Journal of general internal medicine
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Multicenter Study
Improved Utilization of Serial Testing Without Increased Admissions after Implementation of High-Sensitivity Troponin I: a Controlled Retrospective Cohort Study.
Guidelines recommend high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) for diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Use of hs-cTn is increasing across the U.S., but questions remain regarding clinical and operational impact. Prior studies have had methodologic limitations and yielded conflicting results. ⋯ Implementation of a hs-cTn intervention bundle was associated with an improvement in serial cTn testing, a neutral effect on probability of hospital admission, and a modest increase in ED LOS.
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Multicenter Study
The Early HOSPITAL Score to Predict 30-Day Readmission Soon After Hospitalization: a Prospective Multicenter Study.
The simplified HOSPITAL score is an easy-to-use prediction model to identify patients at high risk of 30-day readmission before hospital discharge. An earlier stratification of this risk would allow more preparation time for transitional care interventions. ⋯ The early HOSPITAL score performs, at least similarly, in identifying patients at high risk for 30-day unplanned readmission and allows a readmission risk stratification early during the hospital stay. Therefore, this new version offers a timely preparation of transition care interventions to the patients who may benefit the most.
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People with communication disabilities (CDs), which includes disabilities in speech, language, voice and/or hearing, experience health and healthcare disparities. A barrier to accessing high-quality, equitable care is the lack of effective communication between patients and their providers. ⋯ For patients with CDs, it is critical to acknowledge and document the CD and individualize communication strategies during healthcare visits to facilitate communication. Studies are needed to evaluate whether improved communication strategy usage leads to improved health outcomes for this population.
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Experts estimate virtual urgent care programs could replace approximately 20% of current emergency department visits. In the absence of widespread quality guidance to programs or quality reporting from these programs, little is known about the state of virtual urgent care quality monitoring initiatives. ⋯ We identified variation in quality measurement use and content by virtual urgent care programs. With the rapid growth in this approach to care delivery, more work is needed to identify optimal quality metrics. A standardized approach to quality measurement will be key to identifying variation in care and help focus quality improvement by virtual urgent care programs.
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Social risk factors, such as food insecurity and financial needs, are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, health conditions that are highly prevalent in rural populations. A better understanding of rural Veterans' experiences with social risk factors can inform expansion of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) efforts to address social needs. ⋯ VHA interventions should include active dissemination of information on social needs resources and navigation support to help Veterans access resources. Community-based organizations (e.g., Veteran Service Organizations) could be key partners in the design and implementation of future social need interventions.