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Aims The aims were to characterize a sample of 202 adult community-living long-term indwelling urinary catheter users, to describe self-care practices and catheter problems, and to explore relationships among demographics, catheter practices, and problems. Background Long-term urinary catheter users have not been well studied, and persons using the device indefinitely for persistent urinary retention are likely to have different patterns of catheter practices and problems. Design The study was a cross-sectional descriptive and exploratory analysis. Methods Home interviews were conducted with catheter users who provided information by self-reported recall over the previous two months. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and tests of association between demographics, catheter practices, and catheter problems. Results The sample was widely diverse in age (19–96 years), race, and medical diagnosis. Urethral catheters were used slightly more often (56%) than suprapubic (44%), for a mean of 6 yrs. (SD 7 yrs.). Many persons were highly disabled, with 60% having difficulty in bathing, dressing, toileting, and getting out of the bed; 19% also required assistance in eating. A high percentage of catheter problems were reported with: 43% experiencing leakage (bypassing of urine), 31% having had a urinary tract infection, 24% blockage of the catheter, 23% catheter-associated pain, and 12% accidental dislodgment of the catheter. Treatments of catheter-related problems contributed to additional health care utilization including extra nurse or clinic visits, trips to the emergency department, or hospitalization. Symptoms of catheter associated urinary tract infections were most often related to changes in the color or character of urine or generalized symptoms. Conclusions Catheter related problems contribute to excess morbidity and health care utilization and costs. Relevance to clinical practice More research is needed in how to minimize catheter associated problems in long-term catheter users. Information from this study could help inform the development of interventions in this population.

Our results call for closer coordination between home health and medical providers in the clinical management of HF patients immediately after hospital discharge.

PurposeNo published study to date has examined total cost and cost-effectiveness of maintaining a pediatric oncology treatment center in an African setting, thus limiting childhood cancer advocacy and policy efforts.MethodsWithin the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, costing data were gathered for all inputs related to operating a pediatric cancer unit. Cost and volume data for relevant clinical services (eg, laboratory, pathology, medications) were obtained retrospectively or prospectively. Salaries were determined and multiplied by proportion of time dedicated toward pediatric patients with cancer. Costs associated with inpatient bed use, outpatient clinic use, administrative fees, and overhead were estimated. Costs were summed for a total annual operating cost. Cost-effectiveness was calculated based on annual patients with newly diagnosed disease, survival rates, and life expectancy.ResultsThe Korle Bu Teaching Hospital pediatric cancer unit treats on average 170 new diagnoses annually. Total operating cost was $1.7 million/y. Personnel salaries and operating room costs were the most expensive inputs, contributing 45% and 21% of total costs. Together, medications, imaging, radiation, and pathology services accounted for 7%. The cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted was $1,034, less than the Ghanaian per capita income, and thus considered very cost effective as per WHO-CHOICE methodology.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this study is the first to examine institution-level costs and cost-effectiveness of a childhood cancer program in an African setting, demonstrating that operating such a program in this setting is very cost effective. These results will inform national childhood cancer strategies in Africa and other low- and middle-income country settings.

Background People using long-term indwelling urinary catheters experience multiple recurrent catheter problems. Self-management approaches are needed to avoid catheter-related problems. Objectives The aim was to determine effectiveness of a self-management intervention in prevention of adverse outcomes (catheter-related urinary tract infection, blockage, and accidental dislodgement). Healthcare treatment associated with the adverse outcomes and catheter-related quality of life was also studied. Method A randomized clinical trial was conducted. The intervention involved learning catheter-related self-monitoring and self-management skills during home visits by a study nurse (twice during the first month and at four months—with a phone call at two months). The control group received usual care. Data were collected during an initial face-to-face home interview followed by bimonthly phone interviews. A total of 202 adult long-term urinary catheter users participated. Participants were randomized to treatment or control groups following collection of baseline data. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used for the analysis of treatment effect. Results In the intervention group, there was a significant decrease in reported blockage in the first six months (p = .02), but the effect did not persist. There were no significant effects for catheter-related urinary tract infection or dislodgment. Comparison of baseline rates of adverse outcomes with subsequent periods suggested that both groups improved over 12 months. Discussion A simple–to–use catheter problems calendar and the bimonthly interviews might have functioned as a modest self-monitoring intervention for persons in the control group. A simplified intervention using a self-monitoring calendar is suggested—with optimal and consistent fluid intake likely to add value.

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Increasing demand for Short-term Experiences in Global Health (STEGH), particularly among medical trainees, has seen a growth in programming that brings participants from high-income countries to low and middle-income settings in order to engage in service, teaching or research activities. Historically the domain of faith-based organizations conducting “missions”, STEGH are now offered by diverse groups including academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, either as dedicated for-profits or through corporate social responsibility arms. The growing popularity of STEGH has resulted in concerns about their negative impacts on host communities. Traditional STEGH are often crafted with little or no input from host community leaders, and this results in activities that do not address locally identified priorities. Other concerns include culturally incongruent programming and the creation of parallel systems that disrupt established local services and redirect scarce local resources, which fosters dependency instead of building capacity. One concern specific to trainees also includes trainee provision of services beyond their scope and training level. To address these concerns, this paper presents a comprehensive framework that aims to categorize promising interventions that might promote greater responsibility in STEGH. Based on the micro-meso-macro framework, this paper proposes various interventions as incentives and disincentives to be deployed at the individual, program, and societal levels to promote greater responsibility in STEGH. Deployed altogether, the interventions contemplated by this framework would foster the optimal context  required to encourage responsibility, minimize harms, and optimize host community outcomes for STEGH.

Heart failure is difficult to manage and increasingly common with many individuals experiencing frequent hospitalizations. Little is known about patient factors consistently associated with hospital readmission. A literature review was conducted to identify heart failure patient characteristics, measured before discharge, that contribute to variation in hospital readmission rates. Database searches yielded 950 potential articles, of which 34 studies met inclusion criteria. Patient characteristics generally have a very modest effect on all-cause or heart failure–related readmission within 7 to 180 days of index hospital discharge. A range of cardiac diseases and other comorbidities only minimally increase readmission rates. No single patient characteristic stands out as a key contributor across multiple studies underscoring the challenge of developing successful interventions to reduce readmissions. Interventions may need to be general in design with the specific intervention depending on each patient's unique clinical profile.