Leaving Hospital: A Step too Far for Risk-Based Regulation?

Discharges from hospital are internationally recognised as a dangerous time in the care pathway of a patient, posing a risk to both their physical wellbeing and dignity. This article examines the effectiveness of risk-based regulation as a tool to address patient safety incidents linked to the hospital discharge process within the English National Health Service. It examines how the risk of this process is identified, conceptualised, and prioritised amongst the relevant statutory regulators, and argues that the risk is neither uniformly recognised by the statutory regulators within the English NHS, nor sufficiently addressed. Professional regulators in particular appear to have a poor awareness of the risk and their role in addressing it. Until these issues are resolved, patients leaving hospitals will continue to be exposed to patient safety incidents which should be avoidable.

Nationwide Survey on Implementation of 2011 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Policy on Release of Patients After 131I Therapy for Thyroid Cancer.

The objective of this nationwide survey was to evaluate whether there has been a change in the practice regarding hospital release of differentiated thyroid cancer patients treated with 131I since the publication of Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Issue Summary 2011-01 addressing patient release. Methods: A survey was emailed to approximately 25,000 members of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc., and was available online from March to August 2018. Responses were included from adult patients regarding their most recent 131I therapy received between 2011 and 2018 ("after 2011"). Responses to this survey were compared with those of a similar previous survey for 131I therapies received between 1997 and 2009 ("before 2009"). Results: Of the 2,136 responses, 1,111 met the inclusion criteria. A similar percentage (∼98%) of patients were given oral or written radiation safety instructions (RSIs) after 2011 and before 2009, with a shift away from nuclear medicine physicians providing instructions after 2011 (43%) in comparison with before 2009 (54%; P < 0.001). More patients were able to discuss and individualize the RSIs after 2011 (67%) than before 2009 (29%; P < 0.001). However, 2% of patients do not recall ever receiving RSIs after 2011. After 2011, more patients were treated as outpatients (87%) than before 2009 (66%; P < 0.001). For outpatients, more patients were discharged within 30 min after receiving 131I therapy after 2011 (78%) than before 2009 (72%; P = 0.002). The same percentage (0.6%) of patients traveled more than 2 h with at least 2 occupants in the vehicle within approximately 1 m of the patient after 2011 and before 2009. Immediately after therapy, a similar percentage of patients stayed in a nonprivate residence after 2011 (4%) and before 2009 (5%; P = 0.28). Of the 27 outpatients released within 30 min to nonprivate residences, 2 patients received 5.55-11.1 GBq (150-299 mCi) of 131I. Conclusion: This survey suggests that since publication of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Issue Summary 2011-01 on patient release after radioiodine therapy, there have been improvements in some radiation safety practices on release of outpatients, as well as improvements in patient compliance on travel and lodging.

Alta a pedido: estudo sobre a percepção de pacientes e profissionais / Discharge by request: study on the perception of patients and professional / Alta por solicitud: estudio sobre las percepciones de los pacientes y los profesionales

Resumo A alta a pedido no cotidiano hospitalar gera dilemas éticos e legais. Este estudo analisa a percepção dos pacientes e da equipe multiprofissional (médicos, enfermeiros, assistentes sociais e psicólogos) sobre a alta a pedido, em maternidade pública de referência em Fortaleza, Ceará. Consiste em pesquisa qualitativa do tipo descritiva, de base documental e bibliográfica, a partir de observação simples e entrevista semiestruturada com 16 participantes (oito profissionais e oito pacientes), e na análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Como resultado dos eixos de análise no processo da alta a pedido, constatou-se que, para os profissionais, é impulsionada pela falta de suporte familiar; já para as pacientes, cansaço e estresse hospitalar são os principais motivadores. Concluímos que compreender a perspectiva do paciente que solicita a alta a pedido, para além dos aspectos legais, isto é, na validação de sua autonomia, é desafio para equipes que atuam no contexto da internação.

Abstract Discharge by request generates ethical and legal dilemmas in the day-to-day of a hospital. This study analyses the perception of patients and the multi professional team (doctors, nurses, social workers and psychologists) on discharge by request in a public maternity hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará. It is a documentary and bibliographic study that consists of a qualitative descriptive research , using simple observation and semi-structured interviews with 16 participants (eight professionals and eight patients) and content analysis based on Bardin's model. As a result of the axes of analysis in the process of discharge by request, it was found that from the professionals viewpoint the reason why patients ask for discharge by request is lack of family support; now, for the patients, fatigue and hospital stress are the main reasons why they ask for discharge by request. We conclude that to understand the perspective of the patient who asks for discharge by request, beyond its legal aspects, that is, in the validation of their autonomy, is a challenge for professional teams who act in the context of hospitalisation.

Resumen El alta por solicitud en la cotidianidad hospitalaria genera dilemas éticos y legales. Este estudio analiza la percepción de los pacientes y del equipo multiprofesional (médicos, enfermeros, asistentes sociales y psicólogos) sobre el alta por solicitud, en una Maternidad pública de referencia en Fortaleza, Ceará. Consiste en una investigación cualitativa, de tipo descriptiva, de base documental y bibliográfica, a partir de la observación simple y de una entrevista semiestructurada con 16 participantes (ocho profesionales y ocho pacientes), y del análisis de contenido de Bardin. Como resultado de los ejes de análisis en el proceso de alta por solicitud, se constató que para los profesionales la misma está motivada por la falta de apoyo familiar; en el caso de los pacientes, el cansancio y el estrés hospitalario constituyen las principales motivaciones. Concluimos que comprender la perspectiva del paciente que solicita el alta, más allá de los aspectos legales, esto es, la validación de su autonomía, constituye un desafío para los equipos que trabajan en el contexto de internación.

Does the Medicare 3-Day Rule Increase Length of Stay?

Medicare will only cover a stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) after TKA if the patient stays for at least 3 days at the inpatient hospital. The 3-day stay rule was instituted in 1965, to prevent over utilization of Medicare. We retrospectively reviewed 800 consecutive TKA, identifying patients that were discharged to rehab after surgery. 322 patients were discharged to SNF after surgery (209 Medicare, 113 private insurances). The LOS was 2.3 days for privately insured patients and 3.02 for Medicare recipients (P<0.05). No difference was found with regard to age, BMI, and ASA score. The Medicare 3-day rule independently increased the LOS in patients who required inpatient rehab, leading to increased cost. We suggest that this rule must be revised.

Ambulatory surgery: is the liability risk lower?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the currently available data on malpractice claims related to ambulatory anesthesia and provide an insight into the emerging patterns of anesthesia liability in this practice setting. RECENT FINDINGS: At present, studies are mixed about how the continued growth of outpatient surgery will impact liability for anesthesiologists. Data derived from the ASA Closed Claims Project suggests that malpractice claims for major damaging events are less common in the outpatient settings than in inpatient settings. Correspondingly, the payment amounts for outpatient claims are significantly lower than those for inpatients. Nevertheless, nondisabling adverse events are common and involve respiratory, cardiac, equipment-related, and drug errors. In addition, the vast majority of injuries in outpatient claims was the result of substandard care and judged preventable by better monitoring. Although major incidents leading to malpractice suits are less, new liability exposure may be on the horizon, due to the changing landscape of ambulatory practice that permits care for sicker patients who require more complex surgeries. The areas of potential concern include postoperative discharge criteria, care for the obstructive sleep apnea patient, and the choice of anesthetic techniques such as neuraxial blocks and monitored anesthesia care. SUMMARY: With steady increase in outpatient surgery, anesthesiologists are confronted with new areas of liability. More data are needed to identify these risks and reduce exposure to malpractice claims.

A discharge panel at Denver Health, focused on complex patients, may have influenced decline in length-of-stay.

Acute care hospitals struggle to manage complex patients who no longer require acute care services but who present medical and psychosocial challenges that make safe discharge to a lower level of care difficult. These challenges can be particularly acute at safety-net hospitals that cater predominantly to the poor and uninsured. For a person with a serious illness, such as a spinal cord injury, lack of insurance for long-term care services may add many weeks of medically unnecessary hospital days and result in higher costs. We describe safety-net system Denver Health's efforts to facilitate appropriate nonhospital care for these complex patients through the formation of a Complex Discharge Subcommittee. Successful solutions include accelerating legal guardianship approval to facilitate patient acceptance by skilled nursing facilities, as well as providing specialized equipment such as bariatric beds to nursing facilities to enable them to accommodate these patients. However, further policy interventions, such as updated reimbursement policies, are warranted.

[Reform of mental health legislation: a practical tool]. / Réforme des soins psychiatriques : loi du 5 juillet 2011. Outils pratiques.

INTRODUCTION: It was widely agreed that the June 27, 1990 law needed to be changed. The new mental health legislation provides new procedures, which challenge our work habits and balance the rights of individual patient with the need to ensure public safety. In view of the very short time between the publication of the law in the Bulletin Officiel (July 6, 2011) and its application (August 1, 2011), the changes in legislation have led to concrete modifications of our practices. AIM AND METHOD: The scope of this article is to provide a practical tool, which will help to better understand the new measures in the law and to provide an accessible guide of use in relation to mental health care decisions. For the purpose of involuntary admissions, we provide two flow-charts outlining the changes in the legislation in its various aspects. We propose to summarize the points, which are not modified by this legislation, and we further develop the several new aspects of the law. Notably, procedures involving compulsory detention including the care and observation period of 72 hours, medical certificates, care in an emergency situation, the panel of caregivers, systematic review of each decision to detain by the Juge de la Détention et des Libertés (JLD), the particular case of patients under a criminal procedure or subjects who were hospitalized in units for dangerous patients, planned discharges, and disagreements between psychiatrists and the civil servant responsible. DISCUSSION: The aim of this article is not to criticize the law. It simply sets out the new measures for the compulsory admission of patients in hospital and defines the new procedures for continued detention or discharge. Due to its recent implementation, we don't have any feedback concerning long-term implications of this reform of mental health legislation, and it is premature to fully appreciate its advantages or disadvantages.

[Patients unable to give consent and without a power of attorney or legal guardian in the geriatric department]. / Der einwilligungsunfähige Patient ohne Bevollmächtigten oder Betreuer in der Akutgeriatrie.

BACKGROUND: The importance of powers of attorney and legal guardians for patients in hospitals who are unable to make decisions for themselves is growing. Without an authorized person in these cases, treatment and discharge are more difficult. The goal of this study was to describe the problem from the point of view of an acute geriatric department and discuss the problems with respect to duration and expense of hospitalization. In addition, an attempt was undertaken to improve cooperation with the legal authorities in order to reduce the time required to process the request for the appointment of a legal guardian. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of 24 consecutive patients appointed a legal guardian during their hospitalization were compared with 25 patients after the intervention. RESULTS: Of all patients treated in 2008, 2.1% needed an application for an appointed legal guardian (4.6% in 2009). These patients were more seriously ill and treated longer in the hospital compared to all patients. The intervention reduced the length of stay on average by 2.8 days. Independent risk factors for longer treatment were more seriously ill patients and later submission of the application after admittance to the hospital. For patients above the maximum length of stay, the move to a nursing home and the need of a professional legal guardian prolonged significantly the hospital treatment compared to those below the maximum length of stay. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate that the German DRG system does not sufficiently consider the difficult management caused by patients without the ability to give consent to treatment and without a valid power of attorney. The time required until a professional legal guardian is appointed is too long for patients in a hospital. The necessity of a power of attorney has to be promoted more intensely to the public. Currently, the only two ways to minimize the problem is to identify the patients without, but needing a power of attorney as quickly as possible and to remain in close contact with the legal authorities.

Development of a brief screen for violence risk (V-RISK-10) in acute and general psychiatry: An introduction with emphasis on findings from a naturalistic test of interrater reliability.

Most violence risk assessment scales were originally developed for use in forensic settings at the time of discharge or release of patients into the community after long-term treatment. However, there is a considerable need for specialized, brief and structured risk assessment tools to inform risk decisions in short-term psychiatric treatment. The present study reports on research findings from the development and implementation of the violence risk screening-10 (V-RISK-10) in two acute psychiatric settings in Norway. The 10-item screen is easy to use, time-saving and may be used for screening of violence risk during hospital stay and after discharge into the community. Prospective validation studies of the screen concerning inpatient and post-release community violence have been conducted. Although data analyses are not yet complete, preliminary findings indicate that the screen has good predictive validity. This suggests that the screen is a promising tool in short-term acute psychiatric settings. However, the importance of reliability in mental health data and tests is well recognized, and a screen with good predictive validity is not worth much if clinicians are unable to agree on the scoring of one and the same patient. In this article we report results from a naturalistic interrater reliability investigation that involved 25 mental health professionals and 73 acute psychiatric patients. V-RISK-10 scoring was accomplished by two raters for each patient. The interrater reliability value for total scores was acceptable. Variations pertaining to the individual V-RISK-10 item, patient characteristics and rater characteristics are discussed.