A nurse researcher is exploring whether or not hospital readmissions among elderly patients in assisted living could be reduced through improved communications between medical providers, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal reports.
Alyce Ashcraft, associate dean for research at the Texas Tech University School of Nursing, is conducting a study with a customized Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) tool that gathers additional patient information and forces more transparency in nurse-provider communication.
Over a 16 week-period, Ashcraft instructed nurses at a retirement community in Lubbock, Texas, to document all of their consultations with health care providers, including phone and fax communications, on SBAR forms. The intent is to eliminate repeats tests and create more efficient care by recording when nurses contact other providers about a patient’s condition, and the actions taken. The data is still be collected and analyzed.
“I don’t care if you’re here in long-term care, or the hospital or home health, it doesn’t matter,” Ashcraft, told the Journal. “Communicating the right information and getting the residents’, the patients’, the clients’ story right so that decisions can be made that are good for them; [t]hat’s what we hope to do.”
INQRI researchers at Marquette University, led by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva, studied what hospital-based nurses do to influence outcomes, including readmission rates, after a patient is discharged from a hospital. Specifically, they identified the contributions that nursing staff make to the quality of discharge teaching and the impact of that teaching on patient outcomes, readiness and readmission rates of patients who are discharged home. They found that when units had more RN hours per patient day, fewer overtime hours and fewer vacancies, the discharge teaching was of higher quality, patients reported greater readiness for hospital discharge, and post-discharge utilization of readmission and emergency room visits was lower.
Showing posts with label Marianne Weiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marianne Weiss. Show all posts
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Hospitals May Get Funds Cut for High Readmission Rates
Hospitals could see their Medicare payments docked as a result of Affordable Care Act (ACA) reforms that aim to reduce patient readmissions. As a result, more hospitals are focusing on patient and caregiver education to reduce re-hospitalizations.
Under ACA, reductions in Medicare payments for inpatient care will be imposed on hospitals that readmit too many patients within a month of discharge. Cuts could range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the circumstances, the article states.
A Medicare Payment Advisory Commission study estimates that approximately 12 percent of Medicare patients readmitted to the hospital may not need to be. The Commission also found that reducing preventable readmissions by 10 percent could save Medicare $1 billion annually.
For 2014 only three types of readmissions will be penalized under ACA: pneumonia; heart attack; and heart failure. Two more types, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and hip and joint replacements, will be factored in next year.
INQRI grantees Dr. Marianne Weiss and Dr. Olga Yakusheva have conducted research examining how the hospital discharge process affects readmission rates. Learn more about their work:
Read "Nurse and patient perceptions of discharge readiness in relation to postdischarge utilization."
Read "Age-related differences in perception of quality of discharge teaching and readiness for hospital discharge."
Read "Quality and cost analysis of nurse staffing, discharge preparation, and postdischarge utilization."
Under ACA, reductions in Medicare payments for inpatient care will be imposed on hospitals that readmit too many patients within a month of discharge. Cuts could range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the circumstances, the article states.
A Medicare Payment Advisory Commission study estimates that approximately 12 percent of Medicare patients readmitted to the hospital may not need to be. The Commission also found that reducing preventable readmissions by 10 percent could save Medicare $1 billion annually.
For 2014 only three types of readmissions will be penalized under ACA: pneumonia; heart attack; and heart failure. Two more types, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and hip and joint replacements, will be factored in next year.
INQRI grantees Dr. Marianne Weiss and Dr. Olga Yakusheva have conducted research examining how the hospital discharge process affects readmission rates. Learn more about their work:
Read "Nurse and patient perceptions of discharge readiness in relation to postdischarge utilization."
Read "Age-related differences in perception of quality of discharge teaching and readiness for hospital discharge."
Read "Quality and cost analysis of nurse staffing, discharge preparation, and postdischarge utilization."
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Good Communication Is Just as Important As Good Care
In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Theresa Brown, an oncology nurse and author, discusses the importance of clear communication between doctors, nurses, and patients to ensure that patients comprehend diagnosis and treatment, and have a positive experience. These factors can ultimately improve patients’ health outcomes.
“A growing body of literature suggests that these clinical miscommunications matter, because the success of physician-patient interaction has a real effect on patients’ health,” Brown writes. “In a 2005 article … researchers at the University of Washington, claim that treatment outcomes are better when doctors show more empathy and take the time to make sure patients understand what’s going on.”
Brown, who authored Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between, has often seen situations where even when quality care is provided, a patient feels that they received poor care because the process of diagnosis and treatment was not handled properly and they became confused.
“Interestingly, patients in hospitals report more satisfying interactions with physicians when doctors sit down during rounds instead of standing,” Brown writes, citing a 2012 article co-written by nurse practitioner Kelli J. Swayden in Patient Education and Counseling. “Sitting gives the message ‘I have time,’ whereas doctors who stand communicate urgency and impatience.”
Hospitals are very busy and focused on “volume and flow” and billable procedures, however providers need to remember that taking time for the “human” element can ultimately improve patient outcomes, Brown concludes.
An INQRI-funded study “A Quality and Cost Analysis of Nurse Practice Predictors of Readiness for Hospital Discharge and Post-Discharge Outcomes” looked at how improving the hospital discharge process can improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary readmissions. Researchers at Marquette University, led by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva identified the contributions that nursing staff make to the quality of discharge teaching and the impact of that teaching on patient outcomes, readiness and readmission rates of patients who are discharged home.
They found that when units had more RN hours per patient day, fewer overtime hours and fewer vacancies, the discharge teaching was of higher quality, patients reported greater readiness for hospital discharge, and post-discharge utilization of readmission and emergency room visits was lower. The project findings are presented in a research brief on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's website.
“A growing body of literature suggests that these clinical miscommunications matter, because the success of physician-patient interaction has a real effect on patients’ health,” Brown writes. “In a 2005 article … researchers at the University of Washington, claim that treatment outcomes are better when doctors show more empathy and take the time to make sure patients understand what’s going on.”
Brown, who authored Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between, has often seen situations where even when quality care is provided, a patient feels that they received poor care because the process of diagnosis and treatment was not handled properly and they became confused.
“Interestingly, patients in hospitals report more satisfying interactions with physicians when doctors sit down during rounds instead of standing,” Brown writes, citing a 2012 article co-written by nurse practitioner Kelli J. Swayden in Patient Education and Counseling. “Sitting gives the message ‘I have time,’ whereas doctors who stand communicate urgency and impatience.”
Hospitals are very busy and focused on “volume and flow” and billable procedures, however providers need to remember that taking time for the “human” element can ultimately improve patient outcomes, Brown concludes.
An INQRI-funded study “A Quality and Cost Analysis of Nurse Practice Predictors of Readiness for Hospital Discharge and Post-Discharge Outcomes” looked at how improving the hospital discharge process can improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary readmissions. Researchers at Marquette University, led by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva identified the contributions that nursing staff make to the quality of discharge teaching and the impact of that teaching on patient outcomes, readiness and readmission rates of patients who are discharged home.
They found that when units had more RN hours per patient day, fewer overtime hours and fewer vacancies, the discharge teaching was of higher quality, patients reported greater readiness for hospital discharge, and post-discharge utilization of readmission and emergency room visits was lower. The project findings are presented in a research brief on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's website.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
How Can An iPod Reduce Hospital Readmissions?
The Cullman Regional Medical Center in Alabama is using handy technology to reduce readmissions by recording discharge instructions, as well as videos, pictures and documents on iPods which they give to patients or their caregivers. Nurses use a program called "Good to Go" which allows patients, families and other care givers to review the discharge instructions and other important information related to a patient's care whenever they need to.
The Medical Center is beta-testing the program, but so far is reporting great success. They have seen a 15 percent decrease in 30-day readmissions.
Read more about this initiative here.
An INQRI-funded study on discharge teaching and patients' readiness conducted by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva found that the quality of nurses' discharge teaching is affected by RN hours per patient day, overtime hours and vacancies. They also found that higher quality discharge teaching was correlated with patients reporting a higher level of readiness to be discharged, lower readmission rates, and fewer emergency room visits.
The Medical Center is beta-testing the program, but so far is reporting great success. They have seen a 15 percent decrease in 30-day readmissions.
Read more about this initiative here.
An INQRI-funded study on discharge teaching and patients' readiness conducted by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva found that the quality of nurses' discharge teaching is affected by RN hours per patient day, overtime hours and vacancies. They also found that higher quality discharge teaching was correlated with patients reporting a higher level of readiness to be discharged, lower readmission rates, and fewer emergency room visits.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
New Survey Shows Nurse Practioners Spending More Time on Patient Education and Medication Adherence
A survey of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) conducted by Manhattan Research reveals that NPs are playing a central role in helping patients adhere to their medication regimens and also spending more time on patient education - both of which are crucial in improving quality of care and patient outcomes.
According to the survey of 909 NPs and PAs, nearly nine in ten NPs provide resources to patients that help them with medication adherence (including three in ten who have referred patients to digital tools to help with adherence, and almost half of NPs report spending more time on patient education in the last two years.
The survey findings are highlighted in a new infographic.
Several INQRI research teams have examined the role of nurses in medication management, including ways home healthcare nurses can help with adherence; the impact of nursing processes on medication errors; and ways nurses and pharmacists can collaborate on medication reconciliation. And an INQRI research team led by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva identified the impact of nurses' discharge teaching on patient outcomes, discharge readiness, and readmission rates. A brief on that study was recently posted.
According to the survey of 909 NPs and PAs, nearly nine in ten NPs provide resources to patients that help them with medication adherence (including three in ten who have referred patients to digital tools to help with adherence, and almost half of NPs report spending more time on patient education in the last two years.
The survey findings are highlighted in a new infographic.
Several INQRI research teams have examined the role of nurses in medication management, including ways home healthcare nurses can help with adherence; the impact of nursing processes on medication errors; and ways nurses and pharmacists can collaborate on medication reconciliation. And an INQRI research team led by Marianne Weiss and Olga Yakusheva identified the impact of nurses' discharge teaching on patient outcomes, discharge readiness, and readmission rates. A brief on that study was recently posted.
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