Implementation of outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty in a multicenter public healthcare setting.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Length of hospital stay after hip and knee arthroplasty is about 1 day in Denmark with few patients discharged on the day of surgery. Hence, a protocol for multicenter implementation of discharge on day of surgery has been instituted. We aimed to describe the implementation of outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty in a multicenter public healthcare setting. METHODS: We performed a prospective multicenter study from 7 public hospitals across Denmark. Patients were screened using well-defined in- and exclusion criteria and were discharged on day of surgery when fulfilling functional discharge criteria. The study period was from September 2022 to February 2023 with variable start of implementation. Data from the same centers in a 6-month period before the COVID pandemic from July 2019 to December 2019 was used for baseline control. RESULTS: Of 2,756 primary hip and knee arthroplasties, 37% (95% confidence interval [CI] 35-39) were eligible (range 21-50% in centers) and 52% (range 24-62%) of these were discharged on day of surgery. 21% (CI 20-23) of all patients (eligible and non-eligible) were discharged on day of surgery with a range of 10-31% within centers. This was an additional 15% (CI 13-17, P < 0.001) compared with patients discharged in the control period (6% in 2019). CONCLUSION: We found it possible to perform outpatient hip and knee replacement in 21% of patients in a public healthcare setting, probably to be increased with further center experience.

Mini-Navigation Utilization in THA Results in Shorter Length of Stay, Increased Home Discharge, and Higher Physical Therapy Mobilization Scores Compared to THA Without Navigation.

BACKGROUND: As volume of total hip arthroplasty (THA) continues to increase, the utilization and availability of in-traoperative advanced technologies to arthroplasty surgeons continues to rise as well. Our primary goal was to determine whether the use of a mini navigation technology extended operative times and secondarily if it affected postoperative outcomes following elective THA. METHODS: A single-institution total joint arthroplasty da-tabase was utilized to identify adult patients who underwent elective THA from 2017 to 2019. Baseline demographic data along with surgical operative time, length of stay (LOS) and discharge disposition were collected. The Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) was used to determine physi-cal therapy progress. RESULTS: A total of 1,162 THAs were performed of which 69.1% (803) used navigation while 30.9% (359) did not. Baseline demographics including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), insurance, and smoking status were not statistically different between groups. The operative time was shorter in the navigation group compared to THA without navigation (115.1 vs. 118.9 min, p < 0.0001). Mean LOS was signifi-cantly shorter in the navigation THA group as compared to THA without navigation (2.1 vs. 2.6 days, p < 0.0001). Postoperative AM-PAC scores were higher in the navigation group on postoperative day 1 as compared to patients with-out navigation (18.87 vs. 17.52, p < 0.0001). Additionally, a greater percentage of patients were discharged directly home after THA with navigation as compared to THA without navigation (89.54% vs. 83.57%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that hip navigation technology in the setting of THA is associated with reduced operative times and higher AM-PAC mobilization scores. Hip mini navigation technology shortens operative times while improving early patient outcome scores in association with shorter LOS and greater home-based discharge.

Hospital Readmission Rates for Patients Receiving In-Person vs. Telemedicine Discharge Follow-Up Care.

INTRODUCTION: Unplanned readmissions can be avoided by standardizing and improving the coordination of care after discharge. Telemedicine has been increasingly utilized; however, the quality of this care has not been well studied. Standardized measures can provide an objective comparison of care quality. The purpose of our study was to compare quality performance transitions of care management in the office vs telemedicine. METHODS: The Epic SlicerDicer tool was used to compare the percentage of encounters that were completed via telemedicine (video visits); or via in-person for comparison, Chi-squared tests were used. RESULTS: A total of 13,891 patients met the inclusion criteria during the study time frame. There were 12,846 patients in the office and 1,048 in the telemedicine cohort. The office readmission rate was 11.9% with 1,533 patients out of 12,846 compared with telemedicine with the rate of readmission at 12.1% with 126 patients out of 1,045 patients. The P-value for the Chi-squared test between the prepandemic and study time frame was 0.15 and 0.95, respectively. Demographic comparability was seen. DISCUSSION: Our study found a comparable readmission rate between patients seen via in-office and telemedicine for Transitions of Care Management (TCM) encounters. The findings of this study support the growing body of evidence that telemedicine augments quality performance while reducing cost and improving access without negatively impacting HEDIS performance in health care systems. CONCLUSION: Telemedicine poses little threat of negatively impacting HEDIS performance and might be as effective as posthospitalization traditional office care transitions of care management.

Inflammatory subphenotypes previously identified in ARDS are associated with mortality at intensive care unit discharge: a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit (ICU)-survivors have an increased risk of mortality after discharge compared to the general population. On ICU admission subphenotypes based on the plasma biomarker levels of interleukin-8, protein C and bicarbonate have been identified in patients admitted with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that are prognostic of outcome and predictive of treatment response. We hypothesized that if these inflammatory subphenotypes previously identified among ARDS patients are assigned at ICU discharge in a more general critically ill population, they are associated with short- and long-term outcome. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study conducted in two Dutch ICUs between 2011 and 2014 was performed. All patients discharged alive from the ICU were at ICU discharge adjudicated to the previously identified inflammatory subphenotypes applying a validated parsimonious model using variables measured median 10.6 h [IQR, 8.0-31.4] prior to ICU discharge. Subphenotype distribution at ICU discharge, clinical characteristics and outcomes were analyzed. As a sensitivity analysis, a latent class analysis (LCA) was executed for subphenotype identification based on plasma protein biomarkers at ICU discharge reflective of coagulation activation, endothelial cell activation and inflammation. Concordance between the subphenotyping strategies was studied. RESULTS: Of the 8332 patients included in the original cohort, 1483 ICU-survivors had plasma biomarkers available and could be assigned to the inflammatory subphenotypes. At ICU discharge 6% (n = 86) was assigned to the hyperinflammatory and 94% (n = 1397) to the hypoinflammatory subphenotype. Patients assigned to the hyperinflammatory subphenotype were discharged with signs of more severe organ dysfunction (SOFA scores 7 [IQR 5-9] vs. 4 [IQR 2-6], p < 0.001). Mortality was higher in patients assigned to the hyperinflammatory subphenotype (30-day mortality 21% vs. 11%, p = 0.005; one-year mortality 48% vs. 28%, p < 0.001). LCA deemed 2 subphenotypes most suitable. ICU-survivors from class 1 had significantly higher mortality compared to class 2. Patients belonging to the hyperinflammatory subphenotype were mainly in class 1. CONCLUSIONS: Patients assigned to the hyperinflammatory subphenotype at ICU discharge showed significantly stronger anomalies in coagulation activation, endothelial cell activation and inflammation pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of critical disease and increased mortality until one-year follow up.

Informal care after hip fracture: prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture is very common and it has life-shattering consequences for older persons. After discharge the older persons need help with even basic everyday activities from formal and informal caregivers. In Scandinavia formal care are well-developed however the presence of informal caregivers likely reflect on the amount of formal care and wears on the informal caregivers. This study explore how often and how much informal care (IC) older persons receive after hip fracture. METHOD: We contacted 244 community-dwelling older persons every two weeks the first twelve weeks after discharge after hip fracture and asked them if they received care from family and/or friends and how much. We used non-parametric statistics and level of significance was 95%. RESULTS: The proportion of older persons receiving IC was 90% and the median amount of IC was 32 hours (IQR 14-66). The number of older persons who received IC was highest the first four weeks after discharge and so was the amount of hours of IC. The older persons that were high-dependence on IC received a median of 66 (IQR 46-107) hours compared to the low-dependent of 11 hours (IQR 2-20). CONCLUSION: IC is very frequent, especially the first two to four weeks after discharge. The median IC was 32 hours from discharge to the 12-week follow-up. However, this figure tended to rise for persons with, among other, reduced functionality and those residing with a partner. IMPLICATIONS: With respect to local differences, the findings in this study are likely applicable to other Scandinavian countries. We strongly suggest that the variation in older person need for informal caregiver be given consideration in the prioritisation of resources. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This prospective cohort study of informal care, was part of a cluster-randomised stepped-wedge clinical controlled trial. Written consent was obtained required by regional ethics committee S-20200070. Data was collected in accordance with the Danish Data Protection Agency (20-21854).

Factors Influencing Readiness for Hospital Discharge among Patients Undergoing Enterostomy: A Descriptive, Cross-sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors influencing hospital discharge readiness among Chinese patients who have undergone enterostomy. METHODS: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, researchers recruited patients with colorectal cancer who underwent enterostomy at a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province, China, via convenience sampling between January 2021 and January 2023. Participants completed the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Ostomy Self-care Ability Scale, and Stoma-Quality of Life-Chinese Questionnaire (Chinese version) at the time of hospital discharge. Univariate, correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to explore the impact of self-care ability, quality of life, and other clinicodemographic characteristics on patients' readiness for hospital discharge. RESULTS: Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 177 (88.5%) were completed and included in the final analysis. The median scores for the factors considered in this study were as follows: Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was 148.00 (interquartile range [IQR], 117.50, 164.00), self-care intention of the Ostomy Self-care Ability Scale was 36.00 (IQR, 34.00, 40.00), self-care knowledge of the Ostomy Self-care Ability Scale was 17.00 (IQR, 15.00, 19.00), self-care skill of the Ostomy Self-care Ability Scale was 5.00 (IQR, 3.00, 6.00), and the total score for quality of life was 60.00 (IQR, 49.00, 69.00). Multiple linear regression analysis identified several key factors explaining 48.2% of the variance in global readiness for hospital discharge: global quality of life (ß = .347, P < .001), self-care knowledge (ß = .259, P < .001), leakage during hospitalization (ß = -0.241, P < .001), monthly family income (ß = .148, P = .008), stoma siting before surgery (ß = .130, P = .020), and self-care intention (ß = .127, P = .035). CONCLUSIONS: The readiness for hospital discharge among patients undergoing enterostomy in this study was high. Factors such as quality of life, self-care knowledge, leakage during hospitalization, monthly family income, stoma siting before surgery, and self-care intention after undergoing enterostomy influenced the patients' readiness for hospital discharge. Therefore, future studies should focus on developing interventions to enhance patients' readiness for hospital discharge.

Systematic review of contemporary interventions for improving discharge support and transitions of care from the patient experience perspective.

AIM: To synthesize the impact of improvement interventions related to care coordination, discharge support and care transitions on patient experience measures. METHOD: Systematic review. Searches were completed in six scientific databases, five specialty journals, and through snowballing. Eligibility included studies published in English (2015-2023) focused on improving care coordination, discharge support, or transitional care assessed by standardized patient experience measures as a primary outcome. Two independent reviewers made eligibility decisions and performed quality appraisals. RESULTS: Of 1240 papers initially screened, 16 were included. Seven studies focused on care coordination activities, including three randomized controlled trials [RCTs]. These studies used enhanced supports such as improvement coaching or tailoring for vulnerable populations within Patient-Centered Medical Homes or other primary care sites. Intervention effectiveness was mixed or neutral relative to standard or models of care or simpler supports (e.g., improvement tool). Eight studies, including three RCTs, focused on enhanced discharge support, including patient education (e.g., teach back) and telephone follow-up; mixed or neutral results on the patient experience were also found and with more substantive risks of bias. One pragmatic trial on a transitional care intervention, using a navigator support, found significant changes only for the subset of uninsured patients and in one patient experience outcome, and had challenges with implementation fidelity. CONCLUSION: Enhanced supports for improving care coordination, discharge education, and post-discharge follow-up had mixed or neutral effectiveness for improving the patient experience with care, compared to standard care or simpler improvement approaches. There is a need to advance the body of evidence on how to improve the patient experience with discharge support and transitional approaches.

Discharge within 24 h, transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery- more suitable for ambulatory surgery in gynecology procedures: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an achievement in the field of minimally invasive surgery. However, the vantage point of vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) in gynecologicalprocedures remains unclear. The main purpose of this study was to compare vNOTES with laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery, and to determine which procedure is more suitable for ambulatory surgery in gynecologic procedures. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Gynecology, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital. The 207 enrolled patients had accepted vNOTES and laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery in gynecology procedures from February 2021 to March 2022. Surgically relevant information regarding patients who underwent ambulatory surgery was collected, and 64 females underwent vNOTES. RESULTS: Multiple outcomes were analyzed in 207 patients. The Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test showed that there were statistically significant differences between the vNOTES and laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery groups in terms of postoperative pain score (0 vs. 1 scores, p = 0.026), duration of anesthesia (90 vs. 101 min, p = 0.025), surgery time (65 vs. 80 min, p = 0.015), estimated blood loss (20 vs. 40 mL, p < 0.001), and intestinal exhaustion time (12.20 vs. 17.14 h, p < 0.001). Treatment with vNOTES resulted in convenience, both with respect to time savings and hemorrhage volume in surgery and with respect to the quality of the prognosis. CONCLUSION: These comprehensive data reveal the capacity of vNOTES to increase surgical efficiency. vNOTES in gynecological procedures may demonstrate sufficient feasibility and provide a new medical strategy compared with laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery for ambulatory surgery in gynecological procedures.

Interpretable (not just posthoc-explainable) medical claims modeling for discharge placement to reduce preventable all-cause readmissions or death.

We developed an inherently interpretable multilevel Bayesian framework for representing variation in regression coefficients that mimics the piecewise linearity of ReLU-activated deep neural networks. We used the framework to formulate a survival model for using medical claims to predict hospital readmission and death that focuses on discharge placement, adjusting for confounding in estimating causal local average treatment effects. We trained the model on a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2008 and 2011, based on their 2009-2011 inpatient episodes (approximately 1.2 million), and then tested the model on 2012 episodes (approximately 400 thousand). The model scored an out-of-sample AUROC of approximately 0.75 on predicting all-cause readmissions-defined using official Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) methodology-or death within 30-days of discharge, being competitive against XGBoost and a Bayesian deep neural network, demonstrating that one need-not sacrifice interpretability for accuracy. Crucially, as a regression model, it provides what blackboxes cannot-its exact gold-standard global interpretation, explicitly defining how the model performs its internal "reasoning" for mapping the input data features to predictions. In doing so, we identify relative risk factors and quantify the effect of discharge placement. We also show that the posthoc explainer SHAP provides explanations that are inconsistent with the ground truth model reasoning that our model readily admits.

Prediction of long-term functional outcome following different rehabilitation pathways after stroke unit discharge.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether referral for different types of rehabilitation on discharge from Swedish stroke units can predict functional outcomes at 1 and 5 years after a stroke. DESIGN: A longitudinal and registry-based study. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: A total of 5,118 participants with index stroke in 2011 were followed-up at 1 and 5 years after the stroke. METHODS: Ordinal logistic regression models were developed to predict the category of functional outcome: independent, dependent, or dead. The primary predictors were planned rehabilitation in a home setting, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation, with no planned rehabilitation as the reference category. RESULTS: Planned outpatient rehabilitation predicted independence (compared with death) at 1 year. Planned rehabilitation in the home setting predicted independence (compared with death) at 1 and 5 years. Compared with other planned pathways, participants planned for inpatient rehabilitation had more severe conditions, and planned inpatient rehabilitation did not predict independence. CONCLUSION: Planning for outpatient or home-based rehabilitation appeared to lead more effectively to participants achieving independence over the course of 1-5 years. This may have been due to the less severe nature of these participants' conditions, compared with those requiring inpatient rehabilitation.

Functional Physical Analysis and Quality of Life in the Preoperative and Early Postoperative Periods of Cardiac Surgery and 30 Days After Hospital Discharge.

INTRODUCTION: The analysis of patients submitted to heart surgery at three assessment times has been insufficiently described in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To analyze chest expansion, maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), distance traveled on the six-minute walk test (6MWT), and quality of life in the preoperative period, fourth postoperative day (4th PO), and 30th day after hospital discharge (30th-day HD) in individuals submitted to elective heart surgery. METHODS: A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted with 15 individuals submitted to elective heart surgery between 2016 and 2020 who did not undergo any type of physiotherapeutic intervention in Phase II of cardiac rehabilitation. The outcome variables were difference in chest expansion (axillary, nipple, and xiphoid), MIP, MEP, distance on 6MWT, and quality of life. The assessment times were preoperative period, 4th PO, and 30th-day HD. RESULTS: Chest expansion diminished between the preoperative period and 4th PO, followed by an increase at 30th-day HD. MIP, MEP, and distance traveled on the 6MWT diminished between the preoperative period and 4th PO, with a return to preoperative values at 30th-day HD. General quality of life improved between the preoperative period and 4th PO and 30th-day HD. An improvement was found in the social domain between the preoperative period and the 30th-day HD. CONCLUSION: Heart surgery causes immediate physical deficit, but physical functioning can be recovered 30 days after hospital discharge, resulting in an improvement in quality of life one month after surgery.

Effect of an in-hospital medication self-management intervention (SelfMED) on medication adherence in polypharmacy patients postdischarge: protocol of a pre-post intervention study.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare providers usually manage medication for patients during hospitalisation, although patients are expected to self-manage their medication after discharge. A lack of self-management competencies is found to be associated with low adherence levels and medication errors harming patients' health. Currently, patients seldom receive support or education in medication self-management. When self-management is allowed during hospitalisation, it is rarely provided using a structured, evidence-based format. Therefore, an in-hospital medication self-management intervention (ie, SelfMED) was developed based on current evidence. To date, empirical data demonstrating the effect of SelfMED on medication adherence are lacking. This study primarily aims to evaluate the effect of the SelfMED intervention on medication adherence 2 months postdischarge in polypharmacy patients, as compared with usual care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre pre-post intervention study will be conducted. The study will start with a control phase investigating usual care (ie, medication management entirely provided by healthcare providers), followed by an intervention period, investigating the effects of the SelfMED intervention. SelfMED consists of multiple components: (1) a stepped assessment evaluating patients' eligibility for in-hospital medication self-management, (2) a monitoring system allowing healthcare providers to follow up medication management and detect problems and (3) a supportive tool providing healthcare providers with a resource to act on observed problems with medication self-management. Polymedicated patients recruited during the control and intervention periods will be monitored for 2 months postdischarge. A total of 225 participants with polypharmacy should be included in each group. Medication adherence 2 months postdischarge, measured by pill counts, will be the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include self-management, medication knowledge, patient and staff satisfaction, perceived workload and healthcare service utilisation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethics committee of the Antwerp University Hospital approved the study (reference no: B3002023000176). Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and summaries in layman's terms. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN15132085.

Hospital at home for elderly acute patients: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The increasing elderly population has led to a growing demand for healthcare services. A hospital at home treatment model offers an alternative to standard hospital admission, with the potential to reduce readmission and healthcare consumption while improving patients' quality of life. However, there is little evidence regarding hospital at home treatment in a Danish setting. This article describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing standard hospital admission to hospital at home treatment. The main aim of the intervention is to reduce 30-day acute readmission after discharge and improve the quality of life of elderly acute patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 849 elderly acute patients will be randomised in a 1:2 ratio to either the control or intervention group in the trial. The control group will receive standard hospital treatment in a hospital emergency department while the intervention group will receive treatment at home. The primary outcomes of the trial are the rate of 30-day acute readmission and quality of life, assessed using the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-5-Level instrument. Primary analyses are based on the intention-to-treat principle. Secondary outcomes are basic functional mobility, resource use in healthcare, primary and secondary healthcare cost, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, and the mortality rate 3 months after discharge. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The RCT was approved by the Ethical Committee, Central Denmark Region (no. 1-10-72-67-20). Results will be presented at relevant national and international meetings and conferences and will be published in international peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, we plan to communicate the results to relevant stakeholders in the Danish healthcare system. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05360914.

Prevalence and factors associated with inappropriate continuation of stress ulcer prophylaxis at discharge.

Stress ulcer prophylaxis is started in the critical care unit to decrease the risk of upper gastrointestinal ulcers in critically ill persons and to decrease mortality caused by stress ulcer complications. Unfortunately, the drugs are often continued after recovery through discharge, paving the way for unnecessary polypharmacy. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study including patients admitted to the adult critical care unit and started on the stress ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or histamine receptor 2 blocker (H2 blocker) with an aim to determine the prevalence of inappropriate continuation at discharge and associated factors. RESULT: 3200 people were initiated on stress ulcer prophylaxis, and the medication was continued in 1666 patients upon discharge. Indication for long-term use was not found in 744 of 1666, with a 44% prevalence of inappropriate continuation. A statistically significant association was found with the following risk factors: discharge disposition (home vs other medical facilities, p=0.002), overall length of stay (more than 10 days vs less than or equal to 10 days, p<0.0001), mechanical ventilator use (p<0.001), number of days on a mechanical ventilator (more than 2 days vs less than or equal to 2 days, p<0.001) and class of stress ulcer prophylaxis drug used (H2 blocker vs PPI, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of inappropriate continuation was found to be higher than prior studies. Given the risk of unnecessary medication intake and the associated healthcare cost, a web-based quality improvement initiative is being considered.

Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary procedures-Structured review and comprehensive meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous coronary intervention is a well-established revascularization strategy for patients with coronary artery disease. The safety and feasibility of performing these procedures on a same-day discharge basis for selected patients has been studied in a large number of mostly nonrandomized trials. An up to date literature review should focus on trials with radial access, representing the current standard for coronary procedures in Austria and other European countries. METHODS: The aim of this consensus statement is to review the most recent evidence for the safety and feasibility of performing same-day discharge procedures in selected patients. A structured literature search was performed using prespecified search criteria, focusing on trials with radial access procedures. RESULTS: A total of 44 clinical trials and 4 large meta-analyses were retrieved, spanning 21 years of clinical evidence from 2001 to 2022. The outcome data from a wide range of clinical settings were unanimous in showing no negative effect on early (24 h) or late (30 day) major adverse events after same-day discharge coronary procedures. Based on nine prospective trials a comprehensive meta-analysis was compiled. Using 1­month major adverse events data the pooled odds ratio of same-day discharge versus overnight stay procedures was 0.66 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.35-01.24; p = 0.19; I2 0%), indicating a noninferiority in carefully selected patients. CONCLUSION: Outcome data from same-day discharge coronary intervention trials with radial access confirm the robust safety profile showing no increase in the risk of major adverse events compared to overnight stay.

Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary procedures-Consensus statement of the working group of interventional cardiology (AGIK) of the Austrian Society of Cardiology.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous coronary intervention is a well-established revascularization strategy for patients with coronary artery disease. Recent technical advances such as radial access, third generation drug-eluting stents and highly effective antiplatelet therapy have substantially improved the safety profile of coronary procedures. Despite several practice guidelines and a clear patient preference of early hospital discharge, the percentage of coronary procedures performed in an outpatient setting in Austria remains low, mostly due to safety concerns. METHODS: The aim of this consensus statement is to provide a practical framework for the safe and effective implementation of coronary outpatient clinics in Austria. Based on a structured literature review and an in-depth analysis of available practice guidelines a consensus statement was developed and peer-reviewed within the working group of interventional cardiology (AGIK) of the Austrian Society of Cardiology. RESULTS: Based on the available literature same-day discharge coronary procedures show a favorable safety profile with no increase in the risk of major adverse events compared to an overnight stay. This document provides a detailed consensus in various clinical settings. The most important prerequisite for same-day discharge is, however, adequate selection of suitable patients and a structured peri-interventional and postinterventional management plan. CONCLUSION: Based on the data analysis this consensus document provides detailed practice guidelines for the safe operation of daycare cathlab programs in Austria.

Improving the Discharge Process at the VA Palo Alto Through Change Management and Implementation of Project Re-Engineered Discharge.

ABSTRACT: This quality improvement project demonstrates that nursing leadership with Project Re-Engineered Discharge can effect change in the discharge process and improve patient outcomes.

"Being the main character but not always involved in one's own care transition" - a qualitative descriptive study of older adults' experiences of being discharged from in-patient care to home.

BACKGROUND: The growing number of older adults with chronic diseases challenges already strained healthcare systems. Fragmented systems make transitions between healthcare settings demanding, posing risks during transitions from in-patient care to home. Despite efforts to make healthcare person-centered during care transitions, previous research indicates that these ambitions are not yet achieved. Therefore, there is a need to examine whether recent initiatives have positively influenced older adults' experiences of transitions from in-patient care to home. This study aimed to describe older adults' experiences of being discharged from in-patient care to home. METHODS: This study had a qualitative descriptive design. Individual interviews were conducted in January-June 2022 with 17 older Swedish adults with chronic diseases and needing coordinated care transitions from in-patient care to home. Data were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The findings indicate that despite being the supposed main character, the older adult is not always involved in the planning and decision-making of their own care transition, often having poor insight and involvement in, and impact on, these aspects. This leads to an experience of mismatch between actual needs and the expectations of planned support after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals a notable disparity between the assumed central role of older adults in care transitions and their insight and involvement in planning and decision-making.

Rethinking postoperative care: same-day ileostomy closure discharge improves patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) in colon and rectal surgery has led to the development of same-day discharge (SDD) procedures for selected patients. Early discharge after diverting loop ileostomy (DLI) closure was first described in 2003. However, its widespread adoption remains limited, with SDD accounting for only 3.2% of all DLI closures in 2005-2006, according to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, and rising to just 4.1% by 2016. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of SDD DLI closure with those of DLI closure after the standard ERP. METHODS: A retrospective case-matched study compared 125 patients undergoing SDD DLI closure with 250 patients undergoing DLI closure after the standard ERP based on age (±1 year), sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, body mass index, surgery date (±2 months), underlying disease, and hospital site. The primary outcome was comparative 30-day complication rates. RESULTS: Patients in the traditional ERP group received more intraoperative fluids (1221.1 ± 416.6 vs 1039.0 ± 368.3 mL, P < .001) but had similar estimated blood loss. Ten patients (8%) in the SDD-ERP group failed SDD. The 30-day postoperative complication rate was significantly lower in the SDD group (14.8%) than the standard ERP group (25.7%, P = .025). This difference was primarily driven by a lower incidence of ileus in the SDD group (9.6% vs 14.8%, P = .034). There were no significant differences in readmission rate (9.6% of SDD-ERP vs 9.2% of standard ERP, P = .900) and reoperation rates (3.2% of SDD-ERP vs 2.4% of standard ERP, P = .650). CONCLUSION: SDD ileostomy closure is a safe, feasible, and effective procedure associated with fewer complications than the present study's standard ERP. This could represent a new standard of care. Further prospective trials are required to confirm the findings of this study.