Discharge Rounds in the 80-Hour Workweek: Importance of the Trauma Nurse Practitioner

[Application of multidisciplinary doctor-nurse collaboration team on the perioperation management of geriatric hip fractures]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effectiveness of multidisciplinary doctor-nurse collaboration team on the perioperation management of geriatric patients with hip fractures.

METHODS

The clinical data of 489 geriatric patients with hip fractures (femoral neck fracture and intertrochanteric fracture) between January 1st 2016 and January 1st 2018 was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 279 patients were treated with the multidisciplinary doctor-nurse collaboration care (observation group) and 210 patients were treated with the conventional therapeutics and nursing care (control group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, cause of injury, type and classification of fracture, the interval between injury and admission, and Charlson index between the two groups ( P>0.05). The surgery rates, time from hospitalization to operation, length of stay, and the incidences of perioperative complications were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The surgery rate was 90.32% (252/279) in observation group and 80.48% (169/210) in control group, showing significant difference between the two groups ( χ 2=9.703, P=0.002). The time from hospitalization to operation and length of stay in observation group [(5.39±2.47), (10.56±3.76) days] were significant shorter than those in control group [(6.13±2.79), (12.27±3.11) days] ( t=-3.075, P=0.002; t=-5.330, P=0.000). The incidence of respiratory complications was 46.15% in control group and 30.56% in observation group; the incidence of cardiovascular system complications was 69.23% in control group and 51.19% in observation group; the incidence of cerebrovascular system complications was 20.12% in control group and 11.11% in observation group; the incidence of deep venous thrombosis was 40.24% in control group and 25.40% in observation group. The incidences of perioperative complications were significantly lower in observation group than in control group ( P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Multidisciplinary doctor-nurse collaboration team is conducive not only to improve the surgery rates, but also to reduce perioperative complications as well as shorten the length of stay and preoperative waiting time.

Addition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to the Trauma Team: An Integrative Systematic Review of Literature

The total cost of inpatient care from a traumatic mechanism of injury in the United States between 2001 and 2011 was $240.7 billion. Medical resident work hour reductions mandated in 2011 left a shortage of available in-hospital providers to care for trauma patients. This created gaps in continuity of care, which can lead to costly increased lengths of stay (LOS) and increased medical errors. Adding advanced practice nurses (APNs) specializing in acute or trauma care to the trauma team may help fill this shortage in trauma care providers. The purpose of this integrative systematic review of the literature was to determine whether adding APNs to the admitting trauma team would decrease LOS. A systematic review of primary research in CINAHL and PubMed databases was performed using the following terms: nurse practitioner, advanced practice nurse, trauma team, and length of stay. Included studies examined the effects of adding APNs to trauma teams, were written in English, and were published in 2007-2017. Six studies were included in the final sample, and all were completed at Level I trauma centers in the United States except one from Canada. Combined sample size was 25,083 admitted trauma patients. All 6 studies reported a decrease in LOS ranging from 0.8 to 2.54 days when APNs were added to the trauma team. More research is needed to identify the best utilization of an APN on a trauma team. It is recommended that all trauma centers add APNs to the trauma team to not only decrease admitted trauma patients' LOS but also provide continuity of care, decreasing costs, and minimizing errors.

Nurse Practitioners' Role in Improving Service for Elderly Trauma Patients

Preexisting conditions and decreased physiological reserve in the elderly frequently complicate the provision of health care in this population. A Level 1 trauma center expanded its nurse practitioner (NP) model to facilitate admission of low-acuity patients, including the elderly, to trauma services. This model enabled NPs to initiate admissions and coordinate day-to-day care for low-acuity patients under the supervision of a trauma attending. The complexity of elderly trauma care and the need to evaluate the efficacy of management provided by NPs led to the development of the current study. Accordingly, this study endeavored to compare outcomes in elderly patients whose care was coordinated by trauma NP (TNP) versus nontrauma NP (NTNP) services. Patients under the care of TNPs had a 1.22-day shorter duration of hospitalization compared with that of the NTNP cohort (4.38 ± 3.54 vs. 5.60 ± 3.98, p = .048). Decreased length of stay in the TNP cohort resulted in an average decrease in hospital charges of $13,000 per admission ($38,053 ± $29,640.76 vs. $51,317.79 ± $34,756.83, p = .016). A significantly higher percentage of patients admitted to the TNP service were discharged home (67.1% vs. 36.0%, p = .002), and a significantly lower percentage of patients were discharged to skilled nursing facilities (25.7% vs. 51.9%, p = .040). These clinical and economic outcomes have proven beneficial in substantiating the care provided by TNPs at the study institution. Future research will focus on examining the association of positive outcomes with specific care elements routinely performed by the TNPs in the current practice model.

An Outcome Analysis of Nurse Practitioners in Acute Care Trauma Services

The department of trauma at a Level 1 trauma center sought to improve outcomes by enhancing the continuity of care for patients admitted to trauma services. Departmental leadership explored opportunities to improve this aspect of patient care through expansion of existing trauma nurse practitioner (NP) services. The restructured trauma NP service model was implemented in September 2013. A retrospective study was conducted with patients who presented at the trauma center between September 2012 and August 2015. Patients with at least a 24-hr hospital length of stay (LOS) were separated into 3 comparator groups by 12-month increments: 12 months pre-, 12 months during, and 12 months postimplementation. Data revealed improvement in hospital LOS, intensive care unit LOS, time to place rehabilitation consultation, and placement of discharge orders before noon. A significant decline in the rate of complications including pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was also noted. Accordingly, expansion of the trauma NP model resulted in significant improvements in patient and process of care outcomes. This model for NP services may prove to be beneficial for acute care settings at other hospitals with high volume trauma services.

NP and PA Privileging in Acute Care Settings: Do Scope of Practice Laws Matter?

As hospitals’ interest in nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) grows, their leadership is eager to know how their medical staffing privileging policies for these professionals compare to peer hospitals. This study assesses the extent of variation of these policies in four clinical areas and examines whether the differences are associated with state scope of practice laws for NPs and PAs. We also examine the relationship of NP and PA privileging policies to each other. Our analysis finds no evidence that hospital privileging is associated with state scope of practice, and indeed within-state variation is more significant than cross-state variation. We also find a strong correlation between NP and PA privileging in all four clinical areas. These results suggest the need for additional research to understand the institutional-level variables and human dynamics at the level of medical staffing committees that may explain the dramatic variation in privileging policies and, ultimately, the effects of different privileging levels on costs and quality.

Creation and Execution of a Novel Anesthesia Perioperative Care Service at a Veterans Affairs Hospital

Physician-led perioperative surgical home models are developing as a method for improving the American health care system. These models are novel, team-based approaches that help to provide continuity of care throughout the perioperative period. Another avenue for improving care for surgical patients is the use of enhanced recovery after surgery pathways. These are well-described methods that have shown to improve perioperative outcomes. An established perioperative surgical home model can help implementation, efficiency, and adherence to enhanced recovery after surgery pathways. For these reasons, the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center created an Anesthesiology Perioperative Care Service that provides comprehensive care to surgical patients from their preoperative period through the continuum of their hospital course and postdischarge follow-up. In this brief report, we describe the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of the service.

Physician extenders on surgical services: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

With the introduction of resident duty hour restrictions and the resulting in-house trainee shortages, a long-term solution to ensure safe and efficient patient care is needed. One solution is the integration of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in a variety of health care settings. We sought to examine the use of NPs and PAs on surgical/trauma services and their effect on patient outcomes and resident workload.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of EMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included studies (all designs) examining the use of NPs and PAs on adult surgical and trauma services that reported the following outcomes: complications, length of stay, readmission rates, patient satisfaction and perceived quality of care, resident workload, resident work hours, resident sleep hours, resident satisfaction, resident perceived quality of care, other health care worker satisfaction and perceived quality of care, and economic impact assessments. We excluded studies assessing nonsurgical/trauma services or pediatrics and review articles.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria. With the addition of NPs and PAs, patient length of stay decreased, and morbidity and mortality were unchanged. In addition, resident workload decreased, sleep time increased, and operating time improved. Patient and health care worker satisfaction rates were high. Several studies reported cost savings after the addition of NPs/PAs.

CONCLUSION

The addition of NPs and PAs to surgical/trauma services appears to be a safe, cost-effective method to manage some of the challenges arising because of resident duty hour restrictions. More high-quality research is needed to confirm these findings and to further assess the economic impact of adding NPs and PAs to the surgical team.

A team approach to effectively discharge trauma patients

BACKGROUND

Trauma patients represent a high-volume and high-acuity population. This makes discharge planning difficult. Discharged by noon is a metric shown to correlate with hospital throughput. Improvements in efficiency will be needed to improve resource utilization and increase discharge by noon rate. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a standardized discharge team on length of stay and discharge by noon.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A university level I trauma center implemented a discharge team composed of a trauma attending and an advanced practice provider. This team is tasked with evaluating patients on the discharge list daily. This allowed patients ready for discharge to be evaluated and discharged before noon. A retrospective review was performed to analyze discharge by noon rates before and after implementation of the discharge team.

RESULTS

A total of 3053 patients were discharged before the implementation of the discharge team and 3801 after. Discharges by noon increased from 25.5% to 51.2% in the post. For patients with an injury severity score >15, this same improvement was seen, 22.5% to 51.9%. Similar improvements were seen when controlling for final discharge disposition and primary payer status.

CONCLUSIONS

By establishing a separate discharge team, large improvements can be seen in the discharge by noon rate. These improvements were maintained when controlling for injury severity score, final discharge disposition, and insurance status. Significant savings are possible in both charges to the patient and direct costs to the facility. The utilization of a discharge team should be considered at similar facilities.

Trauma advanced practice provider programme development in an academic setting to optimize care coordination

Background

Benchmark data from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) identified an opportunity for improvement in our trauma programme. Our unexpected return to the intensive care unit (ICU) was found to be higher than the national averages and we also noticed that our readmission rate had increased. We chose to address these complications as continuous quality improvement projects. It was hypothesized that restructuring the workflow of the trauma advanced practice providers (APPs) to focus on the delivery of comprehensive clinical care would decrease return to ICU and readmission rates of trauma patients.

Methods

The development of the APP programme occurred from 2012 to 2014. First, APP daily shifts were extended to mirror the resident physicians’ coverage. Second, the APPs’ original job description was expanded from ‘task-oriented’ workflow to providing comprehensive clinical care. Third, the APPs were involved in the evaluation and decision-making process for transferring trauma patients from the ICU. Finally, the APPs implemented a new discharge process that included all information in a standardized format and a follow-up phone call 24–48 hours after discharge. The trauma registry at our verified, academic level I trauma center was use to assess our ICU and hospital readmission rates during the time we instituted the new APP workflow programme.

Results

In 2012, our ICU readmission rate was 5.7% (TQIP=1.9%) but then decreased to 4.4% in 2013 (TQIP=2.5%) and 2.1% in 2014 (TQIP=2.8%). Our hospital readmission rate was 2.0% in 2012 but then decreased to 1.38% and 0.96% over the next 2 years.

Conclusions

After extending the APP service coverage, implementing a comprehensive clinical care model and standardizing the discharge process, our unplanned return to ICU rates have decreased to below the TQIP national average and hospital readmission rates have also decreased by half.

Level of evidence

III.

Discharge Facilitation: An Innovative PNP Role

Efficient and safe transition from the hospital to the community setting remains a priority in health care. Providers face mounting pressure of both timely discharges and minimizing readmissions, because these factor have an impact on provider reimbursement. Traditionally in academic medical centers, rotating teams of resident physicians have been responsible for discharging inpatients. The acute care pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP), when discharging patients, may arrange follow-up care, prescribe medications, and sign discharge orders, as the resident physician does. Additionally, the PNP is positioned to provide continuity of care and provide detailed discharge teaching and care coordination. The goal of this article is to review the literature pertaining to the nurse practitioner role in discharge facilitation and describe the creation and impact of an innovative nurse practitioner discharge coordinator role at a large urban pediatric medical center where improved discharge times were achieved.

Barriers to discharge in an acute care medical teaching unit: a qualitative analysis of health providers' perceptions

BACKGROUND

The complex process of discharging patients from acute care to community care requires a multifaceted interaction between all health care providers and patients. Poor communication in a patient's discharge can result in post hospital adverse events, readmission, and mortality. Because of the gravity of these problems, discharge planning has been emphasized as a potential solution. The purpose of this paper is to identify communication barriers to effective discharge planning in an acute care unit of a tertiary care center and to suggest solutions to these barriers.

METHODS

Health care providers provided comments to a single open-ended question: "What are the communication barriers between the different health care providers that limit an effective discharge of patients from Unit 36?" We conducted qualitative thematic analysis by identifying themes related to communication barriers affecting a successful discharge process.

RESULTS

Three broad themes related to barriers to the discharge process were identified: communication, lack of role clarity and lack of resources. We also identified two themes for opportunities for improvement, ie, structure and function of the medical team and need for leadership.

CONCLUSION

While it was evident that poor communication was an overarching barrier identified by health care providers, other themes emerged. In an effort to increase inter-team communication, "bullet rounds", a condensed form of discharge rounds, were introduced to the medical teaching unit and occurred on a daily basis between the multidisciplinary team. To help facilitate provider-patient communication, electronic transfer of care summaries were suggested as a potential solution. To help role clarity, a discharge coordinator and/or liaison was suggested. Communication can be enhanced through use of electronic discharge summaries, bullet rounds, and implementation of a discharge coordinator(s). The findings from this study can be used to aid future researchers in devising appropriate discharging strategies that are focused around the patient and inter-health care provider communication.

Assessing the academic and professional needs of trauma nurse practitioners and physician assistants

Because of multiple changes in the health care environment, the use of services of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in trauma and critical care has expanded. Appropriate training and ongoing professional development for these providers are essential to optimize clinical outcomes. This study offers a baseline assessment of the academic and professional needs of the contemporary trauma PAs/NPs in the United States. A 14-question electronic survey, using SurveyMonkey, was distributed to PAs/NPs at trauma centers identified through the American College of Surgeons Web site and other online resources. Demographic questions included trauma center level, provider type, level of education, and professional affiliations. Likert scale questions were incorporated to assess level of mentorship, comfort level with training, and individual perceived needs for academic and professional development. There were 120 survey respondents: 60 NPs and 60 PAs. Sixty-two respondents (52%) worked at level I trauma centers and 95 (79%) were hospital-employed. Nearly half (49%) reported working in trauma centers for 3 years or less. One hundred nineteen respondents (99%) acknowledged the importance of trauma-specific education; 98 (82%) were required by their institution to obtain such training. Thirty-five respondents (32%) reported receiving $1000 per year or less as a continuing medical education benefit. Insufficient mentorship, professional development, and academic development were identified by 22 (18%), 16 (13%), and 30 (25%) respondents, respectively. Opportunities to network with trauma PAs/NPs outside their home institution were identified as insufficient by 79 (66%). While PAs/NPs in trauma centers recognize the importance of continued contemporary trauma care and evidence-based practices, attending trauma-related education is not universally required by their employers. Financial restrictions may pose an additional impediment to academic development. Therefore, resource-efficient opportunities should be a prime consideration for advanced practitioners education, especially since half of the reported workforce has 3 years or less experience. The Eastern Association of Trauma and other organizations can provide an ideal venue for mentorship, academic development, and networking that is vital to PA/NP professional development and, ultimately, quality patient care.

The use of nonphysician providers in adult intensive care units

In the United States there are not currently enough critical care-trained practitioners to provide care to all critically ill patients. With calls for "high-intensity" staffing and 24-hour coverage of our intensive care units, the board-certified intensivists we do have are being stretched ever more thin. Nonphysician providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) are being used with increasing frequency in critical care settings to provide care to critically ill patients. In this review, we explore the impact of introducing nonphysician providers into the adult intensive care unit.

Advanced practice nurses making a difference: implementation of a formal rounding process

There has been growing concern for many years over the impending shortage of trauma surgeons due to attrition and the lack of residents choosing the trauma surgical specialty area. Along with this concern, trauma admissions continue to increase and many trauma services are merging with acute care surgery, increasing the overall service line volume. Adding to the burden is the 80-hour workweek residency requirement. Trauma centers are faced with gaps in patient coverage, placing the need for midlevel practitioners in high demand. This article discusses (1) the utilization of advanced practice nurses on a trauma and acute care surgery service and (2) how the implementation of a formal rounding process improves nursing and physician satisfaction as well as length of stay.

Acceptance of physician assistants and nurse practitioners in trauma centers

OBJECTIVE

Census data published by professional organizations indicate an upward trend in the number of physician assistants (PAs) working in many specialty fields, including the subspecialty of trauma surgery. As the role of hospital-based PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) continues to evolve, greater understanding of these roles will help identify future employment trends for these professions. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of PAs and NPs in US trauma centers, to document their roles, and to identify their potential future utilization by trauma centers.

METHODS

A survey was mailed to 464 directors of major trauma centers in the United States. The survey was designed to evaluate trauma centers' utilization of PAs/NPs. Respondents were asked to identify specific daily tasks of PAs/NPs and to indicate potential for their future utilization.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-six (246) of 464 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 53%. Approximately one-third of reporting major trauma centers reported utilizing PAs/NPs. More American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified trauma facilities utilized PAs/NPs than did nonverified facilities; and Level I trauma centers used significantly more PAs/NPs than did Level II trauma centers. Nineteen percent (19%) of respondents who did not currently utilize PAs/NPs indicated that they intended to do so in the future. The majority of facilities utilized PAs/NPs to assist with trauma resuscitation and in performing traditional tasks, including obtaining and dictating histories and physical findings, participating in rounds on the general medical floor, and dictating discharge summaries. Fewer than half of reporting facilities indicated that PAs/NPs performed more invasive procedures, such as inserting arterial lines, central lines, chest tubes, and intracranial pressure monitors.

CONCLUSIONS

PAs and NPs are increasingly utilized as clinicians in the surgical subspecialty of trauma. In most trauma centers, PAs/NPs are utilized to complete the traditional duties of a surgical PA/NP, with fewer performing invasive procedures. Finally, 19% of responding trauma centers who do not currently utilize PAs/NPs state that they intend to in the future, indicating the potential for continued job growth for PAs/NPs in trauma care. This evaluation of the utilization of PAs/NPs in direct care to trauma patients indicates acceptance of PAs/NPs in trauma staffing models.

Attacking the problem of hospital diversion: a report of success

Hospital diversion is a critical issue for hospitals that affects safety and overall patient care. At Wishard Hospital, a public hospital with a level 1 trauma center, we critically reviewed our diversion policies and implemented a series of changes. This hospital-wide process significantly decreased our diversion rates, thereby providing consistent and safe care to our community.

Utilizing trauma nurse practitioners to decrease length of stay

This article describes a nurse practitioner model utilized to decrease the length of stay and improve the quality of discharge planning for hospitalized trauma patients between 1999 and 2006. An observational method employing nurse practitioners to decrease length of stay for the trauma population during these years is described. Adding nurse practitioners to the trauma team has resulted in decreasing the length of stay in all 4 of the injury severity score groups. Adding nurse practitioners to the trauma team provides a core member in a revolving trauma service. Consequently, length of stay and discharge planning have been positively impacted.

Daily rapid rounds: decreasing length of stay and improving professional practice

Many hospital leaders are struggling with how to decrease patients' length of stay while maintaining appropriate care. The authors provide a transfer able model for daily rounds that can be used on many units to help decrease length of stay while improving communication, collaboration, and coordination. No increase in staff is required, and nursing satisfaction improves.

Restricted duty hours for surgeons and impact on residents quality of life, education, and patient care: a literature review

Background

Work-hour limitations have been implemented by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in July 2003 in order to minimize fatigue related medical adverse events. The effects of this regulation are still under intense debate. In this literature review, data of effects of limited work-hours on the quality of life, surgical education, and patient care was summarized, focusing on surgical subspecialities.

Methods

Studies that assessed the effects of the work-hour regulation published following the implementation of ACGME guidelines (2003) were searched using PubMed database. The following search modules were selected: work-hours, 80-hour work week, quality of life, work satisfaction, surgical education, residency training, patient care, continuity of care. Publications were included if they were completed in the United States and covered the subject of our review. Manuscrips were analysed to identify authors, year of publication, type of study, number of participants, and the main outcomes.

Review Findings

Twenty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies demonstrate that the residents quality of life has improved. The effects on surgical education are still unclear due to inconsistency in studies. Furthermore, according to several objective studies there were no changes in mortality and morbidity following the implementation.

Conclusion

Further studies are necessary addressing the effects of surgical education and studying the objective methods to assess the technical skill and procedural competence of surgeons. In addition, patient surveys analysing their satisfaction and concerns can contribute to recent discussion, as well.