Hospital readmissions contribute significantly to the cost of medical care, and may reflect unresolved problems at discharge or a lack of resources in post-hospital care. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of patient characteristics at discharge, the need for nursing care, discharge planning program, post-hospital care arrangements, and caregiver characteristics on readmissions ...

BACKGROUND The transfer of patients to and from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is prone to medication errors. The aim of the present study is to determine whether the number of medication errors at ICU admission and discharge and the associated potential harm and costs are reduced by using the Transfer ICU and Medication reconciliation (TIM) program. METHODS This prospective 8-month observatio...

BACKGROUND Angioplasty is one of the most common methods for treating coronary artery diseases. However, a large number of those undergoing this treatment face psychological problems that negatively affect the quality of their life and recovery. We aimed to determine the effects of discharge planning on stress, anxiety, and depression in patients undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary ang...

OBJECTIVE Compare how NICUs within academic centers in Canada, France, and the United States make discharge decisions regarding cardiorespiratory recordings and home use of apnea monitors, oximeters and caffeine. STUDY DESIGN An anonymous survey was sent to neonatologists through the member listserv of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, the Canadian Fellowship...

BACKGROUND As electronic discharge summaries (EDS) become more prevalent and health care systems increase their focus on transitions of care, analysis of EDS quality is important. The objective of this study was to assess the timeliness and quality of EDS compared with dictated summaries for surgical patients, which has not previously been evaluated. METHODS A retrospective study was conducte...

Ipswich Hospital Emergency Department played a vital role in the Post Acute Treatment in the Home Program (PATH) of West Moreton District Health Service. PATH used two strategies to reduce the district reliance on acute hospital beds: a short-stay unit for rapid assessment, treatment and early discharge of patients with simple conditions; and a hospital-in-the-home program utilising community h...