Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly age-dependent, and with a growing geriatric population, the incidence and prevalence of AF is expected to increase in the United States. As a result, the number of patients at risk of a thromboembolic event due to AF is also expected to increase. Although bleeding associated with mechanical falls is […]

Background: Fall for hospitalized patients can cause significant injury and have devastating long term consequences for patients with 33% resulting in injury, 4-6% causing serious injury (1). Information is available regarding risk factors for falls and specific patient or nursing centric interventions to prevent falls, but there is little known about the physician perspective in […]

Background: Early and sustained mobilization of patients throughout admission is a goal we all strive to achieve. Inpatient immobility leads to the development of medical complications such as pressure ulcers, acute venous thrombosis, nosocomial infections, decreased muscle mass, and overall functional decline. Additionally, patients become deconditioned from their baseline and require potentially preventable additional services […]

Background: Over 35 million patients are hospitalized annually in the United States, with patients experiencing functional deconditioning due to acute illness and hospital acquired limitations on their mobility such as bed rest orders and lack of timely assessment of their functional status. Other contributing factors include medical devices such as chest tubes, drains, IV lines, […]

Background: Hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge have gained national attention and account for more than $17 billion in avoidable U.S. Medicare expenditures each year. (1) In 2011 alone, there were approximately 3.3 million adult 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions, costing the US $41.3 billion.(2) As such, efforts have been made to create algorithms to […]