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TzanckNet : a convolutional neural network to identify cells in the cytology of erosive‑vesiculobullous diseases.

Inspiratory muscle training for mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit

Background: Mechanically ventilated patients are at risk of developing inspiratory muscle weakness (IMW), which is associated with failure to wean and poor outcomes. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is a recommended intervention during and after extubation but has not been widely adopted in Dutch intensive care units (ICUs). Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the potential, barriers, and facilitators for implementing IMT as treatment modality for mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: This mixed-method, proof-of-concept study was conducted in a large academic hospital in the Netherlands. An evidence-based protocol for assessing IMW and training was applied to patients ventilated for ≥24 h in the ICU during an 8-month period in 2021. Quantitative data on completed measurements and interventions during and after ICU-stay were collected retrospectively and were analysed descriptively. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with physiotherapists executing the new protocol. Interview data were transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings: Of the 301 screened patients, 11.6% (n = 35) met the inclusion criteria. Measurements were possible in 94.3% of the participants, and IMW was found in 78.8% of the participants. Ninety-six percent started training in the ICU, and 88.5% continued training after transfer to the ward. Follow-up measurements were achieved in 73.1% of the patients with respiratory muscle weakness. Twelve therapists were interviewed, of whom 41.7% regularly worked in the ICU. When exploring reasons for protocol deviation, three themes emerged: “professional barriers”, “external factors”, and “patient barriers”. Conclusions: Implementation of measurements of and interventions for IMW showed to be challenging in this single centre study. Clinicians' willingness to change their handling was related to beliefs regarding usefulness, effectiveness, and availability of time and material. We recommend that hospitals aiming to implement IMT during or after ventilator weaning consider these professional and organisational barriers for implementation of novel, evidence-based interventions into daily clinical practice.

Pre-operative and post-operative recommendations to surgical wound care interventions

Background: The increasing numbers of surgeries involving high risk, multi-morbid patients, coupled with inconsistencies in the practice of perioperative surgical wound care, increases patients’ risk of surgical site infection and other wound complications. Objectives: To synthesise and evaluate the recommendations for nursing practice and research from published systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library on nurse-led pre-operative prophylaxis and post-operative surgical wound care interventions used or initiated by nurses. Design: Meta-review, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data sources: The Cochrane Library database. Review methods: All Cochrane Systematic Reviews were eligible. Two reviewers independently selected the reviews and extracted data. One reviewer appraised the methodological quality of the included reviews using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) checklist. A second reviewer independently verified these appraisals. The review protocol was registered with the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Results: Twenty-two Cochrane reviews met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 11 reviews focused on pre-operative interventions to prevent infection, while 12 focused on post-operative interventions (one review assessed both pre-and post-operative interventions). Across all reviews, 14 (63.6%) made at least one recommendation to undertake a specific practice, while two reviews (9.1%) made at least one specific recommendation not to undertake a practice. In relation to recommendations for further research, insufficient sample size was the most predominant methodological issue (12/22) identified across reviews. Conclusions: The limited number of recommendations for pre- and post-operative interventions reflects the paucity of high-quality evidence, suggesting a need for rigorous trials to address these evidence gaps in fundamentals of nursing care.