clinically important. No other statistically significant differences between groups were seen. Conclusions A primary care based structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme is feasible and may increase local accessibility to people with moderate and severe COPD. Trial registration ISRCTN52403063.

The cost-effectiveness of a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care: the PRINCE cluster randomised trial.

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme (SEPRP) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) relative to usual practice in primary care. The programme consisted of group-based sessions delivered jointly by practice nurses and physiotherapists over 8 weeks. Design Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting 32 general practices in Ireland. Participants 350 adults with COPD, 69% of whom were moderately affected. Interventions Intervention arm (n=178) received a 2 h group-based SEPRP session per week over 8 weeks delivered jointly by a practice nurse and physiotherapist at the practice surgery or nearby venue. The control arm (n=172) received the usual practice in primary care. Main outcome measures Incremental costs, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) scores, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained estimated using the generic EQ5D instrument, and expected cost-effectiveness at 22 weeks trial follow-up. Results The intervention was associated with an increase of €944 (95% CIs 489 to 1400) in mean healthcare cost and €261 (95% CIs 226 to 296) in mean patient cost. The intervention was associated with a mean improvement of 1.11 (95% CIs 0.35 to 1.87) in CRQ Total score and 0.002 (95% CIs −0.006 to 0.011) in QALYs gained. These translated into incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of €850 per unit increase in CRQ Total score and €472 000 per additional QALY gained. The probability of the intervention being cost-effective at respective threshold values of €5000, €15 000, €25 000, €35 000 and €45 000 was 0.980, 0.992, 0.994, 0.994 and 0.994 in the CRQ Total score analysis compared to 0.000, 0.001, 0.001, 0.003 and 0.007 in the QALYs gained analysis. Conclusions While analysis suggests that SEPRP was cost-effective if society is willing to pay at least €850 per one-point increase in disease-specific CRQ, no evidence exists when effectiveness was measured in QALYS gained. Trial Registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN52 403 063.

The Lifestyle Behaviours and Exercise Beliefs of Undergraduate Student Nurses: A Descriptive Study.

Purpose – Only limited published research is available exploring the lifestyle practices of student nurses. The purpose of this paper is to explore the lifestyle behaviours and exercise beliefs of Irish student nurses.Design/methodology/approach – A descriptive survey design was used. First‐year and third‐year undergraduate student nurses (n=182) studying at one Irish university participated. Data were collected by administering self‐report questionnaires.Findings – A total of 20 per cent of the students smoked, 95 per cent consumed alcohol and 19 per cent of the females reported that they exceeded the recommended weekly safe level for alcohol consumption. In total, 73 per cent of the students reported exercising two to five times per week, and walking was the most popular exercise undertaken. The male students reported significantly higher fitness levels and exercised more on a weekly basis than the females. The students identified a range of benefits of and barriers to exercising.Research limitations/im...

Comparison of outpatient and home-based exercise training programmes for COPD: A systematic review and meta-analysis: Review COPD exercise training setting

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common, preventable and treatable disease. Exercise training programmes (ETPs) improve symptoms, health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and exercise capacity, but the optimal setting is unknown. In this review, we compared the effects of ETPs in different settings on HRQoL and exercise capacity. We searched (5 July 2016) the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register, ClinicalTrials.gov and World Health Organization trials portal. We selected studies, extracted data and assessed risk of bias with two independent reviewers. We calculated mean differences (MD) with 95% CI. We assessed the quality of evidence using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

Exploring academic staff perceptions and experiences in the development and delivery of an undergraduate inter-professional pilot simulation.

Publication Information Summerville, Sarah , Casey, Dympna , McCarthy, Bernard , Hills, Caroline , Carroll, Clare , Costello, Maria , Hunter, Andrew, Burke, Eimear, Kennedy, Kieran, Power, Martin, Byrne, Dara, Donlon, Kate, Hanley, Marion, Ní Chianáin, Linda (2017). Exploring academic staff perceptions and experiences in the development and delivery of an undergraduate inter-professional pilot simulation. Paper presented at the 11th Annual Simulation in Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Conference, Simulation Technologies and Education Strategies, Human Patient Simulation Network (HPSN), Nottingham, United Kingdom, 21 -22 June.

Conceptualising a model to guide nursing and midwifery in the community guided by an evidence review

BackgroundSuccessful models of nursing and midwifery in the community delivering healthcare throughout the lifespan and across a health and illness continuum are limited, yet necessary to guide global health services. Primary and community health services are the typical points of access for most people and the location where most care is delivered. The scope of primary healthcare is complex and multifaceted and therefore requires a practice framework with sound conceptual and theoretical underpinnings.The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual model informed by a scoping evidence review of the literature.MethodsA scoping evidence review of the literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Databases included CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SocINDEX using the EBSCO platform and the Cochrane Library using the keywords: model, nursing, midwifery, community, primary care. Grey literature for selected countries was searched using the Google ‘advanced’ search interface. Data extraction and quality appraisal for both empirical and grey literature were conducted independently by two reviewers. From 127 empirical and 24 non-empirical papers, data extraction parameters, in addition to the usual methodological features, included: the nature of nursing and midwifery; the population group; interventions and main outcomes; components of effective nursing and midwifery outcomes.ResultsThe evidence was categorised into six broad areas and subsequently synthesised into four themes. These were not mutually exclusive: (1) Integrated and Collaborative Care; (2) Organisation and Delivery of Nursing and Midwifery Care in the Community; (3) Adjuncts to Nursing Care and (4) Overarching Conceptual Model. It is the latter theme that is the focus of this paper. In essence, the model depicts a person/client on a lifespan and preventative-curative trajectory. The health related needs of the client, commensurate with their point position, relative to both trajectories, determines the nurse or midwife intervention. Consequently, it is this need, that determines the discipline or speciality of the nurse or midwife with the most appropriate competencies.ConclusionUse of a conceptual model of nursing and midwifery to inform decision-making in primary/community based care ensures clinical outcomes are meaningful and more sustainable. Operationalising this model for nursing and midwifery in the community demands strong leadership and effective clinical governance.