Theofanis Fotis | University of Brighton (original) (raw)
Papers by Theofanis Fotis
Journal of periAnesthesia nursing/Journal of perianesthesia nursing, Jun 1, 2024
Journal of Graduate Medical Education, Jun 1, 2023
Background The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent mandatory social distancing led to widespread... more Background The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent mandatory social distancing led to widespread disruption of medical education. This contributed to the accelerated introduction of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology in medical education. Objective The objective of this quantitative narrative synthesis review is to summarize the recent quantitative evidence on the impact of VR and AR on medical education. Methods A literature search for articles published between March 11, 2020 and January 31, 2022 was conducted using the following electronic databases: Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, EMCARE, BNI, and HMIC. Data on trainee confidence, skill transfer, information retention, and overall experience were extracted. Results The literature search generated 448 results, of which 13 met the eligibility criteria. The studies reported positive outcomes in trainee confidence and self-reported knowledge enhancement. Additionally, studies identified significant improvement in the time required to complete surgical procedures in those trained on VR (mean procedure time 97.62635.59) compared to traditional methods (mean procedure time 121.34612.17). However, participants also reported technical and physical challenges with the equipment (26%, 23 of 87). Conclusions Based on the studies reviewed, immersive technologies offer the greatest benefit in surgical skills teaching and as a replacement for lecture-and online-based learning. The review identified gaps that could be areas for future research.
Digital health, 2023
Objective The objective of this scoping review is to map existing evidence on the use of wearable... more Objective The objective of this scoping review is to map existing evidence on the use of wearable devices in palliative care for older people. Methods The databases searched included MEDLINE (via Ovid), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Google Scholar, which was included to capture grey literature. Databases were searched in the English language, without date restrictions. Reviewed results included studies and reviews involving patients aged 65 years or older who were active users of non-invasive wearable devices in the context of palliative care, with no limitations on gender or medical condition. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute's comprehensive and systematic guidelines for conducting scoping reviews. Results Of the 1,520 reports identified through searching the databases, reference lists, and citations, six reports met our inclusion criteria. The types of wearable devices discussed in these reports were accelerometers and actigraph units. Wearable devices were found to be useful in various health conditions, as the patient monitoring data enabled treatment adjustments. The results are mapped in tables as well as a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) chart. Conclusions The findings indicate limited and sparse evidence for the population group of patients aged 65 years and older in the palliative context. Hence, more research on this particular age group is needed. The available evidence shows the benefits of wearable device use in enabling patient-centred palliative care, treatment adjustments and symptom management, and reducing the need for patients to travel to clinics while maintaining communication with healthcare professionals.
PubMed, 2012
An estimated one-third of the world's population (2 billion people) is infected with the tubercle... more An estimated one-third of the world's population (2 billion people) is infected with the tubercle bacilli (TB), which is estimated to cause 6% of all deaths worldwide. Despite there being a decline in the incidence of tuberculosis seen in Europe, there are still some countries in the rest of the world where the estimated number of new cases is very high. When a person presents with persistent fever with or without neurological symptoms, the diagnosis of TB cannot be excluded. We present a case report of a 26-year-old male patient, who died of CNS tuberculosis. Such case studies will help keep neuroscience nurses alert to potential medical issues in multiethnic patient populations.
Trials, May 24, 2020
Background: Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the working population. People tend to attempt se... more Background: Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the working population. People tend to attempt self-initiated treatments to manage their pain. The self-efficacy of behavioural change is a suitable model for guiding the development of an electronic pain management programme (ePain). The aim in this study is to develop ePain and to evaluate its effectiveness at improving pain self-efficacy, reducing pain intensity and negative emotions, and increasing quality of life. Methods: This study will be a randomized controlled trial. ePain will take the form of a 6-week online pain management programme. Participants will be aged 15 years or above, have chronic pain, and be employed. They must complete the baseline questionnaire and will be randomized into intervention and control groups. They will receive notifications to encourage their participation in ePain and complete the evaluation questionnaires. They will complete the process evaluation at week 3, the post assessment at week 6, and the follow-up assessment at week 12. The study will focus on pain self-efficacy; pain situations; negative emotions including levels of depression, anxiety, and stress; and quality of life. The participants' opinions of ePain will be collected as feedback. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis and generalized estimating equations will be used to investigate the timeaveraged difference and differences at each follow-up time. Discussion: The study will provide information about the pain situations of online users in the working population. The participants will benefit from improvements in pain self-efficacy, pain situations, emotional status, and quality of life. The study will illustrate whether online learning is an effective intervention for improving the pain self-efficacy of the working population.
Journal of perioperative practice, Jun 1, 2017
Journal of Vascular Nursing, Mar 1, 2014
Journal of Vascular Nursing, Dec 1, 2013
Femoral pseudo-aneurysm (FPA) is a pulsatile hematoma (false aneurysm) of the femoral artery that... more Femoral pseudo-aneurysm (FPA) is a pulsatile hematoma (false aneurysm) of the femoral artery that communicates with an artery through a disruption in the arterial wall. Most often, FPA develops after an injury or angiographic access to the femoral artery with bleeding into the adjacent tissue. FPA is an uncommon complication, but a very significant one, that can have serious consequences. FPA can initially present as a new thrill or bruit, a pulsatile hematoma, or marked pain and tenderness near the site of arterial puncture. Doppler flow imaging has been the mainstay of diagnosis. Ultrasound (US)-guided compression was the treatment of choice. However, it carries drawbacks including length of time to compress for adequate closure of the artery, discomfort to patients, high recurrence rate in patients receiving anticoagulation, femoral artery thrombosis, and a success rate of only 75% overall. An alternative to compression is US-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) of the FPA. This is a safe procedure that can be done as an outpatient or in an office setting. This paper will provide nursing guidelines and rationale as well as a nursing protocol for the management of patients who undergo UGTI for FPA.
Interactive Learning Environments, Feb 15, 2022
British Journal of Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing, 2015
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 1, 2020
The new edition of Care of the Acutely Ill Adult enables nursing staff to develop an in-depth und... more The new edition of Care of the Acutely Ill Adult enables nursing staff to develop an in-depth understanding of the knowledge required to care for patients whose condition is deteriorating. The book emphasizes the importance of systematic assessment, interpretation of clinical signs of deterioration, and the need to escalate the patient in a timely manner. Current evidence-based practice and up-to-date guidelines are included in each systems-based chapter and case studies are used throughout the book to enable nurses to apply knowledge to patient scenarios. In recognition of the dynamic nature of acute care delivery, new chapters have been included that focus on pain management and planning for care when recovery is unlikely. This book remains an essential purchase for any nurse working in an acute care setting.
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Apr 6, 2018
Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a quality indicator for the health services provided by a h... more Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a quality indicator for the health services provided by a hospital, and also the principal method for the evaluation and feedback of the system used for measuring quality of service. The οbjective of this study was to estimate the level of the services offered by the General Hospital of Sparta and the investigation of patients' satisfaction before and after their treatment. Moreover, the current work was intended to investigate whether the specific demographics of respondents, such as gender, age, place of residence and their level of education affect their satisfaction about the services, provided by the nursing staff during their stay in the hospital. Material and Method: The sample of this study was 93 patients, hospitalized in the Surgical Department. The collection of the questionnaires was conducted by personal interviews. As research tools, the Scale of measurement of patient satisfaction about nursing care (MPSS) was used in addition with questionnaire with socio-demographics evidence. In order to perform the statistical analysis, the statistical software SPSS 14.0 was used. Results: The majority of patients in the sample were women (51.6%). Their educational level was relatively low, since approximately 31.5% rate of the participants had only compulsory education. 47.3% of patients described that their state of health is a small degree of serious while only 7.5% of patients responded that it is very serious. The effectiveness of public hospitals in Greece was considered as good by the 71% of the participants and as very good by the 22.6% of them.34,4% of them stated that they were very satisfied with the assistance given to them by the nursing staff regarding their everyday needs, such as personal hygiene, dressing and creating a comfortable environment. The 31,2% of patients were very satisfied about the help, provided by the nursing staff while 28% of patients were extremely satisfied. Five people (5,4%) replied that stayed in a small extent satisfied, while just one person (1,1%) replied that the help of nursing personnel for the daily needs was not satisfied at all. Conclusions: Although the study has highlighted some problems and some areas needing improvement, the overall picture is very positive for the General Hospital of Sparta to the extent that the largest percentage of patients was satisfied with the provided services. The information process seems to be improved, since it is an important moral and legal right of patients. The measurement of patient satisfaction should be continued in order to allow comparisons and evaluation of the impact of various interventions in its modulation.
Family Practice, Feb 28, 2020
Background: Pain affects a person's physical and psychological well-being, work performance and p... more Background: Pain affects a person's physical and psychological well-being, work performance and productivity. Working population bear their pain and continue to work which may contribute to the worsening of their pain condition. However, their pain situation was not well-examined. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of acute and chronic pain in the working population in Hong Kong, understand their pain management strategies and determine their preferences with regard to the use of electronic pain management materials. Methods: This was an exploratory online survey. The participants' pain history, their preferences in methods of pain management, the source of the pain management education that they had received, sources and preferences in relation to the use of the Internet for pain education, and the participants' demographic characteristics were collected. Results: A total of 210 participants joined the study, 67% of whom were experiencing pain. Of the group in pain, 71.6% were in chronic pain that has persisted for 3 months or more. Pain intensities ranged from 2.82 to 3.82 on a 10-point numeric scale. Of the participants, 85.7% reported not receiving adequate pain management education, and 91.4% of those agreed pain services were inadequate. Websites and health care professionals were the sources from which they obtained their pain management education. Conclusions: The high prevalence of pain in the working population requires special attention. Health care professionals should be proactive and an online pain management programme can be a solution to address the critical problem of pain in the working population.
Applied Sciences
Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for ac... more Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard has revolutionized the storage, transmission, and sharing of medical images and related data. Despite its advantages, implementation and deployment of the DICOM protocol often suffers from incomplete understanding, leading to vulnerabilities within the healthcare ecosystem. This research paper presents an implementation of DICOM communication and the development of a practical demonstration for simulation purposes The simulation can be used for conducting cybersecurity tests in the context of DICOM communication. Overall, the simulation provides a digital environment that can help in retrieving valuable insights into the practical aspects of DICOM communication and PACS integration, serving as a valuable resource for medical imaging professionals, researchers, and developers. Thes...
Clinicaltrials.gov, May 13, 2021
Journal of periAnesthesia nursing/Journal of perianesthesia nursing, Jun 1, 2024
Journal of Graduate Medical Education, Jun 1, 2023
Background The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent mandatory social distancing led to widespread... more Background The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent mandatory social distancing led to widespread disruption of medical education. This contributed to the accelerated introduction of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology in medical education. Objective The objective of this quantitative narrative synthesis review is to summarize the recent quantitative evidence on the impact of VR and AR on medical education. Methods A literature search for articles published between March 11, 2020 and January 31, 2022 was conducted using the following electronic databases: Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, EMCARE, BNI, and HMIC. Data on trainee confidence, skill transfer, information retention, and overall experience were extracted. Results The literature search generated 448 results, of which 13 met the eligibility criteria. The studies reported positive outcomes in trainee confidence and self-reported knowledge enhancement. Additionally, studies identified significant improvement in the time required to complete surgical procedures in those trained on VR (mean procedure time 97.62635.59) compared to traditional methods (mean procedure time 121.34612.17). However, participants also reported technical and physical challenges with the equipment (26%, 23 of 87). Conclusions Based on the studies reviewed, immersive technologies offer the greatest benefit in surgical skills teaching and as a replacement for lecture-and online-based learning. The review identified gaps that could be areas for future research.
Digital health, 2023
Objective The objective of this scoping review is to map existing evidence on the use of wearable... more Objective The objective of this scoping review is to map existing evidence on the use of wearable devices in palliative care for older people. Methods The databases searched included MEDLINE (via Ovid), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Google Scholar, which was included to capture grey literature. Databases were searched in the English language, without date restrictions. Reviewed results included studies and reviews involving patients aged 65 years or older who were active users of non-invasive wearable devices in the context of palliative care, with no limitations on gender or medical condition. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute's comprehensive and systematic guidelines for conducting scoping reviews. Results Of the 1,520 reports identified through searching the databases, reference lists, and citations, six reports met our inclusion criteria. The types of wearable devices discussed in these reports were accelerometers and actigraph units. Wearable devices were found to be useful in various health conditions, as the patient monitoring data enabled treatment adjustments. The results are mapped in tables as well as a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) chart. Conclusions The findings indicate limited and sparse evidence for the population group of patients aged 65 years and older in the palliative context. Hence, more research on this particular age group is needed. The available evidence shows the benefits of wearable device use in enabling patient-centred palliative care, treatment adjustments and symptom management, and reducing the need for patients to travel to clinics while maintaining communication with healthcare professionals.
PubMed, 2012
An estimated one-third of the world's population (2 billion people) is infected with the tubercle... more An estimated one-third of the world's population (2 billion people) is infected with the tubercle bacilli (TB), which is estimated to cause 6% of all deaths worldwide. Despite there being a decline in the incidence of tuberculosis seen in Europe, there are still some countries in the rest of the world where the estimated number of new cases is very high. When a person presents with persistent fever with or without neurological symptoms, the diagnosis of TB cannot be excluded. We present a case report of a 26-year-old male patient, who died of CNS tuberculosis. Such case studies will help keep neuroscience nurses alert to potential medical issues in multiethnic patient populations.
Trials, May 24, 2020
Background: Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the working population. People tend to attempt se... more Background: Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the working population. People tend to attempt self-initiated treatments to manage their pain. The self-efficacy of behavioural change is a suitable model for guiding the development of an electronic pain management programme (ePain). The aim in this study is to develop ePain and to evaluate its effectiveness at improving pain self-efficacy, reducing pain intensity and negative emotions, and increasing quality of life. Methods: This study will be a randomized controlled trial. ePain will take the form of a 6-week online pain management programme. Participants will be aged 15 years or above, have chronic pain, and be employed. They must complete the baseline questionnaire and will be randomized into intervention and control groups. They will receive notifications to encourage their participation in ePain and complete the evaluation questionnaires. They will complete the process evaluation at week 3, the post assessment at week 6, and the follow-up assessment at week 12. The study will focus on pain self-efficacy; pain situations; negative emotions including levels of depression, anxiety, and stress; and quality of life. The participants' opinions of ePain will be collected as feedback. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis and generalized estimating equations will be used to investigate the timeaveraged difference and differences at each follow-up time. Discussion: The study will provide information about the pain situations of online users in the working population. The participants will benefit from improvements in pain self-efficacy, pain situations, emotional status, and quality of life. The study will illustrate whether online learning is an effective intervention for improving the pain self-efficacy of the working population.
Journal of perioperative practice, Jun 1, 2017
Journal of Vascular Nursing, Mar 1, 2014
Journal of Vascular Nursing, Dec 1, 2013
Femoral pseudo-aneurysm (FPA) is a pulsatile hematoma (false aneurysm) of the femoral artery that... more Femoral pseudo-aneurysm (FPA) is a pulsatile hematoma (false aneurysm) of the femoral artery that communicates with an artery through a disruption in the arterial wall. Most often, FPA develops after an injury or angiographic access to the femoral artery with bleeding into the adjacent tissue. FPA is an uncommon complication, but a very significant one, that can have serious consequences. FPA can initially present as a new thrill or bruit, a pulsatile hematoma, or marked pain and tenderness near the site of arterial puncture. Doppler flow imaging has been the mainstay of diagnosis. Ultrasound (US)-guided compression was the treatment of choice. However, it carries drawbacks including length of time to compress for adequate closure of the artery, discomfort to patients, high recurrence rate in patients receiving anticoagulation, femoral artery thrombosis, and a success rate of only 75% overall. An alternative to compression is US-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) of the FPA. This is a safe procedure that can be done as an outpatient or in an office setting. This paper will provide nursing guidelines and rationale as well as a nursing protocol for the management of patients who undergo UGTI for FPA.
Interactive Learning Environments, Feb 15, 2022
British Journal of Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing, 2015
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 1, 2020
The new edition of Care of the Acutely Ill Adult enables nursing staff to develop an in-depth und... more The new edition of Care of the Acutely Ill Adult enables nursing staff to develop an in-depth understanding of the knowledge required to care for patients whose condition is deteriorating. The book emphasizes the importance of systematic assessment, interpretation of clinical signs of deterioration, and the need to escalate the patient in a timely manner. Current evidence-based practice and up-to-date guidelines are included in each systems-based chapter and case studies are used throughout the book to enable nurses to apply knowledge to patient scenarios. In recognition of the dynamic nature of acute care delivery, new chapters have been included that focus on pain management and planning for care when recovery is unlikely. This book remains an essential purchase for any nurse working in an acute care setting.
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Apr 6, 2018
Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a quality indicator for the health services provided by a h... more Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a quality indicator for the health services provided by a hospital, and also the principal method for the evaluation and feedback of the system used for measuring quality of service. The οbjective of this study was to estimate the level of the services offered by the General Hospital of Sparta and the investigation of patients' satisfaction before and after their treatment. Moreover, the current work was intended to investigate whether the specific demographics of respondents, such as gender, age, place of residence and their level of education affect their satisfaction about the services, provided by the nursing staff during their stay in the hospital. Material and Method: The sample of this study was 93 patients, hospitalized in the Surgical Department. The collection of the questionnaires was conducted by personal interviews. As research tools, the Scale of measurement of patient satisfaction about nursing care (MPSS) was used in addition with questionnaire with socio-demographics evidence. In order to perform the statistical analysis, the statistical software SPSS 14.0 was used. Results: The majority of patients in the sample were women (51.6%). Their educational level was relatively low, since approximately 31.5% rate of the participants had only compulsory education. 47.3% of patients described that their state of health is a small degree of serious while only 7.5% of patients responded that it is very serious. The effectiveness of public hospitals in Greece was considered as good by the 71% of the participants and as very good by the 22.6% of them.34,4% of them stated that they were very satisfied with the assistance given to them by the nursing staff regarding their everyday needs, such as personal hygiene, dressing and creating a comfortable environment. The 31,2% of patients were very satisfied about the help, provided by the nursing staff while 28% of patients were extremely satisfied. Five people (5,4%) replied that stayed in a small extent satisfied, while just one person (1,1%) replied that the help of nursing personnel for the daily needs was not satisfied at all. Conclusions: Although the study has highlighted some problems and some areas needing improvement, the overall picture is very positive for the General Hospital of Sparta to the extent that the largest percentage of patients was satisfied with the provided services. The information process seems to be improved, since it is an important moral and legal right of patients. The measurement of patient satisfaction should be continued in order to allow comparisons and evaluation of the impact of various interventions in its modulation.
Family Practice, Feb 28, 2020
Background: Pain affects a person's physical and psychological well-being, work performance and p... more Background: Pain affects a person's physical and psychological well-being, work performance and productivity. Working population bear their pain and continue to work which may contribute to the worsening of their pain condition. However, their pain situation was not well-examined. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of acute and chronic pain in the working population in Hong Kong, understand their pain management strategies and determine their preferences with regard to the use of electronic pain management materials. Methods: This was an exploratory online survey. The participants' pain history, their preferences in methods of pain management, the source of the pain management education that they had received, sources and preferences in relation to the use of the Internet for pain education, and the participants' demographic characteristics were collected. Results: A total of 210 participants joined the study, 67% of whom were experiencing pain. Of the group in pain, 71.6% were in chronic pain that has persisted for 3 months or more. Pain intensities ranged from 2.82 to 3.82 on a 10-point numeric scale. Of the participants, 85.7% reported not receiving adequate pain management education, and 91.4% of those agreed pain services were inadequate. Websites and health care professionals were the sources from which they obtained their pain management education. Conclusions: The high prevalence of pain in the working population requires special attention. Health care professionals should be proactive and an online pain management programme can be a solution to address the critical problem of pain in the working population.
Applied Sciences
Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for ac... more Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard has revolutionized the storage, transmission, and sharing of medical images and related data. Despite its advantages, implementation and deployment of the DICOM protocol often suffers from incomplete understanding, leading to vulnerabilities within the healthcare ecosystem. This research paper presents an implementation of DICOM communication and the development of a practical demonstration for simulation purposes The simulation can be used for conducting cybersecurity tests in the context of DICOM communication. Overall, the simulation provides a digital environment that can help in retrieving valuable insights into the practical aspects of DICOM communication and PACS integration, serving as a valuable resource for medical imaging professionals, researchers, and developers. Thes...
Clinicaltrials.gov, May 13, 2021