International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care
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Int J Qual Health Care · Aug 2007
Questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in Spanish language.
To develop and validate a questionnaire, in Spanish, for assessing patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care received in community pharmacies. ⋯ The questionnaire developed can be a reliable and valid instrument to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in Spanish. Further research is needed to deepen the validation process.
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Int J Qual Health Care · Aug 2007
Under-reporting of deaths to the coroner by doctors: a retrospective review of deaths in two hospitals in Melbourne, Australia.
'Under-reporting' of deaths to the coroner has significant implications for the identification and investigation of preventable deaths. In extreme cases, it may even be a symptom of the system failures that allowed cases such as Harold Shipman, Australia's King Edward Memorial Hospital, the alleged incidents at the Bundaberg Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary to persist. Several initiatives in Australia and the UK are currently reviewing the coroner's system in light of the recommendations made by the Luce report and the Bundaberg Hospital inquiry to consider whether the coroner's system effectively meets the needs of our society, including the healthcare sector. Reporting of deaths to the coroner is a key issue for consideration in this debate. ⋯ This study provides the first experimental evidence of significant 'under-reporting' of deaths to the coroner by hospitals. This is an important consideration for the reform initiatives currently underway. Better communication channels need to be fostered between doctors and coroners if coronial investigations are to be used effectively for reviewing deaths in hospitals.
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Int J Qual Health Care · Jun 2007
Multicenter StudyDoes delay in surgery after hip fracture lead to worse outcomes? A multicenter survey.
To estimate the impact of delays in surgery for hip fracture on short- and long-term outcomes. ⋯ Delays in surgery for hip fracture are associated with significant increase in short-term and 1-year mortality. Variation among the hospitals was substantial and calls for prompt quality improvement actions.
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Int J Qual Health Care · Jun 2007
Comparative StudyA comparison of quality of care indicators in urban acute care hospitals and rural critical access hospitals in the United States.
Two recent Institute of Medicine reports highlight that the quality of healthcare in the US is less than what should be expected from the world's most extensive and expensive healthcare system. This may be especially true for critical access hospitals since these smaller rural-based hospitals often have fewer resources and less funding than larger urban hospitals. The purpose of this paper was to compare quality of hospital care provided in urban acute care hospitals to that provided in rural critical access hospitals. ⋯ Although this study focused on only three disease states, these are among the most common clinical conditions encountered in inpatient settings. The findings suggested that there may be differences in quality in rural critical access hospitals and urban acute care hospitals and support the need for future studies addressing disparities between urban acute care and rural critical access hospitals.
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Int J Qual Health Care · Apr 2007
Patient, carer and staff experience of a hospital-based stroke service.
Here, the aim is to study the experiences of patients, carers and staff throughout a hospital stroke care pathway. ⋯ Some of the patients' and carers' perspectives have not been previously reported in the stroke literature, including a desire for individualized treatment, the consideration of wider, non-physical needs and the carers' sense of burden. In addition, the study revealed how staff, carers and patients viewed each other and the service and demonstrated the concordance of their perceptions. However, staff showed little insight into the users' need for information and negative experiences of care. In contrast with previous research, lack of emotional care, poor continuity of care and lack of staff knowledge and skills were not identified as problems.