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In a population-based study using hospital discharge diagnosis codes, patients with sleep apnea who underwent knee arthroplasty or open abdominal procedures were more likely to require invasive mechanical ventilation and to be diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia or ARDS than were matched patients without sleep apnea. Knee-replacement patients, but not those undergoing laparotomy, also were more likely to be diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.
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Health care systems have a few years to improve care transition communication and processes before health care reform changes make concise and clear communication essential, experts say.
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The practice of emergency medicine has evolved significantly since the first 24/7 emergency departments (EDs) opened in the 1950s and 1960s. In the past few decades, EDs have experienced an onslaught of increased patient volumes, increased demand for critical care services, increasing ED lengths of stay (LOS), and increased patient boarding.
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Patients and their caregivers sometimes have difficulty recalling details of their discharge instructions, a new study finds.1
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One of the chief issues as hospitals continue the trend of transitioning more patient care to subacute or community/home settings is the availability of financial and service resources.
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The Washington, DC-based National Quality Forum (NQF) Board has updated its list of serious reportable events (SREs) in health care, adding one that directly affects how hospitals handle care transition communication.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in late June 2011, that it would provide $500 million in Partnership for Patients funding to help hospitals, health care provider organizations, and others improve their efforts to prevent injuries and complications related to health care acquired conditions and unnecessary readmissions.
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One important obstacle to clear, effective care transition communication is the format in which information is conveyed. If information about hospital patients is sent electronically, what should be included? Which fields are essential? And is it possible to include flexibility in an electronic form or data set?
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The hospital discharge process for patients most at risk for readmission would be much simpler if discharge nurses or managers were able to simply explain what a patient needs to do next and know that the patient and family are ready to follow those instructions.
