Objectives: First, to assess if Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems (EPaCCS) was used by different organisations as a tool to share information; second, to assess whether there was a measurable benefit with patients dying at their preferred place of death.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the 65 decedents from last 12 months in the registered list of a single practice in Leeds was conducted.

Results: EPaCCS was present in 24 patients (36.9%). It was used by more than one organisation in 17 cases (70.9%). It facilitated death at the preferred place in 19 of the 20 cases (95%) were preferences were recorded.

Conclusions: EPaCCS within the organisation was not used as widely as it could have been presumed. Having a patient with an EPaCCS in the electronic medical records did not imply there was sharing of information among the different organisations involved. Although there was a clear impact on individuals dying at their preferred place of death, preferences were not necessarily recorded in EPaCCS.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is a process where patients express their wishes regarding their future healthcare. Its importance has been increasingly recognised in the past decade. As increasing numbers of elderly people are living in care homes, the aim of this review was to identify the most effective ACP interventions to train/educate all levels of healthcare professionals working in care homes.

Design: A systematic review. Two independent reviewers undertook screening, data extraction and quality assessment.

Data sources: Searched from inception to June 2018: Ovid Medline, Ovid Medline in process, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EBSCO Cinahl and Ovid PsycINFO.

Results: Six studies were included: three before and after studies, one cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), one non-blinded RCT and one qualitative study. Five studies reported on ACP documentation, three on impact on ACP practice and three studies on healthcare-related outcomes. All quantitative studies reported an improvement in outcomes. In the three studies reporting on health-related outcomes, one showed significant reductions in hospitalisation rate, days and healthcare costs; one reported significant reductions in hospital deaths; and the third showed reductions in hospital days and deaths. A meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of the outcome measures. The included qualitative study highlighted perceived challenges to implementing an educational programme in the care home setting.

Conclusion: There is limited evidence for the effectiveness of ACP training for care home workers. More well-designed studies are needed.

Trial registration number: CRD42016042385 .

Purpose: There are cases where surgeons repair a recurrent inguinal hernia using a second Lichtenstein repair (Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein) or a second laparoscopic repair (Laparoscopy-Laparoscopy) in the same groin even though this contradicts current guideline recommendations. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of surgical modifications and findings during these reoperations.

Methods: Patients in this observational study were identified in the nationwide Danish Hernia Database during a 6-year period. Outcomes were identified in medical records. The primary outcome was the prevalence of tailored reoperations and standard reoperations for Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein and Laparoscopy-Laparoscopy, respectively. The secondary outcomes were findings during the reoperation such as inguinal hernia type and size, fibrosis, and difficulty to identify anatomical landmarks.

Results: Of the 102 Lichtenstein reoperations, 43 (42%) were tailored repairs and 59 (58%) were standard repairs. The most common modifications were posterior wall reinforcement with permanent sutures, dividing a structure to enable sufficient hernioplasty, and a modification of the new mesh size and/or shape. There were no differences in the findings during tailored- and standard Lichtenstein reoperations. Of the 58 laparoscopic reoperations, 35 (60%) were tailored repairs and 23 (40%) were standard repairs. The most common modifications were necessitation of a coated mesh due to insufficient peritoneal coverage and use of unusual mesh sizes and/or shapes. Fibrosis was more commonly described during the tailored laparoscopic reoperations.

Conclusions: A substantial part of the Lichtenstein- and the laparoscopic reoperations was tailored approaches, and various modifications were used. Fibrosis was more commonly described during tailored laparoscopic reoperations.

Background: The current guideline lacks evidence for creating individualized surveillance strategies for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

Objective: To create a novel risk model and to simulate individualized surveillance duration that dynamically illustrates the changing risk relationship of UTUC-related death and non-UTUC death, considering the impact of cigarette smoking.

Design, setting, and participants: This multicenter cohort study comprised 714 pTa-T4N0M0 UTUC patients, with a median follow-up duration of 65mo. There were 279 (39.1%) nonsmokers, 260 (36.4%) current smokers, and 175 (24.5%) ex-smokers.

Intervention: All patients underwent RNU.

Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The risks of UTUC death and non-UTUC death over time were estimated using parametric models for time to failure with Weibull distributions. Age-specific, stage-specific, and smoking status-specific surveillance durations were simulated based upon Weibull estimates.

Results and limitations: The hazard rate (HR) of non-UTUC death gradually increased over time in all age groups regardless of the smoking status, whereas that of UTUC-related death decreased markedly according to the pathological T (pT) stage and was affected by the smoking status. Among current smokers, the baseline HR of UTUC-related death in pT3/4 was higher than that of pT ≤2 and remained high even 10yr after RNU. Among heavy smokers, the HR of UTUC-related death in all pT stages was highest at baseline and remained high after RNU, compared with nonsmokers, current smokers, or ex-smokers. We simulated specific time points when the risk of non-UTUC death was greater than that of UTUC-related death. Among patients ≥80yr of with pT3N0M0, the risk of non-UTUC death was greater than that of UTUC-related death 1yr after RNU in nonsmokers, but 7yr for heavy smokers.

Conclusions: Our result revealed that smokers bear a long-term risk burden of UTUC-related death more than the risk of non-UTUC death. For UTUC smokers, longer-term surveillance duration is recommended even in elderly stage.

Patient summary: In the present study, we evaluated the risk transition of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC)-related death and non-cancer-related death over time. We found that smoking weighed a huge impact upon UTUC-related death compared with death from other cause, and therefore, we created a more individualized surveillance duration model.

Background: In 2009 and 2011 respectively ESVS and AHA/ASA guidelines recommended to operate patients with a symptomatic carotid artery stenosis within 14 days. This study aimed primarily to determine if an academic hospital has implemented these international guidelines about indication and timing of surgical treatment of carotid stenosis. Second, the influence of referral from another hospital on time from symptoms to surgery and the influence of time between neurological event and surgery on 30-day complication rate was studied. Third, the number of asymptomatic carotid artery lesions treated surgically was also evaluated in both periods.Methods: Retrospective study to compare patients with significant atherosclerotic carotid stenosis who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS) in 2005-2006 versus patients treated in 2014-2016. Demographic data, treatment characteristics, interval between symptom and surgery and 30-day outcomes were collected.Results: In 2005-2006 38.1% (59/155) of the patients were treated for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, in 2014-2016 this increased to 66.5% (121/182) (p < .001, 95% CI: 0.179-0.383). Median time from neurological symptom to surgery in symptomatic patients decreased from 30 to 13 d (p <.001, 95% CI: 1.476-2.763). Early surgery did not increase the 30-day postoperative complications (p = .19, 95% CI: 0.987-1.003). Referral from another hospital almost doubled the time interval between symptoms and surgery in 2014-2016 (p <.001, 95% CI: 1.386-2.827).Conclusions: Since the publication of the international guidelines, patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis were preferably surgically treated within 2 weeks at an academic institution. The number of treated asymptomatic carotid stenoses was drastically reduced.

Background and rationale: SPECAL is a model of care for people with dementia based on a novel conceptualisation of memory and how this changes in dementia. Carers adapt their communication style to prevent distress and promote well-being for the person with dementia. However, there is limited scientific evidence on the effectiveness of SPECAL.

Aim: This study explored mechanisms of SPECAL through a qualitative enquiry with family carers.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with family carers who had been coached in SPECAL and applied its principles and practices. Thematic analysis was applied.

Findings: All participants had found SPECAL helpful in caring for a person with dementia. The core themes of this positive experience were empathy, harmony and resilience. Synthesis of these themes contributes to a proposed model of the mechanisms of SPECAL.

Conclusion: In applying SPECAL, carers gained an empathetic insight to the feelings of the person with dementia. This empathy leads to a more harmonious environment, which enhances the carer's resilience.

Background: Coronary artery disease is one of the most important health problems among heart diseases in the world, with high morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle changes in particular are recommended in the latest guidelines for implementing secondary prevention.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth interventions as a part of secondary prevention compared to routine care in those with coronary artery disease.

Method: The systematic review with meta-analysis was performed in accordance with Cochrane methods. Science Direct, Springer Link, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest and Network Digital Library databases were searched between 2000 and 2018 up to February 2018. The studies chosen conformed to PICOS inclusion and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline was used in reporting the study.

Results: Twenty-four studies with a total of 6773 study participants met the inclusion criteria. It was found that telephone call interventions were the most commonly used, text message interventions came second with seven studies, telephone calls in combination with messages were used in four studies and telemonitoring was used in two studies. Compared to routine care, telehealth interventions had moderate significant effects in reducing waist circumference, total cholesterol and triglyceride, improving medication adherence and physical activity, and had small significant effects in reducing blood pressure and smoking cessation. No significant publication bias was found in the main outcomes.

Conclusion: Results showed that the telehealth interventions yielded positive outcomes in lifestyle changes for coronary artery disease. Therefore, telehealth interventions can be used for effective secondary prevention by health professionals who care for individuals with coronary artery disease. Additionally, this study will provide guidance for studies on the development of telehealth intervention.

Background: Timely identification of patients with palliative care needs is a prerequisite for being able to carry out effective and equal palliative care. The Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) identifies patients likely to benefit from a palliative approach.

Aim: The main objective was to describe the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and content validation process of the SPICT-SE. In this process, the prefinal SPICT-SE was tested in focus group interviews to explore how the tool was perceived and interpreted by healthcare professionals in a Swedish healthcare context.

Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and content validation process of the SPICT-SE was based on a recommended method for cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. The process included two independent forward translations, a synthesis, and one independent back-translation. An expert committee consolidated all the versions and developed the prefinal version of the SPICT-SE. The prefinal version of the SPICT-SE was tested in four focus group interviews with physicians and nurses engaged in inpatient or outpatient care in south-west Sweden. A thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews was performed. The SPICT-SE was then revised to the final version.

Results: In the thematic analysis, four themes were constructed that together described how the SPICT-SE was perceived and interpreted by healthcare professionals: The mindset is familiar and relevant; the tool needs to be adjusted in order to be clearer; the purpose and consequences of the tool are ambiguous; and the tool supports a palliative approach.

Conclusion: The SPICT-SE has now been successfully translated, culturally adapted and content validated in a Swedish healthcare context.

Older people are at risk of developing multi-comorbidity and thus being exposed to multiple treatments and drugs to manage the emerging health complaints. More focus has been put on nonpharmacological alternatives. However, studies revealing the healthcare staff perspective on using nonpharmacological methods (NPMs) in the care of older people are still lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was to map the use of NPMs in daily practices and the follow-up thereof. A population-based survey with questionnaires was performed, included all healthcare professionals (n = 163; nurses and paramedical professionals) working in one district of elderly care in Sweden. The older person's anxiety and worry (76.1%), sleeping problems (53.1%) and pain (41.1%) were the health problems in daily life most likely to trigger use of NPMs. To manage the emerging health problems, interactions (87.1%), diet and nutrition supplements (63.2%) and physical activity were commonly used, particularly by nurses. One third (n = 54) stated that they did not evaluate the NPMs used, with no statistical differences between nurses and paramedical professionals. The present study indicated that NPMs were used in care of older people among nurses and paramedical professionals, but not in a systematic way and often without follow-up.