Background: Hospital discharges can be complex for patients, and ensuring patient comprehension of their clinical records and discharge summaries is critical for improving health-related outcomes. However, studies suggest that 88% of discharge instructions are not readable to the population served. In our prior study we demonstrated that generative AI (AI) has the potential to transform [...]

Background: Hospitalized patients and their families often face challenges in accessing and understanding developments in care plans, test results, and interdisciplinary decisions made during their stay. This knowledge gap causes anxiety, confusion, and missed opportunities for shared decision-making. Enhanced interdisciplinary communication and transparency with patients positively impacts patient satisfaction, readmission rates, patient safety and adherence [...]

Background: Hospital discharges can be complex for patients, and ensuring patient comprehension of their clinical records and discharge summaries is critical for improving health-related outcomes. However, studies suggest that 88% of discharge instructions are not readable to the population served. In our prior study we demonstrated that generative AI (AI) has the potential to transform [...]

Background: Hospitalized patients and their families often face challenges in accessing and understanding developments in care plans, test results, and interdisciplinary decisions made during their stay. This knowledge gap causes anxiety, confusion, and missed opportunities for shared decision-making. Enhanced interdisciplinary communication and transparency with patients positively impacts patient satisfaction, readmission rates, patient safety and adherence [...]

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition involving organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection [1]. Sepsis is the leading cause of 30-day unplanned readmissions nationwide [2]. At UF Health Shands Hospital, the 30-day readmission rate for sepsis patients is 17% compared to 13% for all adult patients. Of those readmitted for sepsis, 38% [...]

Background: Patients admitted for nonsurgical management of small bowel obstruction (SBO) often receive intravenous (IV) opioids for pain relief. However, given the opioid crisis and the potential for opioids to hinder recovery and contribute to ileus, exploring alternative analgesics is crucial. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the efficacy of IV acetaminophen for pain management [...]

Background: Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are frequently hospitalized, however up to 25% of these encounters end in patient directed discharge (PDD), leading to interruptions in care, increased mortality, and higher hospital readmission rates.1-4 Receipt of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) has been shown to decrease odds of PDD.5 However, to date, less [...]

Background: Self-directed discharge, also known as Against Medical Advice (AMA) discharges, comprise 1–2% of hospital discharges (1). The AMA process poses safety risks to patients and emotional strain on providers, potentially leading to implicit biases in documentation (2). While stigmatizing language in medical records has gained attention (3), its prevalence in AMA documentation remains underexplored. [...]

Background: Timely post-discharge office visits reduce readmission risk, but the association between telemedicine follow-up visits and readmission in patients discharged from the medicine service remains unclear. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in telemedicine utilization for post-discharge follow-up, prompting questions about its association with readmission. Thus, our primary objective was to assess the [...]

Background: In July 2021, our institution launched the Better Flow Program, aimed at streamlining patient flow by documenting the Medically Ready for Discharge Date (MRDD) and the Discharge Delays (DDs) in the electronic medical record (EMR). The MRDD is the date at which a patient is deemed clinically stable for discharge by their medical team. [...]