ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To characterize pretransfer on-site nursing home (NH) management, transfer disposition, and hospital discharge diagnoses of long-stay residents transferred for behavioral concerns. DESIGN: This was a secondary data analysis of the Optimizing Patient Transfers, Impacting Medical Quality, Improving Symptoms: Transforming Institutional Care project, in which clinical staff employed in the NH setting conducted medical, transitional, and palliative care quality improvement initiatives and gathered data related to resident transfers to the emergency department/hospital setting. R software and Microsoft Excel were used to characterize a subset of transfers prompted by behavioral concerns. SETTING: NHs in central Indiana were utilized (N = 19). PARTICIPANTS: This study included long-stay NH residents with behavioral concerns prompting transfer for acute emergency department/hospital evaluation (N = 355 transfers). MEASUREMENTS: The measures used in this study were symptoms prompting transfer, resident demographics and baseline characteristics (Minimum Data Set 3.0 variables including scores for the Cognitive Function Scale, ADL Functional Status, behavioral symptoms directed toward others, and preexisting psychiatric diagnoses), on-site management (e.g., medical evaluation in person or by phone, testing, and interventions), avoidability rating, transfer disposition (inpatient vs emergency department only), and hospital discharge diagnoses. RESULTS: Over half of the transfers, 56%, had a medical evaluation before transfer, and diagnostic testing was conducted before 31% of transfers. After transfer, 80% were admitted. The most common hospital discharge diagnoses were dementia-related behaviors (27%) and altered mental status (27%), followed by a number of medical diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Most transfers for behavioral concerns merited hospital admission, and medical discharge diagnoses were common. There remain significant opportunities to improve pretransfer management of NH transfers for behavioral concerns.
Subject(s)
Dementia , Medical Overuse , Nursing Homes/statistics & numerical data , Problem Behavior/psychology , Psychomotor Agitation , Skilled Nursing Facilities/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Ambulatory Care/methods , Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data , Comorbidity , Dementia/epidemiology , Dementia/psychology , Dementia/therapy , Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Female , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Medical Overuse/prevention & control , Medical Overuse/statistics & numerical data , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Mental Disorders/therapy , Patient Transfer/methods , Psychomotor Agitation/etiology , Psychomotor Agitation/therapy , Quality of Health Care/standards , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Anxiety and depressive disorders are common in the pediatric primary care setting, and respond to both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic treatment. However, there are limited data regarding the optimal treatment duration. This article systematically reviews guidelines and clinical trial data related to antidepressant treatment duration in pediatric patients with depressive and anxiety disorders. The extant literature suggests 9-12 months of antidepressant treatment for youth with major depressive disorder. For generalized, separation and social anxiety disorders, 6-9 months of antidepressant treatment may be sufficient, though many clinicians extend treatment to 12 months based on extrapolation of data from adults with anxiety disorders. Such extended treatment periods may decrease the risk of long-term morbidity and recurrence; however, the goal of treatment is ultimately remission, rather than duration of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Moreover, while evidence-based guidelines represent a starting point, appropriate treatment duration varies and patient-specific response, psychological factors, and timing of discontinuation must be considered for individual pediatric patients.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/administration & dosage , Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Anxiety Disorders/drug therapy , Depressive Disorder, Major/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adolescent Psychiatry/methods , Child , Child Psychiatry/methods , Clinical Trials as Topic , Humans , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Psychopharmacology , Secondary Prevention , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pain management is a frequent problem in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Few studies examining effects of integrative care therapies on pain-related outcomes in neonates have included physiological outcomes or investigated the use of such therapies in a practice-based setting. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this practice-based retrospective study was to examine the associations between integrative care therapies, particularly massage and healing touch, and pain-related outcomes among hospitalized infants. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of a clinical database from a level III NICU regularly delivering integrative care therapies. Paired-samples t-tests were used to examine associations between integrative care therapies and 4 pre-post outcome measures: therapist-rated pain and presentation (ranging from asleep to agitated) and neonates' heart rate and oxygen saturation. RESULTS: Of 186 patients (M age=68 days), 58% were male and 67% were Caucasian. Sixty-two percent received both massage and healing touch; the remainder received a single therapy. From pre-post therapy, statistically significant changes were observed in infants' heart rate (M pre=156 vs M post=140 per minute; P<.001), oxygen saturation (M pre=95.0% vs.M post=97.4%; P<.001), and therapist-reported pain (M pre=2.8 vs M post=0.2; P<.001) and presentation (M pre=3.2 vs. M post=1.0; P<.001). CONCLUSION: Observed improvements in pain-related outcomes suggest that massage and healing touch may be useful integrative therapies to consider as pain management options in the NICU.
