Helen Hansagi

The urgency of care need and patient satisfaction at a hospital emergency department.

Satisfaction with the treatment and service at a hospital emergency department (ED) in a Swedish suburban area was generally high according to a questionnaire carried out among 758 patients with a 75 percent response rate. Satisfaction with the ED, however, was significantly lower among patients who were triaged nonurgent than among the immediate and urgent triage patients. This was especially true for younger patients.

The key actor: a qualitative study of patient participation in the handover process in Europe

Background Patient safety experts have postulated that increasing patient participation in communications during patient handovers will improve the quality of patient transitions, and that this may reduce hospital readmissions. Choosing strategies that enhance patient safety through improved handovers requires better understanding of patient experiences and preferences for participation. Objective The aim of this paper is to explore the patients’ experiences and perspectives related to the handovers between their primary care providers and the inpatient hospital. Methods A qualitative secondary analysis was performed, based on individual and focus group patient interviews with 90 patients in five European countries. Results The analysis revealed three themes: patient positioning in the handover process; prerequisites for patient participation and patient preferences for the handover process. Patients’ participation ranged from being the key actor, to sharing the responsibility with healthcare professional(s), to being passive participants. For active participation patients required both personal and social resources as well as prerequisites such as information and respect. Some patients preferred to be the key actor in charge; others preferred their healthcare professionals to be the key actors in the handover. Conclusions Patients’ participation is related to the healthcare system, the activity of healthcare professionals’ and patients’ capacity for participation. Patients prefer a handover process where the responsibility is clear and unambiguous. Healthcare organisations need a clear and well-considered system of responsibility for handover processes, that takes into account the individual patients need of clarity, and support in relation to his/hers own recourses.

Beliefs and experiences can influence patient participation in handover between primary and secondary care—a qualitative study of patient perspectives

Background Communication between healthcare settings at patient transfers between primary and secondary care, ‘handover’, is a critical and risky process for patients. Patients’ views on their roles in these processes are often lacking despite the knowledge that patient participation contributes to enhanced safety and wellbeing. Objective This study aims to improve the knowledge and understanding of patients’ perspectives about their participation in handover. Methods Twenty-three Swedish patients with chronic diseases were individually interviewed about their experiences with handovers between three clinical microsystems: emergency room, emergency ward and primary healthcare centres. Data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Results Patients participated within the microsystems by exchanging information, and between microsystems by making contact with and conveying information to their next healthcare provider. Enablers for participation included positive encounters with providers, patient empowerment and beliefs about organisational factors. Patients’ trust in their providers, and providers’ attitudes were important factors in patients’ willingness to communicate. Patients who thought medical records access was shared across microsystems volunteered less information to their providers. Patients with experiences of non-effective handovers took more responsibility in the handover to ensure continuity of care. Conclusions Patients participate actively in handovers when they feel a need for involvement to ensure continuity of care, and are less active when they perceive that their contribution is unnecessary or not valued. In acute care settings with short hospital stays and less time to establish a trusting relationship between patients and their providers, discharge encounters may be important enablers for patient engagement in handovers. The advantages of a redundant handover process need to be considered.

Trial of a method of reducing inappropriate demands on a hospital emergency department

An attempt was made at Huddinge Hospital, Sweden to divert to more appropriate facilities patients presenting at the Emergency Department (ED) with non-urgent complaints. During the study period, more than a quarter (total 454) of all care-seekers during daytime at six specialities of the ED were classified as non-urgent by the reception staff. Of these, 347 (76%) were seen by an experienced nurse who gave medical advice and made appointments with alternative sources of health care providers. Fifty-five percent of those she saw were directed to alternative care while 45% were treated at the ED, mostly because of insufficient capacity of the neighbourhood health centres. Short-term follow-up showed no increase in revisits to the ED by patients successfully directed to other care compared with the control group which was cared for at the ED.

Short-term treatment for alcohol-related problems: four-session guided self-change versus one session of advice—a randomized, controlled trial

The aim of this study was to compare two short-term treatments for alcohol-related problems. The study was performed at an outpatient clinic for substance misuse, and subjects (65 men and 28 women) were recruited through advertisements in the local newspaper. The subjects were randomized to either a four-session guided self-change group or a one-session advice group. Alcohol consumption, degree of alcohol dependence, negative consequences of drinking, and health-related quality of life were measured or assessed, respectively, by using the timeline follow-back technique, the Short Alcohol Dependence Data (SADD) questionnaire, The Drinker Inventory of Consequences questionnaire, and the Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire. Biological markers for high alcohol consumption [carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) levels] were analyzed. All assessments were made at baseline and at 9- and 23-month follow-up periods after treatment. Self-reported alcohol consumption was significantly reduced (P <.0001) in both treatment groups at the 23-month follow-up period, as were measures of alcohol dependence, negative consequences of drinking, and health-related quality of life, whereas no corresponding reduction was found in CDT or gamma-GT values. No statistically significant differences in self-reported alcohol consumption were found between the two groups. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher with the four-session guided self-change treatment than with the one session of advice. This finding seems to indicate that individuals, although suffering from alcohol-related problems of relatively low severity, appreciate more time with a therapist.

Health care utilization after referral from a hospital emergency department.

In a trial, patients who came to a hospital Emergency Department (ED) with non-urgent complaints were advised and referred to primary health care outside the hospital. The effect of this was assessed by measuring health care utilization one year before and one year after the referral, using the Stockholm County computerized medical information system and ED medical records. The proportion of the 189 referred patients who visited the ED decreased from 48% to 42%, whereas in a control group of 107 patients the proportion increased from 41% to 51%. A small proportion, 7%, of the referred patients with four or more ED visits accounted for 45% of the total number of ED visits the year before the trial. These frequent ED users did not reduce their ED utilization more than frequent ED users in the control group. The use of health care centres increased in the referred group and was practically unchanged in the control group. However, those referred patients who continued to use the ED still quite often did so for non-urgent complaints.

Hospital care utilization in a 17,000 population sample: 5-year follow-up

The growing utilization of hospital care, especially of the services of Emergency Departments (ED), has been of great concern for many Western countries. The purpose of this study was to relate the amount of hospital care utilization to the frequency of ED visits. The study, based on a computerized medical information system, was carried out at Huddinge hospital which serves a suburban area of Stockholm, Sweden. ED visits were found to predict hospital care utilization in a 5-year follow-up of a 10% population sample. Persons who had made 2 or more ED visits during a period of 15 months before follow-up (less than 1/8 of the population sample) contributed 24% of all hospital outpatient visits, 29% of all hospital admissions and 31% of all hospital days during the 5-year follow-up period. The number of hospital outpatient visits per 100 personyears was more than 3 times higher among those who had 4 or more ED visits as compared to those who were non-visitors at the ED. Hospital admissions and days were 5 times higher. The utilization of medical specialties differed most in psychiatry, where those with 4 or more ED visits had nearly 17 times more admissions per 100 personyears than non-visitors. The difference increased gradually with increasing number of ED visits and was also evident in each age group. The mortality was also significantly increased for those with several ED visits. Higher migration in the latter group may besides indicate social instability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Long-term trends in drinking habits among Swedish teenagers: National School Surveys 1971-1999.

The purpose of the study is to describe the long-term trends in drinking habits among Swedish students aged 15-16 years. Data were collected from 1971 to 1999, using self-administered questionnaires from nationally representative random cluster samples of school classes, totalling on average 6000 students per year. The highest proportion of alcohol consumers among both boys and girls, about 90%, was seen in the 1970s; this percentage decreased to about 80% in the 1980s and remained at that level through the 1990s. The estimated average annual consumption of pure alcohol was 4 litres for boys in 1977. It fell to 2.1 litres in 1988 and rose to 3.9 litres in 1999. The tendency was similar for girls, with 3.5 litres consumed in 1977, about 1.5 litres in the 1980s and 2.3 litres in 1999. Also frequent binge drinking and intoxication were reported by the largest proportions in the 1970s; the figures decreased in the 1980s and rose again among both boys and girls in the first part of the 1990s. Hence, although fewer of the students in this age group are alcohol consumers at the end of the 1990s compared with the 1970s, those who drink are approaching the high consumption levels of the 1970s. The beverages of choice are beer and spirits.

Referral of non-urgent cases from an emergency department Patient compliance, satisfaction and attitudes

A phenomenon of great concern in several Western countries is the number of patients with non-urgent ailments attending the often overloaded hospital emergency departments (EDs). With a view to providing these patients with more appropriate care, they were, in a trial at Huddinge Hospital, Sweden, advised and directed to other care facilities by a specially trained nurse. A survey indicated that 84% of the patients who agreed to a referral followed the advice given. Referred patients were satisfied with the specific service at the ED to the same extent as were control patients receiving care according to the usual routines of the ED. Moreover, the former were more likely to have a positive general attitude towards the ED. There was a positive relationship between improvement of presenting symptom and satisfaction with care at the ED, and between satisfaction and favourable attitude towards the ED. However, although patients were willing to engage in a primary health care oriented behaviour, they did not report improvement to the same extent as did ED treated patients and their general attitude towards primary health care facilities was not more favourable, at least not within a few weeks after referral.

Predictors of Repeated Emergency Department Visits among Persons Treated for Addiction

Background/Aims: To determine whether frequent emergency department (ED) users who enter specialized treatment programs for alcohol and/or drug problems have any characteristics that predict their future ED use. Methods: Adult patients (783 alcohol users, 405 illicit drug users) were interviewed. Data from the medical database on utilization of ED and the emergency departments’ specific units for addictive diseases (EDAD) 12 months before and 12 months after the interview were linked with patient characteristics in logistic regression models. Results: Among alcohol users, prior ED/EDAD visits predicted repeat future visits to these sites (OR 11.6; 95% CI 6.5–20.5). Prior inpatient hospital care with addiction diagnosis was a predictor of future multiple visits to the EDAD only (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.5–6.5). Among drug users, predictors of future ED/EDAD visits were use of heroin (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.4–5.4) and prior ED/EDAD visits (OR 27.3; 95% CI 12.7–58.4). Drug users’ EDAD utilization was also predicted by inpatient hospital care with addiction diagnosis. Conclusion: The strongest predictive factors of visiting ED repeatedly were previous repeat emergency care use and hospitalization with addiction diagnosis. Entering regular addiction treatment does not appear to alter the pattern of ED utilization.