Higher quality of nursing and patient care in Magnet hospitals

Magnet recognition is considered a leading source for measuring organizational success in nursing. Magnet hospitals show higher job satisfaction and lower odds of patient mortality than non-Magnet hospitals. However, only nine percent of American hospitals are recognized as Magnet. Currently, there is little research into the causes of the differences between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals, research that could create an infrastructure for positive change in nurse and patient outcomes.

Now research from New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in an article published in the Journal of Nursing Administration, provide insight on the factors contributing to the differences between Magnet® and Non-Magnet hospitals as well as an analysis of the links between Magnet Recognition and better nurse-reported quality of care.

"Many of the recent efforts to improve quality and enhance transparency in healthcare have been dominated by physician services and medical outcomes," explains Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD, RN, assistant professor at NYUCN. "Our study shows that the overall quality of patient care can be optimized when nurses work in a positive environment, with adequate resources and support at the organizational level."

The study, "Understanding the Role of the Professional Practice Environment on Quality of Care in Magnet and Non-Magnet Hospitals," focused on cross-sectional data, including the American Hospital Association's annual survey, as well as an analysis of 56 Magnet and 495 non-Magnet hospitals. Carefully balancing variables in order to remove the maximum bias, Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel's team found a clear positive correlation between positive nurses work environments and nurse-reported quality of care. Even after taking into consideration hospital characteristic differences between Magnet and Non-Magnet hospitals, Magnet hospitals were still positively correlated with higher reports of excellent quality of care.

"Having visible and accessible chief nurses, encouraging and including nurses in decision making in their unit and throughout the organization, supporting nursing practice and engaging in interdisciplinary patient care, are but a few examples of readily modifiable features of a hospital," Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel. "Because all organizations, Magnet and otherwise, have the potential to enrich their practice environment, every organization stands to benefit from improving the organization of nursing care."

"Our findings suggest that Magnet hospitals produce better quality of care through their superior practice environments," states Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel. "Hospitals that invest in improving the nursing work environment have the potential to benefit from increased quality of care for their patients and families."

Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel is continuing to research the outcomes associated with Magnet hospitals. Her current project is focusing on assessing the relationship between Magnet recognition and patient satisfaction in a national sample of hospitals.

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Info CPNS Terlengkap | Bisnis Dari Rumah | Kerja Sambil Bisnis

View the original article here

Read More

When the doctor is on holiday: Who cares for the patient?

When planning a vacation, physicians are obligated to make arrangements so their patients have adequate medical care and are not forced to rely on emergency departments, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Doctors need to take vacations, but assuming that their patients will receive adequate care from emergency departments or walk-in clinics can leave patients adrift. This practice needs to be changed. Although some physicians work in group practices or make arrangements for coverage in their absences, others do not.

"Leaving a medical practice unattended is not acceptable," writes Dr. Diane Kelsall, Deputy Editor, CMAJ. "Professional bodies stress that a physician's obligation to ensure that his or her patients have access to care when he or she is not personally available is central to the patient - physician relationship."

In the absence of their regular physician, patients may visit emergency departments for nonurgent conditions, which is inefficient or they may delay seeking care, which could compromise their health.

"What is still missing ... are doctors who will take responsibility for specific patients in the absence of their physicians, and who will follow up on test results, facilitate consultations and fulfill the many obligations that the physician-patient relationship entails," writes Dr. Kelsall.

"Individual physicians have a professional obligation to make specific arrangements for coverage during their absences, whether brief or longer term."

For doctors who are not in group medical practices, locums may be an option for providing continuity of care.

Approximately 18% of family doctors and 30% of specialists in Canada are in solo practices.

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Info CPNS Terlengkap | Bisnis Dari Rumah | Kerja Sambil Bisnis

View the original article here

Read More

First patient fitted with Carmat artificial heart dies

PARIS (Reuters) - The first patient fitted with an artificial heart made by the French company Carmat has died, the hospital that had performed the transplant in December said on Monday.

The 76-year-old man died on Sunday, 75 days after the operation, the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris said in a statement, adding that the cause of his death could not be known for sure at this stage.

When he was fitted with the device, the man was suffering from terminal heart failure, when the sick heart can no longer pump enough blood to sustain the body, and was said to have only a few weeks, or even days, to live.

Carmat's bioprosthetic device is designed to replace the real heart for as much as five years, mimicking nature's work using biological materials and sensors. It aims to help the thousands of patients who die each year while awaiting a donor, and reducing the side-effects associated with transplants.

"Carmat wishes to pay tribute to the courage and the pioneering role of this patient and his family, as well as the medical team's dedication," a company spokeswoman said.

She stressed that it was premature to draw any conclusions on Carmat's artificial heart at this stage.

Three more patients in France with terminal heart failure are due to be fitted with the device. The clinical trial will be considered a success if the patients survive with the implant for at least a month.

If it passes the test, Carmat has said it would fit the device into about 20 patients with less severe heart failure.

EXTENDING LIFE

"The doctors directly involved in the post-surgical care wish to highlight the value of the lessons learned from this first clinical trial, with regard to the selection of the patient, his surveillance, the prevention and treatment of difficulties encountered," the hospital said in its statement.

An in-depth analysis of the medical and technical data gathered since the patient's operation will be needed to establish the cause of his death, the hospital added.

Carmat estimates around 100,000 patients in the United States and Europe could benefit from its artificial heart, a market worth more than 16 billion euros ($22 billion).

Among Carmat's competitors for artificial heart implants are privately-held SynCardia Systems and Abiomed, both of the United States.

SynCardia's artificial heart is the only one approved both in the United States and the European Union and has been implanted in more than 1,200 patients to keep them waiting for a heart from a matching donor. The longest a patient has lived with the device is just under four years prior to a transplant.

Carmat's heart is designed to serve not as a bridge to transplant but as a permanent implant, extending life for terminally ill patients who cannot hope for a real organ, generally because they are too old and donors too scarce.

Carmat's shares, which have risen nearly five-fold since floating on the Paris stock market in 2010, closed at 95 euros before Monday's news, giving the company a market capitalization of around 407 million euros. ($1 = 0.7260 euros)

(Editing by Michel Rose and Kevin Liffey)

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | RFID | Amazon Affiliate

View the original article here

Read More