CHD care is resource-intensive. Unwarranted variation in care may increase cost and result in poorer health outcomes. We hypothesise that process variation exists within the pre-operative evaluation and planning process for children undergoing repair of atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect and that substantial variation occurs in a small number of care points.

From interviews with staff of an integrated congenital heart centre, an initial process map was constructed. A retrospective chart review of patients with isolated surgical atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect repair from 7/1/2018 through 11/1/2020 informed revisions of the process map. The map was assessed for points of consistency and variability.

Thirty-two surgical atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect repair patients were identified. Ten (31%) were reviewed by interventional cardiology before surgical review. Of these, 6(60%) had a failed catheter-based closure and 4 (40%) were deemed inappropriate for catheter-based closure. Thirty (94%) were reviewed in case conference, all attended surgical clinic, and none were admitted prior to surgery. The process map from interviews alone identified surgery rescheduling as a point of major variability; however, chart review revealed this was not as prominent a source of variability as pre-operative interventional cardiology review.

Significant variation in the pre-operative evaluation and planning process for surgical atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect patients was identified. If such process variation is widespread through CHD care, it may contribute to variations in outcome and cost previously documented within CHD surgery. Future research will focus on determining whether the variation is warranted or unwarranted, associated health outcomes and cost variation attributed to these variations in care processes.

In recent years, several controlled studies could show that psychoeducational interventions have been effective for relapse prevention in bipolar disorders. We therefore established a cognitive-psychoeducational group intervention with 14 sessions providing information about the illness, early warning signs, cognitive and behavioural strategies for stress management and social rhythm. Additionally we offered a group intervention for the patients' relatives. The objective of this study was to describe the outcome associated with our psychoeducational intervention in bipolar patients and their relatives.

Sixty-two bipolar patients attended 14 sessions (à 90 min) of cognitive-psychoeducational group therapy. Patients' knowledge of bipolar disorder and their satisfaction with the treatment were assessed using self-developed questionnaires before and after the group intervention. Additionally, 49 relatives of bipolar patients received two psychoeducational workshops of 4 hours each. We assessed demographic variables, burden, high expressed emotion and depressive symptoms of the relatives before and after the two workshops and at 1-year follow-up.

Patients significantly improved their knowledge of bipolar disorder. They also have benefited from the discussions and the exchange of useful coping strategies. Burden and high expressed emotions showed no significant reductions at post-assessment, however they were significantly reduced at 1-year follow-up. Relatives also felt significantly better informed about the illness.

These findings show that psychoeducational interventions in bipolar patients and their relatives improve patients' and their relatives' knowledge of the illness and the burden of the disorder as well as high expressed emotions are reduced in relatives at 1-year follow-up.

En ãnos recientes, varios estudios controlados pudieron demostrar que las intervenciones psicoeducativas han sido eficaces para prevenir la recaída en los trastornos bipolares. Así, establecimos una intervención de grupo psicoeducativo cognitivo con 14 sesiones que suministraban información sobre la enfermedad, las señales tempranas de aviso, las estrategias cognitivas y conductuales para el tratamiento del estrés y el ritmo social. Además, ofrecimos una intervención de grupo para los familiares de los pacientes. El objetivo de este estudio era describir el desenlace clínico asociado con nuestra intervención psicoeducativa en los pacientes bipolares y sus familiares.

Sesenta y dos pacientes bipolares asistieron a 14 sesiones (de unos 90 minutos) de terapia de grupo psicoeducativa cognitiva. Se evaluó el conocimiento de los pacientes del trastorno bipolar y su satisfacción con el tratamiento utilizando cuestionarios desarrollados por nosotros antes y después de la intervención de grupo. Además, 49 familiares de pacientes bipolares recibieron dos talleres psicoeducativos de 4 horas cada uno. Evaluamos las variables demográficas, la carga, la emoción expresada elevada y los síntomas depresivos de los familiares antes y después de los dos talleres y en el seguimiento al año.

Los pacientes mejoraron significativamente su conocimiento del trastorno bipolar. Se beneficiaron también de los debates y del intercambio de estrategias de afrontamiento útiles. La carga y la emoción expresada elevada no mostraron reducciones significativas en la evaluación posterior; sin embargo, se redujeron significativamente en el seguimiento al año. Los familiares se sintieron también significativamente mejor informados sobre la enfermedad.

Estos hallazgos muestran que las intervenciones psicoeducativas en los pacientes bipolares y sus familiares mejoran su conocimiento de la enfermedad y la carga del trastorno, y además las emociones expresadas elevadas se reducen en los familiares en el seguimiento al año.