Surveillance nursing diagnoses, ongoing assessment and outcomes on in-patients who suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest

Risk of acute deterioration and care complexity individual factors associated with health outcomes in hospitalised patients with COVID-19: a multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND

Evidence about the impact of systematic nursing surveillance on risk of acute deterioration of patients with COVID-19 and the effects of care complexity factors on inpatient outcomes is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the association between acute deterioration risk, care complexity factors and unfavourable outcomes in hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

A multicentre cohort study was conducted from 1 to 31 March 2020 at seven hospitals in Catalonia. All adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals and with a complete minimum data set were recruited retrospectively. Patients were classified based on the presence or absence of a composite unfavourable outcome (in-hospital mortality and adverse events). The main measures included risk of acute deterioration (as measured using the VIDA early warning system) and care complexity factors. All data were obtained blinded from electronic health records. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to identify the VIDA score and complexity factors associated with unfavourable outcomes.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 1176 patients with COVID-19, 506 (43%) experienced an unfavourable outcome during hospitalisation. The frequency of unfavourable outcomes rose with increasing risk of acute deterioration as measured by the VIDA score. Risk factors independently associated with unfavourable outcomes were chronic underlying disease (OR: 1.90, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.72; p<0.001), mental status impairment (OR: 2.31, 95% CI 1.45 to 23.66; p<0.001), length of hospital stay (OR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.21; p<0.001) and high risk of acute deterioration (OR: 4.32, 95% CI 2.83 to 6.60; p<0.001). High-tech hospital admission was a protective factor against unfavourable outcomes (OR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.89; p=0.01).

CONCLUSION

The systematic nursing surveillance of the status and evolution of COVID-19 inpatients, including the careful monitoring of acute deterioration risk and care complexity factors, may help reduce deleterious health outcomes in COVID-19 inpatients.

Care complexity individual factors associated with adverse events and in-hospital mortality

Introduction

Measuring the impact of care complexity on health outcomes, based on psychosocial, biological and environmental circumstances, is important in order to detect predictors of early deterioration of inpatients. We aimed to identify care complexity individual factors associated with selected adverse events and in-hospital mortality.

Methods

A multicenter, case-control study was carried out at eight public hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. All adult patients admitted to a ward or a step-down unit were evaluated. Patients were divided into the following groups based on the presence or absence of three adverse events (pressure ulcers, falls or aspiration pneumonia) and in-hospital mortality. The 28 care complexity individual factors were classified in five domains (developmental, mental-cognitive, psycho-emotional, sociocultural and comorbidity/complications). Adverse events and complexity factors were retrospectively reviewed by consulting patients’ electronic health records. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to identify factors associated with an adverse event and in-hospital mortality.

Results

A total of 183,677 adult admissions were studied. Of these, 3,973 (2.2%) patients experienced an adverse event during hospitalization (1,673 [0.9%] pressure ulcers; 1,217 [0.7%] falls and 1,236 [0.7%] aspiration pneumonia). In-hospital mortality was recorded in 3,996 patients (2.2%). After adjustment for potential confounders, the risk factors independently associated with both adverse events and in-hospital mortality were: mental status impairments, impaired adaptation, lack of caregiver support, old age, major chronic disease, hemodynamic instability, communication disorders, urinary or fecal incontinence, vascular fragility, extreme weight, uncontrolled pain, male sex, length of stay and admission to a medical ward. High-tech hospital admission was associated with an increased risk of adverse events and a reduced risk of in-hospital mortality. The area under the ROC curve for both outcomes was > 0.75 (95% IC: 0.78–0.83).

Conclusions

Several care complexity individual factors were associated with adverse events and in-hospital mortality. Prior identification of complexity factors may have an important effect on the early detection of acute deterioration and on the prevention of poor outcomes.

Predicting patient acuity according to their main problem

AIM

To assess the ability of the patient main problem to predict acuity in adults admitted to hospital wards and step-down units.

BACKGROUND

Acuity refers to the categorization of patients based on their required nursing intensity. The relationship between acuity and nurses' clinical judgment on the patient problems, including their prioritization, is an underexplored issue.

METHOD

Cross-sectional, multi-centre study in a sample of 200,000 adults. Multivariate analysis of main problems potentially associated with acuity levels higher than acute was performed. Distribution of patients and outcome differences among acuity clusters were evaluated.

RESULTS

The main problems identified are strongly associated with patient acuity. The model exhibits remarkable ability to predict acuity (AUC, 0.814; 95% CI, 0.81-0.816). Most patients (64.8%) match higher than acute categories. Significant differences in terms of mortality, hospital readmission and other outcomes are observed (p < .005).

CONCLUSION

The patient main problem predicts acuity. Most inpatients require more intensive than acute nursing care and their outcomes are adversely affected.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Prospective measurement of acuity, considering nurses' clinical judgments on the patient main problem, is feasible and may contribute to support nurse management workforce planning and staffing decision-making, and to optimize patients, nurses and organizational outcomes.