Therese Rey-Conde

Psychiatric care of adults with intellectual disabilities: changing perceptions over a decade.

Objective: In light of developments in training and service provision, the aim of the present study was to compare two state-wide surveys, undertaken in 1994 and in 2004, of psychiatrists about their perceptions of their training and psychiatric treatment of adults with intellectual disabilities who also have mental health needs. Methods: A 50-item self-administered questionnaire was developed for the 2004 survey, based on the 1994 study. This was sent to all 624 Fellows of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry registered in Victoria at the time. A series of questions was asked based on workload, training, the role of psychiatry in intellectual disabilities, opinions on assessment and management, improving services, and the demographics of participant psychiatrists. Results of the 2004 survey are compared with the 1994 study. Results: There has been some change in psychiatrists’ opinions about acute admission wards, believing strongly that they do not meet the needs of the adults with severe intellectual disabilities, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. There has been some improvement in their ability to adequately manage adults with intellectual disabilities who have mental health needs and/or problem behaviours. Conclusions: Mainstream mental health services fail to meet the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities. Improved specialist clinical services and more clinical training opportunities are required.

Analysis of the causes and effects of delay before diagnosis using surgical mortality data

The aim of the study was to assess the causes and effects of delay in diagnosis in surgical patients who died in 20 public hospitals participating in the Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality (QASM) in Australia.

Diabetes, To the Point: Designing a website about diabetes for adults with intellectual disability and carers

Objective: In this paper we describe the design of a website based on written information about diabetes for people with intellectual disability and their care providers. Methods: The design process was collaborative with adults with intellectual disability, care providers, and professionals. The design followed the W3C Guidelines - Accessibility Guidelines Double A. Results: Preliminary results are promising and the site is having about 850 pages accessed per month. Conclusion: The consultative and design processes used resulted in a unique and acceptable educational tool for people with intellectual disability who have diabetes and their care providers.

Surgical mortality audit data validity.

Surgical audits provide constructive feedback to individual surgeons, hospitals and other healthcare sector professionals. Audits identify deficiencies in treatment processes, evaluate practice trends and detect practice gaps. The credibility and validity of the Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality (QASM) relies on the accuracy of its data.

Outcomes from the Northern Territory Audit of Surgical Mortality: Aboriginal deaths

A significant ‘gap’ in life expectancy exists for Australian Aboriginal people. The role of surgical care in this gap has been poorly addressed. This study has compared in‐hospital surgical deaths of Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal persons in order to identify patient factors plus deficiencies of care that may have contributed to the gap.

Analysis of deficiencies in care following cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION Failure To Rescue was first defined in patients who died due to a complication following (open) cholecystectomy but research into the relevant factors has been scarce. This study was designed to determine a chronological sequence of deficiencies in care. METHODS Adult patients who died under the care of a surgeon following cholecystectomy in Queensland were identified from the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) database. RESULTS Not unexpectedly, this is a high-risk patient population: median age of the 48 patients was 74.5 years and the median number of comorbidities and American Society of Anesthesiologists class was 4. Death occurred on postoperative day 6. Most deaths occurred at the end of the week. Over 80% of deaths followed emergency cholecystectomy. In almost half the patients, there were no deficiencies in care. Most common deficiency was during postoperative management (i.e. Failure To Rescue), however, significant deficiencies also arose prior to surgical admission; choice and timing of intervention as well as intraoperative decision-making. CONCLUSION Surgeons who perform cholecystectomy need to be aware of the levels at which deficiencies arise given that many may be preventable.

Surgical care for the aged: a retrospective cross-sectional study of a national surgical mortality audit

Objectives It is assumed that increased age signifies increased surgical care. Few surgical studies describe the differences in care provided to older patients compared with younger patients. We aimed to examine the relationships between increasing age, preoperative factors and markers of postoperative care in adults who died in-hospital after surgery in Australia. Design This retrospective cross-sectional study extracted data from a national surgical mortality audit—an independent, peer-reviewed process. Setting From January 2009 to December 2012, 111 public and 61 private Australian hospitals notified the audit of in-hospital deaths after general anaesthetic surgery or if the patient was admitted under a surgeon. Participants Notified deaths totalled 19 723. We excluded deaths if patients were brain dead, younger than 17 years or never had an operation (n=11 376). From this baseline population, we divided 11 201 deaths into three patient age groups: youngest (17–64 years), medium (65–79 years) and oldest (≥80 years). Outcome measures Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses determined the relationships between increasing age and the measured preoperative factors and postoperative variables. Results The baseline populations median age was 78 years (IQR 66–85), 43.7% (4892/11 201) were 80 years or older and 83.4% (9319/11 173) had emergency admissions. The oldest group had increased trauma and emergency admissions than the medium and youngest age groups. Seven of the eight measured markers of postoperative care demonstrate strong and significant relationships with increasing age. The oldest group compared with the medium group had decreased rates of: unplanned returns to theatre (11.2% (526/4709) vs 20.2% (726/3586)), unplanned intensive care admissions (16.3% (545/3350) vs 24.0% (601/2504)) and treatment in intensive care units (59.7% (2689/4507) vs 76.7% (2754/3590)). Conclusions The oldest patients received lower levels of care than the medium and youngest age groups.

Snapshot of trauma laparotomy deaths in Queensland: Trauma laparotomy mortality

Trauma remains the most frequent cause of death for patients under 35 years of age. Head injury and catastrophic haemorrhage account for the majority of early deaths. A trauma laparotomy is often necessary to arrest haemorrhage.

How participation in surgical mortality audit impacts surgical practice

BackgroundSurgical mortality audit is an important tool for quality assurance and professional development but little is known about the impact of such activity on professional practice at the individual surgeon level. This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted with a self-selected cohort of surgeons in Queensland, Australia, on their experience of participating in the audit and its impact on their professional practice, as well as implications for hospital systems.MethodsThe study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. All surgeons registered in Queensland in 2015 (n = 919) were invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire between September and October 2015. 184 surgeons completed and returned the questionnaire at a response rate of 20%.ResultsThirty-nine percent of the participants reported that involvement in the audit process affected their clinical practice. This was particularly the case for surgeons whose participation included being an assessor. Thirteen percent of the participants had perceived improvement to hospital practices or advancement in patient care and safety as a result of audit recommendations. Analysis of the open-ended responses suggested the audit experience had led surgeons to become more cautious, reflective in action and with increased confidence in best practice, and recognise the importance of effective communication and clear documentation.ConclusionsThis is the first study to examine the impact of participation in a mortality audit process on the professional practice of surgeons. The findings offer evidence for surgical mortality audit as an effective strategy for continuous professional development and for improving patient safety initiatives.

Increasing number of comorbidities is related to delay to surgical management of a perforated peptic ulcer in patients who died.

Introduction: The incidence of peptic ulcer disease has declined since the introduction of medical therapy, but the rate of perforated peptic ulcer and associated mortality has remained relatively constant. Delay to definitive treatment is known to adversely affect survival. Methods: The Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) retrospectively collects data on patients who died following surgery. To determine which patient characteristics are associated with delayed (not on the day of admission) surgical treatment of a perforated peptic ulcer, all patients who died in Queensland were identified from the ANZASM database. Results: There were 39 deaths between 2007 and 2013 with a median age was 76 years. The median number of comorbidities was three and American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) class Original Research Article Wysocki et al.; BJMMR, 8(10): 842-847, 2015; Article no.BJMMR.2015.514 843 was 4. Twenty nine patients had operative intervention on the day of admission and 10 underwent surgery later. Those with delayed surgery had a greater number of comorbidities (4 vs. 3; p = 0.016) but did not differ with respect to other demographics compared to those who underwent repair on the day of admission. The reviewing surgeon found no management issues in two thirds of patients. Conclusion: Queensland patients with an increasing number of comorbidities were more likely to have delayed surgical intervention for a perforated peptic ulcer. Surgical delay is a known determinant of survival in patients with a perforated peptic ulcer and surgeons must be especially vigilant in multiply comorbid patients in making the diagnosis and expediting repair.