Hospital variation in quality of discharge summaries for patients hospitalized with heart failure exacerbation

Protocol for a scoping review of patient-clinician digital health interventions for the population with hip fracture

INTRODUCTION

Patient-clinician digital health interventions can potentially improve the care of patients with hip fracture transitioning from hospital to rehabilitation to home. Assisting older patients with a hip fracture and their caregivers in managing their postsurgery care is crucial for ensuring the best rehabilitation outcomes. With the increased availability and wide uptake of mobile devices, the use of digital health to better assist patients in their care has become more common. Among the older adult population, hip fractures are a common occurrence and integrated postsurgery care is key for optimal recovery. The overall aims are to examine the available literature on the impact of hip fracture-specific patient-clinician digital health interventions on patient outcomes and healthcare delivery processes; to identify the barriers and enablers to the uptake and implementation of these digital health interventions; and to provide strategies for improved use of digital health technologies.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will conduct a scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology framework and following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement for the Scoping Reviews reporting format. A search strategy will be developed, and key databases will be searched until approximately May 2022. A two-step screening process and data extraction of included studies will be performed by two reviewers. Any disagreement will be resolved by consensus or by a third reviewer. For the included studies, a narrative data synthesis will be conducted. Barriers and enablers identified will be mapped to the domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework and related strategies will be provided to guide the uptake of future patient-clinician digital health interventions.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This review does not require ethics approval. The results will be presented at a scientific conference and published in a peer-reviewed journal. We will also involve relevant stakeholders to determine appropriate approaches for dissemination.

Hospital Discharge Summaries Are Insufficient Following ICU Stays: A Qualitative Study

Primary care providers (PCPs) receive limited information about their patients' ICU stays; we sought to understand what additional information PCPs desire to support patients' recovery following critical illness.

DESIGN

Semistructured interviews with PCPs conducted between September 2020 and April 2021.

SETTING

Academic health system with central quaternary-care hospital and associated Veterans Affairs medical center.

SUBJECTS

Fourteen attending internal medicine or family medicine physicians working in seven clinics across Southeast Michigan (median, 10.5 yr in practice).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

We analyzed using a modified Rigorous and Accelerated Data Reduction (RADaR) technique to identify gaps in current discharge summaries for patients with ICU stays, impacts of these gaps, and desired ICU-specific information. We employed RADaR to efficiently consolidate data in Excel Microsoft (Redmond, WA) tables across multiple formats (lists, themes, etc.).

RESULTS

PCPs reported receiving limited ICU-specific information in hospital discharge summaries. PCPs often spent significant time reading inpatient records for additional information. Information desired included life-support interventions provided and duration (mechanical ventilation, dialysis, etc.), reasons for treatment decisions (code status changes, medication changes, etc.), and potential complications (delirium, dysphagia, postintensive care syndrome, etc.). Pervasive discharge gaps (ongoing needs, incidental findings, etc.) were described as worse among patients with ICU stays due to more complex illness and required interventions. Insufficient information was felt to lead to incomplete follow-up on critical issues, PCP frustration, and patient harm. PCPs stated that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated gaps due to decreased staffing, limited visitation policies, and reliance on telehealth follow-up visits.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Our results identified key data elements sought by PCPs about patients' ICU stays and suggest opportunities to improve care through developing tools/templates to provide PCPs with ICU-specific information for outpatient follow-up.

Quality Indicators in Patient Referral Documents for Heart Failure in Japan

This study examined quality indicators (QIs) for heart failure (HF) in patients' referral documents (PRDs).We conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey to identify information that general practitioners (GPs) would like hospital cardiologists (HCs) to include in PRDs and that HCs actually include in PRDs. The percentage of GPs that desired each item included in PRDs was converted into a deviation score, and items with a deviation score of ≥ 50 were defined as QIs. We rated the quality of PRDs provided by HCs based on QI assessment.We received 281 responses from HCs and 145 responses from GPs. The following were identified as QIs: 1) HF cause; 2) B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal pro-BNP concentration; 3) left ventricular ejection fraction or echocardiography; 4) body weight; 5) education of patients and their families on HF; 6) physical function, and 7) functions of daily living. Based on QI assessment, only 21.7% of HCs included all seven items in their PRDs. HCs specializing in HF and institutions with many full-time HCs were independently associated with including the seven items in PRDs.The quality of PRDs for HF varies among physicians and hospitals, and standardization is needed based on QI assessment.

The Utility of Nursing Notes Among Medicare Patients With Heart Failure to Predict 30-Day Rehospitalization: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

For patients with heart failure (HF), there have been efforts to reduce the risk of 30-day rehospitalization, such as developing predictive models using electronic health records. Few previous studies used clinical notes to predict 30-day rehospitalization.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the utility of nursing notes versus discharge summaries to predict 30-day rehospitalization among patients with HF.

METHODS

In this pilot study, we used free-text discharge summaries and nursing notes collected from a tertiary hospital. We randomly selected 500 Medicare patients with HF. We followed the natural language processing and machine learning pipeline for data analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-day rehospitalization risk prediction using discharge summaries (n = 500) produced an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74 (Bag of Words + Neural Network). Thirty-day rehospitalization risk prediction using nursing notes (n = 2046) resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85 (Bag of Words + Neural Network).

CONCLUSION

Nursing notes provide a superior input to risk models for 30-day rehospitalization in Medicare patients with HF compared with discharge summaries.

Is the routine health information system ready to support the planned national health insurance scheme in South Africa?

Implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa requires a reliable, standardized health information system that supports Diagnosis-Related Groupers for reimbursements and resource management. We assessed the quality of inpatient health records, the availability of standard discharge summaries and coded clinical data and the congruence between inpatient health records and discharge summaries in public-sector hospitals to support the NHI implementation in terms of reimbursement and resource management. We undertook a cross-sectional health-records review from 45 representative public hospitals consisting of seven tertiary, 10 regional and 28 district hospitals in 10 NHI pilot districts representing all nine provinces. Data were abstracted from a randomly selected sample of 5795 inpatient health records from the surgical, medical, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry departments. Quality was assessed for 10 pre-defined data elements relevant to NHI reimbursements, by comparing information in source registers, patient folders and discharge summaries for patients admitted in March and July 2015. Cohen's/Fleiss' kappa coefficients (κ) were used to measure agreements between the sources. While 3768 (65%) of the 5795 inpatient-level records contained a discharge summary, less than 835 (15%) of diagnoses were coded using ICD-10 codes. Despite most of the records having correct patient identifiers [κ: 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91-0.93], significant inconsistencies were observed between the registers, patient folders and discharge summaries for some data elements: attending physician's signature (κ: 0.71; 95% CI 0.67-0.75); results of the investigation (κ: 0.71; 95% CI 0.69-0.74); patient's age (κ: 0.72; 95% CI 0.70-0.74); and discharge diagnosis (κ: 0.92; 95% CI 0.90-0.94). The strength of agreement for all elements was statistically significant (P-value ≤ 0.001). The absence of coded inpatient diagnoses and identified data inaccuracies indicates that existing routine health information systems in public-sector hospitals in the NHI pilot districts are not yet able to sufficiently support reimbursements and resource management. Institutional capacity is needed to undertake diagnostic coding, improve data quality and ensure that a standard discharge summary is completed for every inpatient.

Differences in Priorities for Heart Failure Management Between Cardiologists and General Practitioners in Japan

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to clarify the current status and issues of community collaboration in heart failure (HF) using a nationwide questionnaire survey.Methods and Results:We conducted a survey among hospital cardiologists and general practitioners (GPs) using a web-based questionnaire developed with the Delphi method, to assess the quality of community collaboration in HF. We received responses from 46 of the 47 prefectures in Japan, including from 281 hospital cardiologists and 145 GPs. The survey included the following characteristics and issues regarding community collaboration. (1) Hospital cardiologists prioritized medical intervention for preventing HF hospitalization and death whereas GPs prioritized supporting the daily living of patients and their families. (2) Hospital cardiologists have not provided information that meets the needs of GPs, and few regions have a community-based system that allows for the sharing of information about patients with HF. (3) In the transition to home care, there are few opportunities for direct communication between hospitals and community staff, and consultation systems are not well developed.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study clarified the real-world status and issues of community collaboration for HF in Japan, especially the differences in priorities for HF management between hospital cardiologists and GPs. Our data will contribute to the future direction and promotion of community collaboration in HF management.

The diagnostic certainty levels of junior clinicians: A retrospective cohort study

Background:

Clinical decision-making is influenced by many factors, including clinicians’ perceptions of the certainty around what is the best course of action to pursue.

Objective:

To characterise the documentation of working diagnoses and the associated level of real-time certainty expressed by clinicians and to gauge patient opinion about the importance of research into clinician decision certainty.

Method:

This was a single-centre retrospective cohort study of non-consultant grade clinicians and their assessments of patients admitted from the emergency department between 01 March 2019 and 31 March 2019. De-identified electronic health record proformas were extracted that included the type of diagnosis documented and the certainty adjective used. Patient opinion was canvassed from a focus group.

Results:

During the study period, 850 clerking proformas were analysed; 420 presented a single diagnosis, while 430 presented multiple diagnoses. Of the 420 single diagnoses, 67 (16%) were documented as either a symptom or physical sign and 16 (4%) were laboratory-result-defined diagnoses. No uncertainty was expressed in 309 (74%) of the diagnoses. Of 430 multiple diagnoses, uncertainty was expressed in 346 (80%) compared to 84 (20%) in which no uncertainty was expressed. The patient focus group were unanimous in their support of this research.

Conclusion:

The documentation of working diagnoses is highly variable among non-consultant grade clinicians. In nearly three quarters of assessments with single diagnoses, no element of uncertainty was implied or quantified. More uncertainty was expressed in multiple diagnoses than single diagnoses.

Implications:

Increased standardisation of documentation will help future studies to better analyse and quantify diagnostic certainty in both single and multiple working diagnoses. This could lead to subsequent examination of their association with important process or clinical outcome measures.

Lack of recognition and documentation of stress hyperglycemia is a disruptor of optimal continuity of care

Stress hyperglycemia (SH) is a manifestation of altered glucose metabolism in acutely ill patients which worsens outcomes and may represent a risk factor for diabetes. Continuity of care can assess this risk, which depends on quality of hospital clinical documentation. We aimed to determine the incidence of SH and documentation tendencies in hospital discharge summaries and continuity notes. We retrospectively examined diagnoses during a 12-months period. A 3-months representative sample of discharge summaries and continuity clinic notes underwent manual abstraction. Over 12-months, 495 admissions had ≥ 2 blood glucose measurements ≥ 10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL), which provided a SH incidence of 3.3%. Considering other glucose states suggestive of SH, records showing ≥ 4 blood glucose measurements ≥ 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) totaled 521 admissions. The entire 3-months subset of 124 records lacked the diagnosis SH documentation in discharge summaries. Only two (1.6%) records documented SH in the narrative of hospital summaries. Documentation or assessment of SH was absent in all ambulatory continuity notes. Lack of documentation of SH contributes to lack of follow-up after discharge, representing a disruptor of optimal care. Activities focused on improving quality of hospital documentation need to be integral to the education and competency of providers within accountable health systems.

Investigating discharge communication for chronic disease patients in three hospitals in India

OBJECTIVES

Poor discharge communication is associated with negative health outcomes in high-income countries. However, quality of discharge communication has received little attention in India and many other low and middle-income countries.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

To investigate verbal and documented discharge communication for chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) patients.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between quality of discharge communication and health outcomes.

METHODS

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Three public hospitals in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala states, India.

PARTICIPANTS

546 chronic NCD (chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease or diabetes) patients. Piloted questionnaires were completed at admission, discharge and five and eighteen-week follow-up covering health status, discharge communication practices and health-seeking behaviour. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between quality of discharge communication and health outcomes.

OUTCOME MEASURES

PRIMARY

Patient recall and experiences of verbal and documented discharge communication.

SECONDARY

Death, hospital readmission and self-reported deterioration of NCD/s.

RESULTS

All patients received discharge notes, predominantly on sheets of paper with basic pre-printed headings (71%) or no structure (19%); 31% of notes contained all the following information required for facilitating continuity of care: diagnosis, medication information, lifestyle advice, and follow-up instructions. Patient reports indicated notable variations in verbal information provided during discharge consultations; 50% received ongoing treatment/management information and 23% received lifestyle advice. Within 18 weeks of follow-up, 25 (5%) patients had died, 69 (13%) had been readmitted and 62 (11%) reported that their chronic NCD/s had deteriorated. Significant associations were found between low-quality documented discharge communication and death (AOR = 3.00; 95% CI 1.27,7.06) and low-quality verbal discharge communication and self-reported deterioration of chronic NCD/s (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.25,0.83) within 18-weeks of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Sub-optimal discharge practices may be compromising continuity and safety of chronic NCD patient care. Structured protocols, documents and training are required to improve discharge communication, healthcare integration and NCD management.

Impact of Hospital Practice Factors on Mortality in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure in Japan - An Analysis of a Large Number of Health Records From a Nationwide Claims-Based Database, the JROAD-DPC

BACKGROUND

An inverse relationship exists between hospital case volume and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). However, hospital performance factors associated with mortality in HF patients have not been examined. We aimed to identify these using exploratory factor analysis and assess the relationship between these factors and 7-day, 30-day, and in-hospital mortality among HF patients in Japan.Methods and Results:We analyzed the records of 198,861 patients admitted to 683 certified hospitals of the Japanese Circulation Society between 2012 and 2014. Records were obtained from the nationwide database of the Japanese Registry Of All cardiac and vascular Diseases-Diagnostic Procedure Combination (JROAD-DPC). Using exploratory factor analysis, 90 hospital survey items were grouped into 5 factors, according to their collinearity: "Interventional cardiology", "Cardiovascular surgery", "Pediatric cardiology", "Electrophysiology" and "Cardiac rehabilitation". Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between these factors and mortality. The 30-day mortality was 8.0%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed the "Pediatric cardiology" (odds ratio (OR) 0.677, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.628-0.729, P<0.0001), "Electrophysiology" (OR 0.876, 95% CI: 0.832-0.923, P<0.0001), and "Cardiac rehabilitation" (OR 0.832, 95% CI: 0.792-0.873, P<0.0001) factors were associated with lower mortality. In contrast, "Interventional cardiology" (OR 1.167, 95% CI: 1.070-1.272, P<0.0001) was associated with higher mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital factors, including various cardiovascular therapeutic practices, may be associated with the early death of HF patients.

How to develop a national heart failure clinics network: a consensus document of the Hellenic Heart Failure Association

Heart failure (HF) is rapidly growing, conferring considerable mortality, morbidity, and costs. Dedicated HF clinics improve patient outcomes, and the development of a national HF clinics network aims at addressing this need at national level. Such a network should respect the existing health care infrastructures, and according to the capacities of hosting facilities, it can be organized into three levels. Establishing the continuous communication and interaction among the components of the network is crucial, while supportive actions that can enhance its efficiency include involvement of multidisciplinary health care professionals, use of structured HF‐specific documents, such as discharge notes, patient information leaflets, and patient booklets, and implementation of an HF‐specific electronic health care record and database platform.

Feasibility and performance of a patient-oriented discharge instruction tool for heart failure

Background

The provision of patient-centred discharge instructions is a pivotal goal for improving quality of care for patients with heart failure (HF) during care transitions. We tested the feasibility and performance of a novel discharge instruction tool co-designed with patients and adapted for HF; the patient-oriented discharge summary (PODS-HF) with the aim of improving communication, comprehension and adherence to discharge instructions.

Methods

An iterative process was used to adapt and implement an existing patient instruction tool for patients with HF (PODS-HF). A mixed methods approach was then used to explore patient experience, feasibility and performance using a pre–post study design among eligible patients admitted for HF over a 6-month period. Outcome measures included: the documentation of patient-centred instructions, a locally derived Average Discharge Score (ADS) based on the inclusion of instructions in nine key areas, patient satisfaction and understanding and adherence to instructions at 72 hours and 30 days determined using follow-up phone calls.

Results

19 patients were enrolled. The ADS increased by 68% with more consistent documentation. Patient satisfaction remained high. Patients provided PODS-HF reported receiving written information about HF related signs and symptoms to watch for (two out of five patients in the usual care group vs seven out of seven patients in the PODS-HF group; p=0.045). Patients also felt more confident to manage their own health and 30-day adherence to diet and exercise instructions improved while reducing the need for unscheduled visits. Quantitative results were supported by themes identified during follow-up calls, namely, the utility of written instructions and the importance of a follow-up call.

Conclusion

PODS-HF is a feasible tool for the delivery of patient-centred discharge instructions for patients with HF. The individual benefits of clarification and reinforcement made during follow-up calls among patients receiving this tool remains to be clarified.

Patient experiences using a novel tool to improve care transitions in patients with heart failure: a qualitative analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the utility of a novel discharge tool adapted for heart failure (HF) on patient experience.

DESIGN

Semistructured interviews assessed the utility of a novel discharge tool adapted for HF; patient-oriented discharge summary (PODS-HF) at 72 hours and 30 days after leaving hospital. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Three investigators used directed content analysis to determine themes and subthemes from the narrative data.

SETTING

The cardiology ward of an urban academic institution in Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

13 patients and caregivers completed 24 interviews. Eligible patients were >18 years and admitted with a diagnosis of HF.

RESULTS

Analysis revealed six interconnected themes: (1) Utility of discharge instructions: how patients perceive and use written and verbal instructions. Patients receiving PODS-HF identified value in the patient-centred summarised content. (2) Adherence: strategies used by patients to enhance adherence to medications, diet and lifestyle changes. PODS-HF provides a strong visual reminder, particularly early postdischarge. (3) Adaptation: how patients incorporate changes into 'new norms'. This was more evident by 30 days, and those using PODS-HF had less unscheduled visits and readmissions. (4) Relationships with healthcare providers: patients' perceptions of the roles of family physicians and specialists in follow-up care. (5) Role of family and caregivers: the pivotal role of caregivers in supporting adherence and adaptation. (6) Follow-up phone calls: the utility of follow-up calls, particularly early after discharge as a means of providing clarification, reassurance and education.

CONCLUSION

PODS-HF is a useful tool that increases patients' confidence to self-manage and facilitates adherence by providing relevant written information to reference after discharge.

Unravelling mechanisms of nitrofurantoin resistance and epidemiological characteristics among Escherichia coli clinical isolates

The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms of nitrofurantoin resistance and epidemiological characteristics in Escherichia coli clinical isolates. From a total of 1444 E. coli clinical isolates collected from our hospital in 2015, 18 (1.2%) nitrofurantoin-resistant E. coli isolates were identified with nitrofurantoin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 128 µg/mL to ≥512 µg/mL. The prevalence of the nfsA gene in nitrofurantoin-resistant, -intermediate and -susceptible isolates was 88.9%, 88.9% and 100%, respectively, and the prevalence of the nfsB gene was 66.7%, 61.1% and 100%, respectively. Eight nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates and two nitrofurantoin-intermediate isolates possessed oqxAB genes. In nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates, mutations in NfsA (the majority of mutated sites were I117T and G187D, accounting for 38.9%) and/or NfsB were detected, whereas only NfsA mutations were found in intermediate isolates and no sequence changes were detected in susceptible isolates. A ≥4-fold decrease in MIC was observed in eight nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates following addition of the efflux pump inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). The mean expression level of oqxB in nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates increased ca. 7-fold compared with intermediate isolates. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) categorised the 18 nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates into 11 different sequence types. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis revealed that homology among the nitrofurantoin-resistant isolates was low and sporadic. In conclusion, mutations in nfsA and nfsB were the main mechanisms leading to nitrofurantoin resistance, and overexpression of the oqxAB gene might help to further increase the MIC of nitrofurantoin.

Discharge Processes and 30-Day Readmission Rates of Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure on General Medicine and Cardiology Services

Given high rates of heart failure (HF) hospitalizations and widespread adoption of the hospitalist model, patients with HF are often cared for on General Medicine (GM) services. Differences in discharge processes and 30-day readmission rates between patients on GM and those on Cardiology during the contemporary hospitalist era are unknown. The present study compared discharge processes and 30-day readmission rates of patients with HF admitted on GM services and those on Cardiology services. We retrospectively studied 926 patients discharged home after HF hospitalization. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause readmission after discharge from index hospitalization. Although 60% of patients with HF were admitted to Cardiology services, 40% were admitted to GM services. Prevalence of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular co-morbidities were similar between patients admitted to GM services and Cardiology services. Discharge summaries for patients on GM services were less likely to have reassessments of ejection fraction, new study results, weights, discharge vital signs, discharge physical examinations, and scheduled follow-up cardiologist appointments. In a multivariable regression analysis, patients on GM services were more likely to experience 30-day readmissions compared with those on Cardiology services (odds ratio 1.43 95% confidence interval [1.05 to 1.96], p = 0.02). In conclusion, outcomes are better among those admitted to Cardiology services, signaling the need for studies and interventions focusing on noncardiology hospital providers that care for patients with HF.

Residents' Exposure to Educational Experiences in Facilitating Hospital Discharges

BACKGROUND

There is an incomplete understanding of the most effective approaches for motivating residents to adopt guideline-recommended practices for hospital discharges.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated internal medicine (IM) residents' exposure to educational experiences focused on facilitating hospital discharges and compared those experiences based on correlations with residents' perceived responsibility for safely transitioning patients from the hospital.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, multi-center survey of IM residents at 9 US university- and community-based training programs in 2014-2015 measured exposure to 8 transitional care experiences, their perceived impact on care transitions attitudes, and the correlation between experiences and residents' perceptions of postdischarge responsibility.

RESULTS

Of 817 residents surveyed, 469 (57%) responded. Teaching about care transitions on rounds was the most common educational experience reported by residents (74%, 327 of 439). Learning opportunities with postdischarge patient contact were less common (clinic visits: 32%, 142 of 439; telephone calls: 12%, 53 of 439; and home visits: 4%, 18 of 439). On a 1-10 scale (10 = highest impact), residents rated postdischarge clinic as having the highest impact on their motivation to ensure safe transitions of care (mean = 7.61). Prior experiences with a postdischarge clinic visit, home visit, or telephone call were each correlated with increased perceived responsibility for transitional care tasks (correlation coefficients 0.12 [P = .004], 0.1 [P = .012], and 0.13 [P =  001], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

IM residents learn to facilitate hospital discharges most often through direct patient care. Opportunities to interact with patients across the postdischarge continuum are uncommon, despite correlating with increased perceived responsibility for ensuring safe transitions of care.

Skilled Nursing Facility Care for Patients With Heart Failure: Can We Make It "Heart Failure Ready?"

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have emerged as an integral component of care for older adults with heart failure (HF). Despite their prominent role, poor clinical outcomes for the medically complex patients with HF managed in SNFs are common. Barriers to providing quality care include poor transitional care during hospital-to-SNF and SNF-to-community discharges, lack of HF training among SNF staff, and a lack of a standardized care process among SNF facilities. Although no evidence-based practice standards have been established, various measures and tools designed to improve HF management in SNFs are being investigated. In this review, we discuss the challenges of HF care in SNFs as well as potential targets and recommendations that can help improve care with respect to transitions, HF management within SNFs, and modifiable factors within facilities. Policy considerations that might help catalyze improvements in SNF-based HF management are also discussed.

Missed Opportunity to Deprescribe: Docusate for Constipation in Medical Inpatients

BACKGROUND

Hospital admissions provide an opportunity to deprescribe ineffective medications and reduce pill burden. Docusate sodium is a stool softener that is frequently prescribed to treat constipation despite poor evidence for efficacy, thus providing a good target for deprescription. The aims of this study were to characterize rates of use and discontinuation of docusate among internal medicine inpatients, as well as use of other laxatives.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study over 1 year on all patients admitted to internal medicine at 2 urban academic hospitals to determine rates of docusate use. We also evaluated laxative and opioid medication use on a random sample of 500 inpatients who received docusate to characterize patterns of prescription and deprescription.

RESULTS

Fifteen percent (1169/7581) of all admitted patients received 1 or more doses of docusate. Among our random sample, 53% (238/452) received docusate before admission, and only 13% (31/238) had docusate deprescribed. Among patients not receiving docusate before admission, 33.2% (71/214) received a new prescription for docusate on discharge. Patients receiving opioids were frequently prescribed no laxatives or given docusate monotherapy (28%, 51/185).

CONCLUSIONS

Docusate was frequently prescribed to medical inpatients despite its known ineffectiveness, with low deprescription and high numbers of new prescriptions. Docusate use was common even among patients at high risk of constipation. One third of patients not receiving docusate before admission were prescribed docusate on discharge, potentially exacerbating polypharmacy. Among patients already receiving docusate, 80% had it continued on discharge, indicating significant missed opportunities for deprescribing. Given the availability of effective alternatives, our results suggest that quality-improvement initiatives are needed to promote evidence-based laxative use in hospitalized patients.

Association between days to complete inpatient discharge summaries with all-payer hospital readmissions in Maryland

OBJECTIVE

Hospital discharge summaries can provide valuable information to future providers and may help to prevent hospital readmissions. We sought to examine whether the number of days to complete hospital discharge summaries is associated with 30-day readmission rate.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted on 87,994 consecutive discharges between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014, in a large urban academic hospital. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association between days to complete the discharge summary and hospital readmissions while controlling for age, gender, race, payer, hospital service (gynecology-obstetrics, medicine, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics, and surgical sciences), discharge location, length of stay, expected readmission rate in Maryland based on diagnosis and illness severity, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Comorbidity Index. Days to complete the hospital discharge summary-the primary exposure variable-was assessed using the 20th percentile (>3 vs ≤3 days) and as a continuous variable (odds ratio expressed per 3-day increase). The main outcome was all-cause readmission to any acute care hospital in Maryland within 30 days.

RESULTS

Among the 87,994 patients, there were 14,248 (16.2%) total readmissions. Discharge summary completion >3 days was significantly associated with readmission, with adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 1.09 (1.04 to 1.13, P = 0.001). We also found that every additional 3 days to complete the discharge summary was associated with an increased adjusted odds of readmission by 1% (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.01, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Longer days to complete discharge summaries were associated with higher rates of all-cause hospital readmissions. Timely discharge summary completion time may be a quality indicator to evaluate current practice and as a potential strategy to improve patient outcomes. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:393-400. 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Do Non-Clinical Factors Improve Prediction of Readmission Risk?: Results From the Tele-HF Study

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to determine whether a model that included self-reported socioeconomic, health status, and psychosocial characteristics obtained from patients recently discharged from hospitalizations for heart failure substantially improved 30-day readmission risk prediction compared with a model that incorporated only clinical and demographic factors.

BACKGROUND

Existing readmission risk models have poor discrimination and it is unknown whether they would be markedly improved by the inclusion of patient-reported information.

METHODS

As part of the Tele-HF (Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes) trial, we conducted medical record abstraction and telephone interviews in a sample of 1,004 patients recently hospitalized for heart failure to obtain clinical, functional, and psychosocial information within 2 weeks of discharge. Candidate risk factors included 110 variables divided into 2 groups: demographic and clinical variables generally available from the medical record; and socioeconomic, health status, adherence, and psychosocial variables from patient interview.

RESULTS

The 30-day readmission rate was 17.1%. Using the 3-level risk score derived from the restricted medical record variables, patients with a score of 0 (no risk factors) had a readmission rate of 10.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.2% to 14.2%), and patients with a score of 2 (all risk factors) had a readmission rate of 32.1% (95% CI: 22.4% to 43.2%), a C-statistic of 0.62. Using the 5-level risk score derived from all variables, patients with a score of 0 (no risk factors) had a readmission rate of 9.6% (95% CI: 6.1% to 14.2%), and patients with a score of 4 (all risk factors) had a readmission rate of 55.0% (95% CI: 31.5% to 76.9%), a C-statistic of 0.65.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-reported socioeconomic, health status, adherence, and psychosocial variables are not dominant factors in predicting readmission risk for patients with heart failure. Patient-reported information improved model discrimination and extended the predicted ranges of readmission rates, but the model performance remained poor. (Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes [Tele-HF]; NCT00303212).

Optimizing the quality of hospital discharge summaries--a systematic review and practical tools

OBJECTIVE

Although doctors' discharge summaries (DS) are important forms of communication between the physicians in patient care, deficits in the quality of DS are common. This review aims to answer the following question: according to the literature, how can the quality of DS be improved by (1) interventions; (2) reviews and guidelines of regulatory bodies; and (3) other practical recommendations?

METHODS

Systematic review of the literature.

RESULTS

The scientific papers on optimizing the quality of DS (n = 234) are heterogeneous and do not allow any meta-analysis. The interventional studies revealed that a structured approach of writing, educational training including feedback and the use of a checklist are effective methods. Guidelines are helpful for outlining the key characteristics of DS. Additionally, the articles in the literature provided practical proposals on improving form, structure, clinical content, treatment recommendations, follow-up plan, medications and changes, addressees, patient data, length, language, dictation, electronic processing and timeliness of DS.

CONCLUSION

The literature review revealed various possibilities for improving the quality of DS.