Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2022
A Multiple Baseline Trial of an Electronic ICU Discharge Summary Tool for Improving Quality of Care.
Effective communication between clinicians is essential for seamless discharge of patients between care settings. Yet, discharge summaries are commonly not available and incomplete. We implemented and evaluated a structured electronic health record-embedded electronic discharge (eDischarge) summary tool for patients discharged from the ICU to a hospital ward. ⋯ Implementation of an electronic tool was associated with more timely and complete discharge summaries for patients discharged from the ICU to a hospital ward.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2022
Observational StudyIn-Hospital Depressed Level of Consciousness and Long-Term Functional Outcomes in ICU Survivors.
Among critically ill patients, acutely depressed level of consciousness is associated with mortality, but its relationship to long-term outcomes such as disability and physical function is unknown. We investigated the relationship of level of consciousness during hospitalization with long-term disability and physical function in ICU survivors. ⋯ Depressed level of consciousness, as defined by the RASS, was not associated with disability or self-reported physical function. Future studies should investigate additional modifiable in-hospital risk factors for disability and poor physical function following critical illness.