Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Digoxin and 30-Day All-Cause Readmission in Long-Term Care Residents Hospitalized for Heart Failure.
Digoxin use has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions in older patients with heart failure (HF). In the current study, we examined this association among long-term care (LTC) residents hospitalized for HF. ⋯ The lack of an association between digoxin and 30-day all-cause readmission in older nursing home residents hospitalized for HF is intriguing and needs to be interpreted with caution given the small sample size.
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Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) need to be complete and consistent to allow health care personnel to honor patient preferences in a time of emergency. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the quality of POLST completion to guide treatment for level of medical intervention. ⋯ The quality of POLST form completion in the Oregon and West Virginia registries is good with less than 10% of forms lacking orders in sections A and B and containing contradictory orders. This study indicates what type of results are possible with statewide education, likely through POLST Paradigm Programs. Further research is needed to determine the quality of POLST form completion in other states and other factors that contribute to their quality.