Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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To identify testable solutions that may improve the quality and safety of care transitions between nursing homes (NHs) and emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Participants advised additional structure to NH-ED care transitions, similar to hospital-to-hospital transfers, that includes a 2-way, statewide transfer form; a checklist; and verbal communication.
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The purpose of this study was to describe emergency commitment of residents from nursing homes and to discuss relevant policy issues. ⋯ There are facility, client, and regulatory factors that can be addressed to reduce the inappropriate usage of emergency commitments in nursing homes.
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The anticholinergic risk scale (ARS) score is associated with the number of anticholinergic side effects in older outpatients. We tested the hypothesis that high ARS scores are negatively associated with "global" parameters of physical function (Barthel Index, primary outcome) and predict length of stay and in-hospital mortality (secondary outcomes) in older hospitalized patients. ⋯ High ARS scores are negatively associated with various components of the Barthel Index and predict in-hospital mortality in the presence of hyponatremia among older patients. The ARS score may be useful in the acute setting to improve risk stratification.