Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Departments of Emergency Medicine (DEM) have experienced increased demand largely because of the aging population. This project aimed to assess the impact of a specialist aged care pharmacist (ACP) on the efficiency and effectiveness of care of older patients seeking emergency treatment. ⋯ This study provides evidence, on balance, supporting the integration of an ACP in the DEM assessing elderly patients. Further research of this role using longer sampling, in multiple sites and with economic analysis is recommended.
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Patient preference for interventions aimed at preventing in-hospital falls has not previously been investigated. This study aims to contrast the amount patients are willing to pay to prevent falls through six intervention approaches. ⋯ There may be considerable indirect and intangible costs associated with interventions to prevent falls in hospitals that can substantially affect patient preferences. These costs could substantially influence the ability of these interventions to generate a net benefit in a cost-benefit analysis.
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Leadership and innovation are currently seen as essential elements for the development and maintenance of high-quality care. Little is known about the relationship between leadership and culture of innovation and the extent to which quality improvement methods are used in general practice. This study aimed to assess the relationship between leadership behaviour, culture of innovation and adoption of quality improvement methods in general practice. ⋯ Leadership behaviours were infrequently reported and this was associated with a limited culture of innovation in participating general practices. There was little use of quality improvement methods beyond clinical and significant event audit. Practices need support to enhance leadership skills, encourage innovation and develop quality improvement skills if improvements in health care are to accelerate.
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Most professional medical care is provided in the community, and this determines the importance of primary care for the health care system. As family doctors are involved in the care of different health problems over time to the same individual, the personal dimension is strong. This paper analyses the importance of person-centred medicine from the perspective of primary care and family medicine. ⋯ As the effectiveness of primary care is a major factor for overall effective health care, it is important to come to a better understanding of how to address the personal context of care and the mechanisms through which this determines outcome of care.
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of medication information available in medical charts before and after the implementation of a medication reconciliation form. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that the forms used in the reconciliation process, in particular the discharge prescription, could increase the quality of the information related to drug use in medical charts. We believe that medication reconciliation forms should be widely used by all the health care professional teams involved in the drug history or prescription process.