ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to compare psychiatric inpatients with and without mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) on the variables of length of stay (LOS), number of psychiatric admissions, and change from admission to discharge on Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). The study sample included 54 psychiatric inpatients, 18 to 65 years old, with a history of MTBI and 52 comparison psychiatric inpatients absent histories of MTBI, matched on age, sex and diagnostic category. LOS was longer for those with MTBI than for those without MTBI. This difference was statistically significant, after adjustment for matching. When adjusted for baseline GAF, this LOS difference remained statistically significant. The number of prior psychiatric admissions was 19% higher for participants with MTBI than for comparison participants, and when the LOS analysis was adjusted for this factor, it remained statistically significant. GAF change-from-baseline did not differ between the MTBI and comparison groups. Data from this study suggest that psychiatric inpatients with a history of MTBI may differ in frequency and length of hospitalization from otherwise similar inpatients without MTBI history.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/epidemiology , Brain Injuries/psychology , Inpatients/statistics & numerical data , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Brain Injuries/nursing , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Male , Mental Disorders/nursing , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
With an increasingly diverse population and staff, leaders of organizations must play an active role in diversity management. Nurse leaders (n = 231) responded to a survey concerning diversity initiatives, outcomes, and issues related to staff and patients. The findings suggest that most respondents have not made diversity management an important issue. Few have goals related to diversity with indices to measure outcomes. The majority of the respondents did not report that diversity in their staffs or patients resulted in management or patient care issues. The authors suggest that managers revisit the policies, procedures, and practices related to their diversity management initiatives.
Subject(s)
Cultural Diversity , Nurse Administrators/organization & administration , Nursing Staff, Hospital , Personnel Management/methods , Cross-Sectional Studies , Education, Nursing, Continuing/organization & administration , Hospital Bed Capacity , Humans , Inservice Training/organization & administration , Needs Assessment , Nurse's Role , Nursing Administration Research , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Nursing, Supervisory/organization & administration , Personnel Selection/organization & administration , Staff Development/organization & administration , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
Care of patients who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) requires collaboration between the case manager, other disciplines, the patients, and their significant other. The case manager's knowledge of the evaluation tools that may be used to assess patient status in various phases of care is essential in planning and dealing with possible variances of care, which could affect outcomes of care. An overview of the etiology of MTBI, diagnosis, recovery, evaluation at various stages, outcome measurement, and examples of valid and reliable tools are presented.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/rehabilitation , Social Adjustment , Brain Injuries/pathology , Brain Injuries/psychology , Glasgow Coma Scale , Humans , Injury Severity Score , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Evaluating outcomes begins with determining the goals of case management. As the emphasis on the delivery of cost-effective patient care increases, comparing outcomes across settings is desirable and essential. A key component to comparing how an organization rates with similar institutions is to identify commonly used measures. Conducting a literature search, benchmarking, participating in initiatives of accrediting bodies, and establishing ways to collect and manage reliable and valid data are vital in laying the groundwork for an organization's ability to join evaluation projects across settings.
