Healthcare professionals often feel challenged by complex patients and the associated care needs during care transition. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is considered an effective approach in such situations. However, a fragmented healthcare system can limit IPC. This study explored experiences of Swiss healthcare professionals regarding complex patient care transition and the potential of IPC. Professionals from nursing, medicine, psychology, physiotherapy, dietetics and nutrition, social service, occupational therapy, and speech therapy were included. A qualitative between-method triangulation design was applied, with two focus group discussions and ten individual interviews. The combination of different data-collection methods allowed us to explore complex patient care transition and to systematically add perspectives of healthcare professionals from different care settings. Three main themes were identified: (1) Participants described their vision of an ideal complex patient care transition, i.e., the status they would like to see implemented; (2) participants reported challenges in complex patient care transition as experienced today; and (3) participants suggested ways to improve complex patient care transition by IPC. This study highlighted that healthcare professionals regarded IPC as an effective intervention to improve complex patient care transition. It emerged that sustainable implementation of IPC across care organizations is currently limited in Switzerland. In the absence of strong and direct promotion of IPC by the healthcare system, professionals in clinical practice can further promote IPC by finding hands-on solutions to overcome organizational boundaries.

Research from JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery — A New Dynamic Visual Acuity Test to Assess Peripheral Vestibular Function

An anatomical hip model has been developed to simulate the impact load on the hip of a falling person wearing a hip protector. The hip consists of an artificial pelvis made of aluminium, linked by a ball-and-socket joint to an anatomically shaped steel femur (thigh bone). The femur is embedded in silicone material with a hip-shaped surface to allow realistic positioning of the protectors with accessory underwear. Additionally, the silicone simulates the damping and load-dispersal effect of soft tissue. A triaxial load sensor is integrated in the neck of the femur to measure the axial and cross-sectional force components in response to external impact forces on the hip. The performance of the hip model was investigated in drop tests and validated against biomechanical data. In a first series of measurements, the shock absorption of 10 different hip protectors, including both energy-absorbing and energy-shunting systems, was analysed. To determine the importance of hip protector placement, each protector was tested in the correct anatomical alignment over the hip and anteriorly displaced by 3 cm. Considerable differences were found between individual hip protectors in their effectiveness to reduce impact forces on the femur. Position of the hip protector also influenced the forces applied to the femur.