The Ideal Hospital Discharge Summary: A Survey of U.S. Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Hospital discharge summaries enable communication between inpatient and outpatient physicians. Despite existing guidelines for discharge summaries, they are frequently suboptimal. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess physicians' perspectives about discharge summaries and the differences between summaries' authors (hospitalists) and readers (primary care physicians [PCPs]). METHODS: A national survey of 1600 U.S. physicians was undertaken. Primary measures included physicians' preferences in discharge summary standardization, content, format, and audience. RESULTS: A total of 815 physicians responded (response rate = 51%). Eighty-nine percent agreed that discharge summaries "should have a standardized format." Most agreed that summaries should "document everything that was done, found, and recommended in the hospital" (64%) yet "only include details that are highly pertinent to the hospitalization" (66%). Although 74% perceived patients as an important audience of discharge summaries, only 43% agreed that summaries "should be written in language that patients…can easily understand," and 68% agreed that it "should be written solely for provider-to-provider communication." Compared with hospitalists, PCPs preferred comprehensive summaries (68% versus 59%, P = 0.002). More PCPs agreed that separate summaries should be created for patients and for provider-to-provider communication than hospitalists (60% versus 47%, P < 0.001). Compared with PCPs, more hospitalists believe that "hospitalists are too busy to prepare a high-quality discharge summary" (44% versus 23%, P < 0.001) and "PCPs have insufficient time to read an entire discharge summary" (60% versus 38%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians believe that discharge summaries should have a standardized format but do not agree on how comprehensive or in what format they should be. Efforts are necessary to build consensus toward the ideal discharge summary.

Characterizing Potentially Preventable Admissions: A Mixed Methods Study of Rates, Associated Factors, Outcomes, and Physician Decision-Making.

BACKGROUND: Potentially preventable admissions are a target for healthcare cost containment. OBJECTIVE: To identify rates of, characterize associations with, and explore physician decision-making around potentially preventable admissions. DESIGN: A comparative cohort study was used to determine rates of potentially preventable admissions and to identify associated factors and patient outcomes. A qualitative case study was used to explore physicians' clinical decision-making. PARTICIPANTS: Patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) to the general medicine (GM) service over a total of 4 weeks were included as cases (N = 401). Physicians from both emergency medicine (EM) and GM that were involved in the cases were included (N = 82). APPROACH: Physicians categorized admissions as potentially preventable. We examined differences in patient characteristics, admission characteristics, and patient outcomes between potentially preventable and control admissions. Interviews with participating physicians were conducted and transcribed. Transcriptions were systematically analyzed for key concepts regarding potentially preventable admissions. KEY RESULTS: EM and GM physicians categorized 22.2% (90/401) of admissions as potentially preventable. There were no significant differences between potentially preventable and control admissions in patient or admission characteristics. Potentially preventable admissions had shorter length of stay (2.1 vs. 3.6 days, p < 0.001). There was no difference in other patient outcomes. Physicians discussed several provider, system, and patient factors that affected clinical decision-making around potentially preventable admissions, particularly in the "gray zone," including risk of deterioration at home, the risk of hospitalization, the cost to the patient, and the presence of outpatient resources. Differences in provider training, risk assessment, and provider understanding of outpatient access accounted for differences in decisions between EM and GM physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Collaboration between EM and GM physicians around patients in the gray zone, focusing on patient risk, cost, and outpatient resources, may provide an avenues for reducing potentially preventable admissions and lowering healthcare spending.

Information Transfer and the Hospital Discharge Summary: National Primary Care Provider Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities.

PURPOSE: The hospital discharge summary (HDS) serves as a critical method of patient information transfer between hospitalist and primary care provider (PCP). This study was designed to increase our understanding of PCP preferences for, and perceived deficiencies in, the discharge summary. METHODS: We designed a mail survey that was sent to a random sample of 800 American Academy of Family Physicians members nationally. The survey response rate was 59%. We analyzed the availability of summaries at hospital followup, whether all desired information was contained in the summary and whether certain specific items were completed. Provider subgroup analysis was performed. RESULTS: The strongest predictor of discharge summary availability at posthospital followup is direct access to inpatient data. Respondents (27.5%) had a summary available 0% to 40% of the time, 41.4% noted availability 41% to 80% of the time and 31.1% >80% of the time; if a provider had access to inpatient data they tended to have a discharge summary available to them (P < .0001). Providers also described significant content deficits: 26.5% of providers noted the summary contained all information needed 0% to 40% of the time, 48.5% of providers noted this 41% to 80% of the time and only 25% >80% of the time. Specific summary items considered "very important" by providers included medication list (94% of respondents), diagnosis list (89%), and treatment provided (87%). CONCLUSIONS: Opportunities remain in timely delivery of a complete HDS to the PCP. Further multifaceted practice redesign should be directed at optimizing this critical information transfer tool, potentially encompassing electronic medical record utilization and specific training for clinicians preparing summaries. Initial efforts should focus on ensuring availability of a complete summary (containing items deemed important by PCPs including medication list, diagnosis list, and treatment provided) at the posthospital follow-up visit.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Fasting Orders Among Medical Inpatients.

While many hospitalized patients have orders to fast in preparation for interventions, the extent to which these orders are necessary or adhere to evidence-based durations is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the length, indication, and associated outcomes of nil per os (NPO) orders for general medicine patients at an academic institution in the United States, and compared them to the best available evidence for recommended length of NPO. Of 924 NPO orders assessed, the indicated intervention was not performed for 183 (19.8%) orders, largely due to a change in plan (75/183, 41.0%) or scheduling barriers (43/183, 23.5%). When analyzed by indication, the median duration of NPO orders ranged from 8.3 hours for kidney ultrasound to 13.9 hours for upper endoscopy. For some indications, the literature suggested NPO orders may be unnecessary. Furthermore, in indications for which NPO was deemed necessary in the literature, the duration of most NPO orders was much longer than minimally required. These results suggest the need for establishing more robust practice guidelines or institutional protocols for NPO orders. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:36-39.

Interventions To Prevent Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: The effectiveness of many interventions aimed at reducing the risk of retinopathy has not been well established. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions, oxygen saturation targeting, blood transfusion management, and infection prevention on the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive search of several databases was conducted, including Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through March 2014. STUDY SELECTION: We included studies that evaluated nutritional interventions, management of supplemental oxygen, blood transfusions, or infection reduction and reported the incidence of ROP and mortality in neonates born at <32 weeks. DATA EXTRACTION: We extracted patient characteristics, interventions, and risk of bias indicators. Outcomes of interest were any stage ROP, severe ROP or ROP requiring treatment, and mortality. RESULTS: We identified 67 studies enrolling 21 819 infants. Lower oxygen saturation targets reduced the risk of developing any stage ROP (relative risk [RR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.97) and severe ROP or ROP requiring intervention (RR 0.58, 95% CI, 0.45-0.74) but increased mortality (RR 1.15, 95% CI, 1.04-1.29). Aggressive parenteral nutrition reduced the risk of any stage ROP but not severe ROP. Supplementation of vitamin A, E, or inositol and breast milk feeding were beneficial but only in observational studies. Use of transfusion guidelines, erythropoietin, and antifungal agents were not beneficial. LIMITATIONS: Results of observational studies were not replicated in randomized trials. Interventions were heterogeneous across studies. CONCLUSIONS: At the present time, there are no safe interventions supported with high quality evidence to prevent severe ROP.

Oncologic surveillance in bladder cancer following radical cystectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The existing guidance on bladder cancer surveillance following radical cystectomy is limited and variable. Additionally, the effect of surveillance on mortality is debatable. Herein, we perform a systematic review to evaluate the characteristics of alternative oncologic surveillance protocols and determine the association of detection of asymptomatic vs. symptomatic recurrences on mortality. METHODS: An electronic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was performed from 1970 to 2015. In all, 3 reviewers independently assessed the 1,729 candidate studies for eligibility and abstracted data based on an a priori established protocol. Outcomes were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: We identified 7 studies for inclusion that were uncontrolled and thereby represented a body of evidence at high risk of bias; 5 studies developed surveillance protocols using a methodology similar to that of established guidelines. The majority proposed a pathologic stage-stratified approach, but ended surveillance for all patients at 5 years. Detection of asymptomatic recurrences was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in mortality (relative risk = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.58-1.04). This effect became statistically significant when upper and lower urinary tract recurrences were included in the analyses (relative risk = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.59-0.79). CONCLUSIONS: Only sparse evidence supports alternative oncologic surveillance protocols for bladder cancer following radical cystectomy. The majority of existing protocols proposed similar strategies to those recommended by published guidelines. Detecting asymptomatic recurrences may lead to a reduction in overall mortality, which could provide a rationale for surveillance.

Quality Improvement Education for Health Professionals: A Systematic Review.

Effective quality improvement (QI) education should improve patient care, but many curriculum studies do not include clinical measures. The research team evaluated the prevalence of QI curricula with clinical measures and their association with several curricular features. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and ERIC were searched through December 31, 2013. Study selection and data extraction were completed by pairs of reviewers. Of 99 included studies, 11% were randomized, and 53% evaluated clinically relevant measures; 85% were from the United States. The team found that 49% targeted 2 or more health professions, 80% required a QI project, and 65% included coaching. Studies involving interprofessional learners (odds ratio [OR] = 6.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.71-15.82), QI projects (OR = 13.60; 95% CI = 2.92-63.29), or coaching (OR = 4.38; 95% CI = 1.79-10.74) were more likely to report clinical measures. A little more than half of the published QI curricula studies included clinical measures; they were more likely to include interprofessional learners, QI projects, and coaching.

Applying quality improvement methods in a hyperbaric oxygen program: reducing unnecessary glucose testing.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the implementation of a quality improvement (QI) project that aimed at improving and standardizing glucose checks on patients with diabetes undergoing hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study. Following the Model for Improvement, nurses and physicians ran several Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles over a four-month period, with multiple iteration and testing changes. They developed and implemented a nurse-led protocol that was tested prospectively. RESULTS: Compared to the pre-protocol baseline (N = 332), glucose checks per session guided by the protocol decreased by 37.7% (2.84 vs. 1.77 per session, P⟨0.001). Compliance with the new protocol was higher than compliance with the existing protocol (97.3% to 84.2%, P⟨0.001). There were no cases of a symptomatic hypoglycemic event after the implementation of the protocol. CONCLUSIONS: A quality improvement project implemented by a multidisciplinary team in a hyperbaric practice was feasible and has improved the management of diabetic patients undergoing HBO2 therapy. Considering how the hyperbaric community values the culture of safety and considering the feasibility of this project, more QI training and projects in hyperbaric programs should be performed.

Frequency and Appropriateness of Fasting Orders in the Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency and appropriateness of nil per os (nothing by mouth) (NPO) orders and determine the number of meals missed because of these orders among hospitalized patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed inpatient NPO orders at an academic institution in the United States. The frequency and duration of NPO orders and the number of meals missed because of these orders were assessed for adult patients admitted to the hospital medicine services from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2013, with a hospital stay of 2 or more and 30 or fewer days. Two blinded reviewers assessed if the order could be avoided or the period shortened for a random sample of NPO orders of 120 or more minutes' duration that were written for patients on the general medicine ward. RESULTS: A total of 3641 NPO orders were identified. At least one NPO order was placed in 46.6% of the admissions (2211 of 4743). The median duration of NPO orders was 12.8 hours (interquartile range, 9.2-17.3 hours), resulting in 2 (interquartile range, 1-4) missed meals. Of 1130 NPO orders reviewed, 263 (23.3%; 95% CI, 20.9%-25.8%) were deemed avoidable (κ statistic, 0.68), and 482 (42.7%) were unavoidable but led to more missed meals than needed. Taken together, patients could have had 44.8% of the meals (1085 of 2424; 95% CI, 42.8%-46.7%) missed due to NPO orders. CONCLUSION: Approximately half of the patients admitted to the hospital medicine services experienced a period of fasting. One in 4 NPO orders and nearly half of missed meals could have been avoided. Further study is warranted to assess the generalizability of our findings.

Teaching quality improvement in occupational medicine: improving the efficiency of medical evaluation for commercial drivers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a successful, resident-led quality improvement (QI) project that improved the efficiency of the Department of Transportation (DOT) medical examination process. METHODS: After learning QI principles through didactics, workshops, and online modules, residents led a QI project to streamline the process of the DOT examination. An interdisciplinary group of key stakeholders collaborated to analyze the process and to design and implement interventions. RESULTS: Following the Model for Improvement and Lean concepts, residents ran seven Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles over a 4-month period with multiple iteration and testing changes. Compared with the baseline, the team successfully reduced the total visit time (from check-in to check-out) by 28 minutes (102 minutes vs. 130 minutes; P < 0.001). The accuracy of certificate issuance, as proxy for quality of the examinations, improved after the interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Residents successfully improved the efficiency of the DOT examination process.

Impact of clinical decision support preventing the use of QT-prolonging medications for patients at risk for torsade de pointes.

We developed and implemented a 'CPOE-QT Alert' system, that is, clinical decision support integrated in the computerized physician order entry system (CPOE), in 2011. The system identifies any attempts to order medications with risk of torsade de pointes (TdP) for patients with a history of significant QT prolongation (QTc ≥500 ms) and alerts the provider entering the order. We assessed its impact by comparing orders and subsequent medication administration before and after activation of the system. We found a significant decrease in the proportion of completed order per ordering attempt after system activation (94% (1293/1379) vs 77% (1888/2453), difference 16.8%; p<0.001). This resulted in a 13.9% reduction in the administration of those medications to patients. A significant decrease was observed across all provider types, educational levels, and specialties. The CPOE-QT Alert system successfully reduced exposure to QT-prolonging medications in high risk patients.

Off-hour admission and outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have suggested that patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who are admitted during off-hours (weekends, nights and holidays) have higher mortality when compared with patients admitted during regular hours. METHODS: We analyzed consecutive patients with AMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] and non-STEMI) who were treated with percutaneous coronary interventions from January 1998 to June 2010 at an academic medical center. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between off-hour admission and clinical outcomes adjusted for demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: There were 3,422 and 2,664 patients with AMI admitted during off-hours and regular hours, respectively. Patients admitted during off-hours were more likely to have STEMI (56% vs 48%, P < .001), have cardiogenic shock at presentation (6% vs 4%, P = .002), and develop shock after presentation (6% vs 5%, P = .004). After multivariable analyses, off-hour admission was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.84-1.49), 30-day mortality (OR 1.12, 0.87-1.45), or 30-day readmissions (OR 1.01, 0.84-1.20) but was significantly associated with composite major complications and any of emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, ventricular arrhythmia, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and gastrointestinal/retroperitoneal/intracranial bleeding (OR 1.27, 1.05-1.55, P = .015). There was no significant time trend in the adjusted mortality difference between off-hours and regular hours. The results were not different between STEMI and non-STEMI. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who were admitted during off-hours did not have higher mortality or readmission rates as compared with ones admitted during regular hours at an academic medical center.

The feasibility and impact of midnight routine blood draws on laboratory orders and processing time.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of midnight routine blood draws and assess their impact on test result availability and stat laboratory orders. METHODS: We changed the timing of routine blood draws from early morning to midnight on five inpatient wards during the period November 16 to 30, 2011. RESULTS: For the entire institution, of all orders placed each day, laboratory test orders placed from 4:00 to 8:00 am decreased from 55% to 39%, and those placed from 12:00 to 4:00 am increased from 12% to 30%. Stat orders per day decreased during the intervention period (301 ± 53 vs 344 ± 55, P = .04). Morning specimens were more likely to be available by 9:00am (78.1% vs 58.9%, P < .001), and their turnaround time improved by 25.8 minutes (158 vs 184 minutes, P < .001). Patient survey revealed potential preference for midnight blood draws. CONCLUSIONS: Midnight is a feasible alternative for the timing of routine blood draws. Redesigning inflow of laboratory orders improved efficiency of laboratory processing and reduced stat orders.

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that patients with acute ischemic stroke who present to the hospital during off-hours (weekends and nights) may or may not have worse clinical outcomes compared to patients who present during regular hours. METHODS: We searched Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through August 2013, and included any study that evaluated the association between time of patient presentation to a healthcare facility and mortality or modified Rankin Scale in acute ischemic stroke. Quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effect meta-analysis model was applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and I(2). A priori subgroup analyses were used to explain observed heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 21 cohort studies (23 cohorts) with fair quality enrolling 1,421,914 patients were included. Off-hour presentation for patients with acute ischemic stroke was associated with significantly higher short-term mortality (OR, 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.17). Presenting at accredited stroke centers (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.11) and countries in North America (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09) were associated with smaller increase in mortality during off-hours. The results were not significantly different between adjusted (OR, 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.16) and unadjusted (OR, 1.13, 95% CI 0.95-1.35) outcomes. The proportion of patients with modified Rankin Scale at discharge ≥ 2-3 was higher in patients presenting during off-hours (OR, 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.22). DISCUSSION: The evidence suggests that patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting during off-hours have higher short-term mortality and greater disability at discharge.

Impact of Prescription Patterns on Compliance With Follow-Up Visits at an Urban Teaching Primary Care Continuity Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Although limiting prescription refills is considered as a strategy to increase compliance with the treatment regimen and follow-up, no literature exists to support its effectiveness. We sought to investigate whether decreasing the number of prescription refills affects no-show rate at an urban teaching primary care continuity clinic in New York. METHODS: Eight teaching attending physicians and 19 residents implemented a "new prescribing strategy" from February 9 to 22, 2012, which limited the number of refills only to cover until the next intended clinic visit. All adult patient visits were included if follow-up visits were requested to be scheduled within 3 months and prescriptions were given through an electronic prescription system. No-show rates for the first follow-up visits up to 120 days from the initial visits during the interventional period were compared with those during the baseline period (December 15-28, 2011). RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-one patients in the baseline period and 278 in the interventional period were included in the analysis. Median total supply of prescription was 6 and 3 months, respectively (P < .001). The no-show rates were not significantly different between the 2 periods (19.0% [42/221] vs 16.6% [46/278], P = .5). In multivariate regression analysis, the no-show rate did not change significantly during the interventional period compared with the baseline period (odds ratio [OR] 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.5; P = .8). Younger age (OR 1.03 per year, P = .008), male gender (OR 2.0, P = .003), Medicaid or Medicare insurance (OR 3.7, P = .01; OR 4.2, P = .02), and diagnosis of diabetes (OR 1.8, P = .04) or asthma (OR 2.0, P = .03) were associated with higher no-show rates. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the number of refills did not significantly affect no-show rates in the immediate follow-up. Alternative strategies should be considered to minimize no-shows.

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between off-hour (weekends and nights) presentation, door to balloon times, and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. DATA SOURCES: Medline in-process and other non-indexed citations, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through April 2013. STUDY SELECTION: Any study that evaluated the association between time of presentation to a healthcare facility and mortality or door to balloon times among patients with acute myocardial infarction was included. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies' characteristics and outcomes data were extracted. Quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A random effect meta-analysis model was applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and I(2). RESULTS: 48 studies with fair quality, enrolling 1,896,859 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. 36 studies reported mortality outcomes for 1,892,424 patients with acute myocardial infarction, and 30 studies reported door to balloon times for 70,534 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Off-hour presentation for patients with acute myocardial infarction was associated with higher short term mortality (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.09). Patients with STEMI presenting during off-hours were less likely to receive percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes (odds ratio 0.40, 0.35 to 0.45) and had longer door to balloon time by 14.8 (95% confidence interval 10.7 to 19.0) minutes. A diagnosis of STEMI and countries outside North America were associated with larger increase in mortality during off-hours. Differences in mortality between off-hours and regular hours have increased in recent years. Analyses were associated with statistical heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: This systematic review suggests that patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting during off-hours have higher mortality, and patients with STEMI have longer door to balloon times. Clinical performance measures may need to account for differences arising from time of presentation to a healthcare facility.

The assessment of stat laboratory test ordering practice and impact of targeted individual feedback in an urban teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Overuse of inpatient stat laboratory orders ("stat" is an abbreviation of the Latin word "statim," meaning immediately, without delay) is a major problem in the modern healthcare system. OBJECTIVE: To understand patterns of stat laboratory ordering practices at our institution and to assess the effectiveness of individual feedback in reducing these orders. INTERVENTION: Medicine and General Surgery residents were given a teaching session about appropriate stat ordering practice in January 2010. Individual feedback was given to providers who were the highest utilizers of stat laboratory orders by their direct supervisors from February through June of 2010. MEASUREMENTS: The proportion of stat orders out of total laboratory orders per provider was the main outcome measure. All inpatient laboratory orders from September 2009 to June 2010 were analyzed. RESULTS: The median proportion of stat orders out of total laboratory orders was 41.6% for nontrainee providers (N = 500), 38.7% for Medicine residents (N = 125), 80.2% for General Surgery residents (N = 32), and 24.2% for other trainee providers (N = 150). Among 27 providers who received feedback (7 nontrainees, 16 Medicine residents, and 4 General Surgery residents), the proportion of stat laboratory orders per provider decreased by 15.7% (95% confidence interval: 5.6%-25.9%, P = 0.004) after feedback, whereas the decrease among providers who were high utilizers but did not receive feedback (N = 39) was not significant (4.5%; 95% confidence interval: 2.1%-11.0%, P = 0.18). Monthly trends showed reduction in the proportion of stat orders among Medicine and General Surgery residents, but not among other trainee providers. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of stat ordering was highly variable among providers. Individual feedback to the highest utilizers of stat orders was effective in decreasing these orders.