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1.
Pediatrics ; 152(5)2023 Nov 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37823246

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.


Aggression , Quality Improvement , Humans , Child , Behavior Therapy , Critical Care , Hospitals, Pediatric
2.
Hosp Pediatr ; 12(8): 689-695, 2022 08 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35909177

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.


Adverse Childhood Experiences , Caregivers , Child , Cohort Studies , Humans , Income , Surveys and Questionnaires
3.
Med Care ; 59(Suppl 4): S364-S369, 2021 08 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34228018

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.


Aftercare/statistics & numerical data , House Calls/statistics & numerical data , Patient Outcome Assessment , Stakeholder Participation/psychology , Transitional Care/statistics & numerical data , Academies and Institutes , Aftercare/psychology , Child , Focus Groups , Hospitals, Pediatric , Humans , Parents/psychology , Patient Discharge , Patient Participation , Time Factors
4.
Hosp Pediatr ; 11(8): 791-800, 2021 08.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34330881

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.


Nurses, Community Health , Patient Discharge , Aftercare , Child , Emergency Service, Hospital , Humans , Patient Readmission , Primary Health Care
5.
Pediatrics ; 147(1)2021 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33268395

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.


Diagnostic Errors , Hospitals, Pediatric/standards , Learning , Physicians/standards , Quality Improvement/organization & administration , Truth Disclosure , Diagnostic Errors/psychology , Diagnostic Errors/statistics & numerical data , Hospitals, Pediatric/organization & administration , Humans , Ohio , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Patient Safety/standards , Physicians/organization & administration , Physicians/psychology
6.
J Hosp Med ; 15(11): 645-651, 2020 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32490805

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.


Adverse Childhood Experiences , Adult , Child , Delivery of Health Care , Family , Humans , Parents , Prospective Studies
7.
J Adv Nurs ; 76(6): 1394-1403, 2020 Jun.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32128869

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.


Aftercare/statistics & numerical data , Home Care Services/statistics & numerical data , House Calls , Nurses, Community Health/statistics & numerical data , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Ohio
8.
J Hosp Med ; 15(9): 518-525, 2020 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32195655

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.


Aftercare , Home Care Services , Nurses, Community Health , Patient Discharge , Child , House Calls , Humans
10.
J Asthma ; 57(12): 1280-1287, 2020 12.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31411907

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.


Albuterol/therapeutic use , Asthma/drug therapy , Magnesium/administration & dosage , Obesity/epidemiology , Overweight/epidemiology , Adolescent , Asthma/complications , Asthma/diagnosis , Body Mass Index , Child , Child, Preschool , Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Obesity/complications , Obesity/diagnosis , Ohio/epidemiology , Overweight/complications , Overweight/diagnosis , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Prospective Studies , Registries/statistics & numerical data , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Severity of Illness Index , Symptom Flare Up , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome
11.
J Hosp Med ; 14(7): 411-414, 2019 07 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31112494

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.


Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data , Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Hospitals, Pediatric , Parents/psychology , Patient Readmission/statistics & numerical data , Administrative Claims, Healthcare , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data
13.
Pediatrics ; 142(3)2018 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30104421

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hospitalization-related nonmedical costs, including lost earnings and expenses such as transportation, meals, and child care, can lead to challenges in prioritizing postdischarge decisions. In this study, we quantify such costs and evaluate their relationship with sociodemographic factors, including family-reported financial and social hardships. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected during the Hospital-to-Home Outcomes Study, a randomized trial designed to determine the effects of a nurse home visit after standard pediatric discharge. Parents completed an in-person survey during the child's hospitalization. The survey included sociodemographic characteristics of the parent and child, measures of financial and social hardship, household income and also evaluated the family's total nonmedical cost burden, which was defined as all lost earnings plus expenses. A daily cost burden (DCB) standardized it for a 24-hour period. The daily cost burden as a percentage of daily household income (DCBi) was also calculated. RESULTS: Median total cost burden for the 1372 households was $113, the median DCB was $51, and the median DCBi was 45%. DCB and DCBi varied across many sociodemographic characteristics. In particular, single-parent households (those with less work flexibility and more financial hardships experienced significantly higher DCB and DCBi. Those who reported ≥3 financial hardships lost or spent 6-times more of their daily income on nonmedical costs than those without hardships. Those with ≥1 social hardships lost or spent double their daily income compared with those without social hardships. CONCLUSIONS: Nonmedical costs place burdens on families of children who are hospitalized, disproportionately affecting those with competing socioeconomic challenges.


Cost of Illness , Home Nursing/economics , Hospitalization/economics , Hospitals, Pediatric/economics , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Length of Stay/economics , Male , Patient Discharge/economics , Prospective Studies , Surveys and Questionnaires
14.
JAMA Pediatr ; 172(9): e181482, 2018 09 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30039161

Importance: Families often struggle after discharge of a child from the hospital. Postdischarge challenges can lead to increased use of urgent health care services. Objective: To determine whether a single nurse-led telephone call after pediatric discharge decreased the 30-day reutilization rate for urgent care services and enhanced overall transition success. Design, Setting, and Participants: This Hospital-to-Home Outcomes (H2O) randomized clinical trial included 966 children and adolescents younger than 18 years (hereinafter referred to as children) admitted to general medicine services at a free-standing tertiary care children's hospital from May 11 through October 31, 2016. Data were analyzed as intention to treat and per protocol. Interventions: A postdischarge telephone call within 4 days of discharge compared with standard discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the 30-day reutilization rate for urgent health care services (ie, unplanned readmission, emergency department visit, or urgent care visit). Secondary outcomes included additional utilization measures, as well as parent coping, return to normalcy, and understanding of clinical warning signs measured at 14 days. Results: A total of 966 children were enrolled and randomized (52.3% boys; median age [interquartile range], 2.4 years [0.5-7.8 years]). Of 483 children randomized to the intervention, the nurse telephone call was completed for 442 (91.5%). Children in the intervention and control arms had similar reutilization rates for 30-day urgent health care services (intervention group, 77 [15.9%]; control group, 63 [13.1%]; P = .21). Parents of children in the intervention group recalled more clinical warning signs at 14 days (mean, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.7-2.0] in the intervention group; 1.5 [95% CI, 1.4-1.6] in the control group; ratio of intervention to control, 1.2 [95% CI, 1.1-1.3]). Conclusions and Relevance: Although postdischarge nurse contact did not decrease the reutilization rate of postdischarge urgent health care services, this method shows promise to bolster postdischarge education. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02081846.


Continuity of Patient Care/statistics & numerical data , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Pediatric Nursing/statistics & numerical data , Telemedicine/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Telephone
15.
Pediatrics ; 142(1)2018 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29934295

BACKGROUND: Hospital discharge is stressful for children and families. Poor transitional care is linked to unplanned health care reuse. We evaluated the effects of a pediatric transition intervention, specifically a single nurse home visit, on postdischarge outcomes in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: We randomly assigned 1500 children hospitalized on hospital medicine, neurology services, or neurosurgery services to receive either a single postdischarge nurse-led home visit or no visit. We excluded children discharged with skilled home nursing services. Primary outcomes included 30-day unplanned, urgent health care reuse (composite measure of unplanned readmission, emergency department, or urgent care visit). Secondary outcomes, measured at 14 days, included postdischarge parental coping, number of days until parent-reported return to normal routine, and number of "red flags" or clinical warning signs a parent or caregiver could recall. RESULTS: The 30-day reuse rate was 17.8% in the intervention group and 14.0% in the control group. In the intention-to-treat analysis, children randomly assigned to the intervention group had higher odds of 30-day health care use (odds ratio: 1.33; 95% confidence interval: 1.003-1.76). In the per protocol analysis, there were no differences in 30-day health care use (odds ratio: 1.14; confidence interval: 0.84-1.55). Postdischarge coping scores and number of days until returning to a normal routine were similar between groups. Parents in the intervention group recalled more red flags at 14 days (mean: 1.9 vs 1.6; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Children randomly assigned to the intervention had higher rates of 30-day postdischarge unplanned health care reuse. Parents in the intervention group recalled more clinical warning signs 2 weeks after discharge.


Home Care Services/statistics & numerical data , Nurses, Community Health/statistics & numerical data , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Adaptation, Psychological , Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data , Child , Child, Hospitalized , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Transitional Care/statistics & numerical data
16.
Hosp Pediatr ; 8(6): 305-313, 2018 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29764909

BACKGROUND: Large-scale, multisite studies in which researchers evaluate patient- and systems-level factors associated with pediatric asthma exacerbation outcomes are lacking. We sought to investigate patient-level risks and system-level practices related to physiologic readiness for discharge (PRD) in the prospective Ohio Pediatric Asthma Repository. METHODS: Participants were children ages 2 to 17 years admitted to an Ohio Pediatric Asthma Repository hospital for asthma exacerbation. Demographics, disease characteristics, and individual hospital practices were collected. The primary outcome was PRD timing (hours from admission or emergency department [ED] presentation until the first 4-hour albuterol spacing). RESULTS: Data for 1005 participants were available (865 ED presentations). Several nonstandard care practices were associated with time to PRD (P < .001). Continuous pulse oximetry was associated with increased time to PRD (P = .004). ED dexamethasone administration was associated with decreased time to PRD (P < .001) and less ICU admittance and intravenous steroid use (P < .0001). Earlier receipt of chest radiograph, antibiotics, and intravenous steroids was associated with shorter time to PRD (P < .05). Care practices associated with shorter time to PRD varied markedly by hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variation in care practices for inpatient asthma treatment exists among children's hospital systems in Ohio. We found several modifiable, system-level factors and therapies that contribute to PRD that warrant further investigation to identify the best and safest care practices. We also found that there was no standardized measure of exacerbation severity used across the hospitals. The development of such a tool is a critical gap in current practice and is needed to enable definitive comparative effectiveness studies of the management of acute asthma exacerbation.


Anti-Asthmatic Agents/administration & dosage , Asthma/therapy , Emergency Service, Hospital , Guideline Adherence , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Patient Discharge , Adolescent , Asthma/epidemiology , Asthma/physiopathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Dexamethasone/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Male , Ohio/epidemiology , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Prednisone/administration & dosage , Prospective Studies , Radiography, Thoracic/statistics & numerical data
17.
Pediatrics ; 141(4)2018 04.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29563237

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adults with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (eg, abuse) have suboptimal health outcomes. Resilience may blunt this effect. The effect of parental ACEs (and resilience) on coping with challenges involving their children (eg, hospitalization) is unclear. We sought to quantify ACE and resilience scores for parents of hospitalized children and evaluate their associations to parental coping after discharge. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study at a children's hospital (August 2015-May 2016). Eligible participants were English-speaking parents of children hospitalized on the Hospital Medicine or Complex Services team. The ACE questionnaire measured the responding parent's past adversity (ACE range: 0-10; ≥4 ACEs = high adversity). The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was used to measure their resilience (range: 1-5; higher is better). The primary outcome was measured by using the Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale via a phone call 14 days post-discharge (range: 0-100; higher is worse). Associations were assessed by using multivariable linear regression, adjusting for parent- and patient-level covariates. RESULTS: A total of 671 (81% of eligible parents) responded. Respondents were primarily women (90%), employed (66%), and had at least a high school degree (65%); 60% of children were white, 54% were publicly insured. Sixty-four percent of parents reported ≥1 ACE; 19% had ≥4 ACEs. The mean Brief Resilience Scale score for parents was 3.95. In adjusted analyses, higher ACEs and lower resilience were significantly associated with more difficulty coping after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: More parental adversity and less resilience are associated with parental coping difficulties after discharge, representing potentially important levers for transition-focused interventions.


Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events/psychology , Adverse Childhood Experiences/trends , Parents/psychology , Patient Discharge/trends , Resilience, Psychological , Adult , Child , Cohort Studies , Humans , Prospective Studies , Surveys and Questionnaires
18.
J Hosp Med ; 13(5): 304-310, 2018 May.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29345256

OBJECTIVE: Communication among those involved in a child's care during hospitalization can mitigate or exacerbate family stress and confusion. As part of a broader qualitative study, we present an in-depth understanding of communication issues experienced by families during their child's hospitalization and during the transition to home. METHODS: Focus groups and individual interviews stratified by socioeconomic status included caregivers of children recently discharged from a children's hospital after acute illnesses. An open-ended, semistructured question guide designed by investigators included communication-related questions addressing information shared with families from the medical team about discharge, diagnoses, instructions, and care plans. By using an inductive thematic analysis, 4 investigators coded transcripts and resolved differences through consensus. RESULTS: A total of 61 caregivers across 11 focus groups and 4 individual interviews participated. Participants were 87% female and 46% non-white. Analyses resulted in 3 communication-related themes. The first theme detailed experiences affecting caregiver perceptions of communication between the inpatient medical team and families. The second revealed communication challenges related to the teaching hospital environment, including confusing messages associated with large multidisciplinary teams, aspects of family-centered rounds, and confusion about medical team member roles. The third reflected caregivers' perceptions of communication between providers in and out of the hospital, including types of communication caregivers observed or believed occurred between medical providers. CONCLUSIONS: Participating caregivers identified various communication concerns and challenges during their child's hospitalization and transition home. Caregiver perspectives can inform strategies to improve experiences, ease challenges inherent to a teaching hospital, and determine which types of communication are most effective.

19.
Acta Paediatr ; 106(10): 1666-1673, 2017 Oct.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28580692

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.


Asphyxia Neonatorum/prevention & control , Education, Continuing/statistics & numerical data , Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/prevention & control , Asphyxia Neonatorum/etiology , Humans , Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/complications , Infant, Newborn , Kenya , Quality Improvement , Respiration, Artificial
20.
Hosp Pediatr ; 7(7): 410-414, 2017 Jul.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28596445

Children with medical complexity are a rapidly growing inpatient population with frequent, lengthy, and costly hospitalizations. During hospitalization, these patients require care coordination among multiple subspecialties and their outpatient medical homes. At a large freestanding children's hospital, a new inpatient model of care was developed in an effort to consistently provide coordinated, family-centered, and efficient care. In addition to expanding the multidisciplinary team to include a pharmacist, dietician, and social worker, the team redesign included: (1) medication reconciliation rounds, (2) care coordination rounds, and (3) multidisciplinary weekly handoff with outpatient providers. During weekly medication reconciliation rounds, the team pharmacist reviews each patient's current medications with the team. In care coordination rounds, the team collaborates with unit care managers to identify discharge needs and complete discharge tasks. Finally, at the end of the week, the outgoing hospital medicine attending physician hands off patient care to the incoming attending with input from the team's pharmacist, dietician, and social worker. Families and providers noted improvements in care coordination with the new care model. Remaining challenges include balancing resident autonomy and attending supervision, as well as supporting providers in delivering care that can be emotionally challenging. Aspects of this care model could be tested and adapted at other hospitals that care for children with medical complexity. Additionally, future work should study the impact of inpatient complex care models on patient health outcomes and experience.


Child, Hospitalized/statistics & numerical data , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Hospitals, Pediatric , Patient Care Management , Child , Hospitals, Pediatric/organization & administration , Hospitals, Pediatric/standards , Humans , Medication Reconciliation/organization & administration , Models, Organizational , Multimorbidity , Ohio , Patient Care Management/methods , Patient Care Management/organization & administration , Patient Care Team/organization & administration
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