Short-term Focused Feedback: A Model to Enhance Patient Engagement in Research and Intervention Delivery.

BACKGROUND: Our grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) focused on the use of nurse home visits postdischarge for primarily pediatric hospital medicine patients. While our team recognized the importance of engaging parents and other stakeholders in our study, our project was one of the first funded to address transitions of care issues in patients without chronic illness; little evidence existed about how to engage acute stakeholders longitudinally. OBJECTIVE: This manuscript describes how we used both a short-term focused feedback model and longitudinal engagement methods to solicit input from parents, home care nurses, and other stakeholders throughout our 3-year study. RESULTS: Short-term focused feedback allowed the study team to collect feedback from hundreds of stakeholders. Initially, we conducted focus groups with parents with children recently discharged from the hospital. We used this feedback to modify our nurse home visit intervention, then used quality improvement methods with continued short-term focus feedback from families and nurses delivering the visits to adjust the visit processes and content. We also used their feedback to modify the outcome collection. Finally, during the randomized controlled trial, we added a parent to the study team to provide longitudinal input, as well as continued to solicit short-term focused feedback to increase recruitment and retention rates. CONCLUSION: Research studies can benefit from soliciting short-term focused feedback from many stakeholders; having this variety of perspectives allows for many voices to be heard, without placing an undue burden on a few stakeholders.

Weighing in on asthma: Insights on BMI, magnesium, and hospitalizations from the Ohio Pediatric Asthma Repository.

Objective: Little is known about weight status and its effects on clinical course during hospitalization for asthma exacerbation. We sought to evaluate associations between weight status, specifically body mass index (BMI), with inpatient clinical course and clinical history.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 2012 to 2013 on children hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in a state-wide longitudinal cohort, the Ohio Pediatric Asthma Repository. We examined BMI continuously (z scores) and categorically, comparing overweight and obese (Ov/Ob) to non-overweight and non-obese (nOv/nOb) children. We used linear mixed models controlling for site effects to determine if BMI was related to length of stay, as determined by physiologic readiness for discharge (PRD), defined as time to albuterol spaced every 4 h, need for nonstandard care or clinical history.Results: Across six hospitals, 874 children were included in analyses. BMI was positively associated with PRD (p=.008) but this increase was unlikely to be clinically significant. Ov/Ob children were more likely than nOv/nOb to require nonstandard care with repeat magnesium dosing in intensive care after dosing in the emergency department (OR = 3.23, 95%CI 1.39-7.78). Hospitalization in the year prior to enrollment was positively associated with BMI percentile (73.3 vs. 66.0, p=.028). Sleep disordered breathing was also associated with higher BMI percentile (78.2 vs. 65.9; p=.0013).Conclusions: Ov/Ob children had similar PRD to nOv/nOb children and were prone to repeat magnesium dosing. Previous hospitalization for exacerbation was positively associated with increasing BMI percentile. Additional research should investigate differential magnesium use by weight status, quantifying risks and benefits.

Paediatric clinical and social concerns identified by home visit nurses in the immediate postdischarge period.

AIM: To describe paediatric postdischarge concerns manifesting in the first 96 hr after hospital discharge. DESIGN: Analysis of nursing documentation generated as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of a nurse home visit on healthcare re-use. METHODS: We analysed home visit records of 651 children (age <18) hospitalized at a large Midwestern children's hospital in 2015 and 2016 who were enrolled in the trial. Registered nurses documented concerns in structured fields and free-text notes in visit records. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize visit documentation. Free-text visit notes were reviewed and exemplars illustrative of quantitative findings were selected. RESULTS: Overall, nurses documented at least one concern in 56% (N = 367) of visits. Most commonly, they documented concerns about medication safety (15% or 91 visits). Specifically, in 11% (N = 58) of visits nurses were concerned that caregivers lacked a full understanding of medications and in 8% (N = 49) of visits families did not have prescribed discharge medications. Pain was documented as present in 9% of all visits (N = 56). Nurses completed referrals to other providers/services in 12% of visits (N = 78), most frequently to primary care providers. In 13% of visits (N = 85) nurses documented concerns considered beyond the immediate scope of the visit related to social needs such as housing and transportation. CONCLUSION: Inpatient and community nurses and physicians should be prepared to reconcile and manage discharge medications, assess families' medication administration practices and anticipate social needs after paediatric discharge. IMPACT: Little empirical data are available describing concerns manifesting immediately after paediatric hospital discharge. Concerns about medication safety were most frequent followed by concerns related to housing and general safety. The results are important for clinicians preparing children and families for discharge and for community clinicians caring for discharged children.

Using quality improvement to decrease birth asphyxia rates after 'Helping Babies Breathe' training in Kenya.

AIM: The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) programme is known to decrease neonatal mortality in low-resource settings but gaps in care still exist. This study describes the use of quality improvement to sustain gains in birth asphyxia-related mortality after HBB. METHODS: Tenwek Hospital, a rural referral hospital in Kenya, identified high rates of birth asphyxia (BA). They developed a goal to decrease the suspected hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (SHIE) rate by 50% within six months after HBB. Rapid cycles of change were used to test interventions including training, retention and engagement for staff/trainees and improved data collection. Run charts followed the rate over time, and chi-square analysis was used. RESULTS: Ninety-six providers received HBB from September to November 2014. Over 4000 delivery records were reviewed. Ten months of baseline data showed a median SHIE rate of 14.7/1000 live births (LB) with wide variability. Ten months post-HBB, the SHIE rate decreased by 53% to 7.1/1000 LB (p = 0.01). SHIE rates increased after initial decline; investigation determined that half the trained midwives had been transferred. Presenting data to administration resulted in staff retention. Rates have after remained above goal with narrowing control limits. CONCLUSION: Focused quality improvement can sustain and advance gains in neonatal outcomes post-HBB training.

Financial and Social Hardships in Families of Children with Medical Complexity.

OBJECTIVE: To describe hardships experienced by families of children with medical complexity (CMC) and compare them with those experienced by families of children with asthma. STUDY DESIGN: We assessed hardships in a cohort of 167 families of CMC. Surveys assessed sociodemographics and hardships (eg, financial: inability to pay bills; social: limited help from family/friends). CMC cohort hardships were compared with those of an established cohort of children hospitalized with asthma using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: CMC had diagnoses in a median of 5 different complex chronic condition categories (most common neurologic/neuromuscular), and the majority (74%) were dependent on technology. Over 80% of families of CMC reported experiencing ≥1 hardship; 68% with financial and 46% with social hardship. Despite higher socioeconomic status than families with asthma, families of CMC often experienced more hardships. For example, families of CMC were significantly more likely to report failure to pay rent/mortgage (aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.6, 4.3) and the expectation of little to no help from family/friends (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9, 4.7). CONCLUSIONS: Families of CMC frequently report financial and social hardships, often at rates higher than families with asthma who were generally of lower socioeconomic status. Identifying and acting upon hardships may be an important addition to the care of CMC.

Testing a post-discharge nurse-led transitional home visit in acute care pediatrics: the Hospital-To-Home Outcomes (H2O) study protocol.

AIMS: The aims of this study were: (1) to explore the family perspective on pediatric hospital-to-home transitions; (2) to modify an existing nurse-delivered transitional home visit to better meet family needs; (3) to study the effectiveness of the modified visit for reducing healthcare re-use and improving patient- and family-centered outcomes in a randomized controlled trial. BACKGROUND: The transition from impatient hospitalization to outpatient care is a vulnerable time for children and their families; children are at risk for poor outcomes that may be mitigated by interventions to address transition difficulties. It is unknown if an effective adult transition intervention, a nurse home visit, improves postdischarge outcomes for children hospitalized with common conditions. DESIGN: (1) Descriptive qualitative; (2) Quality improvement; (3) Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Aim 1 will use qualitative methods, through focus groups, to understand the family perspective of hospital-to-home transitions. Aim 2 will use quality improvement methods to modify the content and processes associated with nurse home visits. Modifications to visits will be made based on parent and stakeholder input obtained during Aims 1 & 2. The effectiveness of the modified visit will be evaluated in Aim 3 through a randomized controlled trial. DISCUSSION: We are undertaking the study to modify and evaluate a nurse home visit as an effective acute care pediatric transition intervention. We expect the results will be of interest to administrators, policy makers and clinicians interested in improving pediatric care transitions and associated postdischarge outcomes, in the light of impending bundled payment initiatives in pediatric care.

Pediatric asthma readmission: asthma knowledge is not enough?

OBJECTIVE: To characterize factors associated with readmission for acute asthma exacerbation, particularly around caregiver asthma knowledge, beliefs, and reported adherence to prescribed medication regimens. STUDY DESIGN: We enrolled 601 children (aged 1-16 years) who had been hospitalized for asthma. Caregivers completed a face-to-face survey regarding their asthma knowledge, beliefs, and medication adherence. Caregivers also reported demographic data, child's asthma severity, exposure to triggers, access to primary care, and financial strains. We prospectively identified asthma readmission events via billing data over a 1-year minimum follow-up period. We examined time to readmission with Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS: The study cohort's median age was 5 years, 53% were African American, and 57% were covered by Medicaid. At 1 year, 22% had been readmitted for asthma. In the multivariate analysis, a caregiver's demonstration of increased asthma knowledge was associated with increased readmission risk. In addition, children whose caregivers reported less-than-perfect adherence to daily medication regimens had increased readmission risk. Likewise, having previously been admitted for asthma, decreased medical home access, and black race were associated with increased readmission risk. CONCLUSION: In a multifactorial assessment of risk factors for asthma readmission, greater asthma knowledge and decreased medication adherence were associated with readmission. Inpatient efforts to prevent readmission might best target medication adherence rather than continuing to primarily provide asthma education.

Single parent households and increased child asthma morbidity.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize whether single parent households are associated with pediatric asthma-related repeat healthcare utilization and to examine family-level psychosocial variables that may explain this relationship. METHODS: We analyzed a prospective cohort of 526 children aged 1-16 years hospitalized for asthma or bronchodilator-responsive wheezing whose caregivers self-reported their marital status. Those reporting being "single" were considered the at-risk category. The outcome was repeat asthma-related utilization (emergency room (ER) revisit or hospital readmission) within 12 months. We assessed, a priori, four psychosocial variables (household income, caregiver risk of psychological distress, ratio of in-home children to adults, and regular attendance at childcare or a secondary home). RESULTS: Among all children enrolled in the cohort, 40% returned to the ER or hospital for asthma within 12 months. Of all caregivers, 59% self-identified as single. Single status was significantly associated with each psychosocial variable. Children in households with lower incomes and higher ratios of children to adults were both more likely to return to the ER or hospital than children with higher incomes and lower ratios, respectively (each p < 0.05). Patients in single parent households were significantly more likely to reutilize than those in married parent households (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.00-2.07, p < 0.05). When adjusted for income, the relationship between single parent households and reutilization became non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: Children admitted for asthma from single parent households were more likely to have asthma-related reutilization within 12 months than children from homes with married parents. This was driven, in large part, by underlying differences in household income.

Clinician Perspectives on Continuous Monitor Use in a Children's Hospital: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Variation in continuous cardiopulmonary monitor (cCPM) use across children's hospitals suggests preference-based use. We sought to understand how clinical providers make decisions to use cCPMs. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structed interviews with clinicians (nurses, respiratory therapists [RTs], and resident and attending physicians) from 2 hospital medicine units at a children's hospital. The interview guide employed patient cases and open-ended prompts to elicit information about workflows and decision-making related to cCPM, and we collected basic demographic information about participants. We used an inductive approach following thematic analysis to code transcripts and create themes. RESULTS: We interviewed 5 nurses, 5 RTs, 7 residents, and 7 attending physicians. We discovered that clinicians perceive a low threshold for starting cCPM, and this often occurred as a default action at admission. Clinicians thought of cCPMs as helping them cope with uncertainty. Despite acknowledging considerable flaws in how cCPMs were used, they were perceived as a low-risk intervention. Although RNs and RTs were most aware of the patient's current condition and number of alarms, physicians decided when to discontinue monitors. No structured process for identifying when to discontinue monitors existed. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that nurses, physicians, and RTs often default to cCPM use and lack a standardized process for identifying when cCPM should be discontinued. Interventions aiming to reduce monitor use will need to account for or target these factors.

Inequalities in neighborhood child asthma admission rates and underlying community characteristics in one US county.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize variation and inequalities in neighborhood child asthma admission rates and to identify associated community factors within one US county. STUDY DESIGN: This population-based prospective, observational cohort study consisted of 862 sequential child asthma admissions among 167 653 eligible children ages 1-16 years in Hamilton County, Ohio. Admissions occurred at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital and accounted for nearly 95% of in-county asthma admissions. Neighborhood admission rates were assessed by geocoding addresses to city- and county-defined neighborhoods. The 2010 US Census provided denominator data. Neighborhood admission distribution inequality was assessed by the use of Gini and Robin Hood indices. Associations between neighborhood rates and socioeconomic and environmental factors were assessed using ANOVA and linear regression. RESULTS: The county admission rate was 5.1 per 1000 children. Neighborhood rates varied significantly by quintile: 17.6, 7.7, 4.9, 2.2, and 0.2 admissions per 1000 children (P < .0001). Fifteen neighborhoods containing 8% of the population had zero admissions. The Gini index of 0.52 and Robin Hood index of 0.38 indicated significant inequality. Neighborhood-level educational attainment, car access, and population density best explained variation in neighborhood admission rates (R(2) = 0.55). CONCLUSION: In a single year, asthma admission rates varied 88-fold across neighborhood quintiles in one county; a reduction of the county-wide admission rate to that of the bottom quintile would decrease annual admissions from 862 to 34. A rate of zero was present in 15 neighborhoods, which is evidence of what may be attainable.

Implementation of a Children's Hospital Acute Care Behavior Response Team.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric patients with behavioral needs are frequently admitted to the hospital for medical care; when behavioral crises occur, patients and staff are at risk for injury. Our aim was to implement a behavior response team (BRT) to increase the days between employee injury due to aggressive patient interactions on the inpatient medical units from 99 to 150 over 1 year. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team used quality improvement methods to design and implement the BRT system that includes 2 options: huddle to proactively plan for patients exhibiting early signs of escalation and STAT for immediate help for patients with imminent risk of harm to self or others. Using run and statistical process control charts, we tracked events per month, days between Occupational Safety & Health Administration-recordable events, and violent restraint use over time for 1 year after implementation. Staff pre and postimplementation surveys were compared to assess staff perception of safety and support provided by the BRT intervention. RESULTS: The BRT was implemented across the inpatient system in July 2020, with an average number of 13 events per month. Days between Occupational Safety & Health Administration-recordable events remained stable with a maximum of 134 days. Restraint use remained stable at 0.74 per 1000 patient days. The perception of behavioral support available to staff increased significantly pre to postsurvey. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a BRT can improve staff perception of support and confidence in safely caring for patients with behavior needs on the inpatient medical unit, although additional provider- and system-level improvements are needed to prevent employee injuries.

Geomedicine: area-based socioeconomic measures for assessing risk of hospital reutilization among children admitted for asthma.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether geographic information available at the time of asthma admission predicts time to reutilization (readmission or emergency department revisit). METHODS: For a prospective cohort of children hospitalized with asthma in 2008 and 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio, we constructed a geographic social risk index from geocoded home addresses linked to census tract extreme poverty and high school graduation rates and median home values. We examined geographic risk associations with reutilization and caregiver report of hardship. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of patients reutilized within 12 months. Compared with those in the lowest geographic risk stratum, those at medium and high risk had 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.9, 1.9) and 1.8 (95% CI = 1.4, 2.4) the risk of reutilization, respectively. Caregivers of children at highest geographic risk were 5 times as likely to report more than 2 financial hardships (P < .001) and 3 times as likely to report psychological distress (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: A geographic social risk index may help identify asthmatic children likely to return to the hospital. Targeting social risk assessments and interventions through geographic information may help to improve outcomes and reduce disparities.

Family-centered care: current applications and future directions in pediatric health care.

Family-centered care (FCC) is a partnership approach to health care decision-making between the family and health care provider. FCC is considered the standard of pediatric health care by many clinical practices, hospitals, and health care groups. Despite widespread endorsement, FCC continues to be insufficiently implemented into clinical practice. In this paper we enumerate the core principles of FCC in pediatric health care, describe recent advances applying FCC principles to clinical practice, and propose an agenda for practitioners, hospitals, and health care groups to translate FCC into improved health outcomes, health care delivery, and health care system transformation.

Using Geomarkers and Sociodemographics to Inform Assessment of Caregiver Adversity and Resilience.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A high level of caregiver adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and/or low resilience is associated with poor outcomes for both caregivers and their children after hospital discharge. It is unknown if sociodemographic or area-based measures (ie, "geomarkers") can inform the assessment of caregiver ACEs or resilience. Our objective was to determine if caregiver ACEs or resilience can be identified by using any combinations of sociodemographic measures, geomarkers, and/or caregiver-reported household characteristics. METHODS: Eligible participants for this cohort study were English-speaking caregivers of children hospitalized on a hospital medicine team. Caregivers completed the ACE questionnaire, Brief Resilience Scale, and strain surveys. Exposures included sociodemographic characteristics available in the electronic health record (EHR), geomarkers tied to a patient's geocoded home address, and household characteristics that are not present in the EHR (eg, income). Primary outcomes were a high caregiver ACE score (≥4) and/or a low BRS Score (<3). RESULTS: Of the 1272 included caregivers, 543 reported high ACE or low resilience, and 63 reported both. We developed the following regression models: sociodemographic variables in EHR (Model 1), EHR sociodemographics and geomarkers (Model 2), and EHR sociodemographics, geomarkers, and additional survey-reported household characteristics (Model 3). The ability of models to identify the presence of caregiver adversity was poor (all areas under receiver operating characteristics curves were <0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Models using EHR data, geomarkers, and household-level characteristics to identify caregiver adversity had limited utility. Directly asking questions to caregivers or integrating risk and strength assessments during pediatric hospitalization may be a better approach to identifying caregiver adversity.

Differential Impact of Home Nurse Contact After Discharge by Financial Strain, Primary Care Access, and Medical Complexity.

BACKGROUND: The Hospital to Home Outcomes (H2O) trials examined the effectiveness of postdischarge nurse support on reuse after pediatric discharge. Unexpectedly, children randomly assigned to a nurse visit had higher rates of reuse than those in the control group. Participants in randomized control trials are heterogeneous. Thus, it is possible that the effect of the intervention differed across subgroups (ie, heterogeneity of treatment effect [HTE]). We sought to determine if different subgroups responded differently to the interventions. METHODS: The H2O trial is a randomized controlled trial comparing standard hospital discharge processes with a nurse home visit within 96 hours of discharge. The second trial, H2O II, was similar, except the tested intervention was a postdischarge nurse phone call. For the purposes of the HTE analyses, we examined our primary trial outcome measure: a composite of unplanned 30-day acute health care reuse (unplanned readmission or emergency department or urgent care visit). We identified subgroups of interest before the trials related to (1) financial strain, (2) primary care access, (3) insurance, and (4) medical complexity. We used logistic regression modeling with an interaction term between subgroup and treatment group (intervention or control). RESULTS: For the phone call trial (H2O II), financial strain significantly modified the effect of the intervention such that the subgroup of children with high financial strain who received the intervention experienced more reuse than their control counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: In HTE analyses of 2 randomized controlled trials, only financial strain significantly modified the nurse phone call. A family's financial resources may affect the utility of postdischarge support.

Increasing Physician Reporting of Diagnostic Learning Opportunities.

BACKGROUND: An estimated 10% of Americans experience a diagnostic error annually, yet little is known about pediatric diagnostic errors. Physician reporting is a promising method for identifying diagnostic errors. However, our pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) division had only 1 diagnostic-related safety report in the preceding 4 years. We aimed to improve attending physician reporting of suspected diagnostic errors from 0 to 2 per 100 PHM patient admissions within 6 months. METHODS: Our improvement team used the Model for Improvement, targeting the PHM service. To promote a safe reporting culture, we used the term diagnostic learning opportunity (DLO) rather than diagnostic error, defined as a "potential opportunity to make a better or more timely diagnosis." We developed an electronic reporting form and encouraged its use through reminders, scheduled reflection time, and monthly progress reports. The outcome measure, the number of DLO reports per 100 patient admissions, was tracked on an annotated control chart to assess the effect of our interventions over time. We evaluated DLOs using a formal 2-reviewer process. RESULTS: Over the course of 13 weeks, there was an increase in the number of reports filed from 0 to 1.6 per 100 patient admissions, which met special cause variation, and was subsequently sustained. Most events (66%) were true diagnostic errors and were found to be multifactorial after formal review. CONCLUSIONS: We used quality improvement methodology, focusing on psychological safety, to increase physician reporting of DLOs. This growing data set has generated nuanced learnings that will guide future improvement work.

Effect of Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience on a Child's Healthcare Reutilization.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor health outcomes in adults. Resilience may mitigate this effect. There is limited evidence regarding how parents' ACEs and resilience may be associated with their children's health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of parental ACEs and resilience with their child's risk of unanticipated healthcare reutilization. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a prospective cohort study (August 2015 to October 2016) at a tertiary, freestanding pediatric medical center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Eligible participants were English-speaking parents of children hospitalized on a Hospital Medicine or Complex Services team. A total of 1,320 parents of hospitalized children completed both the ACE questionnaire and the Brief Resilience Scale Survey. EXPOSURE: Number of ACEs and Brief Resilience Scale Score among parents. MAIN OUTCOMES: Unanticipated reutilization by children, defined as returning to the emergency room, urgent care, or being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of hospital discharge. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, children of parents with 4 or more ACEs had 1.69-times higher odds (95% CI, 1.11-2.60) of unanticipated reutilization after an index hospitalization, compared with children of parents with no ACEs. Resilience was not significantly associated with reutilization. CONCLUSION: Parental history of ACEs is strongly associated with higher odds of their child having unanticipated healthcare reutilization after a hospital discharge, highlighting an intergenerational effect. Screening may be an important tool for outcome prediction and intervention guidance following pediatric hospitalization.

A Qualitative Study of Increased Pediatric Reutilization After a Postdischarge Home Nurse Visit.

BACKGROUND: The Hospital to Home Outcomes (H2O) trial was a 2-arm, randomized controlled trial that assessed the effects of a nurse home visit after a pediatric hospital discharge. Children randomized to the intervention had higher 30-day postdischarge reutilization rates compared with those with standard discharge. We sought to understand perspectives on why postdischarge home nurse visits resulted in higher reutilization rates and to elicit suggestions on how to improve future interventions. METHODS: We sought qualitative input using focus groups and interviews from stakeholder groups: parents, primary care physicians (PCP), hospital medicine physicians, and home care registered nurses (RNs). A multidisciplinary team coded and analyzed transcripts using an inductive, iterative approach. RESULTS: Thirty-three parents participated in interviews. Three focus groups were completed with PCPs (n = 7), 2 with hospital medicine physicians (n = 12), and 2 with RNs (n = 10). Major themes in the explanation of increased reutilization included: appropriateness of patient reutilization; impact of red flags/warning sign instructions on family's reutilization decisions; hospital-affiliated RNs "directing traffic" back to hospital; and home visit RNs had a low threshold for escalating care. Major themes for improving design of the intervention included: need for improved postdischarge communication; individualizing home visits-one size does not fit all; and providing context and framing of red flags. CONCLUSION: Stakeholders questioned whether hospital reutilization was appropriate and whether the intervention unintentionally directed patients back to the hospital. Future interventions could individualize the visit to specific needs or diagnoses, enhance postdischarge communication, and better connect patients and home nurses to primary care.

Comparison of Parent Report with Administrative Data to Identify Pediatric Reutilization Following Hospital Discharge.

Healthcare providers rely on historical data reported by parents to make medical decisions. The Hospital to Home Outcomes (H2O) trial assessed the effects of a onetime home nurse visit following pediatric hospitalization for common conditions. The H2O primary outcome, reutilization (hospital readmission, emergency department visit, or urgent care visit), relied on administrative data to identify reutilization events after discharge. We sought to compare parent recall of reutilization events two weeks after discharge with administrative records. Agreement was relatively high for any reutilization (kappa 0.74); however, this high agreement was driven by agreement between sources when no reutilization occurred (sources agreed 98%-99%). Agreement between sources was lower when reutilization occurred (48%-76%). Some discrepancies were related to parents misclassifying the site of care. The possibility of inaccurate parent report of reutilization has clinical implications that may be mitigated by confirmation of parent-reported data through verification with additional sources, such as electronic health record review.