Surveillance after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate outcomes and costs of surveillance strategies after treatment for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). METHODS: A hypothetical cohort of women was evaluated after treatment for CIN 2 or 3 using a Markov model incorporating data from a large study of women treated for CIN, systematic reviews of test accuracy, and individual preferences. Surveillance strategies included initial conventional or liquid-based cytology, human papillomavirus testing, or colposcopy 6 months after treatment, followed by annual or triennial cytology. Estimated outcomes included CIN, cervical cancer, cervical cancer deaths, life expectancy, costs, cost per life-year, and cost per quality-adjusted life-year. RESULTS: Conventional cytology at 6 and 12 months, followed by triennial cytology, was least costly. Compared with triennial cytology, annual cytology follow-up reduced expected cervical cancer deaths by 73% to 77% and had an average incremental cost per life-year gained of $69,000 to $81,000. For colposcopy followed by annual cytology, the incremental cost per life-year gained ranged from $70,000 to more than $1 million, depending on risk. Between-strategy differences in mean additional life expectancy per woman were less than 4 days; differences in mean incremental costs per woman were as high as $822. In the cost-utility analysis, colposcopy at 6 months followed by annual cytology had an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year of less than $5,500. Human papillomavirus testing or liquid-based cytology added little to no improvement to life-expectancy with higher costs. CONCLUSION: Annual conventional cytology surveillance reduced cervical cancers and cancer deaths compared with triennial cytology. For high risk of recurrence, a strategy of colposcopy at 6 months increased life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy. Human papillomavirus testing and liquid-based cytology increased costs, but not effectiveness, compared with traditional approaches.

Preferences for surveillance strategies for women treated for high-grade precancerous cervical lesions.

OBJECTIVES: Data are lacking on how women view alternative approaches to surveillance for cervical cancer after treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. We measured and compared patient preferences (utilities) for scenarios with varying surveillance strategies and outcomes to inform guidelines and cost-effectiveness analyses of post-treatment surveillance options. METHODS: English- or Spanish-speaking women who had received an abnormal Pap test result within the past 2 years were recruited from general gynecology and colposcopy clinics and newspaper and online advertisements in 2007 and 2008. Participation consisted of one face-to-face interview, during which utilities for 11 different surveillance scenarios and their associated outcomes were elicited using the time tradeoff metric. A sociodemographic questionnaire also was administered. RESULTS: 65 women agreed to participate and successfully completed the preference elicitation exercises. Mean utilities ranged from 0.989 (undergoing only a Pap test, receiving normal results) to 0.666 (invasive cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy or radiation and chemotherapy). Undergoing both Pap and HPV tests and receiving normal/negative results had a lower mean utility (0.953) then undergoing only a Pap test and receiving normal results (0.989). Having both tests and receiving normal Pap but positive HPV results was assigned an even lower mean utility (0.909). 15.9% of the respondents gave higher utility scores to the Pap plus HPV testing scenario (with normal/negative results) than to the "Pap test alone" scenario (with normal results), while 17.5% gave the Pap test alone scenario a higher utility score. CONCLUSIONS: Preferences for outcomes ending with normal results but involving alternative surveillance processes differ substantially. The observed differences in utilities have important implications for clinical guidelines and cost-effectiveness analyses.

Tamoxifen for breast cancer risk reduction: impact of alternative approaches to quality-of-life adjustment on cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: In cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), the effects of health-care interventions on multiple health dimensions typically require consideration of both quantity and quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To explore the impact of alternative approaches to quality-of-life adjustment using patient preferences (utilities) on the outcome of a CEA on use of tamoxifen for breast cancer risk reduction. RESEARCH DESIGN: A state transition Markov model tracked hypothetical cohorts of women who did or did not take 5 years of tamoxifen for breast cancer risk reduction. Incremental quality-adjusted effectiveness and cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for models including and excluding a utility adjustment for menopausal symptoms were compared with each other and to a global utility model. SUBJECTS: Two hundred fifty-five women aged 50 and over with estimated 5-year breast cancer risk >or=1.67% participated in utility assessment interviews. MEASURES: Standard gamble utilities were assessed for specified tamoxifen-related health outcomes, current health, and for a global assessment of possible outcomes of tamoxifen use. RESULTS: Inclusion of a utility for menopausal symptoms in the outcome-specific models substantially increased the ICER; at the threshold 5-year breast cancer risk of 1.67%, tamoxifen was dominated. When a global utility for tamoxifen was used in place of outcome-specific utilities, tamoxifen was dominated under all circumstances. CONCLUSIONS: CEAs may be profoundly affected by the types of outcomes considered for quality-of-life adjustment and how these outcomes are grouped for utility assessment. Comparisons of ICERs across analyses must consider effects of different approaches to using utilities for quality-of-life adjustment.

Chemoprevention: drug pricing and mortality: the case of tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen is a prototypic cancer chemopreventive agent, yet clinical trials have not evaluated its effect on mortality or the impact of drug pricing on its cost-effectiveness. METHODS: A state-transition Markov model for a hypothetical cohort of women age 50 years was used to evaluate the effects of tamoxifen on mortality and tamoxifen price on cost-effectiveness. Incidence and mortality rates for breast and endometrial cancers were derived from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results statistics, and noncancer outcomes were obtained from published studies. Relative risks of outcomes were derived from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project P-1 trial. Costs were based on Medicare reimbursements. RESULTS: Projected overall mortality for women at 1.67% 5-year breast cancer risk showed little difference with or without tamoxifen, resulting in a cost-effectiveness ratio of $1,335,690 per life-year saved as a result of tamoxifen use. Adjusting for the differential impact of estrogen receptor-negative cancers, tamoxifen increased mortality for women with a uterus until the 5-year breast cancer risk reached > or =2.1%. Assigning the Canadian price for tamoxifen dramatically reduced the incremental cost (to $123,780 per life-year saved). At that price, the use of tamoxifen was less costly and more effective for women with 5-year breast cancer risks >4%. CONCLUSIONS: Tamoxifen may increase mortality in women at the lower end of the "high-risk" range for breast cancer. If prices in the U.S. approximated Canadian prices, then tamoxifen use for breast cancer risk reduction in women with a 5-year risk >3% could be a reasonable strategy to reduce the incidence of breast cancer. Because they are used by many unaffected individuals, the price of chemopreventive agents has a major influence on their cost-effectiveness.

Heterogenous expression of nestin in human pancreatic tissue precludes its use as an islet precursor marker.

The discovery of a pancreatic adult stem cell would have significant implications for cell-based replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Nestin, a marker for neural precursor cells, has been suggested as a possible marker for islet progenitor cells. We have characterized the expression and localization of nestin in both the intact human pancreas and clinical human pancreatic islet grafts. Nestin was found to be expressed at different levels in the acinar component of human pancreatic biopsies depending on donor, as well as in ductal structures and islets to some degree. In islets, insulin-producing beta-cells rarely co-expressed the protein, and in the ducts a small percentage (1-2%) of cells co-expressed nestin and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) while most expressed only CK19 (90%) or nestin (5-10%) alone. Assessment of nestin expression in neonatal pancreatic sections revealed an increased number of islet-associated positive cells as compared with adult islets. Nestin immunoreactivity was also found in cells of the pancreatic vasculature and mesenchyme as evidenced by co-localization with smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Samples from post-islet isolation clinical islet grafts revealed a pronounced heterogeneity in the proportion of nestin-positive cells (<1-72%). Co-localization studies in these grafts showed that nestin is not co-expressed in endocrine cells and rarely (<5%) with cytokeratin-positive ductal cells. However, relatively high levels of co-expression were found with acinar cells and cells expressing the mesenchymal marker vimentin. In conclusion we have shown a diffuse and variable expression of nestin in human pancreas that may be due to a number of different processes, including post-mortem tissue remodeling and cellular differentiation. For this reason nestin may not be a suitable marker solely for the identification of endocrine precursor cells in the pancreas.

Association of higher costs with symptoms and diagnosis of depression.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationships among depressive symptoms, physician diagnosis of depression, and charges for care. STUDY DESIGN: We used a prospective observational design. POPULATION: Five hundred eight new adult patients were randomly assigned to senior residents in family practice and internal medicine. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Self-reports of health status assessment (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) were determined at study entry and at 1-year follow-up. Physician diagnosis of depression was determined by chart audit; charges for care were monitored electronically. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression and the diagnosis of depression were associated with charges for care. Statistical models were developed to identify predictors for the occurrence and magnitude of medical charges. Neither depressive symptoms nor diagnosis of depression significantly predicted the occurrence of charges in the areas studied, but physician diagnosis of depression predicted the magnitude of primary care and total charges. CONCLUSIONS: A complex relationship exists among depressive symptoms, the diagnosis of depression, and charges for medical care. Understanding these relationships may help primary care physicians diagnose depression and deliver primary care to depressed patients more effectively while managing health care expenditures.

Nursing research in home health care: endangered species?

An information revolution is occurring in home health care documentation processes and systems. The federally mandated Outcomes and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) for patient assessment and the use of electronic patient medical records will significantly affect the conduct of nursing research in home health care. The purposes of this article are to inform potential home care nurse researchers about the standardization of patient information as exemplified by OASIS and electronic patient medical records and recommend strategies to accommodate these changes. The potential for meaningful, scholarly studies in home care has never been greater, but researchers must address new challenges and adapt investigations accordingly.

Patient gender differences in the diagnosis of depression in primary care.

Our purpose was to explore why women are more likely than men to be diagnosed as depressed by their primary care physician. Women were found to have more depressive symptoms as self-reported on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Women having high BDI scores (reflecting significant depression) were more likely than men with high BDI scores to be diagnosed by their primary care physician (p = 0.0295). Female patients made significantly more visits to the clinic than men. For both sexes, patients with greater numbers of primary care clinic visits were more likely to be diagnosed as depressed. Logistic regression revealed that gender has both a direct and indirect (through increased use) effect on the likelihood of being diagnosed as depressed. Patient BDI score, clinic use, educational level, and marital status were all significantly related to the diagnosis of depression. Controlling all other independent variables, women were 72% more likely than men to be identified as depressed, but this effect did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.0981). In gender-specific analyses, BDI and clinic use were again significantly related to the diagnosis of depression for both sexes. However, educational and marital status predicted depression diagnosis only for women. Separated, divorced, or widowed women were almost five times as likely to be diagnosed as depressed as those who were never married, all other factors being equal. Clinic use and BDI scores were found to be important correlates of the diagnosis of depression. There was some evidence of possible gender bias in the diagnosis of depression.

Serine-protease inhibition during islet isolation increases islet yield from human pancreases with prolonged ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Islet isolation from the pancreatic tissue matrix remains highly variable. Recent evidence suggests that intrinsic human pancreatic proteases, including trypsin, may inhibit effective collagenase enzymatic activity during islet isolation, thereby impairing the isolation success. In this study we have hypothesized that serine protease inhibition applied during pancreatic digestion, could improve yield and/or functional viability of islets isolated from human pancreases. METHODS: Twelve organ donor pancreases with 12.9+/-0.6 hr cold storage (mean+/-SEM) were perfused via their ducts with Liberase-HI enzyme in the presence (n=6) or absence (n=6) of 0.4 mM Pefabloc. All were then gently dissociated and their purified islets separated with Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. RESULTS: Donor-related factors (age, gender, cold storage time, body mass index, and pancreas weight) did not differ significantly between the two experimental groups. Pefabloc supplementation did not affect the digestion time, islets remaining trapped in exocrine tissue, or final islet purity. Islet recovery was increased in the Pefabloc-treated group (mean+/-SEM yield 323.8+/-80.8 x 10(3) islet equivalents vs. 130.8+/-13.6 x 10(3) islet equivalents, P<0.05). Cellular composition, DNA and insulin content, and insulin secretory activity of the isolated islets was similar. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of intrinsic protease activity within pancreases after prolonged cold storage improves isolation of viable islets.

Interferon-gamma acts directly on rejecting renal allografts to prevent graft necrosis.

In transplant rejection interferon (IFN)-gamma regulates the recipient immune response but also acts directly on IFN-gamma receptors in the graft. We investigated these direct actions by comparing rejecting kidneys from donors lacking IFN-gamma receptors (GRKO mice) or control donors (129Sv/J) in CBA recipients. Beginning day 5, 129Sv/J kidneys displayed high major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression, progressive infiltration by inflammatory cells, but no thrombosis and little necrosis, even at day 21. GRKO kidneys showed increasing fibrin thrombi in small veins, peritubular capillary congestion, hyaline casts, and patchy parenchymal necrosis, progressing to near total necrosis at day 10. Terminal dUTP nick-end labeling assays were positive only in the interstitial infiltrate, confirming that massive cell death in GRKO transplants was not apoptotic. Paradoxically, GRKO kidneys showed little donor MHC induction and less inflammatory infiltration. Both GRKO and 129Sv/J allografts evoked vigorous host immune responses including alloantibody and mRNA for cytotoxic T cell genes (perforin, granzyme B, Fas ligand), and displayed similar expression of complement inhibitors (CD46, CD55, CD59). GRKO kidneys displayed less mRNA for inducible nitric oxide synthase and monokine inducible by IFN-gamma but increased heme oxygenase-1 mRNA. Thus IFN-gamma acting on IFN-gamma receptors in allografts promotes infiltration and MHC induction but prevents early thrombosis, congestion, and necrosis.

Doing more with less and less with more.

The "devil is in the details" of any policy response. What forms such changes may take, and what research informs them, are critical to the profession as a whole and to practitioners on a daily basis. Research partnerships between home care agencies and university professors may provide rigorous, systematic, and validated findings necessary for meaningful solutions (Plotkin & Roche, 2000). The evidence of a dialogue between nursing researchers, home healthcare practitioners, and policymakers anticipating impacts on practice of changing fiscal and information-gathering requirements is scant. Such issues are in need a priority discussion by agencies, and collaborative investigative efforts between all involved.

Tissue distribution of calcineurin and its sensitivity to inhibition by cyclosporine.

The immunosuppressive activity of cyclosporine is mediated by inhibiting calcineurin phosphatase. However, calcineurin is widely distributed in other tissues. We examined the degree of calcineurin inhibition by cyclosporine in various tissues. In vitro, the cyclosporine concentration inhibiting 50% (IC50) of calcineurin was to approximately 10 ng/mL in human and mouse leukocytes suspensions. In vitro and in vivo IC50s of cyclosporine in homogenates of mouse kidney, heart, liver, testis, and spleen were also comparable (9-48 ng/mL). The maximum calcineurin inhibition by cyclosporine varied, from 83 to 95% of calcineurin activity in spleen, kidney, liver, and testis to 60% in heart and only 10% in brain. Maximum calcineurin inhibition was increased by the addition of cyclophilin A, indicating that cyclophilin concentrations were limiting in some tissues, at least in this assay. Western analysis of mouse tissues showed significantly less cyclophilin in heart than other tissues. cyclosporine concentrations per weight of tissue protein were highest in kidney and liver and lowest in brain and testis after oral dosing, with intermediate levels in spleen, heart, and whole blood. Thus each cyclosporine dose produces rapid and wide-spread inhibition of calcineurin in tissues, with differences in total susceptibility of each tissue.

Comparing the use of physician time and health care resources among patients speaking English, Spanish, and Russian.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The number of US residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) is 14 million and rising. The goal of this study was to estimate the effects of LEP on physician time and resource use. DESIGN: This was a prospective, observational study. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: The study included 285 Medicaid patients speaking English (n = 112), Spanish (n = 62), or Russian (n = 111) visiting the General Medicine and Family Practice Clinics at the UC Davis Medical Center in 1996-1997 (participation rate, 85%). Bilingual research assistants administered patient questionnaires, abstracted the medical record, and conducted detailed time and motion studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used seemingly unrelated regression models to evaluate the effect of language on visit time, controlling for patient demographics and health status, physician specialty, visit type, and resident involvement in care. We also estimated the effect of LEP on cross-sectional utilization of health care resources and adherence to follow-up with referral and testing appointments. RESULTS: The 3 language groups differed significantly by age, education, and reason for visit but not gender, number of active medical conditions, physical functioning, or mental health. Physician visit time averaged 38+/-20 minutes (mean+/-SD). Compared with English-speaking patients and after multivariate adjustment, Spanish and Russian speakers averaged 9.1 and 5.6 additional minutes of physician time, respectively (P <0.05). The language effect was confined largely to follow-up visits with resident physicians (house staff). Compared with English speakers, Russian speakers had more referrals (P = 0.003) and Spanish speakers were less likely to follow-up with recommended laboratory studies (P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: In these academic primary care clinics, some groups of patients using interpreters required more physician time than those proficient in English Additional reimbursement may be needed to ensure continued access and high-quality care for this special population.

A rural perspective on home care communication about elderly patients after hospital discharge.

Little is known about home health agencies (HHA) and their integration in the continuum of care in rural areas. The aims of this study are to describe the amount and type of patient-related data transferred by discharging hospitals to rural HHAs and to explore the influence of selected organizational factors on that communication process using a previously tested model of interorganizational communication. In this study, 446 closed-case, elderly patient records at three rural HHAs were reviewed using the Referral Data Inventory. Rural HHAs receive about half of the literature-recommended referral data, characterized primarily by background data, some medical data, and almost no psychosocial or nursing-care data. Referrals transmitted by telephone and written data were superior to referrals transferred by a telephone call only. Hospital-affiliated HHAs received significantly greater amounts and richer types of referral data than did free-standing HHAs. Findings suggest that cost-saving measures in the referral process need investigation.

Talking about patients: communication and continuity of care.

Continuity of patient care is a tenet of professional nursing practice regardless of setting. Communication between providers about patients is fundamental to continuity. As the role of hospitals in health care is constrained, care is now commonly delivered to patients during an episode of illness by multiple agencies. Continuity of care now assumes full communication between providers about patients' conditions and needs. Research provides evidence about the dynamics of patient care communication: more lean (background and medical) than rich (nursing care and psychosocial) data are communicated; structured, written formats transmit more information than informal channels of communication; and organizational and patient characteristics would appear to affect communication about patients. Knowledge about the communication dynamics of patient care may assist providers in designing strategies to attain the basic goals of continuity of care.

Gender differences in the utilization of health care services.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that women use more health care services than men. We used important independent variables, such as patient sociodemographics and health status, to investigate gender differences in the use and costs of these services. METHODS: New adult patients (N = 509) were randomly assigned to primary care physicians at a university medical center. Their use of health care services and associated charges were monitored for 1 year of care. Self-reported health status was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). We controlled for health status, sociodemographic information, and primary care physician specialty in the statistical analyses. RESULTS: Women had significantly lower self-reported health status and lower mean education and income than men. Women had a significantly higher mean number of visits to their primary care clinic and diagnostic services than men. Mean charges for primary care, specialty care, emergency treatment, diagnostic services, and annual total charges were all significantly higher for women than men; however, there were no differences for mean hospitalizations or hospital charges. After controlling for health status, sociodemographics, and clinic assignment, women still had higher medical charges for all categories of charges except hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Women have higher medical care service utilization and higher associated charges than men. Although the appropriateness of these differences was not determined, these findings have implications for health care.

The influence of patient age on primary care resident physician-patient interaction.

OBJECTIVES: To explore resident physician-patient interaction in primary care to address issues relevant to quality of care for older people. DESIGN: A sample of 509 new, adult, nonpregnant patients was assigned to the care of second- and third-year residents in primary care clinics. Care was compared for three subgroups of patients: older patients (65 years or older; n = 45), those aged 18 to 44 years (n = 320), and those aged 45 to 64 years (n = 144). SETTING: Observations were made at the family medicine and general internal medicine clinics at the University of California, Davis. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report by means of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) was used to determine patient demographics and patient health status. Two measures of satisfaction were obtained gauging reaction to medical care in general and to the videotaped visit specifically. Videotapes were coded for content using the Davis Observation Code. RESULTS: Self-reported health status of older persons was poorer than that of younger groups as measured by the MOS SF-36. Differences in demographics were explored and then controlled, along with physical health status in subsequent analyses. Supporting prior studies, this study found that older patients had more return visits and reported higher levels of satisfaction than did younger comparison groups. Contrary to prior literature, older patients were found to have longer visits than did younger cohorts. The physician-patient interaction was significantly different in many areas between these three groups. Whereas older patients experienced more chatting in their visits, they were given less counseling, asked fewer questions, had less discussion about their families and their use of substances, were asked to change their health behavior habits less often, and were given less health education. For older patients, more of each visit was spent checking on compliance with earlier treatment and developing treatment plans. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide a new and more detailed view of how resident physician-patient interaction differs between older and younger groups and raise important issues on whether quality of care needs for this population are being adequately addressed, particularly regarding mental health issues.

The temporal profile of calcineurin inhibition by cyclosporine in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Cyclosporine (CsA) acts by inhibiting the phosphatase calcineurin (CN), but the time course and extent of inhibition in vivo are unknown. We examined the effect of single oral CsA doses on CN activity in humans and mice in vivo. METHODS: In humans, blood CsA levels were determined and CN activity was measured in whole blood and in blood leukocytes of patients up to 12 hr after CsA dosing (just before the second dose). Samples were collected from patients receiving a first single dose (2.5 mg/kg), and up to 14 days later after repeated dosing. In mice, after CsA dosing (12.5-200 mg/kg) by oral gavage, CsA levels in blood and tissue (spleen, kidney) were determined and CN activity was measured in spleen and kidney. RESULTS: In humans, peak CsA levels of 800-2285 microg/L at 1-2 hr produced 70-96% CN inhibition. Inhibition correlated closely with the rise and fall of CsA levels with no observable lag at the times sampled. Repeated doses showed similar CN inhibition to first dose, with no significant adaptation. In mice, CsA peaked at 1 hr in blood, spleen, and kidney, with higher concentrations in spleen and kidney than in blood. CN inhibition closely followed CsA concentrations/doses, and was greater in kidney than spleen. CONCLUSION: Thus CsA induces partial CN inhibition that varies directly with the blood and tissue levels, and may be greater in some tissues due to higher drug accumulation. The high CsA concentrations and CN inhibition in kidney may be relevant to nephrotoxicity.

Unplanned hospital readmissions: a home care perspective.

BACKGROUND: The extensive literature concerning hospital readmissions is grounded in a medical or hospital perspective, and fails to address hospital readmissions during home care. OBJECTIVES: To describe clients who have unplanned returns to an inpatient setting during the first 100 days of home care service delivery. METHOD: Using the Hospital Readmission Inventory (HRI), an audit tool with previously established validity and reliability, 916 medical records for clients from 11 midwestern home care agencies were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Typically, clients were referred for their first home care admission after a 9-day hospital length of stay for a cardiovascular, respiratory, or neoplastic disorder. After an average 18-day length home care stay, clients were readmitted to the hospital, usually due to the development of a new problem, or due to deterioration in health status related to the primary or to a secondary medical diagnosis. Significant respiratory, cardiovascular or GI symptoms were generally present at hospital readmission. Typically, readmitted clients were 75 year old married females, who had been able to care for themselves at home. At hospital readmission, home care nurses judged these clients to be moderately ill, and likely in need of acute care. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic illness appears to be the best indicator for hospital readmission. The crucial time period for hospital readmission during home care is the first 2-3 weeks following hospital discharge. Intensive study of home care service arrangements utilized by readmitted patients, as well as agency variations, are needed. Study findings concerning patients readmitted from home care point to similarities with rehospitalized patients generally. Findings may assist home care clinicians in targeting high risk patients who could benefit from interventions aimed at minimizing unplanned returns to the hospital.