Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and midline catheters are often placed by nurse-led vascular access teams (VATs). While some data regarding the effectiveness of these teams exists, less is known about their structure and function. ⋯ To realize the full benefit of VATs, changes in hospital culture, along with an increased willingness from physicians to integrate VAT nurses in decision making, may be needed. Future interventions aimed at engaging and empowering teams appear necessary.
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Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) represent a common postdischarge destination for hospitalized older adults. The goals of SNF care include the completion of extended skilled nursing care and physical rehabilitation to enable patients to safely return home. However, nearly one in four older adults discharged to SNF are rehospitalized and one in five seek care in the emergency department (ED) but are discharged back to SNF. ⋯ Of the 1,551,703 Medicare beneficiaries discharged to SNF in 2019, 16.3% had an ED visit within 14 days (n = 253,104). Of those ED visits, 25.5% resulted in a same-day discharge back to SNF (n = 64,472), costing Medicare $24.6 million. Novel care models that can leverage SNF staff and resources while providing rapid diagnostic services are urgently needed.
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Racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to have advance directives and living wills, despite the importance of advanced care planning (ACP) in end-of-life care. We aimed to understand the impact of an intervention to improve ACP documentation across race, ethnicity, and language on hospitalized patients at our institution. ⋯ An intervention designed to improve ACP documentation in hospitalized patients widened a disparity across race and ethnicity with Latinx and Black patients having lower rates of improvement. Our findings reinforce the need to measure the impact of quality improvement interventions on existing health disparities and to implement specific strategies to prevent worsening disparities.
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Consults are increasingly frequent in inpatient pediatric services. Consult interactions between trainees provide a rich opportunity for teaching and learning. What constitutes meaningful teaching interactions with trainees has not been described. ⋯ Relevant, bite-sized educational content combined with a good vibe and optimal timing creates a context in which consult fellows can foster meaningful teaching opportunities for residents.
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De-implementation is the process of reducing or stopping the use of ineffective, harmful, or low-value healthcare services that provide little or no benefit to patients. This article reviews relevant frameworks for planning and evaluating de-implementation initiatives, describes unique barriers, and provides effective strategies for de-implementation in Hospital Medicine.