Hip-fracture study quantifies risks of premature hospital release.A recent study funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.pr formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, this agency researches the quality of medical care and health services. concluded that the early release of patients hospitalized for hip fractures leads to a 360 percent greater chance of death and 60 percent greater chance of readmission readmission Managed care The admission of a Pt to a health care facility for a condition–eg, stroke, MI, GI bleeding, hip fracture, cancer surgery, shortly after discharge. See nth admission. Cf Admission, Discharge. within 60 days. Many experts believe the study's findings can be extrapolated to other ailments and lend credence to the position that pressure to cut costs is resulting in inadequate or even detrimental health care. Thomas Masterson, chair of ATLA's Professional Negligence professional negligence n. See malpractice. Section, said that the study's conclusions reflect "common sense." Rushing patients out of the hospital "affects the bottom line, but it also results in the deaths of a lot of patients." Arthur Levin, director of the Center for Medical Consumers in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , said the research may help improve hospital discharge procedures. The study has identified the need "to really assess whether or not a patient should be sent home or kept in the hospital" for a longer stay. Conducted by a research team led by Mount Sinai School The Michael Sobell Sinai school is a Jewish primary school in Kenton, London. It is the largest Jewish primary school in Europe, and has always been regarded as a successful co-educational school for children aged 3-11. of Medicine's Ethan Halm, the study was based on 559 hospital patients in the New York metropolitan area New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and the third most populous in the world, after Tokyo and Mexico City. who were admitted and discharged in 1997 and 1998. Researchers identified several acute clinical issues that could cause complications for patients recovering from hip fractures, including abnormal vital signs, mental confusion, heart or lung problems, and an inability to eat. The researchers also found that time spent in a post-acute care facility, such as a rehabilitation hospital or skilled nursing home, did not eliminate the risks associated with early discharge. In particular, Levin believes the study shows that lawyers and consumer advocates must look at discharge processes more closely. The study, "Frequency and Impact of Active Clinical Issues and New Impairments on Hospital Discharge in Patients with Hip Fracture," was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine The Archives of Internal Medicine is a bi-monthly international peer-reviewed professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of Internal Medicine (Jan. 13, 2003). |
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