European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Aug 2019
Does my patient really need this at admission? Seven opportunities for improving value in patient care during their hospitalization.
Besides the main treatment for their disease, hospital patients receive multiple care measures which include venous lines (VL), urinary catheters (UC), dietary restrictions (DR), mandatory bed rest (BR), deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis (VTP), stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) and anticoagulation bridge therapy for atrial fibrillation (BAF). In many cases these practices are of low value. ⋯ These results demonstrate that there is ample room for reduction of low-value care. Interventions to implement clinical guidelines at admissions should be addressed to cover the entire admission process, from the emergency room to the ward. Partial approaches are discouraged.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Aug 2019
Outcomes in acute medicine - Evidence from extended observations on readmissions, hospital length of stay and mortality outcomes.
The Acute Medical Admission Unit (AMAU) model of care has been widely deployed, we examine changes in hospital readmission rates, length of stay (LOS) and 30-day in-hospital mortality over 16 years. ⋯ 30-day in-hospital mortality showed a linear trend to reduce over time at unaltered LOS and readmission rates. LOS showed linear dependency on clinical complexity; interventions aimed at reducing LOS may not be appropriate beyond a certain point.