Discharging surgical patients earlier in the day linked to LOS, hospital throughput
Editor's Note A 12-month targeted initiative to discharge surgical patients earlier was associated with a 50% increase in patients being discharged by noon in this study. The initiative, which included preoperative and inpatient components: increased discharge by noon rates from 14.3% to 21.5% decreased length of stay (LOS) from 2.17…
Surgical transfer unit allows patients to bypass ED
There are few things more disheartening for patients than having to board in the emergency department (ED) for long periods while waiting for a bed. ED boarding can also delay treatment and adds to overcrowding and backups. Erlanger Health System, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, decided to tackle this problem head…
Study: Measuring patient steps after surgery predicts LOS
Editor's Note Using Fitbit activity monitors to improve assessment of daily ambulation, this study found that each step taken towards 1,000 steps the day after major surgery resulted in significantly lower odds of a prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS). This analysis of 100 patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los…
Automated text messages improve joint replacement outcomes
Editor's Note An automated text messaging system increased patient engagement with home-based exercise and promoted faster recovery after knee and hip replacements, this study finds. In this analysis of 159 patients (83 controls, 76 intervention) having total knee or hip replacement surgery, those receiving timely texts showed improvement in the…
Harmful medical errors drop after implementing program to improve communication with families
Editor's Note Harmful medical errors decreased by nearly 38% after implementing a program to improve communication between healthcare providers, patients, and families, finds this study. A total of 3,106 pediatric patient admissions in seven US hospitals, 2,148 parents or caregivers, 435 nurses, 203 medical students, and 586 residents were involved…
Trauma of hospitalization associated with greater risk of readmission, ED visit
Editor's Note Poor sleep, missed meals, less physical activity, and stress during hospitalization was associated with a greater risk of 30-day readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits, in this Canadian study. In this analysis of 207 patients, 75 (36.2%) reported sleep disturbance, 162 (78.3%) reported mobility disturbance, 114 (55.1%) reported…
CMS: New online tool compares cost differences for outpatient procedures
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 27 launched a new online tool that compares Medicare payments and co-payments for certain outpatient surgical procedures performed in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The “Procedure Price Lookup” tool will help Medicare patients consider potential cost differences when…
Nurse, patient survey shows patient safety in hospitals still a concern
Editor's Note Survey data from thousands of nurses and patients shows that patient safety remains a serious concern and that failure to improve hospital work environments may be hampering progress, finds this study by Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Of 53,644…
Becoming more sensitive to knee pain increases risk of persistent pain
Editor's Note Becoming more sensitive to pain (ie, pain sensitization) is an important risk factor for developing persistent knee pain in osteoarthritis, this study finds. Researchers followed 852 patients over 2 years who had or were at risk of knee osteoarthritis but were free of persistent pain at the beginning…
ACS NSQIP participation demonstrates sustained benefits in colorectal surgical outcomes
Editor's Note Most complications of colorectal resection steadily decreased and early hospital discharges increased over 10 years of participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP), finds this study presented October 24 at the American College of Surgeons 2018 Clinical Congress in Boston. Of…
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