Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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To explore if there is a relationship between allied health professionals' confidence to perform a range of evidence-based practice (EBP) activities and the time since they graduated from their entry-level degree and the presence of postgraduate qualifications. ⋯ Allied health professionals' confidence to perform EBP activities degrades over time, particularly for those individuals with no postgraduate qualifications. Registration and accreditation bodies along with allied health professional employers should explore potential strategies to preserve and enhance EBP skills, confidence, and behaviours.
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Comparative Study
Substance use screening and brief intervention: Evaluation of patient and implementation differences between primary care and emergency department settings.
There are well-documented barriers that have limited widespread, sustained adoption of screening and brief intervention for risky substance use in health care settings. In order to better inform implementation efforts, this study evaluates whether patient characteristics, screening results, and implementation success indicators differed between two clinical setting types: primary care and emergency. ⋯ This evaluation found important differences in patient characteristics and screening and implementation results between primary care and emergency settings. Health care organizations and administrators implementing screening and brief intervention should attend to setting differences that could affect implementation and clinical care.
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The spectrum of cases seen by emergency departments ranges from minor illnesses or injuries to complex diseases with high mortality. Some patients require life-saving interventions (LSIs) or therapeutic treatment for an acute illness to prevent an expected imminent life-threatening condition immediately upon arrival. No published study has evaluated the validity of the Manchester Triage System (MTS) in the context of immediate LSI or acute emergency treatment (AET). ⋯ The MTS is a valid instrument for a first assessment of emergency patients in critical condition upon arrival.
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Observational Study
Development of a proforma to improve quality of handover of surgical patients at the weekend.
The introduction of shift pattern of working in the medical profession has led to an increase in reliance on effective handover of patient information. We evaluated the use of a weekend handover proforma in General Surgical patients at a University Teaching Hospital. ⋯ Effective transfer of handover information can be achieved over the weekend with the use of a standardized proforma. Use of the proforma was greatest after providing junior doctors with didactic training on handover combined with interactive guidance on completing the proforma.