BMJ open
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
CODIFI (Concordance in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Infection): a cross-sectional study of wound swab versus tissue sampling in infected diabetic foot ulcers in England.
To determine the extent of agreement and patterns of disagreement between wound swab and tissue samples in patients with an infected diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). ⋯ Reports of tissue samples more frequently identified pathogens, and less frequently identified non-pathogens compared with wound swab samples. Blinded clinicians more often recommended changes in antibiotic therapy based on tissue compared with wound swab specimens. Further research is needed to determine the effect of the additional information provided by tissue samples.
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This study aimed to establish the association between timing and provision of palliative care (PC) and quality of end-of-life care indicators in a population of patients dying of cancer. ⋯ For decedents with advanced cancer, access to PC and longer duration of PC were significantly associated with better end-of-life quality indicators.
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Primary brain tumours newly affect >260 000 people each year worldwide. In the UK, every year >10 000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour while >5000 die annually from the disease. Prognoses are poor, cognitive deterioration common and patients have prolonged palliative needs. Advance care planning (ACP) may enable early discussion of future care decisions. Although a core commitment in the UK healthcare strategy, and the shared responsibility of clinical teams, ACP appears uncommon in practice. Evidence around ACP practice in neuro-oncology is limited. ⋯ In busy clinical environments, 'shared responsibility' is interpreted as 'others' responsibility' laying the basis for a culture of avoidance. To address this, we suggest a 'generalists and specialists' model of ACP, wherein healthcare professionals undertake particular responsibilities. Healthcare professionals are already adopting this model informally, but without formalised structure it is likely to fail given a tendency for people to assume a generalist role.
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There has been concern that an increase in billing for high-intensity emergency care is due to changes in coding practices facilitated by electronic health records. We sought to characterise the trends in billing for high-intensity emergency care among Medicare beneficiaries and to examine the degree to which trends in high-intensity billing are explained by changes in patient characteristics and services provided in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Increases in services provided in the ED moderately account for the trends in billing for high-intensity emergency care for outpatient visits.
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND), is a debilitating terminal condition. Informal caregivers are key figures in ALS care provision. The physical, psychological and emotional impact of providing care in the home requires appropriate assistance and support. The objective of this analysis is to explore the needs of informal ALS caregivers across the caregiving course. ⋯ This study has shown the consistency and adaptation in what caregivers identified as helpful in their role, across 12-18 months of a caregiving journey. Support needs are clearly defined, and change with time and the course of caregiving. Caregivers need support from family, friends and healthcare professionals in managing their tasks and the emotional demands of caregiving. Identifying the specific needs of informal caregivers should enable health professionals to provide tailored supportive interventions.