Hospital Discharge Plan in Family Caregivers of Children with Coronary Artery Aneurysm in Kawasaki Disease: A Review

Objective:The study reviews status,main time nodes and hospital discharge services for family caregivers of children with Kawasaki disease complicated by coronary artery aneurysm to provide references for the development of hospital discharge preparation services for medical personnel and patients.Background:CAL of Kawasaki disease is the main cause of acquired heart disease in children,but there is not enough research on the readiness for hospital discharge.Design:Systematic review of observational and interventional studies.

Effect of hospital discharge plan for children with type 1 diabetes on discharge readiness,discharge education quality,and blood glucose control

BACKGROUND Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood.The number of type 1 diabetes patients in China still ranks fourth in the world.Therefore,children with type 1 diabetes in China are a group that needs attention.The management of type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM)involves many aspects of daily life.It is extremely challenging for children and their families.T1DM children have complex medical care needs.Despite the continuous development of therapeutic medicine and treatment technologies,blood glucose control in children with T1DM is still not ideal.They and their parents need to acquire more knowledge and skills before being discharged.AIM To explore the influence of hospital discharge plan based on parental care needs of children with T1DM on discharge readiness,quality of discharge education and blood glucose control level.METHODS In total,102 parents of children with type 1 diabetes were divided into control group and intervention group according to admission time.Fifty cases from February to June 2019 were selected as the control group,and 52 cases from July to October 2019 were selected as the intervention group to implement the discharge plan.The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale,Hospital Discharged Education Quality Scale and children's blood glucose metabolism indicators were used to compare the differences in discharge preparation,discharge education quality and blood glucose control between the two groups of children and their parents.RESULTS On the day of discharge,the two groups of children had the following scores of readiness for discharge:The intervention group score was 225.34±32.47,and the control group score was 208.68±29.31.The P value was 0.007,and the difference was statistically significant.The discharge education quality scores were as follows:The intervention group score was 135.11±19.86,the control group score was 124.13±15.56,the P value was 0.002 and the difference was statistically significant.Three months after discharge,the blood glucose metabolism indicator showed that the glycosylated hemoglobin value of the two groups was(7.45%±1.04%),and that of the control group was(8.04%±1.27%),P=0.012.Therefore,the improvement of parents'readiness for discharge,quality of discharge education and blood glucose metabolism indicators(glycosylated hemoglobin,fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose)in the intervention group were better than those in the control group(P<0.05),and the difference was statistically significant.CONCLUSION The discharge plan for children with T1DM can help the children and their families realize the transition from hospital care to home self-management and improve the parents'readiness for discharge,thereby improving children’s blood glucose control levels.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Parent Form in parents of preterm infants

Background: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS)-Parent Form shows satisfactory reli-ability and validity to assess the readiness of parents to take care of their children discharged from hospitals in Western countries. However, the reliability and validity of this instrument has not been evaluated in Chinese populations.Objectives: Evaluate the psychometric features of the RHDS-Parent Form among Chinese parents of preterm infants. Methods: The RHDS-Parent Form was translated into a Chinese version following an international in-strument translation guideline. A total of 168 parents with preterm infants were recruited from the neonatal intensive care units of two tertiary-level hospitals in China. The internal consistency of this measure was assessed using the Cronbach's a coefficient;confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the construct validity;and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to report the convergent validity. Results: The Chinese version of RHDS (C-RHDS)-Parent Form included 22 items with 4 subscales, ac-counting for 56.71% of the total variance. The C-RHDS-Parent Form and its subscales showed good reliability (Cronbach's a values 0.78-0.92). This measure and its subscales showed positive correlations with the score of Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale. Conclusion: The factor structure of C-RHDS-Parent Form is partially consistent with the original English version. Future studies are needed to explore the factors within this measure before it is widely used in Chinese clinical care settings.

Survey on the Readiness for Hospital Discharge and Its Influencing Factors among Patients with Cardiac Valve Replacement

Background: There are about 200,000 patients in China who need to undergo valve replacement surgery each year. With the promotion and application of the Fast-Track Surgery concept and the increase in hospital bed turnover rate, the average hospital stay of patients undergoing CVR surgery has been significantly shortened, and thus the patients are still in the recovery stage rather than fully recovered when they are discharged from the hospital. Good preparation for discharge can improve patients’ post-discharge self-care ability, reduce the risk of re-admission, and save medical resources. Objective: To describe the status of readiness for hospital discharge among postoperative patients that have undergone CVR, and to explore its influencing factors. Methods: The general information questionnaire, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale and the Quality of discharge Teaching Scale were utilized to investigate 130 post-CVR patients admitted to the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of a tertiary A-Class hospital in Guangzhou from July 2019 to October 2020. Results: The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was at a moderate level with a total score of 163.88 ± 39.082, while the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale was also at a moderate level with a total score of 194.09 ± 40.643. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the quality of discharge guidance, gender, and occupation were the influencing factors of CVR patient’s readiness for hospital discharge. These three variables jointly explained 45.8% of the total variation. Conclusion: The level of CVR patients’ readiness for hospital discharge is at a moderate level, and the quality of discharge guidance positively affects patients’ readiness for discharge. Therefore, in clinical work, attention should be paid to patient discharge guidance. Personalized health education should be implemented to improve the quality of patient guidance.

Evaluation of Pharmacist-Managed Medication Reconciliation Process after Hospital Discharge at an Internal Medicine Clinic

This paper is to analyze the impact of ambulatory care pharmacists on reduction of 30-day readmission rates of HDF （hospital discharge follow-up） patients and to assess a link between readmission rates and medication appointment compliance as well as medication discrepancies. This was a retrospective, single-center study that included all adult patients scheduled for HDF appointments at the UIM （university internal medicine） clinic of the MUSC （Medical University of South Carolina） from May 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. A total of 470 patients were included with 190 patients attended their scheduled HDF appointments with their PCPs （primary care providers） and the ambulatory care pharmacists, and 280 patients attended their scheduled HDF appointments only with their PCPs. The 30-day readmission rate was 22% in patients who attended HDF appointments with both of the healthcare providers versus 41% in patients who attended HDF appointments only with their PCPs （P 〈 0.05）. Medication errors and discrepancies are common during transitions of care. However, ambulatory care pharmacists play a crucial role in significantly reducing 30-day readmission rates after hospital discharge by providing thorough and complete medication reconciliation services.

Risk Factors for Fall in Elderly Patients:Follow-Up Study after Hospital Discharge

Introduction: Increased occurrences of falls after discharge are reported, especially in elderly people. Falls are a major cause of disability and identification of risk factors associated with falls is required to plan preventive actions. This study aims to determine the occurrence of falls in the three months after discharge and risk factors in elderly patients. Materials and Methods: 100 patients over 65 admitted to an Internal Medicine Ward participated. Questionnaires were given during hospitalization and three months after discharge. Follow-up information was unavailable for 31 patients (25 deceased, 6 unreachable). Results: Of those analyzed 52% were males with 80 ± 8.1 years (mean ± SD). Polymedication (p = 0.002), use of psychoactive drugs (p = 0.007), analgesics (p = 0.034) and walking devices (p = 0.006) were associated with a higher incidence of falls 6 months before hospitalization. Post-discharge follow-up was obtained for 69 patients: 18 reported falling during the follow-up. There was a higher risk of fall in patients with a history of falls in the 6 months before admission (p = 0.015 RR = 2.76). Patients who had one or more falls after discharge had a significantly shorter length of hospital stay compared to those who didn’t fall (p = 0.012). In multivariate logistic regression, we found that patients who were hospitalized more than 7 days had a lower risk of falling in the post-discharge period (OR = 0.195, p = 0.017) independently of the history of falls 6 months prior to admission. Conclusions: Further studies are required to validate the risk factors identified after discharge and to evaluate preventive measures. Elderly patients discharged from an Internal Medicine Ward should be screened to determine the risk of falls, specifically previous history of falls and medication. These patients should integrate a fall prevention program.

Changes in Hospital Utilization at the Community Level

This study evaluated developments in adult medicine and adult surgery inpatient discharges of the Syracuse, New York metropolitan area during a five-year period. The study demonstrated that adult medicine discharges declined by 19.1 percent and adult surgery discharges declined by 25.1 percent between January-April 2019 and 2023. The study also indicated that discharges for both services increased slightly, 2.8 - 6.2 percent, between January-April 2022 and 2023. The study data suggested that some of the reduction in adult medicine discharges resulted from less use of health care services related to the coronavirus epidemic. It also demonstrated that reduced use of adult surgery services was associated with greater utilization of ambulatory surgery and other outpatient services in the community. The results of the study suggested that hospitals in the United States may experience less utilization of inpatient services in the future.

Potassium variability during hospitalization and outcomes after discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND The variability of metabolic biomarkers has been determined to provide incremental prognosis information,but the implications of electrolyte variability remained unclear.METHODS We investigate the relationships between electrolyte fluctuation and outcomes in survivors of acute myocardial infarction(n=4386).Ion variability was calculated as the coefficient of variation,standard deviation,variability independent of the mean(VIM)and range.Hazard ratios(HR)were estimated using the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional regression method.RESULTS During a median follow-up of 12 months,161(3.7%)patients died,and heart failure occurred in 550(12.5%)participants after discharge,respectively.Compared with the bottom quartile,the highest quartile potassium VIM was associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality(HR=2.35,95%CI:1.36–4.06)and heart failure(HR=1.32,95%CI:1.01–1.72)independent of cardiac troponin I(c Tn I),N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide(NT-pro BNP),infarction site,mean potassium and other traditional factors,while those associations across sodium VIM quartiles were insignificant.Similar trend remains across the strata of variability by other three indices.These associations were consistent after excluding patients with any extreme electrolyte value and diuretic use.CONCLUSIONS Higher potassium variability but not sodium variability was associated with adverse outcomes post-infarction.Our findings highlight that potassium variability remains a robust risk factor for mortality regardless of clinical dysnatraemia and dyskalaemia.

Hospital Utilization and Health Care Planning

This study evaluated changes in inpatient adult medicine and adult surgery services in the metropolitan area of Syracuse New York. These are the two largest inpatient hospital services. The study involved the use of these services as a basis for health care planning over time. The first component of the study focused on changes in hospital discharges for adult medicine and adult surgery. It demonstrated that, between the first three quarters of 2019 and 2022, before and after the coronavirus epidemic, numbers of adult medicine and adult surgery discharges declined by 16 - 21 percent. The second component of the study focused on changes in hospital lengths of stay for adult medicine and adult surgery. It demonstrated that, between the first three quarters of 2019 and 2022, hospital inpatient lengths of stay increased by approximately 19 - 21 percent at the aggregate and hospital specific levels. Effective planning involving utilization indicators such as hospital discharges and efficiency will be necessary if the potential for effective management of this sector is to be preserved. This planning should involve comparisons of data such as hospital discharges and stays, and identification of the sources of these developments at the community level.

Do cardiopulmonary resuscitation real-time audiovisual feedback devices improve patient outcomes? A systematic review and metaanalysis

BACKGROUND Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of mortality in America and has increased in the incidence of cases over the last several years.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)increases survival outcomes in cases of cardiac arrest;however,healthcare workers often do not perform CPR within recommended guidelines.Real-time audiovisual feedback(RTAVF)devices improve the quality of CPR performed.This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare the effect of RTAVF-assisted CPR with conventional CPR and to evaluate whether the use of these devices improved outcomes in both in-hospital cardiac arrest(IHCA)and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest(OHCA)patients.AIM To identify the effect of RTAVF-assisted CPR on patient outcomes and CPR quality with in-and OHCA.METHODS We searched PubMed,SCOPUS,the Cochrane Library,and EMBASE from inception to July 27,2020,for studies comparing patient outcomes and/or CPR quality metrics between RTAVF-assisted CPR and conventional CPR in cases of IHCA or OHCA.The primary outcomes of interest were return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC)and survival to hospital discharge(SHD),with secondary outcomes of chest compression rate and chest compression depth.The methodo-logical quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and Cochrane Collaboration’s“risk of bias”tool.Data was analyzed using R statistical software 4.2.0.results were statistically significant if P<0.05.RESULTS Thirteen studies(n=17600)were included.Patients were on average 69±17.5 years old,with 7022(39.8%)female patients.Overall pooled ROSC in patients in this study was 37%(95%confidence interval=23%-54%).RTAVF-assisted CPR significantly improved ROSC,both overall[risk ratio(RR)1.17(1.001-1.362);P=0.048]and in cases of IHCA[RR 1.36(1.06-1.80);P=0.002].There was no significant improvement in ROSC for OHCA(RR 1.04;0.91-1.19;P=0.47).No significant effect was seen in SHD[RR 1.04(0.91-1.19);P=0.47]or chest compression rate[standardized mean difference(SMD)-2.1;(-4.6-0.5);P=0.09].A significant improvement was seen in chest compression depth[SMD 1.6;(0.02-3.1);P=0.047].CONCLUSION RTAVF-assisted CPR increases ROSC in cases of IHCA and chest compression depth but has no significant effect on ROSC in cases of OHCA,SHD,or chest compression rate.