Abstract Objective: To describe changes in the health service delivery process experienced by professionals, patients and informal caregivers during implementation of a national programme to improve quality of care of geriatric rehabilitation by improving integration of health service delivery processes. Study setting: Sixteen skilled nursing facilities. Study design: Prospective study, comparing three consecutive cohorts. Data collection: Professionals (elderly care physicians, physiotherapists and nursing staff) rated four domains of health service delivery at admission and at discharge of 1075 patients. In addition, these patients [median age 79 (Interquartile range 71–85) years, 63% females] and their informal caregivers rated their experiences on these domains 4 weeks after discharge. Principal findings: During the three consecutive cohorts, professionals reported improvement on the domain team cooperation, including assessment for intensive treatment and information transfer among professionals. Fewer improvements were reported within the domains alignment with patients’ needs, care coordination and care quality. Between the cohorts, according to patients (n = 521) and informal caregivers (n = 319) there were no changes in the four domains of health service delivery. Conclusion: This national programme resulted in small improvements in team cooperation as reported by the professionals. No effects were found on patients’ and informal caregivers’ perceptions of health service delivery.
Background: Postoperative rehabilitation after primary total hip arthroplasty (p-THA) differs between the Netherlands and Germany. Aim is to compare clinical effectiveness and to get a first impression of cost effectiveness of Dutch versus German usual care after p-THA. Methods: A transnational prospective controlled observational trial. Clinical effectiveness was assessed with self-reported questionnaires and functional tests. Measurements were taken preoperatively and 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months postoperatively. For cost effectiveness, long-term economic aspects were assessed from a societal perspective. Results: 124 working-age patients finished the measurements. German usual care leads to a significantly larger proportion (65.6% versus 47.5%) of satisfied patients 12 weeks postoperatively and significantly better self-reported function and Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) results. German usual care is generally 45% more expensive than Dutch usual care, and 20% more expensive for working-age patients. A scenario analysis assumed that German patients work the same number of hours as the Dutch, and that productivity costs are the same. This analysis revealed German care is still more expensive but the difference decreased to 8%. Conclusions: German rehabilitation is clinically advantageous yet more expensive, although comparisons are less straightforward as the socioeconomic context differs between the two countries. Trial registration: The study is registered in the German Registry of Clinical Trials (DRKS00011345, 18/11/2016).
BackgroundSurvivors of critical illness experience long-term functional challenges, which are complex, heterogeneous, and multifactorial in nature. Although the importance of rehabilitation interventions after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge is universally recognized, evidence on feasibility and effectiveness of home-based rehabilitation programs is scarce and ambiguous. This study investigates the feasibility of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program designed for patients with Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) who are discharged home.MethodsA mixed method, non-randomized, prospective pilot feasibility study was performed with a 6-month follow-up, comparing the intervention (REACH) with usual care. REACH was provided by trained professionals and included a patient-centered, interdisciplinary approach starting directly after hospital discharge. Primary outcomes were patient safety, satisfaction, adherence, referral need and health care usage. Secondary outcomes, measured at 3 timepoints, were functional exercise capacity, self-perceived health status, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), return to work and psychotrauma. Risk of undernutrition was assessed at baseline.Results43 patients with a median mechanical ventilation duration of 8 (IQR:10) days, were included in the study and 79.1% completed 6-month follow-up. 19 patients received the intervention, 23 received usual care. Groups were similar for gender distribution and ICU length of stay. No adverse events occurred. REACH participants showed higher satisfaction with treatment and reported more allied health professional visits, while the usual care group reported more visits to medical specialists. Qualitative analysis identified positive experiences among REACH-professionals related to providing state-of-the-art interventions and sharing knowledge and expertise within an interprofessional network. Similar recovery was seen between groups on all secondary outcomes, but neither group reached reference values for HRQoL at 6 months. Larger return to work rates were seen in the REACH group. Prevalence of undernutrition at hospital discharge was high in both groups (> 80%), warranting the need for careful tuning of physical therapy and nutritional interventions.ConclusionsThis study shows that providing early, home-based rehabilitation interventions for patients with PICS-related symptoms is feasible and perceived positively by patients and professionals. When provided in an interdisciplinary collaborative network state of the art, person-centered interventions can be tailored to individual needs potentially increasing patient satisfaction, adherence, and efficacy.Registered in the Dutch Trial register: NL7792: https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7792, registered 7-06-2019.
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The pressure on the European health care system is increasing considerably: more elderly people and patients with chronic diseases in need of (rehabilitation) care, a diminishing work force and health care costs continuing to rise. Several measures to counteract this are proposed, such as reduction of the length of stay in hospitals or rehabilitation centres by improving interprofessional and person-centred collaboration between health and social care professionals. Although there is a lot of attention for interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP), the consortium senses a gap between competence levels of future professionals and the levels needed in rehabilitation practice. Therefore, the transfer from tertiary education to practice concerning IPECP in rehabilitation is the central theme of the project. Regional bonds between higher education institutions and rehabilitation centres will be strengthened in order to align IPECP. On the one hand we deliver a set of basic and advanced modules on functioning according to the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and a set of (assessment) tools on interprofessional skills training. Also, applications of this theory in promising approaches, both in education and in rehabilitation practice, are regionally being piloted and adapted for use in other regions. Field visits by professionals from practice to exchange experiences is included in this work package. We aim to deliver a range of learning materials, from modules on theory to guidelines on how to set up and run a student-run interprofessional learning ward in a rehabilitation centre. All tested outputs will be published on the INPRO-website and made available to be implemented in the core curricula in tertiary education and for lifelong learning in health care practice. This will ultimately contribute to improve functioning and health outcomes and quality of life of patients in rehabilitation centres and beyond.
Longaandoeningen, zoals COPD, veroorzaken problemen in het dagelijks functioneren door een afgenomen uithoudingsvermogen, benauwdheid en (bewegings-) angst. Tijdens longrevalidatie vormen inspanningstraining en het leren omgaan met dagelijkse fysieke beperkingen (zoals benauwdheid bij inspanning) de hoeksteen van de behandeling. Het is voor patiënten moeilijk om een actieve leefstijl te behouden. Na deelname aan revalidatie gaan trainingseffecten verloren door een verminderd aanbod van trainingsprikkels (reversibiliteit). Daarnaast wordt, een jaar na de revalidatie, maar liefst 20% van de patiënten opnieuw opgenomen in het ziekenhuis met een longaanval (exacerbatie). Door de verschuiving van (dure) derdelijns naar eerstelijns zorg, hebben meer patiënten toegang tot de zorg die ze nodig hebben. Hierdoor kan verergering van klachten voorkomen worden. Naast fysieke inspanning is het voor oefen- en fysiotherapeuten belangrijk om patiënten een duurzame actieve leefstijl aan te leren en het zelfmanagement van patiënten te vergroten. Een blended beweeginterventie, om het zelfmanagement (omtrent beweging, benauwdheid en beweginsgangst) van COPD patiënten te stimuleren, zowel in de praktijk als in de thuissituatie middels een eHealth toepassing, biedt mogelijk uitkomst. Echter, missen therapeuten kennis en handvatten om blended care toe te passen in de praktijk. Het doel van dit project is om samen met fysiotherapeuten en oefentherapeuten een blended care programma in te richten voor patiënten met COPD. In werkpakket 1 inventariseren we de behoeften en belemmerende factoren van een blended beweeginterventie bij therapeuten en patiënten. Op basis van deze bevindingen worden de belangrijkste elementen van de interventie geselecteerd en wordt, in co-creatie met eindgebruikers de eerste versie van de interventie ontwikkeld (WP2). Om te bepalen wat de toegevoegde waarde van de interventie is, worden de voorlopige effectiviteit en haalbaarheid onderzocht waarbij 25 eerstelijns therapeuten de blended interventie gaan gebruiken (WP3). In WP4 worden scholingsmodules ontwikkeld voor studenten en therapeuten om kennis over zelfmanagement en technologie bij COPD te vergroten.
