Understanding the impact of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic on hospitalized patients with substance use disorder.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-COV-2 pandemic rapidly shifted dynamics around hospitalization for many communities. This study aimed to evaluate how the pandemic altered the experience of healthcare, acute illness, and care transitions among hospitalized patients with substance use disorder (SUD). METHODS: We performed a qualitative study at an academic medical center in Portland, Oregon, in Spring 2020. We conducted semi-structured interviews, and conducted a thematic analysis, using an inductive approach, at a semantic level. RESULTS: We enrolled 27 participants, and identified four main themes: 1) shuttered community resources threatened patients' basic survival adaptations; 2) changes in outpatient care increased reliance on hospitals as safety nets; 3) hospital policy changes made staying in the hospital harder than usual; and, 4) care transitions out of the hospital were highly uncertain. DISCUSSION: Hospitalized adults with SUD were further marginalized during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Systems must address the needs of marginalized patients in future disruptive events.

[The implementation of the law 4509/2017 in the Forensic Department of the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki].

According to the Explanatory Memorandum of the law 4509/2017, a significant change is being made to the current institutional framework of Articles 69 and 70 of the ECHR concerning the penal treatment of mentally ill offenders, in order to ensure a high level of treatment for perpetrators with mental or intellectual disorder. In application of the law, it was examined in court the abolishment, maintenance or replacement of the treatment measure of 47 patients from the Department of Forensic Psychiatry in Thessaloniki. The results were compared with the previous status quo. In 22 cases, abolishment was ordered for the patients to be discharged and return to their parent's home or to Psychosocial Rehabilitation Units. In 11 of them, their stay was in direct violation of the law due to exceeding the cap as defined by the severity of the offense. However, 7 patients remain voluntarily in the Department, as no beds are available in reintegration structures. 13 patients who have committed homicide remain with the psychiatrist's agreement beyond the overrunning the ten years of treatment due to the severity of the disease or the risk for violent behavior. The Public Prosecutor has provided solutions in many cases and has appointed lawyers for all patients as prescribed by law. However, the judiciary remains cautious and the trend towards exhaustion of the limits is clear, despite the fact that their fears are not confirmed by international bibliographic data. The application of N 4509/2017 attempts to change the landscape for this particular group of patients and allows visions for de-institutionalization, elimination of the stigma and personalized treatment, despite any ambiguities or potential problems that may arise. However, as the predominant social viewpoint, shown by the media, treats the mentally ill as dangerous, any positive changes are doomed to fail. In addition, it is necessary to develop psychiatric services for the treatment of patients which will not only treat psychotic symptoms but also antisocial and aggressive behavior in general.

Does legislative change affect the use and duration of compulsory treatment orders?

OBJECTIVE: Victoria, Australia, introduced reformed mental health legislation in 2014. The Act was based on a policy platform of recovery-oriented services, supported decision-making and minimisation of the use and duration of compulsory orders. This paper compares service utilisation and legal status after being on a community treatment order under the Mental Health Act 1986 (Vic) with that under the Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic). METHODS: We obtained two distinct data sets of persons who had been on a community treatment order for at least 3 months and their subsequent treatment episodes over 2 years under the Mental Health Act and/or as an inpatient for the periods 2008-2010 (Mental Health Act 1986) and 2014-2016 (Mental Health Act 2014). The two sets were compared to assess the difference in use, duration and odds of having a further admission over 2 years. We also considered the mode of discharge - whether by the treating psychiatrist, external body or through expiry. RESULTS: Compared with the Mental Health Act 1986, under the Mental Health Act 2014, index community treatment orders were shorter (mean 227 days compared with 335 days); there was a reduction in the mean number of community treatment orders in the 2 years following the index discharge - 1.1 compared with 1.5 (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.71, 95% confidence interval = [0.63, 0.80]) - and a 51% reduction in days on an order over 2 years. There was a reduction in the number of subsequent orders for those whose order expired or was revoked by the psychiatrist under the Mental Health Act 2014 compared to those under the Mental Health Act 1986. The number of orders which were varied to an inpatient order by the authorised psychiatrist was notably greater under the Mental Health Act 2014. CONCLUSION: The reformed Mental Health Act has been successful in its intent to reduce the use and duration of compulsory orders in the community. The apparent increase in return to inpatient orders raises questions regarding the intensity and effectiveness of community treatment and context of service delivery.

Tendência temporal de internação por queimadura no Sul do Brasil / Hospitalization trends due burns in the South of Brazil / Tendencia temporal de internación por quemadura en el Sur de Brasil

Objetivo: Avaliar a tendência temporal de internação por queimadura no Sul do Brasil, no período de 2008 a 2016. Método: Estudo ecológico de séries temporais, realizado a partir do Banco de Dados do SIH-SUS, com internações de residentes do Sul do Brasil, de 2008 a 2016. As taxas de internações foram padronizadas pelos estados do Sul, sexo e faixa etária e foi realizada regressão linear simples para estimar as tendências de internação. Resultados: No período estudado ocorreram 37.571 internações. A taxa de internação por queimadura em 2008, início do período, foi 13,11 internações por 100.000 habitantes, finalizando em 2016 com taxa de 14,60/100.000 habitantes, mantendo-se constante no período. No sexo masculino as taxas foram superiores, iniciando o período com 15,87/100.000, finalizando a série histórica com 19,76/100.000. No feminino, a taxa manteve-se linear durante o período. Verificou-se que o Paraná apresentou as maiores taxas em relação a Santa Catarina e Rio Grande do Sul. A faixa etária mais acometida foi de 0-19 anos. Conclusão: Há tendência de estabilidade na taxa geral de internação. O sexo masculino e a faixa etária de 0-19 anos são os mais acometidos por queimaduras no Sul do Brasil. O Paraná tem maiores taxas de internação quando comparado aos outros dois estados.

Objective: To evaluate the temporal trend of hospitalization for burns in the South of Brazil, from 2008 to 2016. Methods: Ecological study of time series, carried out from the Database of the SIH-SUS, with hospitalizations of residents of the South of Brazil, from 2008 to 2016. The hospitalization rates were standardized by the southern states, sex and age group and a simple linear regression was performed to estimate the hospitalization trends. Results: During the study period, 37,571 hospitalizations occurred. The hospitalization rate for burns in 2008, beginning of the period, was 13.11 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants, ending the period (2016) with a rate of 14.60 / 100,000 inhabitants, remaining constant in the period. In males the rates were higher, starting the period with 15.87 / 100,000, finishing the historical series with 19.76 / 100,000. In the female, the rate remained linear during the period. It was verified that Paraná presented the highest rates in relation to Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The most affected age group was 0-19 years. Conclusion: There was a trend towards stability in the general hospitalization rate. The male gender and age group of 0-19 years were the most affected by burns in the South of Brazil. Paraná has the highest hospitalization rates when compared to the other two states.

Objetivo: Evaluar la tendencia temporal de internación por quemadura en el Sur de Brasil, en el período de 2008 a 2016. Metodos: Estudio ecológico de series temporales, realizado a partir del Banco de Datos del SIH-SUS, con internaciones de residentes del Sur de Brasil, de 2008 a 2016. Las tasas de internaciones fueron estandarizadas por los estados del Sur, sexo y grupo de edad y se realizó una regresión lineal simple para estimar las tendencias de internación. Resultados: En el período estudiado ocurrieron 37.571 internaciones. La tasa de internación por quemadura en 2008, inicio del período, fue 13,11 internaciones por 100.000 habitantes, finalizando el período (2016) con tasa de 14,60 / 100.000 habitantes, manteniendo constante en el período. En el sexo masculino las tasas fueron superiores, iniciando el período con 15,87 / 100.000, finalizando la serie histórica con 19,76 / 100.000. En el femenino, la tasa se ha mantenido lineal durante el período. Se verificó que el Paraná presentó las mayores tasas en relación a Santa Catarina y Rio Grande do Sul. El grupo de edad más afectado fue de 0-19 años. Conclusión: Hubo tendencia de estabilidad en la tasa general de internación. El sexo masculino y el grupo de edad de 0-19 años fueron los más afectados por quemaduras en el sur de Brasil. El Paraná se quedó siendo el estado con mayores tasas de internación cuando comparado a los otros dos estados.

Supply-Side Disruption in Cocaine Production Associated With Cocaine-Related Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of precursor chemical regulation aimed at reducing cocaine production on cocaine-related maternal and newborn hospital stays in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed monthly counts of maternal and neonatal stays from January 2002 through December 2013 by using a quasi-experimental interrupted time series design. We estimated the preregulation linear trend, postregulation change in linear trend, and abrupt change in level. RESULTS: The number of monthly cocaine-related maternal and neonatal stays decreased by 221 and 128 stays, respectively, following the cocaine precursor regulation change. We also observed a further decline in per-month maternal and neonatal stays of 18 and 8 stays, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A supply-side disruption in the United States cocaine market was associated with reduced hospital stays for 2 vulnerable populations: pregnant women and newborns. Results support findings that federal precursor regulation can positively reduce cocaine availability in the United States.

Efectividad de un programa de alta precoz tras parto normal / Effectiveness of an early discharge program after normal childbirth

Objetivo. Implantar un programa de alta precoz hospitalaria en el parto sin complicaciones para mejorar la efectividad, garantizando la seguridad clínica y la aceptabilidad de los pacientes. Material y métodos. Estudio descriptivo de la efectividad de un programa de alta precoz en el parto sin complicaciones entre febrero de 2012 y septiembre de 2013. Población a estudio: puérperas y recién nacidos con ingreso en el Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, con una duración inferior a 24h, tras parto sin complicaciones que cumplieran los criterios de inclusión definidos. La satisfacción se evaluó mediante una encuesta con escala Likert. La efectividad del programa se monitorizó mediante indicadores de seguridad, productividad, adecuación y continuidad asistencial. Resultados. El 20% de los casos susceptibles de alta precoz del Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada completaron el programa. El 94% fueron partos eutócicos. Los 188 casos incluidos —sobre 911 pacientes con parto no complicado— representaron el 6,5% del total de los 2.857 partos atendidos. La estancia media de las pacientes incluidas presentó una disminución del 50% (2,4 a 1,2 días). La continuidad asistencial tras el alta hospitalaria fue seguida por la totalidad de las pacientes. En el 4,8% se reprogramó una consulta de revisión. El 2% de las pacientes reingresaron antes de 96h por problemas no graves. Cuatro recién nacidos (2%) precisaron atención en urgencias (madre o recién nacido) antes de 96h. La evaluación de la satisfacción de las pacientes alcanzó 4,5 sobre 5. Conclusiones. El programa logró una disminución de la estancia media en un 50%, favoreciendo la autonomía de las matronas. Su nivel de aceptación está en línea con intervenciones similares. El despliegue realizado puede ser útil para otras modificaciones de procesos asistenciales (AU)

Objective. To implement a program of early hospital discharge after an uncomplicated birth, in order to improve the effectiveness, as well as ensuring clinical safety and patient acceptability. Material and methods. Descriptive study of the effectiveness of an early discharge program after uncomplicated delivery between February 2012 and September 2013. The populations are post-partum women and newborns admitted to the University Hospital of Fuenlabrada, with a duration of less than 24h after uncomplicated delivery that met the defined inclusion criteria. Satisfaction was assessed using a Likert scale. The effectiveness of the program was monitored by safety indicators, productivity, adaptation, and continuity of care. Results. A total of 20% of cases capable of early discharge from Fuenlabrada University Hospital completed the program. Almost all (94%) were normal deliveries. The 188 cases included were from 911 patients with uncomplicated childbirth, accounting for 6.5% of the 2,857 total births. The mean stay of patients included showed a decrease of 50% (2.4 to 1.2 days). All patients received continuity of care after hospital discharge. The review consultation was reprogrammed for 4.8% of cases, with 2% of patients re-admitted within 96h. with no serious problems. Four newborns (2%) required attention in the emergency department (mother or newborn) before 96h. The assessment of patient satisfaction achieved a score of 4.5 out of 5. Conclusions. The program achieved a decrease in the average stay by 50%, favouring the autonomy of midwives. This acceptance level is in line with similar interventions. The deployment of the program may be useful for other changes in care processes (AU)

The compulsory psychiatric regime in Hong Kong: Constitutional and ethical perspectives.

This article examines the compulsory psychiatric regime in Hong Kong. Under section 36 of the Mental Health Ordinance, which authorises long-term detention of psychiatric patients, a District Judge is required to countersign the form filled out by the registered medical practitioners in order for the detention to be valid. Case law, however, has shown that the role of the District Judge is merely administrative. This article suggests that, as it currently stands, the compulsory psychiatric regime in Hong Kong is unconstitutional because it fails the proportionality test. In light of this conclusion, the author proposes two solutions to deal with the issue, by common law or by legislative reform. The former would see an exercise of discretion by the courts read into section 36, while the latter would involve piecemeal reform of the relevant provisions to give the courts an explicit discretion to consider substantive issues when reviewing compulsory detention applications. The author argues that these solutions would introduce effective judicial supervision into the compulsory psychiatric regime and safeguard against abuse of process.

Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2017. Final rule.

This final rule will update the prospective payment rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2017 as required by the statute. As required by section 1886(j)(5) of the Act, this rule includes the classification and weighting factors for the IRF prospective payment system's (IRF PPS's) case-mix groups and a description of the methodologies and data used in computing the prospective payment rates for FY 2017. This final rule also revises and updates quality measures and reporting requirements under the IRF quality reporting program (QRP).

An antimicrobial stewardship program reduces antimicrobial therapy duration and hospital stay in surgical wards / Un programa de uso de antimicrobianos reduce la duración de la terapia antimicrobiana y la estancia hospitalaria en salas de cirugía

We report a quasi-experimental study of the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in two surgical wards, with a pre-intervention period with just assessment of prescription and an intervention period with a prospective audit on antibiotic prescription model. There was a significant reduction of length of stay and the total days of antimicrobial administration. There were no differences in mortality between groups. The antimicrobial stewardship program led to the early detection of inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment and was associated with a significant reduction in length of stay and the total duration of antimicrobial therapy (AU)

Presentamos un estudio cuasi-experimental de la aplicación de un programa de uso de terapia antimicrobiana en dos salas quirúrgicas, con un período de pre-intervención en que se realizó evaluación de la prescripción y un período de intervención con una auditoría prospectiva sobre la prescripción antibiótica siguiendo un modelo de recomendación. Hubo una reducción significativa de la estancia media y del total de días de tratamiento antibiótico. No hubo diferencias en la mortalidad entre los grupos. El programa de uso de terapia antimicrobiana condujo a la detección precoz de tratamiento antibiótico empírico inadecuado y se asoció con una reducción significativa de la estancia media y la duración total de la terapia antimicrobiana (AU)

Tensions between policy and practice: A qualitative analysis of decisions regarding compulsory admission to psychiatric hospital.

The use of detention for psychiatric treatment is widespread and sometimes necessary. International human rights law requires a legal framework to safeguard the rights to liberty and personal integrity by preventing arbitrary detention. However, research suggests that extra-legal factors may influence decisions to detain. This article presents observational and interview data to describe how decisions to detain are made in practice in one jurisdiction (England and Wales) where a tension between policy and practice has been described. The analysis shows that practitioners mould the law into 'practical criteria' that appear to form a set of operational criteria for identifying cases to which the principle of soft paternalism may be applied. Most practitioners also appear willing, albeit often reluctantly, to depart from their usual reliance on the principle of soft paternalism and authorise detention of people with the capacity to refuse treatment, in order to prevent serious harm. We propose a potential resolution for the tension between policy and practice: two separate legal frameworks to authorise detention, one with a suitable test of capacity, used to enact soft paternalism, and the other to provide legal justification for detention for psychiatric treatment of the small number of people who retain decision-making capacity but nonetheless choose to place others at risk by refusing treatment. This separation of detention powers into two systems, according to the principle that justifies the use of detention would be intellectually coherent, consistent with human rights instruments and, being consistent with the apparent moral sentiments of practitioners, less prone to idiosyncratic interpretations in practice.

Inpatient forensic-psychiatric care: Legal frameworks and service provision in three European countries.

Laws governing the detention and treatment of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) vary widely across Europe, yet little information is available about the features of these laws and their comparative advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this article is to compare the legal framework governing detention in forensic psychiatric care in three European countries with long-established services for MDOs, England, Germany and the Netherlands. A literature review was conducted alongside consultation with experts from each country. We found that the three countries differ in several areas, including criteria for admission, review of detention, discharge process, the concept of criminal responsibility, service provision and treatment philosophy. Our findings suggest a profound difference in how each country relates to MDOs, with each approach contributing to different pathways and potentially different outcomes for the individual. Hopefully making these comparisons will stimulate debate and knowledge exchange on an international level to aid future research and the development of best practice in managing this population.

Exploring and explaining involuntary care: The relationship between psychiatric admission status, gender and other demographic and clinical variables.

Involuntary admission and treatment are features of psychiatric care in many countries, but the relationship between involuntary status and gender (among other factors) is not clear. We examined demographic and diagnostic factors associated with involuntary admission in a general adult psychiatry service in a deprived area of Dublin's north inner-city over a 7-year period (2008 to 2014 inclusive). Over this period, there were 1099 admissions, yielding an annual admission rate of 504.8 admissions per 100,000 population per year. When adjusted for deprivation, this rate (387.7) was lower than the national rate (413.9). Consistent with other inner-city areas in Dublin, 14.1% of admissions were involuntary, yielding an involuntary admission rate of 71.2 per 100,000 population per year (deprivation-adjusted rate: 54.8), which is higher than the national rate (39.4). After controlling for age, occupation, marital status and diagnosis, the only independent predictors of admission status were place of origin (p<0.001) and male gender (p=0.001). These findings are consistent with studies showing associations between male gender and involuntary status in the United States, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. In contrast, female gender is associated with involuntary status in Switzerland, Brazil, and China. These cross-national differences are likely related to differing legal traditions and different criteria for involuntary admission, possibly related to varying emphases placed on "dangerousness" as a mandatory criterion for involuntary hospitalization. This merits further, cross-national study.

Unlocking the doors to Canadian older inmate mental health data: Rates and potential legal responses.

This article is based on a quantitative study investigating the quality of life of older Canadian prisoners. For this study, social science methodology was used to answer certain legal questions, such as: what are the mental health issues of older male offenders and how are these needs influencing the exercise of their legal rights? Are institutions prepared to deal with the increased needs of older offenders? If no, is this an infringement of this group's rights? In this article, the mental health problems of older offenders are first outlined. Second, the legal, policy, and institutional limitations in responding to these problems are described. Based on these findings, it is maintained that a change in the treatment of older offenders is needed. Third, statutory and constitutional challenges are explored. If change does not come voluntarily, it is the duty of the courts to have a flexible and open-minded approach toward different actions that challenge the current prison regime.

The 72-Hour Medicare Mandate After Total Joint Arthroplasty: Is This Medically Necessary?

INTRODUCTION: Currently, Medicare total joint arthroplasty patients are required to stay postoperatively 3 days in the hospital before discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). We evaluated Medicare's mandated 3-night hospital stay rule to find out how many total joint arthroplastic patients are safe for discharge to SNFs on postoperative day 2 (POD2). METHODS: This is a retrospective case series analyzing Medicare primary total hip or total knee arthroplastic patients at a single hospital over 1 year. Patients meeting 15 separate criteria by POD2 were considered safe for discharge home rather than to a SNF. RESULTS: Of 259 patients, 47.88% met discharge criteria to SNF POD2. 31.66% did not meet 1, 13.13% did not meet 2, and 6.95% did not meet ≥3 criteria on POD2. Common criteria delaying discharge were blood pressure abnormalities, increasing or elevated white blood cell count, cardiac abnormalities, and fever. Thirty-day readmission rate for patients in the group safe for discharge POD2 was 1.75%. CONCLUSION: Of the total, 47.88% of patients required to stay by the Medicare 3-night stay rule were safe for discharge to SNF on POD2 without an increase in readmission rate at 30 days when compared to our institutional mean.

Use of power of attorney in Scotland.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Power of Attorney as a form of surrogate decision making was introduced within the Adults with Incapacity, Scotland Act (2000) to help individuals who lack mental capacity due to illnesses like dementia. Even after a decade, little was known if it has been useful. We sought to find out how useful the power of attorney document has been so far in supporting people when they lose their capacity and identify any barriers. METHODS AND RESULTS: We did a survey and approached a random sample of 5000 attorneys in Scotland. A total of 1226 attorneys responded; 59% of the respondents had never used their powers but still considered it useful for 'peace of mind'. For the majority, the costs of arranging a power of attorney ranged in between £150 and £300. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that power of attorney is useful to safeguard interests of people when they lose capacity. Costs remain a big barrier. Further studies are required to understand the long-term impact of providing financial support to arrange a power of attorney at an early stage on reducing delayed discharges in hospitals.

[Multimorbid Patients in Forensic Psychiatry: Chances of Being Discharged]. / Entlasschancen multimorbider Patienten im psychiatrischen Maßregelvollzug.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the chances of discharge of forensic psychiatric patients (section 63 of the German Legal Code) diagnosed with comorbid psychiatric and somatic disorders. METHODS: N = 364 patients were evaluated. Diagnostic groups were compared with regard to types and frequencies of comorbid diagnoses, and treatment duration. RESULTS: Both personality disorders as main diagnoses and comorbid personality disorders were associated with prolonged inpatient treatment. Substance dependence in addition to a personality disorder was an aggravating factor. Comorbid somatic disorders affected treatment duration of patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Somatic comorbidity may negatively interact with the treatment of psychiatric problems in schizophrenic patients and thus affect the prospects of discharge in this patient group.