Session Type
Meeting
Search Results for Quality
Abstract Number: 233
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is common among hospitalized patients, with prevalence estimates between 50-70%. Many factors may contribute to this, such as pain, nausea, anxiety, or volume overload. However, true hypertensive emergency requiring rapid reduction in BP is relatively rare. The easy availability of intravenous (IV) antihypertensives may lead to unnecessary treatment of asymptomatic […]
Abstract Number: 236
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Readmissions continue to be a significant burden on health systems and in 2017 nearly 80% of all hospitals face financial penalties for 30-day readmissions. There are limited examples of standardized processes for notifying discharging physicians of readmissions real-time and encouraging physician self-reflection on reasons for readmissions. Purpose: In the present study, we created a […]
Abstract Number: 237
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Respiratory rate (RR) is a predictor of adverse outcomes and an integral component of many risk prediction scores for hospitalized adults. Despite its clinical value, RRs are often inaccurate and may lead to misclassification of disease severity, potentially jeopardizing patient safety. Purpose: We sought to improve inpatient RR measurement by patient care assistants (PCAs) […]
Abstract Number: 246
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Many hospitalized patients do not understand their treatment and care plans [1] and research shows that better physician communication skills improve patient outcomes [2]. Since these communication skills are teachable, many institutions implement a standardized communication tool for physicians and trainees [3, 4, 5, 6]. The evidence-based Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, and Thank (AIDET) […]
Abstract Number: 247
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Long discharge times (DT), (the time from discharge order to patient leaving room), have detrimental impacts on any hospital. Apart from causing dissatisfaction among patients and their families who are waiting to go home, prolonged DT also increases wait times for patients being admitted from the ED. Delayed admissions pursuant to late discharges, caused […]
Abstract Number: 250
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a serious public health problem causing over 90,000 deaths each year. VTE rates at our institution have been high and costly, with insurer penalties for post-operative VTE exceeding $5.5M in 2014. While prophylaxis for at-risk inpatients can reduce hospital-associated (HA) VTE by up […]
Abstract Number: 251
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Ultrasonography has been used for the last decades as a diagnostic tool. In recent years has been used in internal medicine at the bedside as a safe method that can easily detect abnormalities and provides immediate feedback. Purpose: Describe the Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) that has been made in an Internal Medicine Department […]
Abstract Number: 254
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: During 2016, the total billed cost of cardiac monitoring neared 4 million dollars at our institution and many patients were observed on the monitor without approved indication as published by the American Heart Association’s (AHA) guidelines published in 2014. The overutilization of cardiac monitoring constitutes a misappropriation of resources which results in undue health […]
Abstract Number: 255
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Standardizing inter-shift handoff procedures enhances continuity of care and quality with an associated reduction in preventable medical errors. This is particularly relevant in the inpatient oncology population where patients have a relatively high morbidity/mortality compared to the general inpatient population. With increasing handoffs due to work hour restrictions, and rising utilization of multidisciplinary teams, […]
Abstract Number: 256
Hospital Medicine 2018; April 8-11; Orlando, Fla.
Background: Late discharges are associated with hospital overcrowding, delayed inter-unit patient transfers, lower patient satisfaction scores and longer length of stay. At our hospital, there has been a consistent discordance between the teaching and non-teaching hospitalist services in the percentages of patients discharged before 11 am, which was 8.4% (teaching teams) versus 36.4% (non-teaching teams) […]