Under- and overfeeding in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are linked to prolonged hospitalisation, increased morbidity, and elevated mortality. This study investigates whether ICU patients were optimally nourished according to the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines. Methods: A cohort of 158 COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care for severe respiratory failure, necessitating a nuanced approach to nutritional support, was analysed. Nutritional status was determined regarding kilocalories and protein using the Energy Expenditure derived from ventilator-measured VCO2 and the adjusted Weir equation, and data on intake through enteral feeding was used. The study included ventilated patients hospitalised for over five days without Extra Corporeal Life Support (ECLS) and receiving enteral nutrition. Associations between mortality and (i) calorie intake and (ii) protein intake were examined using Chi-Square statistics. Results: Conforming to the ESPEN guidelines, 45% of patients were malnourished, and 21% were over-nourished in kilocalories. Additionally, 61% were malnourished, and 16% were over-nourished in protein. The distribution between the groups of survivors and deceased relative to each of the groups well nourished, malnourished, and over-nourished was not statistically different (p = 0.21). The protein distribution among survivors and deceased groups was not statistically different (p = 0.67) regarding correct, insufficient, or excessive protein intake. Conclusions: Based on ESPEN guidelines, most ICU patients were inadequately nourished in kilocalories and protein. However, no significant survival differences were observed across groups with varying nutritional adequacy. Further research is recommended to explore the implications of nutritional interventions in critically ill patients.
BACKGROUND: Findings on the association between early high protein provision and mortality in ICU patients are inconsistent. The relation between early high protein provision and mortality in patients receiving CRRT remains unclear. The aim was to study the association between early high protein provision and hospital and ICU mortality and consistency in subgroups.METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2618 ICU patients with a feeding tube and mechanically ventilated ≥48 h (2003-2016). The association between early high protein provision (≥1.2 g/kg/day at day 4 vs. <1.2 g/kg/day) and hospital and ICU mortality was assessed for the total group, for patients receiving CRRT, and for non-septic and septic patients, by Cox proportional hazards analysis. Adjustments were made for APACHE II score, energy provision, BMI, and age.RESULTS: Mean protein provision at day 4 was 0.96 ± 0.48 g/kg/day. A significant association between early high protein provision and lower hospital mortality was found in the total group (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.39-0.60, p = <0.001), CRRT-receiving patients (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, p = 0.045) and non-septic patients (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.44-0.71, p = <0.001). However, no association was found in septic patients (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.39-1.29, p = 0.264). These associations were very similar for ICU mortality. In a sensitivity analysis for patients receiving a relative energy provision >50%, results remained robust in all groups except for patients receiving CRRT.CONCLUSIONS: Early high protein provision is associated with lower hospital and ICU mortality in ICU patients, including CRRT-receiving patients. There was no association for septic patients.
BACKGROUND: The quality standards of the Dutch Society of Intensive Care require monitoring of the satisfaction of patient's relatives with respect to care. Currently, no suitable instrument is available in the Netherlands to measure this. This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire-based Consumer Quality Index 'Relatives in Intensive Care Unit' (CQI 'R-ICU'). The CQI 'R-ICU' measures the perceived quality of care from the perspective of patients' relatives, and identifies aspects of care that need improvement.METHODS: The CQI 'R-ICU' was developed using a mixed method design. Items were based on quality of care aspects from earlier studies and from focus group interviews with patients' relatives. The time period for the data collection of the psychometric evaluation was from October 2011 until July 2012. Relatives of adult intensive care patients in one university hospital and five general hospitals in the Netherlands were approached to participate. Psychometric evaluation included item analysis, inter-item analysis, and factor analysis.RESULTS: Twelve aspects were noted as being indicators of quality of care, and were subsequently selected for the questionnaire's vocabulary. The response rate of patients' relatives was 81% (n = 455). Quality of care was represented by two clusters, each showing a high reliability: 'Communication' (α = .80) and 'Participation' (α = .84). Relatives ranked the following aspects for quality of care as most important: no conflicting information, information from doctors and nurses is comprehensive, and health professionals take patients' relatives seriously. The least important care aspects were: need for contact with peers, nuisance, and contact with a spiritual counsellor. Aspects that needed the most urgent improvement (highest quality improvement scores) were: information about how relatives can contribute to the care of the patient, information about the use of meal-facilities in the hospital, and involvement in decision-making on the medical treatment of the patient.CONCLUSIONS: The CQI 'R-ICU' evaluates quality of care from the perspective of relatives of intensive care patients and provides practical information for quality assurance and improvement programs. The development and psychometric evaluation of the CQI 'R-ICU' led to a draft questionnaire, sufficient to justify further research into the reliability, validity, and the discriminative power of the questionnaire.
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Energy transition is key to achieving a sustainable future. In this transition, an often neglected pillar is raising awareness and educating youth on the benefits, complexities, and urgency of renewable energy supply and energy efficiency. The Master Energy for Society, and particularly the course “Society in Transition”, aims at providing a first overview on the urgency and complexities of the energy transition. However, educating on the energy transition brings challenges: it is a complex topic to understand for students, especially when they have diverse backgrounds. In the last years we have seen a growing interest in the use of gamification approaches in higher institutions. While most practices have been related to digital gaming approaches, there is a new trend: escape rooms. The intended output and proposed innovation is therefore the development and application of an escape room on energy transition to increase knowledge and raise motivation among our students by addressing both hard and soft skills in an innovative and original way. This project is interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary due to the complexity of the topic; it consists of three different stages, including evaluation, and requires the involvement of students and colleagues from the master program. We are confident that this proposed innovation can lead to an improvement, based on relevant literature and previous experiences in other institutions, and has the potential to be successfully implemented in other higher education institutions in The Netherlands.
Bedrijfsovername is een grote uitdaging voor agrarische familiebedrijven, waarbij het sociaal-emotioneel welzijn van de familie is geïdentificeerd als een belangrijk knelpunt. Vanuit het Nederlands Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt (NAJK) en het Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV) is in 2019 het beleidsprogramma Duurzame Bedrijfsopvolging gestart om het aantal succesvolle bedrijfsoverdrachten te verhogen. Een belangrijk onderdeel hiervan is een op te richten Kenniscentrum. Dit project wil het Kenniscentrum voeden met onderzoek naar de familiale dimensie van bedrijfsopvolging. Het praktijkonderzoek wordt uitgevoerd door een consortium bestaande uit het Lectoraat Familiebedrijven van Hogeschool Windesheim, Aeres Hogeschool Dronten, Van Hall Larenstein Leeuwarden, het Fries Sociaal Planbureau, het NAJK en LTO Noord. Doel van dit project is het inventariseren en evalueren van de ondersteunende advies- en kennisinfrastructuur op de familiale dimensie bij het opvolgingstraject van agrarische familiebedrijven. Dit doen we door inzichten op te halen bij zestien agrarische bedrijfsfamilies, in verschillende stadia van het opvolgingsproces. In het project vergelijken we hoe de families en de ondersteunende advies- en kennispartijen omgaan met de belangen en behoeften van verschillende familieleden (opvolgers, overdragers, partners en niet-opvolgers) tijdens het opvolgingsproces. Daarnaast wordt kwantitatief onderzoek gedaan onder studenten op de twee deelnemende agrarische hogescholen, om de behoeften en verwachtingen van potentiële opvolgers en niet-opvolgers ten aanzien van bedrijfsoverdracht in kaart te brengen. Het project moet resulteren in gevalideerde verbetervoorstellen (stappenplannen) voor zowel agrarische bedrijfsfamilies als adviseurs gericht op de verschillende stadia van bedrijfsopvolging. Ook worden spelvormen ontwikkeld om moeilijke en relationeel ingewikkelde onderwerpen beter bespreekbaar te maken in het agrarisch onderwijs. Tot slot worden de resultaten van het onderzoek geschikt gemaakt voor gebruik binnen agrarische scholen om het curriculum over de zachte kant van bedrijfsopvolging te versterken.
Vanwege veranderende onderwijskundige inzichten - 21st century learning - worden schoolgebouwen verbouwd of vervangen door nieuwbouw. Deze 21st century leeromgevingen blijken in de praktijk niet te voldoen aan de verwachting van de gebruikers. Het ontwikkelen en gebruiken van een 21st century leeromgeving stelt blijkbaar specifieke eisen aan de 21st century competenties van alle betrokkenen. Dit roept vragen op ten aanzien van product en proces. De beantwoording van deze vragen vereist kennis van wisselwerking tussen psycho-sociale leeromgeving en fysieke leeromgeving. Het betreft onder andere de benodigde “ruimtelijke competenties” van de betrokkenen om de fysieke leeromgevingen te ontwikkelen en te gebruiken en - andersom - hoe de fysieke leeromgeving de ontwikkeling van 21st century competenties beïnvloedt. De kiem voor dit onderzoeksproject is gelegd toen scholen en vormgevers deze vragen voorlegden aan experts van de NHL Hogeschool en TU Eindhoven. Dit KIEM project wil de probleemstelling in één of meerdere praktijkvragen articuleren door het uitvoeren van een reeks workshops met een focusgroep van stakeholders. De uitkomsten hiervan zullen worden vertaald naar een voorstel voor een langduriger onderzoeksproject. In dit beoogde vervolgproject zullen de gearticuleerde vragen worden vertaald naar één of meer praktijkonderzoeken waarin wetenschappelijke kennis en methodes worden doorontwikkeld en beproefd op het effectief stimuleren van 21st century vaardigheden van docenten en vormgevers in praktijksituaties. Dit project maakt deel uit van de opbouw van een regionaal kennisnetwerk Onderwijs & Ruimte, wat op een duurzame wijze wil bijdragen aan de kennisontwikkeling en -deling betreffende de 21st century leeromgeving. De kern van dit netwerk wordt gevormd door de initiatiefnemers van deze aanvraag; Adema Architecten (MKB), lectoraat Open Innovation van de NHL Hogeschool (Onderzoeksinstelling) en Next Level (Onderwijs).