Health Services and Delivery Research最新文献

{"title":"Corrigendum: Impact of NHS 111 Online on the NHS 111 telephone service and urgent care system: a mixed-methods study","authors":"J. Turner, E. Knowles, R. Simpson, F. Sampson, S. Dixon, Jaqui Long, H. Bell-Gorrod, R. Jacques, J. Coster, Hui Yang, J. Nicholl, P. Bath, Daniel Fall, T. Stone","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09210-c202203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09210-c202203","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Correction to list of authors.","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43947774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of NHS 111 Online on the NHS 111 telephone service and urgent care system: a mixed-methods study","authors":"J. Turner, E. Knowles, R. Simpson, F. Sampson, S. Dixon, Jaqui Long, H. Bell-Gorrod, R. Jacques, J. Coster, Hui Yang, J. Nicholl, P. Bath, Daniel Fall","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09210","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 The NHS emergency and urgent care system is under pressure as demand for services increases each year. NHS 111 is a telephone triage service designed to provide advice and signposting to appropriate services for people with urgent health-care problems. A new service, NHS 111 Online, has been introduced across England as a digital alternative that can be accessed using a website or a smartphone application. The effects and usefulness of this service are unknown.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To explore the impact of NHS 111 Online on the related telephone service and urgent care system activity and the experiences of people who use those services.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 A mixed-methods design of five related work packages comprising an evidence review; a quantitative before-and-after time series analysis of changes in call activity (18/38 sites); a descriptive comparison of telephone and online services with qualitative survey (telephone, n = 795; online, n = 3728) and interview (32 participants) studies of service users; a qualitative interview study (16 participants) of staff; and a cost–consequences analysis.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The online service had little impact on the number of triaged calls to the NHS 111 telephone service. For every 1000 online contacts, triaged telephone calls increased by 1.3% (1.013, 95% confidence interval 0.996 to 1.029; p = 0.127). Recommendations to attend emergency and urgent care services increased between 6.7% and 4.2%. NHS 111 Online users were less satisfied than users of the telephone service (50% vs. 71%; p < 0.001), and less likely to recommend to others (57% vs. 69%; p < 0.001) and to report full compliance with the advice given (67.5% vs. 88%; p < 0.001). Online users were less likely to report contacting emergency services and more likely to report not making any contact with a health service (31% vs. 16%; p < 0.001) within 7 days of contact. Thirty-five per cent of online users reported that they did not want to use the telephone service, whereas others preferred its convenience and speed. NHS 111 telephone staff reported no discernible increase or decrease in their workload during the first year of operation of NHS 111 Online. If online and telephone services operate in parallel, then the annual costs will be higher unless ≥ 38% of telephone contacts move to online contacts.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 There is some evidence that the new service has the potential to create new demand. The service has expanded significantly, so it is important to find ways of promoting the right balance in numbers of people who use the online service instead of the telephone service if it is to be effective. There is a clear need and preference by some people for an online service. Better information about when to use this service and improvements to questioning may encourage more uptake.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The lack of control arm means that impact could have been an effect of other factors. This work took place during the early implementation phase, so findings may change as the service expands.\u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42625747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Large-scale implementation of stroke early supported discharge: the WISE realist mixed-methods study","authors":"R. Fisher, N. Chouliara, A. Byrne, Trudi Cameron, Sarah Lewis, P. Langhorne, Thompson Robinson, J. Waring, C. Geue, L. Paley, A. Rudd, M. Walker","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09220","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 In England, the provision of early supported discharge is recommended as part of an evidence-based stroke care pathway.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To investigate the effectiveness of early supported discharge services when implemented at scale in practice and to understand how the context within which these services operate influences their implementation and effectiveness.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 A mixed-methods study using a realist evaluation approach and two interlinking work packages was undertaken. Three programme theories were tested to investigate the adoption of evidence-based core components, differences in urban and rural settings, and communication processes.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Early supported discharge services across a large geographical area of England, covering the West and East Midlands, the East of England and the North of England.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Work package 1: historical prospective patient data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme collected by early supported discharge and hospital teams. Work package 2: NHS staff (n = 117) and patients (n = 30) from six purposely selected early supported discharge services.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Work package 1: a 17-item early supported discharge consensus score measured the adherence to evidence-based core components defined in an international consensus document. The effectiveness of early supported discharge was measured with process and patient outcomes and costs. Work package 2: semistructured interviews and focus groups with NHS staff and patients were undertaken to investigate the contextual determinants of early supported discharge effectiveness.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 A variety of early supported discharge service models had been adopted, as reflected by the variability in the early supported discharge consensus score. A one-unit increase in early supported discharge consensus score was significantly associated with a more responsive early supported discharge service and increased treatment intensity. There was no association with stroke survivor outcome. Patients who received early supported discharge in their stroke care pathway spent, on average, 1 day longer in hospital than those who did not receive early supported discharge. The most rural services had the highest service costs per patient. NHS staff identified core evidence-based components (e.g. eligibility criteria, co-ordinated multidisciplinary team and regular weekly multidisciplinary team meetings) as central to the effectiveness of early supported discharge. Mechanisms thought to streamline discharge and help teams to meet their responsiveness targets included having access to a social worker and the quality of communications and transitions across services. The role of rehabilitation assistants and an interdisciplinary approach were facilitators of delivering an intensive service. The rurality of early supported discharge services, especially when coupled with capacity issues and increased travel times to visit patients, could influence the intensity of rehabilitation provision and teams","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46554494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Care home residents’ quality of life and its association with CQC ratings and workforce issues: the MiCareHQ mixed-methods study","authors":"A. Towers, N. Smith, S. Allan, Florin Vadean, Grace Collins, Stacey E Rand, J. Bostock, Helen Ramsbottom, J. Forder, S. Lanza, J. Cassell","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09190","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Care home staff have a critical bearing on quality. The staff employed, the training they receive and how well they identify and manage residents’ needs are likely to influence outcomes. The Care Act 2014 (Great Britain. The Care Act 2014. London: The Stationery Office; 2014) requires services to improve ‘well-being’, but many residents cannot self-report and are at risk of exclusion from giving their views. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit enables social care-related quality of life to be measured using a mixed-methods approach. There is currently no equivalent way of measuring aspects of residents’ health-related quality of life. We developed new tools for measuring pain, anxiety and depression using a mixed-methods approach. We also explored the relationship between care home quality, residents’ outcomes, and the skill mix and employment conditions of the workforce who support them.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The objectives were to develop and test measures of pain, anxiety and depression for residents unable to self-report; to assess the extent to which regulator quality ratings reflect residents’ care-related quality of life; and to assess the relationship between aspects of the staffing of care homes and the quality of care homes.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 This was a mixed-methods study.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The setting was care homes for older adults in England.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Care home residents participated.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Three measures of pain, anxiety and low mood were developed and tested, using a mixed-methods approach, with 182 care home residents in 20 care homes (nursing and residential). Psychometric testing found that the measures had good construct validity. The mixed-methods approach was both feasible and necessary with this population, as the majority of residents could not self-report. Using a combined data set (n = 475 residents in 54 homes) from this study and the Measuring Outcomes in Care Homes study (Towers AM, Palmer S, Smith N, Collins G, Allan S. A cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between regulator quality ratings and care home residents’ quality of life in England. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2019;17:22) we found a significant positive association between residents’ social care-related quality of life and regulator (i.e. Care Quality Commission) quality ratings. Multivariate regression revealed that homes rated ‘good/outstanding’ are associated with a 12% improvement in mean current social care-related quality of life among residents who have higher levels of dependency. Secondary data analysis of a large, national sample of care homes over time assessed the impact of staffing and employment conditions on Care Quality Commission quality ratings. Higher wages and a higher prevalence of training in both dementia and dignity-/person-centred care were positively associated with care quality, whereas high staff turnover and job vacancy rates had a significant negative association. A 10% increase in the average care worker wage increased the likelihood of a ‘good/o","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49638655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving care transfers for homeless patients after hospital discharge: a realist evaluation","authors":"M. Cornes, R. Aldridge, E. Biswell, R. Byng, Mike Clark, G. Foster, J. Fuller, A. Hayward, N. Hewett, A. Kilmister, J. Manthorpe, J. Neale, M. Tinelli, M. Whiteford","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09170","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 In 2013, 70% of people who were homeless on admission to hospital were discharged back to the street without having their care and support needs addressed. In response, the UK government provided funding for 52 new specialist homeless hospital discharge schemes. This study employed RAMESES II (Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards) guidelines between September 2015 and 2019 to undertake a realist evaluation to establish what worked, for whom, under what circumstances and why. It was hypothesised that delivering outcomes linked to consistently safe, timely care transfers for homeless patients would depend on hospital discharge schemes implementing a series of high-impact changes (resource mechanisms). These changes encompassed multidisciplinary discharge co-ordination (delivered through clinically led homeless teams) and ‘step-down’ intermediate care. These facilitated time-limited care and support and alternative pathways out of hospital for people who could not go straight home.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The realist hypothesis was tested empirically and refined through three work packages. Work package 1 generated seven qualitative case studies, comparing sites with different types of specialist homeless hospital discharge schemes (n = 5) and those with no specialist discharge scheme (standard care) (n = 2). Methods of data collection included interviews with 77 practitioners and stakeholders and 70 people who were homeless on admission to hospital. A ‘data linkage’ process (work package 2) and an economic evaluation (work package 3) were also undertaken. The data linkage process resulted in data being collected on > 3882 patients from 17 discharge schemes across England. The study involved people with lived experience of homelessness in all stages.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 There was strong evidence to support our realist hypothesis. Specialist homeless hospital discharge schemes employing multidisciplinary discharge co-ordination and ‘step-down’ intermediate care were more effective and cost-effective than standard care. Specialist care was shown to reduce delayed transfers of care. Accident and emergency visits were also 18% lower among homeless patients discharged at a site with a step-down service than at those without. However, there was an impact on the effectiveness of the schemes when they were underfunded or when there was a shortage of permanent supportive housing and longer-term care and support. In these contexts, it remained (tacitly) accepted practice (across both standard and specialist care sites) to discharge homeless patients to the streets, rather than delay their transfer. We found little evidence that discharge schemes fired a change in reasoning with regard to the cultural distance that positions ‘homeless patients’ as somehow less vulnerable than other groups of patients. We refined our hypothesis to reflect that high-impact changes need to be underpinned by robust adult safeguarding.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To our knowledge, this is the larges","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44876376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acute day units in non-residential settings for people in mental health crisis: the AD-CARE mixed-methods study","authors":"D. Osborn, Danielle Lamb, A. Canaway, Michael Davidson, G. Favarato, V. Pinfold, Terry Harper, Sonia Johnson, Hameed Khan, J. Kirkbride, B. Lloyd-Evans, J. Madan, Farhana Mann, L. Marston, Adele McKay, N. Morant, Debra Smith, T. Steare, Jane Wackett, S. Weich","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09180","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 For people in mental health crisis, acute day units provide daily structured sessions and peer support in non-residential settings as an alternative to crisis resolution teams.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To investigate the provision, effectiveness, intervention acceptability and re-admission rates of acute day units.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Work package 1 – mapping and national questionnaire survey of acute day units. Work package 2.1 – cohort study comparing outcomes during a 6-month period between acute day unit and crisis resolution team participants. Work package 2.2 – qualitative interviews with staff and service users of acute day units. Work package 3 – a cohort study within the Mental Health Minimum Data Set exploring re-admissions to acute care over 6 months. A patient and public involvement group supported the study throughout.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Work package 1 – all non-residential acute day units (NHS and voluntary sector) in England. Work packages 2.1 and 2.2 – four NHS trusts with staff, service users and carers in acute day units and crisis resolution teams. Work package 3 – all individuals using mental health NHS trusts in England.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Work package 1 – we identified 27 acute day units in 17 out of 58 trusts. Acute day units are typically available on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., providing a wide range of interventions and a multidisciplinary team, including clinicians, and having an average attendance of 5 weeks. Work package 2.1 – we recruited 744 participants (acute day units, n = 431; crisis resolution teams, n = 312). In the primary analysis, 21% of acute day unit participants (vs. 23% of crisis resolution team participants) were re-admitted to acute mental health services over 6 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the fully adjusted model (acute day unit hazard ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.54 to 1.14; p = 0.20), with highly heterogeneous results between trusts. Acute day unit participants had higher satisfaction and well-being scores and lower depression scores than crisis resolution team participants. The health economics analysis found no difference in resource use or cost between the acute day unit and crisis resolution team groups in the fully adjusted analysis. Work package 2.2 – 36 people were interviewed (acute day unit staff, n = 12; service users, n = 21; carers, n = 3). There was an overwhelming consensus that acute day units are highly valued. Service users found the high amount of contact time and staff continuity, peer support and structure provided by acute day units particularly beneficial. Staff also valued providing continuity, building strong therapeutic relationships and providing a variety of flexible, personalised support. Work package 3 – of 231,998 individuals discharged from acute care (crisis resolution team, acute day unit or inpatient ward), 21.4% were re-admitted for acute treatment within 6 months, with women, single people, people of mixed or black ethnicity, those living in more deprived areas and t","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46882305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promoting physical activity and physical function in people with long-term conditions in primary care: the Function First realist synthesis with co-design","authors":"R. Law, Joe Langley, Beth Hall, C. Burton, J. Hiscock, L. Williams, V. Morrison, A. Lemmey, Candida Lovell-Smith, J. Gallanders, J. Cooney, N. Williams","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09160","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 As people age and accumulate long-term conditions, their physical activity and physical function declines, resulting in disability and loss of independence. Primary care is well placed to empower individuals and communities to reduce this decline; however, the best approach is uncertain.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To develop a programme theory to explain the mechanisms through which interventions improve physical activity and physical function in people with long-term conditions in different primary care contexts, and to co-design a prototype intervention.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Systematic literature searches of relevant databases with forwards and backwards citation tracking, grey literature searches and further purposive searches were conducted. Qualitative data were collected through workshops and interviews.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Realist evidence synthesis and co-design for primary care service innovation.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Primary care in Wales and England.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Stakeholders included people with long-term conditions, primary care professionals, people working in relevant community roles and researchers.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The realist evidence synthesis combined evidence from varied sources of literature with the views, experiences and ideas of stakeholders. The resulting context, mechanism and outcome statements informed three co-design workshops and a knowledge mobilisation workshop for primary care service innovation.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Five context, mechanism and outcome statements were developed. (1) Improving physical activity and function is not prioritised in primary care (context). If the practice team culture is aligned to the elements of physical literacy (mechanism), then physical activity promotion will become routine and embedded in usual care (outcome). (2) Physical activity promotion is inconsistent and unco-ordinated (context). If specific resources are allocated to physical activity promotion (in combination with a supportive practice culture) (mechanism), then this will improve opportunities to change behaviour (outcome). (3) People with long-term conditions have varying levels of physical function and physical activity, varying attitudes to physical activity and differing access to local resources that enable physical activity (context). If physical activity promotion is adapted to individual needs, preferences and local resources (mechanism), then this will facilitate a sustained improvement in physical activity (outcome). (4) Many primary care practice staff lack the knowledge and confidence to promote physical activity (context). If staff develop an improved sense of capability through education and training (mechanism), then they will increase their engagement with physical activity promotion (outcome). (5) If a programme is credible with patients and professionals (context), then trust and confidence in the programme will develop (mechanism) and more patients and professionals will engage with the programme (outcome). A prototype multicomponent intervention was developed. This consisted of resour","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46227049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Family and health-care professionals managing medicines for patients with serious and terminal illness at home: a qualitative study","authors":"K. Pollock, E. Wilson, G. Caswell, Asam Latif, Alan Caswell, A. Avery, C. Anderson, V. Crosby, C. Faull","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09140","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 More effective ways of managing symptoms of chronic and terminal illness enable patients to be cared for, and to die, at home. This requires patients and family caregivers to manage complex medicines regimens, including powerful painkillers that can have serious side effects. Little is known about how patients and family caregivers manage the physical and emotional work of managing medicines in the home or the support that they receive from health-care professionals and services.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 To investigate how patients with serious and terminal illness, their family caregivers and the health-care professionals manage complex medication regimens and routines of care in the domestic setting.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 A qualitative study involving (1) semistructured interviews and group discussions with 40 health-care professionals and 21 bereaved family caregivers, (2) 20 patient case studies with up to 4 months’ follow-up and (3) two end-of-project stakeholder workshops.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 This took place in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, UK.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 As patients’ health deteriorated, family caregivers assumed the role of a care co-ordinator, undertaking the everyday work of organising and collecting prescriptions and storing and administering medicines around other care tasks and daily routines. Participants described the difficulties of navigating a complex and fragmented system and the need to remain vigilant about medicines prescribed, especially when changes were made by different professionals. Access to support, resilience and coping capacity are mediated through the resources available to patients, through the relationships that they have with people in their personal and professional networks, and, beyond that, through the wider connections – or disconnections – that these links have with others. Health-care professionals often lacked understanding of the practical and emotional challenges involved. All participants experienced difficulties in communication and organisation within a health-care system that they felt was complicated and poorly co-ordinated. Having a key health professional to support and guide patients and family caregivers through the system was important to a good experience of care.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The study achieved diversity in the recruitment of patients, with different characteristics relating to the type of illness and socioeconomic circumstances. However, recruitment of participants from ethnically diverse and disadvantaged or hard-to-reach populations was particularly challenging, and we were unable to include as many participants from these groups as had been originally planned.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The study identified two key and inter-related areas in which patient and family caregiver experience of managing medicines at home in end-of-life care could be improved: (1) reducing work and responsibility for medicines management and (2) improving co-ordination and communication in health care. It is important to be mindful of the need for transparency and open dis","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42007220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis for health services and policy: case studies in the scoping of reviews","authors":"R. Anderson, A. Booth, A. Eastwood, M. Rodgers, Liz Shaw, J. Thompson Coon, S. Briscoe, A. Cantrell, D. Chambers, E. Goyder, Michael Nunns, L. Preston, G. Raine, Siân Thomas","doi":"10.3310/hsdr09150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr09150","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 For systematic reviews to be rigorous, deliverable and useful, they need a well-defined review question. Scoping for a review also requires the specification of clear inclusion criteria and planned synthesis methods. Guidance is lacking on how to develop these, especially in the context of undertaking rapid and responsive systematic reviews to inform health services and health policy.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 This report describes and discusses the experiences of review scoping of three commissioned research centres that conducted evidence syntheses to inform health and social care organisation, delivery and policy in the UK, between 2017 and 2020.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Sources included researcher recollection, project meeting minutes, e-mail correspondence with stakeholders and scoping searches, from allocation of a review topic through to review protocol agreement.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 We produced eight descriptive case studies of selected reviews from the three teams. From case studies, we identified key issues that shape the processes of scoping and question formulation for evidence synthesis. The issues were then discussed and lessons drawn.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Across the eight diverse case studies, we identified 14 recurrent issues that were important in shaping the scoping processes and formulating a review’s questions. There were ‘consultative issues’ that related to securing input from review commissioners, policy customers, experts, patients and other stakeholders. These included managing and deciding priorities, reconciling different priorities/perspectives, achieving buy-in and engagement, educating the end-user about synthesis processes and products, and managing stakeholder expectations. There were ‘interface issues’ that related to the interaction between the review team and potential review users. These included identifying the niche/gap and optimising value, assuring and balancing rigour/reliability/relevance, and assuring the transferability/applicability of study evidence to specific policy/service user contexts. There were also ‘technical issues’ that were associated with the methods and conduct of the review. These were choosing the method(s) of synthesis, balancing fixed and fluid review questions/components/definitions, taking stock of what research already exists, mapping versus scoping versus reviewing, scoping/relevance as a continuous process and not just an initial stage, and calibrating general compared with specific and broad compared with deep coverage of topics.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 As a retrospective joint reflection by review teams on their experiences of scoping processes, this report is not based on prospectively collected research data. In addition, our evaluations were not externally validated by, for example, policy and service evidence users or patients and the public.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 We have summarised our reflections on scoping from this programme of reviews as 14 common issues and 28 practical ‘lessons learned’. Effective scoping of rapid, responsive reviews extends beyond informat","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46106548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing specialist intensity at weekends to improve outcomes for patients undergoing emergency hospital admission: the HiSLAC two-phase mixed-methods study","authors":"J. Bion, Cassie Aldridge, C. Beet, A. Boyal, Yen-Fu Chen, Michael Clancy, A. Girling, T. Hofer, J. Lord, R. Mannion, P. Rees, Chris Roseveare, L. Rowan, G. Rudge, Jianxia Sun, E. Sutton, C. Tarrant, M. Temple, S. Watson, J. Willars, R. Lilford","doi":"10.3310/HSDR09130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3310/HSDR09130","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 NHS England’s 7-day services policy comprised 10 standards to improve access to quality health care across all days of the week. Six standards targeted hospital specialists on the assumption that their absence caused the higher mortality associated with weekend hospital admission: the ‘weekend effect’. The High-intensity Specialist-Led Acute Care (HiSLAC) collaboration investigated this using the implementation of 7-day services as a ‘natural experiment’.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 The objectives were to determine whether or not increasing specialist intensity at weekends improves outcomes for patients undergoing emergency hospital admission, and to explore mechanisms and cost-effectiveness.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 This was a two-phase mixed-methods observational study. Year 1 focused on developing the methodology. Years 2–5 included longitudinal research using quantitative and qualitative methods, and health economics.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 A Bayesian systematic literature review from 2000 to 2017 quantified the weekend effect. Specialist intensity measured over 5 years used self-reported annual point prevalence surveys of all specialists in English acute hospital trusts, expressed as the weekend-to-weekday ratio of specialist hours per 10 emergency admissions. Hospital Episode Statistics from 2007 to 2018 provided trends in weekend-to-weekday mortality ratios. Mechanisms for the weekend effect were explored qualitatively through focus groups and on-site observations by qualitative researchers, and a two-epoch case record review across 20 trusts. Case-mix differences were examined in a single trust. Health economics modelling estimated costs and outcomes associated with increased specialist provision.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Of 141 acute trusts, 115 submitted data to the survey, and 20 contributed 4000 case records for review and participated in qualitative research (involving interviews, and observations using elements of an ethnographic approach). Emergency department attendances and admissions have increased every year, outstripping the increase in specialist numbers; numbers of beds and lengths of stay have decreased. The reduction in mortality has plateaued; the proportion of patients dying after discharge from hospital has increased. Specialist hours increased between 2012/13 and 2017/18. Weekend specialist intensity is half that of weekdays, but there is no relationship with admission mortality. Patients admitted on weekends are sicker (they have more comorbid disease and more of them require palliative care); adjustment for severity of acute illness annuls the weekend effect. In-hospital care processes are slightly more efficient at weekends; care quality (errors, adverse events, global quality) is as good at weekends as on weekdays and has improved with time. Qualitative researcher assessments of hospital weekend quality concurred with case record reviewers at trust level. General practitioner referrals at weekends are one-third of those during weekdays and have declined further with time.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 Obs","PeriodicalId":12880,"journal":{"name":"Health Services and Delivery Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42937645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}