| 1. |
- Axelsson, Christer, et al.
(författare)
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The Early Chain of Care in Patients with Bacteraemia with the Emphasis on the Prehospital Setting
- 2016
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Ingår i: Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1049-023X .- 1945-1938. ; 31:3, s. 272-277
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a lack of knowledge about the early phase of severe infection. This report describes the early chain of care in bacteraemia as follows: (a) compare patients who were and were not transported by the Emergency Medical Services (EMS); (b) describe various aspects of the EMS chain; and (c) describe factors of importance for the delay to the start of intravenous antibiotics. It was hypothesized that, for patients with suspected sepsis judged by the EMS clinician, the delay until the onset of antibiotic treatment would be shorter.All patients in the Municipality of Gothenburg (Sweden) with a positive blood culture, when assessed at the Laboratory of Bacteriology in the Municipality of Gothenburg, from February 1 through April 30, 2012 took part in the survey.In all, 696 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Their mean age was 76 years and 52% were men. Of all patients, 308 (44%) had been in contact with the EMS and/or the emergency department (ED). Of these 308 patients, 232 (75%) were transported by the EMS and 188 (61%) had “true pathogens” in blood cultures. Patients who were transported by the EMS were older, included more men, and suffered from more severe symptoms and signs.The EMS nurse suspected sepsis in only six percent of the cases. These patients had a delay from arrival at hospital until the start of antibiotics of one hour and 19 minutes versus three hours and 21 minutes among the remaining patients (P =.0006). The corresponding figures for cases with “true pathogens” were one hour and 19 minutes versus three hours and 15 minutes (P =.009).Among patients with bacteraemia, 75% used the EMS, and these patients were older, included more men, and suffered from more severe symptoms and signs. The EMS nurse suspected sepsis in six percent of cases. Regardless of whether or not patients with true pathogens were isolated, a suspicion of sepsis by the EMS clinician at the scene was associated with a shorter delay to the start of antibiotic treatment.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Frank, Catharina, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Ethics rounds in the ambulance service: a qualitative evaluation
- 2024
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Ethics. - : Springer Nature. - 1472-6939. ; 25:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundIt is a common ethical challenge for ambulance clinicians to care for patients with impaired decision-making capacities while assessing and determining the degree of decision-making ability and considering ethical values. Ambulance clinicians’ ethical competence seems to be increasingly important in coping with such varied ethical dilemmas. Ethics rounds is a model designed to promote the development of ethical competence among clinicians. While standard in other contexts, to the best of our knowledge, it has not been applied within the ambulance service context. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe ambulance clinicians’ experiences of participating in ethics rounds.MethodsThis was a qualitative descriptive study, evaluating an intervention. Data were collected through sixteen interviews with ambulance clinicians who had participated in an intervention involving ethics rounds. The analysis was performed by use of content analysis.ResultsTwo themes describe the participants’ experiences: (1) Reflecting freely within a given framework, and (2) Being surprised by new insights. The following categories form the basis of the themes; 1a) Gentle guidance by the facilitator, 1b) A comprehensible structure, 2a) New awareness in the face of ethical problems, and 2b) Shared learning through dialogue.ConclusionIncorporating structured ethics rounds seems to create a continuous development in ethical competence that may improve the quality of care in the ambulance service. Structured guidance and facilitated group reflections offer ambulance clinicians opportunities for both personal and professional development. An important prerequisite for the development of ethical competence is a well-educated facilitator. Consequently, this type of ethics rounds may be considered a useful pedagogical model for the development of ethical competence in the ambulance service.
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| 4. |
- Ambjörnsson, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Prehospital suspicion and identification of adult septic patients : Experiences of a screening tool
- 2016
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Ingår i: 2nd Global Conference on Emergency Nursing and Trauma Care, Melia Sitges, September 22-24, 2016.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Sepsis is life threatening and requires urgent healthcare to reduce suffering and death. Therefore it is important that septic patients are identified early to enable treatment. Aim: To investigate to what extent EMS personnel identified patients with sepsis using the “BAS 90-30-90” model, and to describe assessments and medical procedures that were undertaken by the personnel.Methods: This was a retrospective study where 185 EMS medical records were reviewed. The inclusion was based on patients who were later diagnosed with sepsis in the hospital. Results: A physician assessed the patients in 74 of the EMS cases, which lead to exclusion of these records in regard to the EMS personnel’s ability to identify sepsis. The personnel documented suspicion of severe sepsis in eight (n=8) of the remaining 111 records (7.2%). The proportion of patients ˃65 years of age was 73% (n=135) of which 37% (n=50) were over 80 years old. Thirty-nine percent (39%, n=72) were females. The personnel documented blood pressure in 91% (n=168), respiratory rate in 76% (n=140), saturation in 100% (n=185), temperature in 76% (n=141), and heart rate in 94% (n=174) of the records. Systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg was documented in 14,2% (n=24), respiratory rate ˃30 in 36% (n=50), saturation <90 in 49% (n=91), temperature >38°C in 37.6% (n=53), and heart rate ˃90 in 70% (n=121) of the records. Documented medical procedures and treatments were intravenous lines (70%, n=130), intravenous fluids (10%, n=19) and administration of oxygen (72%, n=133).Conclusion: The EMS personnel identified only a few septic patients with the help of the BAS 90-30-90 model when all three criteria would be met for severe sepsis. Either advanced age (>65 years), fever (>38°C) or tachypnea (˃20 breaths/min) appeared to increase the personnel’s suspicion of sepsis. Oxygen, but not intravenous fluids, was given in an adequate way.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Ethics education to support ethical competence learning in healthcare : an integrative systematic review
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Ethics. - : BioMed Central. - 1472-6939. ; 23
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Ethical problems in everyday healthcare work emerge for many reasons and constitute threats to ethi- cal values. If these threats are not managed appropriately, there is a risk that the patient may be inflicted with moral harm or injury, while healthcare professionals are at risk of feeling moral distress. Therefore, it is essential to support the learning and development of ethical competencies among healthcare professionals and students. The aim of this study was to explore the available literature regarding ethics education that promotes ethical competence learning for healthcare professionals and students undergoing training in healthcare professions.Methods: In this integrative systematic review, literature was searched within the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases using the search terms ‘health personnel’, ‘students’, ‘ethics’, ‘moral’, ‘simulation’, and ‘teaching’. In total, 40 arti- cles were selected for review. These articles included professionals from various healthcare professions and students who trained in these professions as subjects. The articles described participation in various forms of ethics education. Data were extracted and synthesised using thematic analysis.Results: The review identified the need for support to make ethical competence learning possible, which in the long run was considered to promote the ability to manage ethical problems. Ethical competence learning was found to be helpful to healthcare professionals and students in drawing attention to ethical problems that they were not previ- ously aware of. Dealing with ethical problems is primarily about reasoning about what is right and in the patient’s best interests, along with making decisions about what needs to be done in a specific situation.Conclusions: The review identified different designs and course content for ethics education to support ethical competence learning. The findings could be used to develop healthcare professionals’ and students’ readiness and capabilities to recognise as well as to respond appropriately to ethically problematic work situations.
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| 6. |
- Bennesved, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Ambulance clinicians’ understanding of older patients’ self-determination : A vignette study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nursing Ethics. - : Sage Publications. - 0969-7330 .- 1477-0989. ; , s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Older patients are often vulnerable and highly dependent on healthcare professionals’ assessment in the event of acute illness. In the context of ambulance services, this poses challenges as the assessment is normally conducted with a focus on identifying life-threatening conditions. Such assessment is not fully satisfactory in a patient relationship that also aims to promote and protect patient autonomy.Aim: To describe ambulance clinicians’ understanding of older patients’ self-determination when the pa- tient’s decision-making ability is impaired.Research design: A qualitative design with an inductive approach, guided by descriptive phenomenology.Participants: In total, 30 ambulance clinicians, comprised of 25 prehospital emergency nurses, 1 nurse and 4 emergency medical technicians participated in 15 dyadic interviews.Ethical considerations: The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and permission was granted by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.Findings: The findings are presented in two themes: (1) Movement between explicit and implicit will; and (2) Contradictions about the patient’s best interests. The clinicians’ interpretations are based on an understanding of the patient’s situation using substitute decision-making in emergency situations and conversations that reveal the patient’s explicit wishes. Sometimes the clinicians collaborate to validate the patient’s implicit will, while they at other times subordinate themselves to others’ opinions. The clinicians find themselves in conflict between personal values and organisational values as they try to protect the patient’s self-determination.Conclusion: The results indicate that older patients with an impaired decision-making ability risk losing the right to self-determination in the context of ambulance services. The clinicians face challenges that significantly affect their ability to handle the older patient’s unique needs based on a holistic perspective and their ability to be autonomous.
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| 7. |
- Fager, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Nurses' use of an advisory decision support system in ambulance services : A qualitative study
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Advanced Nursing. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0309-2402 .- 1365-2648.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To illuminate from the perspective of nurses in ambulance services the experiences of using a web-based advisory decision support system to assess care needs and refer patients.Design: Inductive and descriptive approaches.Method: Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in the spring of 2020. The data were analysed through the reflexive thematic analysis.Results: The Swedish web-based advisory decision support system (ADSS) was found to strengthen nurses' feelings of security when they assess patients' care needs, promote their competence and professional pride, and help them manage stress. However, the system also generated difficulties for nurses to adjust to the dynamic ambulance team and revealed a discrepancy between their professional roles and responsibilities to refer patients and provide self-care advice. The nurses thought that the support system facilitated their increased participation and helped them understand patients and significant others by offering transparency in assessment and decision making. Thus, the support system provides nurses with an opportunity to strengthen patients' independence through information and education. However, in the care relationship, nurses worked to overcome patients' expectations.Conclusion: Nurses using the ADSS increased their security while performing assessments and referrals and found new opportunities to provide information and promote understanding of their decisions. However, nursing care values can be threatened when new support systems are introduced, especially as ambulance services become increasingly protocol-driven.Implications for Profession and/or Patient Care: These findings have implications for nurses' work environments and help them maintain consistency in making medical assessments and in providing equivalent self-care advice when referring patients to the different levels of care. The findings will also impact researchers and policymakers who formulate decision support systems.Reporting Method: Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ).Patient or Public Contribution: None.
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| 8. |
- Herlitz, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Suspicion and treatment of severe sepsis : An overview of the prehospital chain of care
- 2012
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. - : BioMed Central. - 1757-7241. ; 20:42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundSepsis is a life-threatening condition where the risk of death has been reported to be even higher than that associated with the major complications of atherosclerosis, i.e. myocardial infarction and stroke. In all three conditions, early treatment could limit organ dysfunction and thereby improve the prognosis.AimTo describe what has been published in the literature a/ with regard to the association between delay until start of treatment and outcome in sepsis with the emphasis on the pre-hospital phase and b/ to present published data and the opportunity to improve various links in the pre-hospital chain of care in sepsis.MethodsA literature search was performed on the PubMed, Embase (Ovid SP) and Cochrane Library databases.ResultsIn overall terms, we found a small number of articles (n=12 of 1,162 unique hits) which addressed the prehospital phase. For each hour of delay until the start of antibiotics, the prognosis appeared to become worse. However, there was no evidence that prehospital treatment improved the prognosis.Studies indicated that about half of the patients with severe sepsis used the emergency medical service (EMS) for transport to hospital. Patients who used the EMS experienced a shorter delay to treatment with antibiotics and the start of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT). Among EMS-transported patients, those in whom the EMS staff already suspected sepsis at the scene had a shorter delay to treatment with antibiotics and the start of EGDT.There are insufficient data on other links in the prehospital chain of care, i.e. patients, bystanders and dispatchers.ConclusionSevere sepsis is a life-threatening condition. Previous studies suggest that, with every hour of delay until the start of antibiotics, the prognosis deteriorates. About half of the patients use the EMS. We need to know more about the present situation with regard to the different links in the prehospital chain of care in sepsis.
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| 10. |
- Holmberg, Bodil, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Self-determination in older patients: Experiences from nurse-dominated ambulance services
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Advanced Nursing. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0309-2402 .- 1365-2648. ; , s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To describe ambulance clinicians' experiences of self-determination in older patients.Design: The study had an inductive and explorative design, guided from a life-world perspective.Methods: Thirty-two Swedish ambulance clinicians were interviewed in six focus groups in November 2019. The data were analysed with content analysis, developing manifest categories and latent themes.Findings: The ambulance clinicians assessed the older patients' exercise of self-determination by engaging in conversation and by being visually alert, to eventually gain an overall picture of their decision-making capacity. This assessment was used as a platform when informing older patients of their rights, thus promoting their participation in care. Having limited time and narrow guidelines counteracted ambulance clinicians' ambitions to support older patients' general desire to avoid hospitalization, which resulted in an urge to displace their responsibility to external decision-makers.Conclusion: Expectations that older patients with impaired decision-making ability will give homogeneous responses mean an increased risk of ageist attitudes with a simplified view of patient autonomy. Such attitudes risk the withholding of information about options that healthcare professionals do not wish older patients to choose. When decision-making is difficult, requests for expanded guidelines may paradoxically risk alienation from the professional nursing role.Implications and Impact: The findings show ambulance clinicians' unwillingness to shoulder their professional responsibility when encountering older patients with impaired decision-making ability. In assuming that all older patients reason in the same way, ambulance clinicians tend to adopt a simplistic and somewhat ageist approach when it comes to patient autonomy. This points to deficiencies in ethical competence, which is why increased ethics support is deemed suitable to promote and develop ethical competence. Such support can increase the ability to act as autonomous professionals in accordance with professional ethical codes.Reporting Method: This study adhered to COREQ guidelines.Patient and Public Contribution: None.
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