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Singh H, Tang T, Steele Gray C, Kokorelias K, Thombs R, Plett D, Heffernan M, Jarach CM, Armas A, Law S, Cunningham HV, Nie JX, Ellen ME, Thavorn K, Nelson MLA. Recommendations for the Design and Delivery of Transitions-Focused Digital Health Interventions: Rapid Review. JMIR Aging 2022; 5:e35929. [PMID: 35587874 PMCID: PMC9164100 DOI: 10.2196/35929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Older adults experience a high risk of adverse events during hospital-to-home transitions. Implementation barriers have prevented widespread clinical uptake of the various digital health technologies that aim to support hospital-to-home transitions. Objective To guide the development of a digital health intervention to support transitions from hospital to home (the Digital Bridge intervention), the specific objectives of this review were to describe the various roles and functions of health care providers supporting hospital-to-home transitions for older adults, allowing future technologies to be more targeted to support their work; describe the types of digital health interventions used to facilitate the transition from hospital to home for older adults and elucidate how these interventions support the roles and functions of providers; describe the lessons learned from the design and implementation of these interventions; and identify opportunities to improve the fit between technology and provider functions within the Digital Bridge intervention and other transition-focused digital health interventions. Methods This 2-phase rapid review involved a selective review of providers’ roles and their functions during hospital-to-home transitions (phase 1) and a structured literature review on digital health interventions used to support older adults’ hospital-to-home transitions (phase 2). During the analysis, the technology functions identified in phase 2 were linked to the provider roles and functions identified in phase 1. Results In phase 1, various provider roles were identified that facilitated hospital-to-home transitions, including navigation-specific roles and the roles of nurses and physicians. The key transition functions performed by providers were related to the 3 categories of continuity of care (ie, informational, management, and relational continuity). Phase 2, included articles (n=142) that reported digital health interventions targeting various medical conditions or groups. Most digital health interventions supported management continuity (eg, follow-up, assessment, and monitoring of patients’ status after hospital discharge), whereas informational and relational continuity were the least supported. The lessons learned from the interventions were categorized into technology- and research-related challenges and opportunities and informed several recommendations to guide the design of transition-focused digital health interventions. Conclusions This review highlights the need for Digital Bridge and other digital health interventions to align the design and delivery of digital health interventions with provider functions, design and test interventions with older adults, and examine multilevel outcomes. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045596
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Affiliation(s)
- Hardeep Singh
- Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,March of Dimes Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Terence Tang
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carolyn Steele Gray
- Collaboratory for Research and Innovation, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kristina Kokorelias
- St. John's Rehab Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rachel Thombs
- Collaboratory for Research and Innovation, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Donna Plett
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew Heffernan
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carlotta M Jarach
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alana Armas
- March of Dimes Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Collaboratory for Research and Innovation, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Susan Law
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jason Xin Nie
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Moriah E Ellen
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Health Policy and Management, Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Kednapa Thavorn
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michelle LA Nelson
- March of Dimes Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Collaboratory for Research and Innovation, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Griffin BR, Agarwal N, Amberker R, Gutierrez Perez JA, Eichorst K, Chapin J, Schweitzer AC, Hagiwara M, Wu C, Eyck PT, Reisinger HS, Vaughan-Sarrazin M, Kuperman EF, Glenn K, Jalal DI. An Initiative to Improve 30-Day Readmission Rates Using a Transitions-of-Care Clinic Among a Mixed Urban and Rural Veteran Population. J Hosp Med 2021; 16:583-588. [PMID: 34424188 PMCID: PMC8494282 DOI: 10.12788/jhm.3659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Hospital readmissions in the United States, especially in patients at high-risk, cost more than $17 billion annually. Although care transitions is an important area of research, data are limited regarding its efficacy, especially among rural patients. In this study, we describe a novel transitions-of-care clinic (TOCC) to reduce 30-day readmissions in a Veterans Health Administration setting that serves a high proportion of rural veterans. METHODS In this quality improvement initiative we conducted a pre-post study evaluating clinical outcomes in adult patients at high risk for 30-day readmission (Care Assessment Needs score > 85) discharged from the Iowa City Veterans Affairs (ICVA) Health Care System from 2017 to 2020. The ICVA serves 184,000 veterans across 50 counties in eastern Iowa, western Illinois, and northern Missouri, with more than 60% of these patients residing in rural areas. We implemented a multidisciplinary TOCC to provide in-person or virtual follow-up to high-risk veterans after hospital discharge. The main purpose of this study was to assess how TOCC follow-up impacted the monthly 30-day patient readmission rate. RESULTS The TOCC resulted in a 19.2% relative reduction in 30-day readmission rates in the 12-month postimplementation period compared to the preimplementation period (9.2% vs 11.4%, P = .04). Virtual visits were more popular than in-person visits among both urban and rural veterans. There was no difference in outcomes between these two follow-up options, and both groups had reduced readmission rates compared to non-TOCC follow-up. CONCLUSIONS A multidisciplinary TOCC within the ICVA featuring both virtual and in-person visits reduced the 30-day readmission rate. This reduction was particularly notable among patients with congestive heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Griffin
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
- Corresponding Author: Benjamin R Griffin, MD; ; Telephone: 319-384-8197
| | - Neeru Agarwal
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
- Corresponding Author: Benjamin R Griffin, MD; ; Telephone: 319-384-8197
| | - Rachana Amberker
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Jeydith A Gutierrez Perez
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Kelsi Eichorst
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Jennifer Chapin
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
| | | | - Mariko Hagiwara
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Chaorong Wu
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Patrick Ten Eyck
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Heather Schacht Reisinger
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Mary Vaughan-Sarrazin
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Ethan F Kuperman
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Kevin Glenn
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Diana I Jalal
- Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
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Huang LYI, Fogarty SJ, Garrahy P, Ng ACT, Wang WYS. Prospective Intervention on Discharge Summaries Improves Rates of Patients Following Up with General Practitioners Post Hospital Cardiology Discharge. J Gen Intern Med 2021; 36:1479-1480. [PMID: 32462573 PMCID: PMC8131433 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-05818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke Y I Huang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Australia
| | - Samuel J Fogarty
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Australia
| | - Paul Garrahy
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Australia
| | - Arnold C T Ng
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Australia
| | - William Y S Wang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, 4102, Australia.
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Zackoff MW, Graham C, Warrick D, Pulda K, Gosdin C, Simpson B, Marischen J, Bunch P, Vossmeyer M, Mussman GM. Increasing PCP and Hospital Medicine Physician Verbal Communication During Hospital Admissions. Hosp Pediatr 2019; 8:220-226. [PMID: 29559504 DOI: 10.1542/hpeds.2017-0119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES During hospital admission, communication between primary care physicians (PCPs) and hospital medicine (HM) physicians provides an opportunity for collaboration. Two-way communication facilitates collaboration by allowing the receiver to ask and respond to questions. At our institution, most HM-to-PCP communication occurred by telephone call after discharge. Our specific aim was to increase the percentage of patients for whom a telephone conversation occurred between HM and PCPs during hospital admission from 40% to >80%. METHODS An improvement team that included PCPs and HM physicians redesigned the process for communication with PCPs to emphasize collaboration during hospitalization. Interventions were used to target key drivers of information transparency, PCP and HM provider buy-in, the value of early call initiation, process standardization, accommodating provider availability, and preoccupation with failure. We used improvement-science methods and run charts to measure our progress and attain our goal. RESULTS The median weekly percentage of patients with a phone call completed during hospitalization increased from 40% to 85% at the satellite campus and 40% to 80% at the main campus. In addition to the standardized use of a telephone operator system to route calls and follow-up on unplaced calls, critical interventions included feedback on PCP call preferences to providers and the provider script for calls. CONCLUSIONS PCPs and HM physicians applied quality-improvement methodology to ensure reliable HM-PCP communication during hospital admission. Interventions to facilitate communication between providers and learners (who may otherwise have limited interaction), such as the scripting of phone calls and feedback from PCPs to HM physicians, were important for success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Camille Graham
- Divisions of General and Community Pediatrics.,Mid-City Pediatrics Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio; and
| | | | - Kathleen Pulda
- Physician Priority Link, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | | | | | | | - Paul Bunch
- Divisions of General and Community Pediatrics.,Springdale-Mason Pediatric Associates Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Huang LYI, Fogarty SJ, Ng ACT, Wang WYS. Rates and predictors of general practitioner (GP) follow-up postdischarge from a tertiary hospital cardiology unit: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e031627. [PMID: 31666271 PMCID: PMC6830598 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous studies in cardiac patients noted that early patient follow-up with general practitioners (GPs) after hospital discharge was associated with reduced rates of hospital readmissions. We aimed to identify patient, clinical and hospital factors that may influence GP follow-up of patients discharged from a tertiary cardiology unit. DESIGN Single centre retrospective cohort study. SETTING Australian metropolitan tertiary hospital cardiology unit. PARTICIPANTS 1079 patients discharged from the hospital cardiology unit within 3 months from May to July 2016. OUTCOME MEASURES GP follow-up rates (assessed by telephone communication with patients' nominated GP practices), demographic, clinical and hospital factors predicting GP follow-up. RESULTS We obtained GP follow-up data on 983 out of 1079 (91.1%) discharges in the study period. Overall, 7, 14 and 30-day GP follow rates were 50.3%, 66.5% and 79.1%, respectively. A number of patient, clinical and hospital factors were associated with early GP follow-up, including pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, older age and having never smoked. Documented recommendation for follow-up in discharge summary was the strongest predictor for 7-day follow-up (p<0.001). CONCLUSION After discharge from a cardiology admission, half of the patients followed up with their GP within 7 days and most patients followed up within 30 days. Patient and hospital factors were associated with GP follow-up rates. Identification of these factors may facilitate prospective interventions to improve early GP follow-up rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Y I Huang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Samuel J Fogarty
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Arnold C T Ng
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - William Y S Wang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Nguyen OK, Kruger J, Greysen SR, Lyndon A, Goldman LE. Understanding how to improve collaboration between hospitals and primary care in postdischarge care transitions: a qualitative study of primary care leaders' perspectives. J Hosp Med 2014; 9:700-6. [PMID: 25211608 DOI: 10.1002/jhm.2257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Revised: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited collaboration between hospitals and primary care despite parallel efforts to improve postdischarge care transitions. OBJECTIVE To understand what primary care leaders perceived as barriers and facilitators to collaboration with hospitals. METHODS Qualitative study with in-depth, semistructured interviews of 22 primary care leaders in 2012 from California safety-net clinics. RESULTS Major barriers to collaboration included lack of institutional financial incentives for collaboration, competing priorities (e.g., regulatory requirements, strained clinic capacity, financial strain) and mismatched expectations about role and capacity of primary care to improve care transitions. Facilitators included relationship building through interpersonal networking and improving communication and information transfer via electronic health record (EHR) implementation. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to improve care transitions should focus on aligning financial incentives, standardizing regulations around EHR interoperability and data sharing, and enhancing opportunities for interpersonal networking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oanh Kieu Nguyen
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Coller RJ, Klitzner TS, Lerner CF, Chung PJ. Predictors of 30-day readmission and association with primary care follow-up plans. J Pediatr 2013; 163:1027-33. [PMID: 23706518 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Revised: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that missing primary care follow-up plans in the discharge summary is associated with higher 30-day readmissions. STUDY DESIGN This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients discharged from Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles between July 2008 and July 2010. Exclusions included deaths, transfers, neonatal discharges, stays under 24 hours, and patients over 18 years of age. Bivariate and propensity weighted multivariate logistic regressions tested relationships between 30-day readmission and patient demographics, illness severity, and documentation of primary care provider (PCP) follow-up plans at discharge. RESULTS There were 7794 index discharges (representing 5056 unique patients), with 1457 readmissions within 30 days (18.7%). Average length of stay was 6.3 days. Being 15-18 years old, (OR 1.42 [1.02-1.96]), having public insurance (OR 1.48 [1.20-1.83]), or having higher All-Patient Refined Diagnosis-Related Group severity scores (for severity = 4 vs 1, OR 6.88 [4.99-9.49]) was associated with increased odds of 30-day readmission. After adjusting for insurance status, Asian (OR 1.46 [1.01-2.12]) but not Black or Hispanic, race/ethnicity was associated with greater odds of readmission. Fifteen percent of 172 medical records from a randomly selected month in 2010 documented PCP follow-up plans. After adjusting for demographics, length of stay and severity, documenting PCP follow-up plans was associated with significantly increased odds of 30-day readmission (OR 4.52 [1.01-20.31]). CONCLUSION Readmission rates are complex quality measures, and documenting primary care follow-up may be associated with higher rather than lower 30-day readmissions. Additional studies are needed to understand the inpatient-outpatient transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Coller
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
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Mahrous MS. Patient perceptions regarding information given on hospital discharge in Almadinah Almunawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2013.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
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Press MJ, Scanlon DP, Navathe AS, Zhu J, Chen W, Mittler JN, Volpp KG. The importance of clinical severity in the measurement of hospital readmission rates for Medicare beneficiaries, 1997-2007. Med Care Res Rev 2013; 70:653-65. [PMID: 23877956 DOI: 10.1177/1077558713496167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In the coming years, assessing the impact of efforts to reduce hospital readmissions will be important to policy makers and hospitals. To inform such assessments, we sought to define preexisting trends in readmission rates for patients by level of clinical severity using a difference-in-differences analysis of Medicare inpatient claims data from 1997, 2002, and 2007 for patients with acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. We also examined trends in length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and postdischarge mortality by severity level to provide additional context for interpreting readmission rate trends. From 1997 to 2007, the difference in readmission rates between the highest and lowest severity quartiles increased. Length of stay and in-hospital mortality decreased for all patients; however, postdischarge mortality increased for the highest-severity patients and decreased for the lowest-severity patients. Assessments of recent policy reforms and quality improvement programs should account for underlying differential trends in readmission rates based on patient severity.
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Abrashkin KA, Cho HJ, Torgalkar S, Markoff B. Improving transitions of care from hospital to home: what works? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 79:535-44. [PMID: 22976359 DOI: 10.1002/msj.21332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
As the cost of care rises and fragmentation of health care increases, care transitions have become critical parts of the health care system. Physicians and other inpatient providers have the responsibility to communicate to subsequent providers, but such communication occurs far less than is optimal. Timely discharge summaries for the next-level provider, postdischarge phone calls to patients, and postdischarge follow-up appointments with primary-care physicians or inpatient providers may improve postdischarge health care utilization. Pharmacists may also reduce medication errors, adverse medication events, and even readmissions. The most promising data, however, come from studies of multidisciplinary approaches, some of which have shown large reductions in postdischarge utilization and costs. More study is needed to pinpoint the most cost-effective and efficient strategies to improve transitions from the inpatient setting to other settings.
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Test results follow-up: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med 2013. [PMID: 23179972 PMCID: PMC3614125 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-012-2281-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Deitelzweig SB. Transitions of care in anticoagulation management for patients with atrial fibrillation. Hosp Pract (1995) 2013; 40:20-7. [PMID: 23299032 DOI: 10.3810/hp.2012.10.999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Thromboprophylaxis with oral anticoagulants (OACs) is an important but underused element of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. Reduction of stroke risk with anticoagulants comes at the price of increased bleeding risk. Patients with AF receiving anticoagulants require heightened attention with transition from one care setting to another. Patients presenting for emergency care of anticoagulant-related bleeding should be triaged for the severity and source of the bleeding using appropriate measures, such as discontinuing the OAC, administering vitamin K, when appropriate, to reverse warfarin-induced bleeding, or administering clotting factors for emergent bleeding. Reversal of OACs in patients admitted to the hospital for surgery can be managed similarly to patients with bleeding, depending on the urgency of the surgical procedure. Patients with AF who are admitted for conditions unrelated to AF should be assessed for adequacy of stroke risk prophylaxis and bleeding risk. Newly diagnosed AF should be treated in nearly all patients with either warfarin or a newer anticoagulant. Patient education is critically important with all anticoagulants. Close adherence to the prescribed regimen, regular international normalized ratio testing for warfarin, and understanding the stroke risk conferred by both AF and aging are goals for all patients receiving OACs. Detailed handoff from the hospitalist to the patient's primary care physician is required for good continuity of care. Monitoring by an anticoagulation clinic is the best arrangement for most patients. The elderly, or particularly frail or debilitated patients who are transferring to long-term care, need a detailed transfer of information between settings, education for the patient and family, and medication reconciliation. Communication and coordination of care among outpatient, emergency, inpatient, and long-term care settings are vital for patients with AF who are receiving anticoagulants to balance stroke prevention and bleeding risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven B Deitelzweig
- Department of Hospital Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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Fuji KT, Abbott AA, Norris JF. Exploring care transitions from patient, caregiver, and health-care provider perspectives. Clin Nurs Res 2012; 22:258-74. [PMID: 23113935 DOI: 10.1177/1054773812465084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Care transitions involve coordination of patient care across multiple care settings. Many problems occur during care transitions resulting in negative patient outcomes and unnecessary readmissions. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of care transitions from patient, caregiver, and health-care provider perspectives in a single metropolitan Midwest city. A qualitative descriptive design was used to solicit patients', caregivers', and health-care providers' perceptions of care transitions, their role within the process, barriers to effective care transitions, and strategies to overcome these barriers. Five themes emerged: preplanned admissions are ideal; lack of needed patient information upon admission; multiple services are needed in preparing patients for discharge; rushed or delayed discharges lead to patient misunderstanding; and difficulties in following aftercare instructions. Findings illustrated provider difficulty in meeting multiple care needs, and the need for patient-centered care to achieve positive outcomes associated with quality measures, reduced readmissions, and care transitions.
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