Interprofessional education: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes
Abstract Background The delivery of effective, high-quality patient care is a complex activity. It demands health and social care professionals collaborate in an effective manner. Research continues to suggest that collaboration between these professionals can be problematic. Interprofessional education (IPE) offers a possible way to improve interprofessional collaboration and patient care. Objectives To assess the effectiveness […]
Discharge planning from hospital to home
Abstract Background Discharge planning is a routine feature of health systems in many countries. The aim of discharge planning is to reduce hospital length of stay and unplanned readmission to hospital, and improve the co-ordination of services following discharge from hospital. Objectives To determine the effectiveness of planning the discharge of individual patients moving from […]
Reminder packaging for improving adherence to self-administered long-term medications
Abstract Background Current methods of improving medication adherence for health problems are mostly complex, labour-intensive, and not reliably effective. Medication ‘reminder packaging’, which incorporates a date or time for a medication to be taken in the packaging, can act as a reminder to improve adherence. This review of reminder packaging is an update of our […]
Hospital nurse staffing models and patient and staff-related outcomes
Abstract Background Nurse staffing interventions have been introduced across countries in recent years in response to changing patient requirements, developments in patient care, and shortages of qualified nursing staff. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staffing levels, nursing shifts or nurses’ work patterns. Nurse staffing has been closely linked to […]
Organising health care services for persons with an intellectual disability
Abstract Background When compared to the general population, persons with an intellectual disability have lower life expectancy, higher morbidity, higher rates of unmet health needs, and more difficulty finding and getting health care. Organisational interventions are used to reconfigure the structure or delivery of health care services and may prove useful to decrease the noted […]
Care home versus hospital and own home environments for rehabilitation of older people
Abstract Background Rehabilitation for older people has acquired an increasingly important profile for both policy-makers and service providers within health and social care agencies. This has generated an increased interest in the use of alternative care environments including care home environments. Yet, there appears to be limited evidence on which to base decisions. This review […]
Therapy-based rehabilitation services for patients living at home more than one year after stroke
Abstract Background Current practice of rehabilitation intervention mainly concentrates on the first six months of stroke. At present, there is no agreed consensus about the benefits of such a service more than one year after stroke. Objectives To ascertain whether therapy-based rehabilitation services can influence outcome one year or more after stroke. Search methods We […]
Effectiveness of intermediate care in nursing-led in-patient units
Abstract Background The Nursing led inpatient Unit (NLU) is one of a range of services that have been considered in order to manage more successfully the transition between hospital and home for patients with extended recovery times. This is an update of an earlier review published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 3, 2004. Objectives […]
Spinal injuries centres (SICs) for acute traumatic spinal cord injury
Abstract Background The majority of complications in traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can occur in the first 24 hours and it has been suggested that spinal injury centres (SICs) may influence the pre-transfer care of people with SCI. The specialist SIC concept has been adopted in a number of high-income countries. However, even in such […]
In-hospital care pathways for stroke
Abstract Background Stroke care pathways have the potential to promote organised and efficient patient care that is based on best evidence and guidelines, but evidence to support their use is unclear. Objectives To assess the effects of care pathways, compared with standard medical care, among patients with acute stroke who had been admitted to hospital. […]