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Sample records for reported medical home

  1. The Medical Home

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    ... Videos for Educators Search English Español The Medical Home KidsHealth / For Parents / The Medical Home What's in ... for your child. What Does the Term "Medical Home" Mean? A medical home isn't a place ...

  2. Helping Older Adults Improve Their Medication Experience (HOME) by Addressing Medication Regimen Complexity in Home Healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheehan, Orla C; Kharrazi, Hadi; Carl, Kimberly J; Leff, Bruce; Wolff, Jennifer L; Roth, David L; Gabbard, Jennifer; Boyd, Cynthia M

    In skilled home healthcare (SHHC), communication between nurses and physicians is often inadequate for medication reconciliation and needed changes to the medication regimens are rarely made. Fragmentation of electronic health record (EHR) systems, transitions of care, lack of physician-nurse in-person contact, and poor understanding of medications by patients and their families put patients at risk for serious adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to develop and test the HOME tool, an informatics tool to improve communication about medication regimens, share the insights of home care nurses with physicians, and highlight to physicians and nurses the complexity of medication schedules. We used human computer interaction design and evaluation principles, automated extraction from standardized forms, and modification of existing EHR fields to highlight key medication-related insights that had arisen during the SHHC visit. Separate versions of the tool were developed for physicians/nurses and patients/caregivers. A pilot of the tool was conducted using 20 SHHC encounters. Home care nurses and physicians found the tool useful for communication. Home care nurses were able to implement the HOME tool into their clinical workflow and reported improved communication with physicians about medications. This simple and largely automated tool improves understanding and communication around medications in SHHC.

  3. Technology and medication errors: impact in nursing homes.

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    Baril, Chantal; Gascon, Viviane; St-Pierre, Liette; Lagacé, Denis

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to study a medication distribution technology's (MDT) impact on medication errors reported in public nursing homes in Québec Province. The work was carried out in six nursing homes (800 patients). Medication error data were collected from nursing staff through a voluntary reporting process before and after MDT was implemented. The errors were analysed using: totals errors; medication error type; severity and patient consequences. A statistical analysis verified whether there was a significant difference between the variables before and after introducing MDT. The results show that the MDT detected medication errors. The authors' analysis also indicates that errors are detected more rapidly resulting in less severe consequences for patients. MDT is a step towards safer and more efficient medication processes. Our findings should convince healthcare administrators to implement technology such as electronic prescriber or bar code medication administration systems to improve medication processes and to provide better healthcare to patients. Few studies have been carried out in long-term healthcare facilities such as nursing homes. The authors' study extends what is known about MDT's impact on medication errors in nursing homes.

  4. Medical homes for at-risk children: parental reports of clinician-parent relationships, anticipatory guidance, and behavior changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Catherine S; Higman, Susan M; Sia, Calvin; McFarlane, Elizabeth; Fuddy, Loretta; Duggan, Anne K

    2005-01-01

    Family-centeredness, compassion, and trust are 3 attributes of the clinician-parent relationship in the medical home. Among adults, these attributes are associated with patients' adherence to clinicians' advice. The objectives were (1) to measure medical home attributes related to the clinician-parent relationship, (2) to measure provision of anticipatory guidance regarding injury and illness prevention, (3) to relate anticipatory guidance to parental behavior changes, and (4) to relate medical home attributes to anticipatory guidance and parental behavior changes. A cross-sectional study of data collected among at-risk families when children were 1 year of age, in a randomized, controlled trial of a home-visiting program to prevent child abuse and neglect, was performed. Modified subscales of the Primary Care Assessment Survey were used to measure parental ratings of clinicians' family-centeredness, compassion, and trust. Parental reports of provision of anticipatory guidance regarding injury and illness prevention topics (smoke alarms, infant walkers, car seats, hot water temperature, stair guards, sunscreen, firearm safety, and bottle propping) and behavior changes were recorded. Of the 564 mothers interviewed when their children were 1 year of age, 402 (71%) had a primary care provider and had complete data for anticipatory guidance items. By definition, poverty, partner violence, poor maternal mental health, and maternal substance abuse were common in the study sample. Maternal ratings of clinicians' family-centeredness, compassion, and trust were fairly high but ranged widely and varied among population subgroups. Families reported anticipatory guidance for a mean of 4.6 +/- 2.2 topics relevant for discussion. Each medical home attribute was positively associated with parental reports of completeness of anticipatory guidance, ie, family-centeredness (beta = .026, SE = .004), compassion (beta = .019, SE = .005), and trust (beta = .016, SE = .005). Parents

  5. Medication errors in home care: a qualitative focus group study.

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    Berland, Astrid; Bentsen, Signe Berit

    2017-11-01

    To explore registered nurses' experiences of medication errors and patient safety in home care. The focus of care for older patients has shifted from institutional care towards a model of home care. Medication errors are common in this situation and can result in patient morbidity and mortality. An exploratory qualitative design with focus group interviews was used. Four focus group interviews were conducted with 20 registered nurses in home care. The data were analysed using content analysis. Five categories were identified as follows: lack of information, lack of competence, reporting medication errors, trade name products vs. generic name products, and improving routines. Medication errors occur frequently in home care and can threaten the safety of patients. Insufficient exchange of information and poor communication between the specialist and home-care health services, and between general practitioners and healthcare workers can lead to medication errors. A lack of competence in healthcare workers can also lead to medication errors. To prevent these, it is important that there should be up-to-date information and communication between healthcare workers during the transfer of patients from specialist to home care. Ensuring competence among healthcare workers with regard to medication is also important. In addition, there should be openness and accurate reporting of medication errors, as well as in setting routines for the preparation, alteration and administration of medicines. To prevent medication errors in home care, up-to-date information and communication between healthcare workers is important when patients are transferred from specialist to home care. It is also important to ensure adequate competence with regard to medication, and that there should be openness when medication errors occur, as well as in setting routines for the preparation, alteration and administration of medications. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Medical staff organization in nursing homes: scale development and validation.

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    Katz, Paul R; Karuza, Jurgis; Intrator, Orna; Zinn, Jacqueline; Mor, Vincent; Caprio, Thomas; Caprio, Anthony; Dauenhauer, Jason; Lima, Julie

    2009-09-01

    To construct a multidimensional self-report scale to measure nursing home (NH) medical staff organization (NHMSO) dimensions and then pilot the scale using a national survey of medical directors to provide data on its psychometric properties. Instrument development process consisting of the proceedings from the Nursing Home Physician Workforce Conference and focus groups followed by cognitive interviews, which culminated in a survey of a random sample of American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) affiliated medical directors. Analyses were conducted on surveys matched to Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from freestanding nonpediatric nursing homes. A total of 202 surveys were available for analysis and comprised the final sample. Dimensions were identified that measured the extent of medical staff organization in nursing homes and included staff composition, appointment process, commitment (physiciancohesion; leadership turnover/capability), departmentalization (physician supervision, autonomy and interdisciplinary involvement), documentation, and informal dynamics. The items developed to measure each dimension were reliable (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.81 to 0.65).Intercorrelations among the scale dimensions provided preliminary evidence of the construct validity of the scale. This report, for the first time ever, defines and validates NH medical staff organization dimensions, a critical first step in determining the relationship between physician practice and the quality of care delivered in the NH.

  7. The Medical Home Model and Pediatric Asthma Symptom Severity: Evidence from a National Health Survey.

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    Rojanasarot, Sirikan; Carlson, Angeline M

    2018-04-01

    The objective was to investigate the association between receiving care under the medical home model and parental assessment of the severity of asthma symptoms. It was hypothesized that parents of children who received care under the medical home model reported less severe asthma symptoms compared with their counterparts, whose care did not meet the medical home criteria. Secondary analyses were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Children with asthma aged 0-17 years were included and classified as receiving care from the medical home if their care contained 5 components: a personal doctor, a usual source of sick care, family-centered care, no problems getting referrals, and effective care coordination. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between parent-rated severity of asthma symptoms (mild, moderate, and severe symptoms) and the medical home. Approximately 52% of 8229 children who reported having asthma received care from the medical home. Only 30.8% of children with severe asthma symptoms received care that met the medical home criteria, compared to 55.7% of children with mild symptoms. After accounting for confounding factors, obtaining care under the medical home model decreased the odds of parent-reported severe asthma symptoms by 31% (adjusted odds ratio 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.85). Study results suggest that the medical home model can reduce parent-rated severity of asthma symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of providing medical home care to children with asthma to improve the outcomes that matter most to children and their families.

  8. Optimizing medication safety in the home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Raeanne Genevieve; Choi, Jeungok

    2015-06-01

    Medication safety among community-dwelling older adults in the United States is an ongoing health issue impacting health outcomes, chronic disease management, and aging in place at home. This article describes a medication safety improvement project that aimed to: (1) Increase the ability of participants to manage medications, (2) Identify and make necessary medication changes, (3) Create an accurate up-to-date medication list to be available in the home, and (4) Provide communication between the primary care provider, participant, and case manager. An in-home medication assessment was completed for 25 participants using an evidence-based medication management software system. This process was used to review medications; identify medication-related problems; create a shared medication list; and convey this information to the primary care provider, case manager, and client while addressing needed medication changes. Educational interventions on management and understanding of medications were provided to participants to emphasize the correct use of medications and use of a personal medication record. Outcome improvements included provision of an accurate medication list, early identification of medication-related problems, identification of drug duplication, and identification of medication self-management challenges that can be useful for optimizing medication safety-related home healthcare and inform future interventions.

  9. Immigrant Families, Children With Special Health Care Needs, and the Medical Home.

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    Kan, Kristin; Choi, Hwajung; Davis, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    Immigrant children in the United States historically experience lower-quality health care. Such disparities areconcerning for immigrant children with special health care needs (CSHCNs). Our study assesses the medical home presence for CSHCN by immigrant family type and evaluates which medical home components are associated with disparities. We used the 2011 National Survey of Children's Health, comparing the prevalence and odds of a parent-reported medical home and 5 specific medical home components by immigrant family types using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Foreign-born CSHCNs were less likely than CSHCNs with US-born parents to have a medical home (adjusted odds ratio = 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.19-0.85). The adjusted prevalence of having a medical home was 28% among foreign-born CSHCNs (P special needs also had a lower odds of a medical home, compared with children with US-born parents (adjusted odds ratio = 0.62, 0.46-0.83). The medical home component most frequently absent for immigrant children without special needs and CSHCNs with a foreign-born parent was family-centered care. In contrast, foreign-born CSHCNs most often lacked care coordination (adjusted prevalence = 37% versus 56% for CSHCNs with US-born parents; P < .05). Disparities in medical home presence for CSHCNs appear to be exacerbated by immigrant family type. Efforts focused on improving family-centered care and care coordination may provide the greatest benefit for immigrant CSHCNs. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  10. An In-home Advanced Robotic System to Manage Elderly Home-care Patients' Medications: A Pilot Safety and Usability Study.

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    Rantanen, Pekka; Parkkari, Timo; Leikola, Saija; Airaksinen, Marja; Lyles, Alan

    2017-05-01

    We examined the safety profile and usability of an integrated advanced robotic device and telecare system to promote medication adherence for elderly home-care patients. There were two phases. Phase I aimed to verify under controlled conditions in a single nursing home (n = 17 patients) that no robotic malfunctions would hinder the device's safe use. Phase II involved home-care patients from 3 sites (n = 27) who were on long-term medication. On-time dispensing and missed doses were recorded by the robotic system. Patients' and nurses' experiences were assessed with structured interviews. The 17 nursing home patients had 457 total days using the device (Phase I; mean, 26.9 per patient). On-time sachet retrieval occurred with 97.7% of the alerts, and no medication doses were missed. At baseline, Phase II home-dwelling patients reported difficulty remembering to take their medicines (23%), and 18% missed at least 2 doses per week. Most Phase II patients (78%) lived alone. The device delivered and patients retrieved medicine sachets for 99% of the alerts. All patients and 96% of nurses reported the device was easy to use. This trial demonstrated the safety profile and usability of an in-home advanced robotic device and telecare system and its acceptability to patients and nurses. It supports individualized patient dosing schedules, patient-provider communications, and on-time, in-home medication delivery to promote adherence. Real time dose-by-dose monitoring and communication with providers if a dose is missed provide oversight generally not seen in home care. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Benefits of Medical Home Care Reaching Beyond Chronically Ill Teens: Exploring Parent Health-Related Quality of Life.

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    Chavez, Laura J; Grannis, Connor; Dolce, Millie; Chisolm, Deena J

    2018-03-15

    Caring for teens with special health care needs places physical and mental health burdens on parents, which can be exacerbated by the stresses of transitions to independence. Medical homes can improve teen transitions to greater self-management and reduce health care-related time and financial burdens for families. We examined the association between parent-reported teen medical home status and caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The study sample included parents or caregivers of teens with special health care needs aged 15 to 18 recruited from a pediatric Medicaid accountable care organization who participated in a survey (response rate, 40.5%). The primary outcome was parent HRQOL scores (0-100 points) measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Family Impact Module. Medical home status was based on parent report of teen's health care meeting medical home criteria. Linear regression models were used to estimate HRQOL scores, adjusted for demographic characteristics, health literacy, and teen functional limitation. Among 488 parents, 27% reported their teen received care consistent with a medical home. Adjusted parent HRQOL scores were significantly higher among those whose teens had a medical home (74.40; 95% confidence interval, 71.31-77.48), relative to those whose teens did not (65.78; 95% confidence interval, 63.92-67.65). Medical home subscale analyses showed HRQOL scores had significant positive associations with family-centered care and coordinated care, but not other subscales. Teen medical home status was positively associated with caregiver HRQOL, suggesting that the medical home may benefit overall caregiver well-being. In particular, receiving care that was family centered and coordinated appeared to be the most beneficial. Copyright © 2018 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Medical homes: challenges in translating theory into practice.

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    Carrier, Emily; Gourevitch, Marc N; Shah, Nirav R

    2009-07-01

    The concept of the medical home has existed since the 1960s, but has recently become a focus for discussion and innovation in the health care system. The most prominent definitions of the medical home are those presented by the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and the Commonwealth Fund. These definitions share: adoption of health information technology and decision support systems, modification of clinical practice patterns, and ensuring continuity of care. Each of these components is a complex undertaking, and there is scant evidence to guide assessment of diverse strategies for achieving their integration into a medical home. Without a shared vocabulary and common definitions, policy-makers seeking to encourage the development of medical homes, providers seeking to improve patient care, and payers seeking to develop appropriate systems of reimbursement will face challenges in evaluating and disseminating the medical home model.

  13. Medical home capabilities of primary care practices that serve sociodemographically vulnerable neighborhoods.

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    Friedberg, Mark W; Coltin, Kathryn L; Safran, Dana Gelb; Dresser, Marguerite; Schneider, Eric C

    2010-06-14

    Under current medical home proposals, primary care practices using specific structural capabilities will receive enhanced payments. Some practices disproportionately serve sociodemographically vulnerable neighborhoods. If these practices lack medical home capabilities, their ineligibility for enhanced payments could worsen disparities in care. Via survey, 308 Massachusetts primary care practices reported their use of 13 structural capabilities commonly included in medical home proposals. Using geocoded US Census data, we constructed racial/ethnic minority and economic disadvantage indices to describe the neighborhood served by each practice. We compared the structural capabilities of "disproportionate-share" practices (those in the most sociodemographically vulnerable quintile on each index) and others. Racial/ethnic disproportionate-share practices were more likely than others to have staff assisting patient self-management (69% vs 55%; P = .003), on-site language interpreters (54% vs 26%; P primary care practices serving sociodemographically vulnerable neighborhoods were more likely than other practices to have structural capabilities commonly included in medical home proposals. Payments tied to these capabilities may aid practices serving vulnerable populations.

  14. The Patient-Centered Medical Home Neighbor: A Critical Concept for a Redesigned Healthcare Delivery System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-25

    Sharing Knowledge: Achieving Breakthrough Performance 2010 Military Health System Conference The Patient -Centered Medical Home Neighbor: A Critical...DATE 25 JAN 2011 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2011 to 00-00-2011 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Patient -Centered Medical Home Neighbor: A...Conference What is the Patient -Centered Medical Home?  …a vision of health care as it should be  …a framework for organizing systems of care at both the

  15. The relationship between work and home characteristics and work engagement in medical residents.

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    Verweij, Hanne; van Hooff, Madelon L M; van der Heijden, Frank M M A; Prins, Jelle T; Lagro-Janssen, Antoine L M; van Ravesteijn, Hiske; Speckens, Anne E M

    2017-08-01

    Work engagement is important for medical residents and the healthcare organizations they work for. However, relatively little is known about the specific predictors of work engagement in medical residents. Therefore, we examined the associations of work and home characteristics, and work-home interference with work engagement in male and female residents. This study was conducted on a nationwide sample of medical residents. In 2005, all Dutch medical residents (n = 5245) received a self-report questionnaire. Path analysis was used to examine the associations between the potential predictors and work engagement. In total, 2115 (41.1%) residents completed the questionnaire. Job characteristics, home characteristics and work-home interference were associated with work engagement. Important positive contributing factors of work engagement were opportunities for job development, mental demands at work, positive work-home interference and positive home-work interference. Important negative contributing factors were emotional demands at work and negative home-work interference. The influence of these factors on work engagement was similar in male and female residents. Opportunities for job development and having challenging work are of high relevance in enhancing work engagement. Furthermore, interventions that teach how to deal skilfully with emotional demands at work and home-work interference are expected to be the most effective interventions to enhance work engagement in medical residents.

  16. Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist

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    ... not using it. Contact your doctor and home healthcare team often to review your health condition. * Check ... assurance of their safety and effectiveness. A home healthcare medical device is any product or equipment used ...

  17. One Family's Journey: Medical Home and the Network of Supports It Offers Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs--Medical Homes in Hospital Systems. Part Six

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macdonald, Sarah; Hoffman, Alisa; Hagenbach, Tracy; Rusert, Julia

    2008-01-01

    In this 12 installment Medical Home series, "Exceptional Parent" presents a case study about the American Academy of Pediatrics' Medical Home Initiative. A "Medical Home" is not a building but an approach to providing healthcare services to children with special healthcare needs. This sixth part of the Medical Home series describes the experiences…

  18. The contribution of work characteristics, home characteristics and gender to burnout in medical residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verweij, Hanne; van der Heijden, Frank M M A; van Hooff, Madelon L M; Prins, Jelle T; Lagro-Janssen, Antoine L M; van Ravesteijn, Hiske; Speckens, Anne E M

    2017-10-01

    Burnout is highly prevalent in medical residents. In order to prevent or reduce burnout in medical residents, we should gain a better understanding of contributing and protective factors of burnout. Therefore we examined the associations of job demands and resources, home demands and resources, and work-home interferences with burnout in male and female medical residents. This study was conducted on a nation-wide sample of medical residents. In 2005, all Dutch medical residents (n = 5245) received a self-report questionnaire on burnout, job and home demands and resources and work-home interference. Path analysis was used to examine the associations between job and home characteristics and work-home interference and burnout in both males and females. In total, 2115 (41.1 %) residents completed the questionnaire. In both sexes emotional demands at work and the interference between work and home were important contributors to burnout, especially when work interferes with home life. Opportunities for job development appeared to be an important protective factor. Other contributing and protective factors were different for male and female residents. In females, social support from family or partner seemed protective against burnout. In males, social support from colleagues and participation in decision-making at work seemed important. Effectively handling emotional demands at work, dealing with the interference between work and home, and having opportunities for job development are the most essential factors which should be addressed. However it is important to take gender differences into consideration when implementing preventive or therapeutic interventions for burnout in medical residents.

  19. How Well is the Medical Home Working for Latino and Black Children?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerrero, Alma D; Zhou, Xinkai; Chung, Paul J

    2018-02-01

    Objective To examine the benefits of having a medical home among Latino and Black school-aged children, both with and without special health care needs (CSHCN). Methods Data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) were analyzed to examine the associations of preventive dental and medical care, unmet dental or medical care, or missed school days with having a medical home among Latino and Black children compared to White children. Multivariate logistic regression with survey weights was used to adjust for child, parent, home, and geographic characteristics and an interaction term to estimate differences in outcomes among Black or Latino children receiving care in a medical home compared to White children with a medical home. Results Approximately 35% of Latino CSHCN and Latino non-CSHCN ages 6-17 years of age had a medical home. In the adjusted model comparing the effectiveness of the medical home by race and ethnicity, Latino non-CSHCN compared to White non-CSHCN were associated with lower odds of having one or more preventive dental visit in the last 12 months (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.46-0.95) and no other associations between having a medical home and outcomes were found among Latinos compared to Whites regardless of non-CSHCN or CHSCN status. Meanwhile, having a medical home among Black non-CHSCN and CHSCN, compared to their White counterparts, showed potential benefits in regards to unmet medical care needs after adjusting for covariates, (OR 0.15; 95% CI 0.06-0.35; OR 0.16; 95% CI 0.05-0.55). Conclusions Medical homes may not be effective in delivering health services to the majority of Latino children but provide some benefit to Black children with and without CSHCN. Alternatively, the medical home may function differently for Latinos due to the specific medical home components measured by NSCH.

  20. Design considerations for medical devices in the home environment.

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    Kaufman-Rivi, Diana; Collins-Mitchell, Janette; Jetley, Raoul

    2010-01-01

    Patient demographics, economic forces, and technological advancements contribute to the rise in home care services. Advanced medical devices and equipment originally designed for use by trained personnel in hospitals and clinics are increasingly migrating into the home. Unlike the clinical setting, the home is an uncontrolled environment with additional hazards. The compatibility of the device with the recipient's knowledge, abilities, lifestyle, and home environment plays a significant role in their therapy and rehabilitation. The advent of new device technologies such as wireless devices and interoperability of systems lends a new and complex perspective for medical device use in the home that must also be addressed. Adequately assessing and matching the patient and their caregiver with the appropriate device technology while considering the suitability of the home environment for device operation and maintenance is a challenge that relies on good human factors principles. There is a need to address these challenges in the growing home care sector In this article, the authors take a look at some important considerations and design issues for medical devices used in the home care environment.

  1. Improving the Quality of Home Health Care for Children With Medical Complexity.

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    Nageswaran, Savithri; Golden, Shannon L

    2017-08-01

    The objectives of this study are to describe the quality of home health care services for children with medical complexity, identify barriers to delivering optimal home health care, and discuss potential solutions to improve home health care delivery. In this qualitative study, we conducted 20 semistructured in-depth interviews with primary caregivers of children with medical complexity, and 4 focus groups with 18 home health nurses. During an iterative analysis process, we identified themes related to quality of home health care. There is substantial variability between home health nurses in the delivery of home health care to children. Lack of skills in nurses is common and has serious negative health consequences for children with medical complexity, including hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and need for medical procedures. Inadequate home health care also contributes to caregiver burden. A major barrier to delivering optimal home health care is the lack of training of home health nurses in pediatric care and technology use. Potential solutions for improving care include home health agencies training nurses in the care of children with medical complexity, support for nurses in clinical problem solving, and reimbursement for training nurses in pediatric home care. Caregiver-level interventions includes preparation of caregivers about: providing medical care for their children at home and addressing problems with home health care services. There are problems in the quality of home health care delivered to children with medical complexity. Training nurses in the care of children with medical complexity and preparing caregivers about home care could improve home health care quality. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Development of eHOME, a Mobile Instrument for Reporting, Monitoring, and Consulting Drug-Related Problems in Home Care: Human-Centered Design Study.

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    Dijkstra, Nienke Elske; Sino, Carolina Geertruida Maria; Heerdink, Eibert Rob; Schuurmans, Marieke Joanna

    2018-03-07

    Home care patients often use many medications and are prone to drug-related problems (DRPs). For the management of problems related to drug use, home care could add to the multidisciplinary expertise of general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists. The home care observation of medication-related problems by home care employees (HOME)-instrument is paper-based and assists home care workers in reporting potential DRPs. To facilitate the multiprofessional consultation, a digital report of DRPs from the HOME-instrument and digital monitoring and consulting of DRPs between home care and general practices and pharmacies is desired. The objective of this study was to develop an electronic HOME system (eHOME), a mobile version of the HOME-instrument that includes a monitoring and a consulting system for primary care. The development phase of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework was followed in which an iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach was applied. The approach involved a Delphi round for the context of use and user requirements analysis of the digital HOME-instrument and the monitoring and consulting system followed by 2 series of pilots for testing the usability and redesign. By using an iterative design approach and by involving home care workers, GPs, and pharmacists throughout the process as informants, design partners, and testers, important aspects that were crucial for system realization and user acceptance were revealed. Through the report webpage interface, which includes the adjusted content of the HOME-instrument and added home care practice-based problems, home care workers can digitally report observed DRPs. Furthermore, it was found that the monitoring and consulting webpage interfaces enable digital consultation between home care and general practices and pharmacies. The webpages were considered convenient, clear, easy, and usable. By employing an HCD approach, the eHOME-instrument was found to be an easy-to-use system. The systematic

  3. Population Health and Tailored Medical Care in the Home: the Roles of Home-Based Primary Care and Home-Based Palliative Care.

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    Ritchie, Christine S; Leff, Bruce

    2018-03-01

    With the growth of value-based care, payers and health systems have begun to appreciate the need to provide enhanced services to homebound adults. Recent studies have shown that home-based medical services for this high-cost, high-need population reduce costs and improve outcomes. Home-based medical care services have two flavors that are related to historical context and specialty background-home-based primary care (HBPC) and home-based palliative care (HBPalC). Although the type of services provided by HBPC and HBPalC (together termed "home-based medical care") overlap, HBPC tends to encompass longitudinal and preventive care, while HBPalC often provides services for shorter durations focused more on distress management and goals of care clarification. Given workforce constraints and growing demand, both HBPC and HBPalC will benefit from working together within a population health framework-where HBPC provides care to all patients who have trouble accessing traditional office practices and where HBPalC offers adjunctive care to patients with high symptom burden and those who need assistance with goals clarification. Policy changes that support provision of medical care in the home, population health strategies that tailor home-based medical care to the specific needs of the patients and their caregivers, and educational initiatives to assure basic palliative care competence for all home-based medical providers will improve access and reduce illness burden to this important and underrecognized population. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Kansas Nursing Home Medication Aide Curriculum. Revised.

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    Bartel, Myrna J.; Fornelli, Linda K.

    This curriculum guide is designed to aid Kansas instructors in conducting a course for teaching nursing home medication aides. Covered first are various introductory topics such as the role and responsibilities of medication aides, pharmacodynamics, forms in which medication is now available, common medical abbreviations, mathematics and weights…

  5. The safety net medical home initiative: transforming care for vulnerable populations.

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    Sugarman, Jonathan R; Phillips, Kathryn E; Wagner, Edward H; Coleman, Katie; Abrams, Melinda K

    2014-11-01

    Despite findings that medical homes may reduce or eliminate health care disparities among underserved and minority populations, most previous medical home pilot and demonstration projects have focused on health care delivery systems serving commercially insured patients and Medicare beneficiaries. To develop a replicable approach to support medical home transformation among diverse practices serving vulnerable and underserved populations. Facilitated by a national program team, convening organizations in 5 states provided coaching and learning community support to safety net practices over a 4-year period. To guide transformation, we developed a framework of change concepts aligned with supporting tools including implementation guides, activity checklists, and measurement instruments. Sixty-five health centers, homeless clinics, private practices, residency training centers, and other safety net practices in Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. We evaluated implementation of the change concepts using the Patient-Centered Medical Home-Assessment, and conducted a survey of participating practices to assess perceptions of the impact of the technical assistance. All practices implemented key features of the medical home model, and nearly half (47.6%) implemented the 33 identified key changes to a substantial degree as evidenced by level A Patient-Centered Medical Home-Assessment scores. Two thirds of practices that achieved substantial implementation did so only after participating in the initiative for >2 years. By the end of the initiative, 83.1% of sites achieved external recognition as medical homes. Despite resource constraints and high-need populations, safety net clinics made considerable progress toward medical home implementation when provided robust, multimodal support over a 4-year period.

  6. Integrating Parenting Support Within and Beyond the Pediatric Medical Home.

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    Linton, Julie M; Stockton, Maria Paz; Andrade, Berta; Daniel, Stephanie

    2018-01-01

    Positive parenting programs, developmental support services, and evidence-based home visiting programs can effectively provide parenting support and improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk children. Few models, however, have integrated referrals for on-site support and home visiting programs into the provision of routine pediatric care within a medical home. This article describes an innovative approach, through partnership with a community-based organization, to deliver on-site and home visiting support services for children and families within and beyond the medical home. Our model offers a system of on-site services, including parenting, behavior, and/or development support, with optional intensive home visiting services. Assessment included description of the population served, delineation of services provided, and qualitative identification of key themes of the impact of services, illustrated by case examples. This replicable model describes untapped potential of the pediatric medical home as a springboard to mitigate risk and optimize children's health and development.

  7. Type of oral solid medication packaging and medication preparation time in nursing homes: A direct observation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cready, C M; Hudson, C; Dreyer, K

    2017-12-01

    Medication administration is a substantial portion of the workday in nursing homes, with the medication preparation step being the most time-consuming. However, little is known about how medication preparation time is affected by the type of packaging used for oral solid medications (ie, tablets/capsules). We examined the effects of two types of packaging. As fewer steps are associated with strip packaging compared to bingo card packaging, we hypothesized that the increase in medication preparation seconds per resident with each additional oral solid medication would be smaller when strip packaging was used. A total of 430 medication preparations conducted by eight nurses during the regularly scheduled morning medication administration period in two nursing homes-using strip packaging and bingo card packaging, respectively-were observed. Each medication preparation observation was matched to its corresponding medication administration record and observations averaged across resident. Using the resident sample (N=149), we estimated three regression models (adjusting the standard errors for the clustering of resident by nurse). The first model regressed medication preparation seconds on the number of oral solid medications. The second model added the type of packaging used and the control variables (type of unit [long-term care, post-acute care], the number of one-half pills and the dosage form diversity in the preparation). To test our hypothesis, the third model added an interaction term between the number of oral solid medications and the type of packaging used. As hypothesized, all else equal, the number of oral solid medications tended to increase medication preparation time per resident in both nursing homes, but the increase was smaller in the strip packaging nursing home (Ppackaging nursing home increased medication preparation by an average of 13 seconds (b=13.077), whereas each oral solid medication administered in the strip packaging nursing home

  8. Higher Referrals for Diabetes Education in a Medical Home Model of Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manard, William T; Syberg, Kevin; Behera, Anit; Salas, Joanne; Schneider, F David; Armbrecht, Eric; Hooks-Anderson, Denise; Crannage, Erica; Scherrer, Jeffrey

    2016-01-01

    The medical home model has been gaining attention from the health care community as a strategy for improved outcomes for management of chronic disease, including diabetes. The purpose of this study was to compare referrals for diabetes education among patients receiving care from a medical home model versus a traditional practice. Data were obtained from a large, university-affiliated primary care patient data registry. All patients (age 18-96 years) with a diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes and seen by a physician at least twice during 2011 to 2013 were selected for inclusion. Multivariate regression models measuring the association between medical home status and referral to diabetes education were computed before and after adjusting for covariates. A significantly (P patients in a medical home than without a medical home (23.9% vs 13.5%) received a referral for diabetes education. After adjusting for covariates, medical home patients were 2.7 times more likely to receive a referral for diabetes education (odds ratio, 2.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.69-4.35). Patients in a medical home model were more likely to receive referrals for diabetes education than patients in a standard university-affiliated family medicine practice. Future longitudinal designs that match characteristics of patients with a medical home with those of patients without one will provide strong evidence to determine whether referral to diabetes education is a result of the medical home model of care independent of confounding factors. © Copyright 2016 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

  9. Home medication support for childhood cancer: family-centered design and testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Kathleen E; Biggins, Colleen; Blasko, Deb; Christiansen, Steven M; Fischer, Shira H; Keuker, Christopher; Klugman, Robert; Mazor, Kathleen M

    2014-11-01

    Errors in the use of medications at home by children with cancer are common, and interventions to support correct use are needed. We sought to (1) engage stakeholders in the design and development of an intervention to prevent errors in home medication use, and (2) evaluate the acceptability and usefulness of the intervention. We convened a multidisciplinary team of parents, clinicians, technology experts, and researchers to develop an intervention using a two-step user-centered design process. First, parents and oncologists provided input on the design. Second, a parent panel and two oncology nurses refined draft materials. In a feasibility study, we used questionnaires to assess usefulness and acceptability. Medication error rates were assessed via monthly telephone interviews with parents. We successfully partnered with parents, clinicians, and IT experts to develop Home Medication Support (HoMeS), a family-centered Web-based intervention. HoMeS includes a medication calendar with decision support, a communication tool, adverse effect information, a metric conversion chart, and other information. The 15 families in the feasibility study gave HoMeS high ratings for acceptability and usefulness. Half recorded information on the calendar to indicate to other caregivers that doses were given; 34% brought it to the clinic to communicate with their clinician about home medication use. There was no change in the rate of medication errors in this feasibility study. We created and tested a stakeholder-designed, Web-based intervention to support home chemotherapy use, which parents rated highly. This tool may prevent serious medication errors in a larger study. Copyright © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  10. How to buy a medical home? Policy options and practical questions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berenson, Robert A; Rich, Eugene C

    2010-06-01

    In this paper, we describe a range of payment options to support the PCMH, identifying their conceptual strengths and weaknesses. These include enhanced FFS payment for office visits to the PCMH; paying additional FFS for "new" PCMH services; variations of traditional FFS combined with new PCMH-oriented per patient per month capitation; and combined capitation payments for traditional primary care medical services as well as new medical home services. In discussing options for PCMH payment reform we consider issues in patient severity adjustment, performance payment, and the role of payments to community service organizations to collaborate with the PCMH. We also highlight some of the practical challenges that can complicate reimbursement reform for primary care and the PCMH. Through this discussion we identify key dimensions to provider payment reform relevant to promoting enhanced primary care through the patient centered medical home. These consist of paying for the basic medical home services, rewarding excellent performance of medical homes, incentivizing medical home connections to other community health care resources, and overcoming implementation challenges to medical home payments. Each of these overarching policy issues invokes a substantial subset of policy relevant research questions that collectively comprise a robust research agenda. We conclude that the conceptual strengths and weaknesses of available payment models for medical home functions invoke a complex array of options with varying levels of real-world feasibility. The different needs of patients and communities, and varying characteristics of practices must also be factors guiding PCMH payment reform. Indeed, it may be that different circumstances will require different payment approaches in various combinations.

  11. Safety in home care: A research protocol for studying medication management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Easty Anthony

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patient safety is an ongoing global priority, with medication safety considered a prevalent, high-risk area of concern. Yet, we have little understanding of the supports and barriers to safe medication management in the Canadian home care environment. There is a clear need to engage the providers and recipients of care in studying and improving medication safety with collaborative approaches to exploring the nature and safety of medication management in home care. Methods A socio-ecological perspective on health and health systems drives our iterative qualitative study on medication safety with elderly home care clients, family members and other informal caregivers, and home care providers. As we purposively sample across four Canadian provinces: Alberta (AB, Ontario (ON, Quebec (QC and Nova Scotia (NS, we will collect textual and visual data through home-based interviews, participant-led photo walkabouts of the home, and photo elicitation sessions at clients' kitchen tables. Using successive rounds of interpretive description and human factors engineering analyses, we will generate robust descriptions of managing medication at home within each provincial sample and across the four-province group. We will validate our initial interpretations through photo elicitation focus groups with home care providers in each province to develop a refined description of the phenomenon that can inform future decision-making, quality improvement efforts, and research. Discussion The application of interpretive and human factors lenses to the visual and textual data is expected to yield findings that advance our understanding of the issues, challenges, and risk-mitigating strategies related to medication safety in home care. The images are powerful knowledge translation tools for sharing what we learn with participants, decision makers, other healthcare audiences, and the public. In addition, participants engage in knowledge exchange

  12. Parental Perceptions of Family Centered Care in Medical Homes of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zajicek-Farber, Michaela L; Lotrecchiano, Gaetano R; Long, Toby M; Farber, Jon Matthew

    2015-08-01

    Life course theory sets the framework for strong inclusion of family centered care (FCC) in quality medical homes of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (CNDD). The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of families with their experiences of FCC in medical homes for CNDD. Using a structured questionnaire, the Family-Centered Care Self-Assessment Tool developed by Family Voices, this study surveyed 122 parents of CNDD in a large urban area during 2010-2012. Data collected information on FCC in the provision of primary health care services for CNDD and focused on family-provider partnerships, care setting practices and policies, and community services. Frequency analysis classified participants' responses as strengths in the "most of the time" range, and weaknesses in the "never" range. Only 31 % of parents were satisfied with the primary health care their CNDD received. Based on an accepted definition of medical home services, 16 % of parents reported their CNDD had most aspects of a medical home, 64 % had some, and 20 % had none. Strengths in FCC were primarily evident in the family-provider partnership and care settings when focused on meeting the medical care needs of the child. Weaknesses in FCC were noted in meeting the needs of families, coordination, follow-up, and support with community resources. Improvements in key pediatric health care strategies for CNDD are recommended. CNDD and their families have multifaceted needs that require strong partnerships among parents, providers, and communities. Quality medical homes must include FCC and valued partnerships with diverse families and community-based providers.

  13. Ethical home medical equipment business practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parver, C

    1991-11-01

    National uniform standards as a condition for receipt of a Medicare provider number would help rid the home medical equipment industry of those unethical and unscrupulous suppliers who have tarnished the industry's reputation.

  14. Are patients reliable when self-reporting medication use? Validation of structured drug interviews and home visits by drug analysis and prescription data in acutely hospitalized patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glintborg, Bente; Hillestrøm, Peter René; Olsen, Lenette Holm

    2007-01-01

    were compared to the patients' self-reported medication history. Information on prescribed drugs dispensed from any Danish pharmacy was collected from nationwide real-time pharmacy records. The authors performed home visits in a subgroup of 115 patients 4 weeks after their discharge. Stored drugs were......The medication history among hospitalized patients often relies on patients' self-reports due to insufficient communication between health care professionals. The aim of the present study was to estimate the reliability of patients' self-reported medication use. Five hundred patients admitted...... to an acute medical department at a Danish university hospital were interviewed on the day of admission about their recent medication use. Blood samples drawn immediately after admission were screened for contents of 5 drugs (digoxin, bendroflumethiazide, amlodipine, simvastatin, glimepiride), and the results...

  15. Making Medical Devices Safer at Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... things found in a home environment, such as pet hair, well water or temperature variations. Other challenges include the user's and the caregiver's physical and emotional health. People taking medications that affect their alertness or ...

  16. Patient-centered medical homes for patients with disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Brigida; Damiani, Marco; Wang, T Arthur; Driscoll, Carolyn; Dellabella, Peter; LePera, Nicole; Mentari, Michael

    2015-01-01

    The patient-centered medical home is an innovative approach to improve health care outcomes. To address the unique needs of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), a large health care provider reevaluated the National Committee for Quality Assurance's 6 medical home standards: (a) enhance access and continuity, (b) identify and manage patient populations, (c) plan and manage care, (d) provide self-care and community support, (e) track and coordinate care, and (f) measure and improve performance. This article describes issues to consider when serving patients with IDDs.

  17. Home Healthcare Medical Devices: Infusion Therapy - Getting the Most Out of Your Pump

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Medical Procedures Home Health and Consumer Devices Brochure - Home Healthcare Medical Devices: Infusion Therapy - Getting the Most ... if needed. What is the role of your home healthcare provider and supplier in your infusion therapy? ...

  18. [The planned home care transfer by a local medical support hospital and the introduction to home intravenous hyper alimentation--the making of a home care patient's instruction plan document].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinobu, Akiko; Ohtsu, Yoko

    2004-12-01

    It is important to offer continuous medical service without interrupting everyone's various job functions at the Tama Numbu-Chiiki Hospitals in order to secure the quality and safety of home medical care to patients and their families. From 1998 up to the present, home intravenous hyper alimentation (home IVH) has been introduced by individually exchanging information that was based on items such as clinical case, doctor and caregiver in charge of the day, and introductory information. Five years have passed since we started an introduction of home IVH, and it appears that the medical cooperation of home IVH between the Minami-tama medical region and its neighboring area has been established. Then, we arranged an examination of the past 2 years based on the 57 patients who elected to choose home IVH instruction. Consequently, we created "home IVH introduction plan document" in standardizing a flow from home IVH introduction to post-hospital intervention. Since November of 2003, the plan document has been utilized and carried out to 5 patients by the end of February in 2004. This home IVH introduction plan document was able to clarify the role of medical person in connection with the patient. Therefore, we could not only share the information, but also could transfer medical care smoothly from the hospital to the patient's home.

  19. Medicinal plants used as home remedies: a family survey by first year medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sewani-Rusike, Constance R; Mammen, Marykutty

    2014-01-01

    There is a hierarchical organisation of knowledge in the use of medicinal plants in communities. Medicinal use knowledge starts in the home and is passed on to family members. Next in the hierarchy are neighbours, village elders and finally, traditional healers being the most knowledgeable. For primary health care this hierarchy is actively followed in seeking remedies for ailments. This study was a survey of medicinal plant knowledge from family members of 1(st) year medical students registered at Walter Sisulu University. A total of 206 first year medical students participated in this study in 2010 and 2011. Results revealed 47 species used as home remedies, 32% of which are food plants. Leaves and roots were reported as most commonly used. The top five ailments managed at home were gastrointestinal problems (25 plants), wounds (19 plants), respiratory tract problems (19 plants), infections, including sexually transmitted diseases (19 plants) and pain including headaches (19 plants). Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and reproductive ailments also formed a large group of diseases self-managed at home (29 plants). Family members hold knowledge of medicinal plant use. From this study, first year medical students were made aware of the relationship between common ailments and associated home remedies. This study forms a basis for further study of medicinal plants to validate their use as medicinal remedies.

  20. Medical home characteristics and the pediatric patient experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnet, Deborah; Gunter, Kathryn E; Nocon, Robert S; Gao, Yue; Jin, Janel; Fairchild, Paige; Chin, Marshall H

    2014-11-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has roots in pediatrics, yet we know little about the experience of pediatric patients in PCMH settings. To examine the association between clinic PCMH characteristics and pediatric patient experience as reported by parents. We assessed the cross-sectional correlation between clinic PCMH characteristics and pediatric patient experience in 24 clinics randomly selected from the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, a 5-state PCMH demonstration project. PCMH characteristics were measured with surveys of randomly selected providers and staff; surveys generated 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scores for 5 subscales, and a total score. Patient experience was measured through surveying parents of pediatric patients. Questions from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems-Clinician and Group instrument produced 4 patient experience measures: timeliness, physician communication, staff helpfulness, and overall rating. To investigate the relationship between PCMH characteristics and patient experience, we used generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable correlation structure. We included 440 parents and 214 providers and staff in the analysis. Total PCMH score was not associated with parents' assessment of patient experience; however, PCMH subscales were associated with patient experience in different directions. In particular, quality improvement activities undertaken by clinics were strongly associated with positive ratings of patient experience, whereas patient care management activities were associated with more negative reports of patient experience. Future work should bolster features of the PCMH that work well for patients while investigating which PCMH features negatively impact patient experience, to yield a better patient experience overall.

  1. Home blood pressure monitoring, secure electronic messaging and medication intensification for improving hypertension control: a mediation analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ralston, J D; Cook, A J; Anderson, M L; Catz, S L; Fishman, P A; Carlson, J; Johnson, R; Green, B B

    2014-01-01

    We evaluated the role of home monitoring, communication with pharmacists, medication intensification, medication adherence and lifestyle factors in contributing to the effectiveness of an intervention to improve blood pressure control in patients with uncontrolled essential hypertension. We performed a mediation analysis of a published randomized trial based on the Chronic Care Model delivered over a secure patient website from June 2005 to December 2007. Study arms analyzed included usual care with a home blood pressure monitor and usual care with home blood pressure monitor and web-based pharmacist care. Mediator measures included secure messaging and telephone encounters; home blood pressure monitoring; medications intensification and adherence and lifestyle factors. Overall fidelity to the Chronic Care Model was assessed with the Patient Assessment of Chronic Care (PACIC) instrument. The primary outcome was percent of participants with blood pressure (BP) <140/90 mm Hg. At 12 months follow-up, patients in the web-based pharmacist care group were more likely to have BP <140/90 mm Hg (55%) compared to patients in the group with home blood pressure monitors only (37%) (p = 0.001). Home blood pressure monitoring accounted for 30.3% of the intervention effect, secure electronic messaging accounted for 96%, and medication intensification for 29.3%. Medication adherence and self-report of fruit and vegetable intake and weight change were not different between the two study groups. The PACIC score accounted for 22.0 % of the main intervention effect. The effect of web-based pharmacist care on improved blood pressure control was explained in part through a combination of home blood pressure monitoring, secure messaging, and antihypertensive medication intensification.

  2. Importance of patient education on home medical care waste disposal in Japan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikeda, Yukihiro, E-mail: yuyu@med.kindai.ac.jp

    2014-07-15

    Highlights: • Attached office nurses more recovered medical waste from patients’ homes. • Most nurses educated their patients on how to store home medical care waste in their homes and on how to separate them. • Around half of nurses educated their patients on where to dispose of their home medical care waste. - Abstract: To determine current practices in the disposal and handling of home medical care (HMC) waste, a questionnaire was mailed to 1965 offices nationwide. Of the office that responded, 1283 offices were analyzed. Offices were classified by management configuration: those attached to hospitals were classified as ”attached offices” and others as “independent offices”. More nurses from attached offices recovered medical waste from patients’ homes than those from independent offices. Most nurses educated their patients on how to store HMC waste in their homes (79.3% of total) and on how to separate HMC waste (76.5% of total). On the other hand, only around half of nurses (47.3% from attached offices and 53.2% from independent offices) educated their patients on where to dispose of their HMC waste. 66.0% of offices replied that patients had separated their waste appropriately. The need for patient education has emerged in recent years, with education for nurses under the diverse conditions of HMC being a key factor in patient education.

  3. Importance of patient education on home medical care waste disposal in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikeda, Yukihiro

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Attached office nurses more recovered medical waste from patients’ homes. • Most nurses educated their patients on how to store home medical care waste in their homes and on how to separate them. • Around half of nurses educated their patients on where to dispose of their home medical care waste. - Abstract: To determine current practices in the disposal and handling of home medical care (HMC) waste, a questionnaire was mailed to 1965 offices nationwide. Of the office that responded, 1283 offices were analyzed. Offices were classified by management configuration: those attached to hospitals were classified as ”attached offices” and others as “independent offices”. More nurses from attached offices recovered medical waste from patients’ homes than those from independent offices. Most nurses educated their patients on how to store HMC waste in their homes (79.3% of total) and on how to separate HMC waste (76.5% of total). On the other hand, only around half of nurses (47.3% from attached offices and 53.2% from independent offices) educated their patients on where to dispose of their HMC waste. 66.0% of offices replied that patients had separated their waste appropriately. The need for patient education has emerged in recent years, with education for nurses under the diverse conditions of HMC being a key factor in patient education

  4. The effect of organizational climate on patient-centered medical home implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, Ashok; Shea, Judy A; Canamucio, Anne; Werner, Rachel M

    2015-01-01

    Organizational climate is a key determinant of successful adoption of innovations; however, its relation to medical home implementation is unknown. This study examined the association between primary care providers' (PCPs') perception of organization climate and medical home implementation in the Veterans Health Administration. Multivariate regression was used to test the hypothesis that organizational climate predicts medical home implementation. This analysis of 191 PCPs found that higher scores in 2 domains of organizational climate (communication and cooperation, and orientation to quality improvement) were associated with a statistically significantly higher percentage (from 7 to 10 percentage points) of PCPs implementing structural changes to support the medical home model. In addition, some aspects of a better organizational climate were associated with improved organizational processes of care, including a higher percentage of patients contacted within 2 days of hospital discharge (by 2 to 3 percentage points) and appointments made within 3 days of a patient request (by 2 percentage points). © The Author(s) 2014.

  5. Access to patient-centered medical home among Ohio's Children with Special Health Care Needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrey, Elizabeth J; Seidu, Dazar; Ryan, Norma J; Chapman, Dj Sam

    2013-06-01

    Medical homes deliver primary care that is accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family centered, coordinated, compassionate and culturally effective. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) require a wide range of support to maintain health, making medical home access particularly important. We sought to understand independent risk factors for lacking access. We analyzed Ohio, USA data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (2005-2006). Among CSHCN, 55.6% had medical home access. The proportion achieving each medical home component was highest for having a personal doctor/nurse and lowest for receiving coordinated care, family-centered care and referrals. Specific subsets of CSHCN were significantly and independently more likely to lack medical home access: Hispanic (AOR=3.08), moderate/high severity of difficulty (AOR=2.84), and any public insurance (AOR=1.60). Efforts to advance medical home access must give special attention to these CSHCN populations and improvements must be made to referral access, family-centered care, and care coordination.

  6. Predictors of Coordinated and Comprehensive Care Within a Medical Home for Children With Special Healthcare (CHSCN Needs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashley Walker

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of coordinated and comprehensive care within a medical home among children with special health care needs (CSHCN. The latest version of the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN employed a national random-digit-dial sample whereby US households were screened, resulting in 40,242 eligible respondents. Logistic regression analyses were performed modeling the probability of coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home based on shared decision-making and other factors. A total of 29,845 cases were selected for inclusion in the model. Of these, 17,390 cases (58.3% met the criteria for coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Access to a community-based service systems had the greatest positive impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Adequate insurance coverage and being White/Caucasian were also positively associated with the dependent variable. Shared decision-making was reported by 72% of respondents and had a negative, but relatively negligible impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Increasing age, non-traditional family structures, urban residence, and public insurance were more influential, and negatively impacted the dependent variable. Providers and their respective organizations should seek to expand and improve health and support services at the community level.

  7. Medication reconciliation in nursing homes: thematic differences between RN and LPN staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogelsmeier, Amy A; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill R; Pepper, Ginette A

    2011-12-01

    The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe medication reconciliation practices in nursing homes with a specific focus on nursing staff involvement in the process. The study was conducted in eight Midwestern nursing homes and included 46 onsite observations of resident transfers to the nursing home. Informal interviews of nursing staff performing medication reconciliation were conducted during each observation. Findings suggest nursing home nursing staff, including both RN and licensed practical nurse (LPN) staff, were primarily responsible for performing medication reconciliation; however, these staff often varied in how they processed resident transfer information to identify medication order discrepancies. Patterns of differences were found related to their perceptions about medication reconciliation, as well as their actions when performing the process. RN staff were more often focused on resident safety and putting the "big picture" together, whereas LPN staff were more often focused on the administrative assignment and "completing the task." Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  8. Michigan Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project: First-Year Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuntz, Gordon; Tozer, Jane; Snegosky, Jeff; Fox, John; Neumann, Kurt

    2014-03-01

    ; existing, off-the-shelf technologies help control costs; independent clinical, administrative, and technical coordination improves provider/payer collaboration; everything takes longer than anticipated, including practice commitment, contracting, and technology implementation. Practices are willing to take on clinical standardization with payment reform. Neither practice size nor technology platform variation was a barrier to participation or success in the project. These results represent preliminary reporting from the first multipractice oncology medical home in the United States, to our knowledge, with payer support that includes payment reform. The results are promising, and the concept warrants further study, review, and reporting. [Table: see text].

  9. Allowing Family to be Family: End-of-Life Care in Veterans Affairs Medical Foster Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manheim, Chelsea E; Haverhals, Leah M; Jones, Jacqueline; Levy, Cari R

    2016-01-01

    The Medical Foster Home program is a unique long-term care program coordinated by the Veterans Health Administration. The program pairs Veterans with private, 24-hour a day community-based caregivers who often care for Veterans until the end of life. This qualitative study explored the experiences of care coordination for Medical Foster Home Veterans at the end of life with eight Veterans' family members, five Medical Foster Home caregivers, and seven Veterans Health Administration Home-Based Primary Care team members. A case study, qualitative content analysis identified these themes addressing care coordination and impact of the Medical Foster Home model on those involved: (a) Medical Foster Home program supports Veterans' families; (b) Medical Foster Home program supports the caregiver as family; (c) Veterans' needs are met socially and culturally at the end of life; and (d) the changing needs of Veterans, families, and caregivers at Veterans' end of life are addressed. Insights into how to best support Medical Foster Home caregivers caring for Veterans at the end of life were gained including the need for more and better respite options and how caregivers are compensated in the month of the Veteran's death, as well as suggestions to navigate end-of-life care coordination with multiple stakeholders involved.

  10. Barriers to children having a medical home in Johnson County, Iowa: notes from the field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swingle, Hanes M; Wilmoth, Ralph; Aquilino, Mary L

    2008-09-01

    In Iowa 70.7% of children who qualify for Title XIX and/or Title V services have a medical home, but in Johnson County, Iowa only 54.0% of such children have one. Objectives Identify barriers to access to a medical home for children who use Johnson County Public Health (JCPH) services and recommend strategies to overcome these barriers. Families with children attending JCPH well-child and WIC clinics were randomly selected to be interviewed using a semi-structured, 38-item questionnaire. Data analysis used qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Among 71 families interviewed, 41 had children without a medical home and 85% of these families cited financial barriers. Lack of U.S. citizenship accounted for 59% without health insurance. A recent move contributed to 29% not having medical homes. Nine different languages were spoken among the 41 families without a medical home. Forty-one percent of all parents interviewed had never had a medical home themselves. Many parents perceived emergency departments as more convenient than doctors' offices. Lack of health insurance, due primarily to citizenship status, is the greatest barrier to access to a medical home in this population. The migratory nature of the U.S. population, marked cultural diversity, and parental attitudes were additional barriers to children's access to a medical home. Strategies to overcome these barriers are discussed.

  11. Model medication management process in Australian nursing homes using business process modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Siyu; Yu, Ping

    2013-01-01

    One of the reasons for end user avoidance or rejection to use health information systems is poor alignment of the system with healthcare workflow, likely causing by system designers' lack of thorough understanding about healthcare process. Therefore, understanding the healthcare workflow is the essential first step for the design of optimal technologies that will enable care staff to complete the intended tasks faster and better. The often use of multiple or "high risk" medicines by older people in nursing homes has the potential to increase medication error rate. To facilitate the design of information systems with most potential to improve patient safety, this study aims to understand medication management process in nursing homes using business process modeling method. The paper presents study design and preliminary findings from interviewing two registered nurses, who were team leaders in two nursing homes. Although there were subtle differences in medication management between the two homes, major medication management activities were similar. Further field observation will be conducted. Based on the data collected from observations, an as-is process model for medication management will be developed.

  12. Cost of Transformation among Primary Care Practices Participating in a Medical Home Pilot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martsolf, Grant R; Kandrack, Ryan; Gabbay, Robert A; Friedberg, Mark W

    2016-07-01

    Medical home initiatives encourage primary care practices to invest in new structural capabilities such as patient registries and information technology, but little is known about the costs of these investments. To estimate costs of transformation incurred by primary care practices participating in a medical home pilot. We interviewed practice leaders in order to identify changes practices had undertaken due to medical home transformation. Based on the principles of activity-based costing, we estimated the costs of additional personnel and other investments associated with these changes. The Pennsylvania Chronic Care Initiative (PACCI), a statewide multi-payer medical home pilot. Twelve practices that participated in the PACCI. One-time and ongoing yearly costs attributed to medical home transformation. Practices incurred median one-time transformation-associated costs of $30,991 per practice (range, $7694 to $117,810), equivalent to $9814 per clinician ($1497 to $57,476) and $8 per patient ($1 to $30). Median ongoing yearly costs associated with transformation were $147,573 per practice (range, $83,829 to $346,603), equivalent to $64,768 per clinician ($18,585 to $93,856) and $30 per patient ($8 to $136). Care management activities accounted for over 60% of practices' transformation-associated costs. Per-clinician and per-patient transformation costs were greater for small and independent practices than for large and system-affiliated practices. Error in interviewee recall could affect estimates. Transformation costs in other medical home interventions may be different. The costs of medical home transformation vary widely, creating potential financial challenges for primary care practices-especially those that are small and independent. Tailored subsidies from payers may help practices make these investments. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

  13. [Community coordination of dental care needs in a home medical care support ward and at home].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumi, Yasunori; Ozawa, Nobuyoshi; Miura, Hiroko; Miura, Hisayuki; Toba, Kenji

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to ascertain the current statuses and problems of dental home care patients by surveying the oral care status and needs of patients in the home medical care support ward at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology. Patients that required continuous oral management even after discharge from the hospital were referred to local dental clinics to receive home dental care. We investigated the suitability and problems associated with such care, and identified the dental care needs of home patients and the status of local care coordination, including those in hospitals. The subjects were 82 patients. We ascertained their general condition and oral status, and also investigated the problems associated with patients judged to need specialized oral care by a dentist during oral treatment. Patients who required continuous specialized oral care after discharge from hospital were referred to dental clinics that could provide regular care, and the problems at the time of referral were identified. Dry mouth was reported by many patients. A large number of patients also needed specialized dental treatment such as the removal of dental calculus or tooth extraction. Problems were seen in oral function, with 38 of the patients (46%) unable to gargle and 23 (28%) unable to hold their mouths open. About half of the patients also had dementia, and communication with these patients was difficult. Of the 43 patients who were judged to need continuing oral care after discharge from hospital, their referral to a dental clinic for regular care was successful for 22 (51%) patients and unsuccessful for 21 (49%) patients. The reasons for unsuccessful referrals included the fact that the family, patient, nurse, or caregiver did not understand the need for specialized oral care. The present results suggest the need for specialized oral treatment in home medical care. These findings also suggest that coordinating seamless dental care among primary physicians

  14. Evaluation of potentially inappropriate medications among older residents of Malaysian nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Li Li; Tangiisuran, Balamurugan; Shafie, Asrul Akmal; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi Ahmad

    2012-08-01

    There is an increasing evidence of medicines related issues such as inappropriate prescribing among older people. Inappropriate prescribing is an important risk factor for adverse drug reactions and hospitalizations in the older people. To assess and characterize the prevalence of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) in nursing home care in Malaysia as defined by Screening Tool of Older Peoples Prescriptions (STOPP) and Beers criteria. Four Nursing Homes situated in Penang, Malaysia. A multicenter and cross-sectional study was conducted over 2 months period at four large non-governmental organizations nursing homes in Penang, Malaysia. The study population included older residents (≥65 years old) taking at least one medication. Residents who had been diagnosed with dementia or taking anti dementia drugs, delirium, too frail or refused to give consent were excluded. Demographic, clinical data and concurrent medications were collected through direct interview and also by reviewing medical records. STOPP and Beers criteria were applied in the medical review to screen for PIMs. Potentially Inappropriate Medication using STOPP and Beers criteria. Two hundred eleven residents were included in the study with the median age of 77 (inter quartile range (IQR) 72-82) years. Median number of prescription medicines was 4 (IQR 1-14). STOPP identified less residents (50 residents, 23.7 %) being prescribed on PIMs compared with Beers criteria (69 residents, 32.7 %) (p older residents living in the nursing homes and are associated with number of medications and longer nursing home stay. Further research is warranted to study the impact of PIMs towards health related outcomes in these elderly.

  15. Using Technology, Clinical Workflow Redesign, and Team Solutions to Achieve the Patient Centered Medical Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Redesign, and Team Solutions to Achieve the Patient Centered Medical Home LTC Nicole Kerkenbush, MHA, MN Army Medical Department, Office of the...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Using Technology, Clinical Workflow Redesign, and Team Solutions to Achieve the Patient Centered Medical Home 5a. CONTRACT...Describe how these tools are being used to implement the Patient Centered Medical Home care model 2 2011 MHS Conference MEDCOM AHLTA Provider Satisfaction

  16. Impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus on the family is reduced with the medical home, care coordination, and family-centered care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Michelle L; Laffel, Lori M; Perrin, James M; Kuhlthau, Karen

    2012-05-01

    To examine whether the medical home, care coordination, or family-centered care was associated with less impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) on families' work, finances, time, and school attendance. With the 2005 to 2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, we compared impact in children with T1D (n = 583) with that in children with other special health care needs (n = 39 944) and children without special health care needs (n = 4945). We modeled the associations of the medical home, care coordination, and family-centered care with family impact in T1D. Seventy-five percent of families of children with T1D reported a major impact compared with 45% of families of children with special health care needs (P families of children without special health care needs (P families of children with T1D, 35% reported restricting work, 38% reported financial impact, 41% reported medical expenses >$1000/year, 24% reported spending ≥11 hours/week caring or coordination care, and 20% reported ≥11 school absences/year. The medical home, care coordination, and family-centered care were associated with less work and financial impact. In childhood T1D, most families experience major impact. Better systems of health care delivery may help families reduce some of this impact. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Structuring Payment to Medical Homes After the Affordable Care Act

    OpenAIRE

    Edwards, Samuel T.; Abrams, Melinda K.; Baron, Richard J.; Berenson, Robert A.; Rich, Eugene C.; Rosenthal, Gary E.; Rosenthal, Meredith B.; Landon, Bruce E.

    2014-01-01

    The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a leading model of primary care reform, a critical element of which is payment reform for primary care services. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has emerged as a model of delivery system reform, and while there is theoretical alignment between the PCMH and ACOs, the discussion of physician payment within each model has remained distinct. Here we compare payment for medical homes with that for acco...

  18. Towards automated assistance for operating home medical devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zan; Detyniecki, Marcin; Chen, Ming-Yu; Wu, Wen; Hauptmann, Alexander G; Wactlar, Howard D

    2010-01-01

    To detect errors when subjects operate a home medical device, we observe them with multiple cameras. We then perform action recognition with a robust approach to recognize action information based on explicitly encoding motion information. This algorithm detects interest points and encodes not only their local appearance but also explicitly models local motion. Our goal is to recognize individual human actions in the operations of a home medical device to see if the patient has correctly performed the required actions in the prescribed sequence. Using a specific infusion pump as a test case, requiring 22 operation steps from 6 action classes, our best classifier selects high likelihood action estimates from 4 available cameras, to obtain an average class recognition rate of 69%.

  19. Prospects for rebuilding primary care using the patient-centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landon, Bruce E; Gill, James M; Antonelli, Richard C; Rich, Eugene C

    2010-05-01

    Existing research suggests that models of enhanced primary care lead to health care systems with better performance. What the research does not show is whether such an approach is feasible or likely to be effective within the U.S. health care system. Many commentators have adopted the model of the patient-centered medical home as policy shorthand to address the reinvention of primary care in the United States. We analyze potential barriers to implementing the medical home model for policy makers and practitioners. Among others, these include developing new payment models, as well as the need for up-front funding to assemble the personnel and infrastructure required by an enhanced non-visit-based primary care practice and methods to facilitate transformation of existing practices to functioning medical homes.

  20. The patient-centered medical home neighbor: A primary care physician's view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinsky, Christine A

    2011-01-04

    The American College of Physicians' position paper on the patient-centered medical home neighbor (PCMH-N) extends the work of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) as a means of improving the delivery of health care. Recognizing that the PCMH does not exist in isolation, the PCMH-N concept outlines expectations for comanagement, communication, and care coordination and broadens responsibility for safe, effective, and efficient care beyond primary care to include physicians of all specialties. As such, it is a fitting follow-up to the PCMH and moves further down the road toward improved care for complex patients. Yet, there is more work to be done. Truly transforming the U.S. health care system around personalized medical homes embedded in highly functional medical neighborhoods will require better staffing models; more robust electronic information tools; aligned incentives for quality and efficiency within payment and regulatory policies; and a culture of greater engagement of patients, their families, and communities.

  1. Discontinuing Inappropriate Medication Use in Nursing Home Residents : A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wouters, Hans; Scheper, Jessica; Koning, Hedi; Brouwer, Chris; Twisk, Jos W.; van der Meer, Helene; Boersma, Froukje; Zuidema, Sytse U.; Taxis, Katja

    2017-01-01

    Background: Inappropriate prescribing is a well-known clinical problem in nursing home residents, but few interventions have focused on reducing inappropriate medication use. Objective: To examine successful discontinuation of inappropriate medication use and to improve prescribing in nursing home

  2. Seniors managing multiple medications: using mixed methods to view the home care safety lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Ariella; Macdonald, Marilyn; Marck, Patricia; Toon, Lynn; Griffin, Melissa; Easty, Tony; Fraser, Kimberly; MacKinnon, Neil; Mitchell, Jonathan; Lang, Eddy; Goodwin, Sharon

    2015-12-12

    Patient safety is a national and international priority with medication safety earmarked as both a prevalent and high-risk area of concern. To date, medication safety research has focused overwhelmingly on institutional based care provided by paid healthcare professionals, which often has little applicability to the home care setting. This critical gap in our current understanding of medication safety in the home care sector is particularly evident with the elderly who often manage more than one chronic illness and a complex palette of medications, along with other care needs. This study addresses the medication management issues faced by seniors with chronic illnesses, their family, caregivers, and paid providers within Canadian publicly funded home care programs in Alberta (AB), Ontario (ON), Quebec (QC) and Nova Scotia (NS). Informed by a socio-ecological perspective, this study utilized Interpretive Description (ID) methodology and participatory photographic methods to capture and analyze a range of visual and textual data. Three successive phases of data collection and analysis were conducted in a concurrent, iterative fashion in eight urban and/or rural households in each province. A total of 94 participants (i.e., seniors receiving home care services, their family/caregivers, and paid providers) were interviewed individually. In addition, 69 providers took part in focus groups. Analysis was iterative and concurrent with data collection in that each interview was compared with subsequent interviews for converging as well as diverging patterns. Six patterns were identified that provide a rich portrayal of the complexity of medication management safety in home care: vulnerabilities that impact the safe management and storage of medication, sustaining adequate supports, degrees of shared accountability for care, systems of variable effectiveness, poly-literacy required to navigate the system, and systemic challenges to maintaining medication safety in the home

  3. Home Medication Cabinets and Medication Taking Behavior of the Staffs in a University in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Chengbin; Ye, Juan; Dong, Yuzhen; Xu, Chunmei

    2018-01-01

    Background: A growing sum of medicines is stored in home medication cabinets in China, with the behavior of self-medication increasing. Although responsible self-medication can help prevent and treat ailments that do not need professional consultation, it bears the risk of misuse of medicines issued on prescription due to inadequate prescription medicine administration. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the condition and safety of medication storage and intended self-medication in a University in China. Method: The study was conducted over 10 month period (May 2015-March 2016) and involved a random sample of households. The questionnaire survey and personal insight into household medicine supplies was performed by a team of trained pharmacy staffs. Interviewees (N = 398, aged 16-88 y) were visited door to door and the home medication cabinets were catalogued after the participants were interviewed. Results: The majority (89.71%) households have home medicine cabinets. The total number of medicine items in the 398 households was 5600, with a median of 14 per household. The most frequently encountered categories of registered medicines were cough and cold medcines (47.8%), antibacterials for systemic use (30.0%), topical products for joint and muscular pain(26.1%), vitamins (23.2%), medication for functional gastrointestinal disorders (23.2%), oral and external forms have not kept separately(55.1%). The most treatment related problems recorded were curative effect not ideal (57.9%). 68% of the sample population would choose doctors as medication consultation object about medicines purchased. Conclusion: Large sum of medicines were found per household, with a high prevalence of cough and cold medcines. Public services in China, mainly government and health organizations, need put more effort on educating people on how to store medicines, as well as finding a way to raise awareness of the public in promoting behavioral change about medication

  4. Using existing population-based data sets to measure the American Academy of Pediatrics definition of medical home for all children and children with special health care needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bethell, Christina D; Read, Debra; Brockwood, Krista

    2004-05-01

    National health goals include ensuring that all children have a medical home. Historically, medical home has been determined by the presence of a usual or primary source of care, such as a pediatrician or a family physician. More recent definitions expand on this simplistic notion of medical home. A definition of medical home set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) includes 7 dimensions and 37 discrete concepts for determining the presence of a medical home for a child. Standardized methods to operationalize these definitions for purposes of national, state, health plan, or medical practice level reporting on the presence of medical homes for children are essential to assessing and improving health care system performance in this area. The objective of this study was to identify methods to measure the presence of medical homes for all children and for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) using existing population-based data sets. Methods were developed for using existing population-based data sets to assess the presence of medical homes, as defined by the AAP, for children with and without special health care needs. Data sets evaluated included the National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs, the National Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study Child Survey (CAHPS), and the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study Child Survey--Children With Chronic Conditions (CAHPS-CCC2.0H). Alternative methods for constructing measures using existing data were compared and results used to inform the design of a new method for use in the upcoming National Survey of Children's Health. Data from CAHPS-CCC2.0H are used to illustrate measurement options and variations in the overall presence of medical homes for children across managed health care plans as well as to evaluate in which areas of the AAP definition of medical home improvements may be most needed for all CSHCN. Existing surveys vary in

  5. HOME Participating Jurisdictions Vacant Units Reports

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — This report is an MS Excel spreadsheet broken up by state, similar to the HOME Participating Jurisdiction's Open Activities Reports. The purpose of the HOME...

  6. Home medicine chests and their relationship with self-medication in children and adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tourinho, Francis S V; Bucaretchi, Fábio; Stephan, Celso; Cordeiro, Ricardo

    2008-01-01

    To investigate the contents of home medicine chests and their relationship with self-medication in children and adolescents in the towns of Limeira and Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. This is a descriptive population study based on a home survey of a simple random sample from both towns, comprising 705 households from census sectors selected by means of cluster sampling. age medicines kept at home; and having taken at least one medication during the 15 days prior to the interview. The participants were split into two groups based on medication: self-medication (lay advice) and medical prescription. Tests of linear association were performed, in addition to a descriptive analysis of the variables and multiple logistic regression. A total of 3,619 medicines were found (mean = 5.1/household; 79.6% were pharmaceutical preparations). The rooms most commonly used to store medications were bedrooms (47.5%), kitchens (29.9%), and bathrooms (14.6%); 76.5% were in cardboard boxes and within easy reach of 142 children aged medicines at home is a common practice, and it is important to implement campaigns to encourage rational use, reduced waste and safe storage of medicines.

  7. Prevalence and predictors of potentially inappropriate medications among home care elderly patients in Qatar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhmoud, Eman; Khalifa, Sabah; Bahi, Asma Abdulaziz

    2015-10-01

    Older patients receiving home health care are particularly at risk of receiving potentially inappropriate medications compared to community-dwelling population. Data on appropriateness of prescribing in these patients is limited. To investigate the prevalence, patterns and determinants of potentially inappropriate medications among elderly patients receiving Home Health Care Services in Qatar. Home Health Care Services department in Hamad Medical Corporation-Qatar. A cross-sectional study, conducted over a 3 months period. Patients 65 years and older, taking at least one medication and receiving home care services were included. Potentially inappropriate medications were identified and classified in accordance with the American Geriatrics Society 2012 Beers Criteria. Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications using updated Beers criteria. A total of 191 patients (38.2%) had at least one potentially inappropriate medication. As per Beers criteria, 35% of medications were classified as medications to be avoided in older adults regardless of conditions and 9% as potentially inappropriate medications when used with certain diseases or syndromes. The majority of potentially inappropriate medications (56%) were classified as medications to be used with caution. The two leading classes of potentially inappropriate medications were antipsychotics (27.4%) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (16%). Significant predictors of inappropriate prescribing were hypertension [adjusted OR 1.7; 95% CI (1.0, 2.8)], dementia [adjusted OR 2.0; 95% CI (1.2, 3.1)], depression [adjusted OR 21.6; 95% CI (2.8, 168.4)], and taking more than ten prescribed medications [adjusted OR 1.9; 95% CI (1.3, 2.8)]. Prescribing potentially inappropriate medications is common among older adults receiving home health care services in Qatar, a finding that warrants further attention. Polypharmacy, hypertension, depression and dementia were significantly associated with potentially

  8. Promoting cancer screening within the patient centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarfaty, Mona; Wender, Richard; Smith, Robert

    2011-01-01

    While consensus has grown that primary care is the essential access point in a high-performing health care system, the current model of primary care underperforms in both chronic disease management and prevention. The Patient Centered Medical Home model (PCMH) is at the center of efforts to reinvent primary care practice, and is regarded as the most promising approach to addressing the burden of chronic disease, improving health outcomes, and reducing health spending. However, the potential for the medical home to improve the delivery of cancer screening (and preventive services in general) has received limited attention in both conceptualization and practice. Medical home demonstrations to date have included few evidence-based preventive services in their outcome measures, and few have evaluated the effect of different payment models. Decreasing use of hospitals and emergency rooms and an emphasis on improving chronic care represent improvements in effective delivery of healthcare, but leave opportunities for reducing the burden of cancer untouched. Data confirm that what does or does not happen in the primary care setting has a substantial impact on cancer outcomes. Insofar as cancer is the leading cause of death before age 80, the PCMH model must prioritize adherence to cancer screening according to recommended guidelines, and systems, financial incentives, and reimbursements must be aligned to achieve that goal. This article explores capacities that are needed in the medical home model to facilitate the integration of cancer screening and other preventive services. These capacities include improved patient access and communication, health risk assessments, periodic preventive health exams, use of registries that store cancer risk information and screening history, ability to track and follow up on tests and referrals, feedback on performance, and payment models that reward cancer screening. Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society, Inc.

  9. Effects of health insurance on non-working married women's medical care use and bed days at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Changwoo; Shin, Euichul

    2013-07-01

    This study examines whether bed days are alternative methods to medical care use for treating a particular illness. If bed days at home are considered as an alternative to medical treatment, then medical care use and bed days at home should be influenced by an individual's health insurance status. This study uses data from the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) on medical care use and bed days at home for each contracted illness of non-working married women. The results suggest that the health insurance status of non-working married women has considerable influence on their choice between medical care use and bed days at home. In addition, those with health insurance are more likely to use medical care and less likely to use bed days at home, but they tend to avoid the simultaneous use of medical care and bed days at home. In contrast to previous studies' findings indicating that absences from work and medical care use among working males may be complements, this study's results for non-working married women without health insurance suggest that they use rest and medical treatment as substitutes, not complements.

  10. The Fresenius Medical Care home hemodialysis system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlaeper, Christian; Diaz-Buxo, Jose A

    2004-01-01

    The Fresenius Medical Care home dialysis system consists of a newly designed machine, a central monitoring system, a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis module, ultrapure water, and all the services associated with a successful implementation. The 2008K@home hemodialysis machine has the flexibility to accommodate the changing needs of the home hemodialysis patient and is well suited to deliver short daily or prolonged nocturnal dialysis using a broad range of dialysate flows and concentrates. The intuitive design, large graphic illustrations, and step-by-step tutorial make this equipment very user friendly. Patient safety is assured by the use of hydraulic systems with a long history of reliability, smart alarm algorithms, and advanced electronic monitoring. To further patient comfort with their safety at home, the 2008K@home is enabled to communicate with the newly designed iCare remote monitoring system. The Aquaboss Smart reverse osmosis (RO) system is compact, quiet, highly efficient, and offers an improved hygienic design. The RO module reduces water consumption by monitoring the water flow of the dialysis system and adjusting water production accordingly. The Diasafe Plus filter provides ultrapure water, known for its long-term benefits. This comprehensive approach includes planning, installation, technical and clinical support, and customer service.

  11. Safe medication management in specialized home healthcare - an observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindblad, Marléne; Flink, Maria; Ekstedt, Mirjam

    2017-08-24

    Medication management is a complex, error-prone process. The aim of this study was to explore what constitutes the complexity of the medication management process (MMP) in specialized home healthcare and how healthcare professionals handle this complexity. The study is theoretically based in resilience engineering. Data were collected during the MMP at three specialized home healthcare units in Sweden using two strategies: observation of workplaces and shadowing RNs in everyday work, including interviews. Transcribed material was analysed using grounded theory. The MMP in home healthcare was dynamic and complex with unclear boundaries of responsibilities, inadequate information systems and fluctuating work conditions. Healthcare professionals adapted their everyday clinical work by sharing responsibility and simultaneously being authoritative and preserving patients' active participation, autonomy and integrity. To promote a safe MMP, healthcare professionals constantly re-prioritized goals, handled gaps in communication and information transmission at a distance by creating new bridging solutions. Trade-offs and workarounds were necessary elements, but also posed a threat to patient safety, as these interim solutions were not systematically evaluated or devised learning strategies. To manage a safe medication process in home healthcare, healthcare professionals need to adapt to fluctuating conditions and create bridging strategies through multiple parallel activities distributed over time, space and actors. The healthcare professionals' strategies could be integrated in continuous learning, while preserving boundaries of safety, instead of being more or less interim solutions. Patients' and family caregivers' as active partners in the MMP may be an underestimated resource for a resilient home healthcare.

  12. Patient-Centered Medical Home and Family Burden in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronis, Sarah D; Baldwin, Constance D; Blumkin, Aaron; Kuhlthau, Karen; Szilagyi, Peter G

    2015-01-01

    Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can impair child health and functioning, but its effects on the family's economic burden are not well understood. The authors assessed this burden in US families of children with ADHD, and the degree to which access to a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) might reduce this burden. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 National Surveys of Children with Special Health Care Needs, focusing on families of children with ADHD. They defined family economic burden as (1) family financial problems (annual expenses for the child's health care or illness-related financial problems for the family) and/or (2) family employment problems (job loss, work time loss, or failure to change jobs to avoid insurance loss). Relative risk models assessed associations between PCMH and family economic burden, adjusted for child age, sex, ethnicity, ADHD severity, poverty status, caregiver education, and insurance. In 2009, 26% of families reported financial problems because of the child's ADHD, 2.1% reported out-of-pocket expenses >5% of income, and 36% reported employment problems. Only 38% reported care that met all 5 criteria for a PCMH (similar to rates in 2005-2006). In multivariable analysis, care in a PCMH was associated with 48% lower relative risk (RR) of financial problems (RR = 0.52, p family-centered care and care coordination were more strongly associated with lower burden. The economic burdens of families with ADHD are significant but may be alleviated by family-centered care and care coordination in a medical home.

  13. A comparison of medication administration errors from original medication packaging and multi-compartment compliance aids in care homes: A prospective observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilmartin-Thomas, Julia Fiona-Maree; Smith, Felicity; Wolfe, Rory; Jani, Yogini

    2017-07-01

    No published study has been specifically designed to compare medication administration errors between original medication packaging and multi-compartment compliance aids in care homes, using direct observation. Compare the effect of original medication packaging and multi-compartment compliance aids on medication administration accuracy. Prospective observational. Ten Greater London care homes. Nurses and carers administering medications. Between October 2014 and June 2015, a pharmacist researcher directly observed solid, orally administered medications in tablet or capsule form at ten purposively sampled care homes (five only used original medication packaging and five used both multi-compartment compliance aids and original medication packaging). The medication administration error rate was calculated as the number of observed doses administered (or omitted) in error according to medication administration records, compared to the opportunities for error (total number of observed doses plus omitted doses). Over 108.4h, 41 different staff (35 nurses, 6 carers) were observed to administer medications to 823 residents during 90 medication administration rounds. A total of 2452 medication doses were observed (1385 from original medication packaging, 1067 from multi-compartment compliance aids). One hundred and seventy eight medication administration errors were identified from 2493 opportunities for error (7.1% overall medication administration error rate). A greater medication administration error rate was seen for original medication packaging than multi-compartment compliance aids (9.3% and 3.1% respectively, risk ratio (RR)=3.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4 to 6.1, ppackaging (from original medication packaging-only care homes) and multi-compartment compliance aids (RR=2.3, 95%CI 1.1 to 4.9, p=0.03), and between original medication packaging and multi-compartment compliance aids within care homes that used a combination of both medication administration

  14. The medical home and integrated behavioral health: advancing the policy agenda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ader, Jeremy; Stille, Christopher J; Keller, David; Miller, Benjamin F; Barr, Michael S; Perrin, James M

    2015-05-01

    There has been a considerable expansion of the patient-centered medical home model of primary care delivery, in an effort to reduce health care costs and to improve patient experience and population health. To attain these goals, it is essential to integrate behavioral health services into the patient-centered medical home, because behavioral health problems often first present in the primary care setting, and they significantly affect physical health. At the 2013 Patient-Centered Medical Home Research Conference, an expert workgroup convened to determine policy recommendations to promote the integration of primary care and behavioral health. In this article we present these recommendations: Build demonstration projects to test existing approaches of integration, develop interdisciplinary training programs to support members of the integrated care team, implement population-based strategies to improve behavioral health, eliminate behavioral health carve-outs and test innovative payment models, and develop population-based measures to evaluate integration. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  15. Establishing Relationships and Navigating Boundaries When Caring for Children With Medical Complexity at Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nageswaran, Savithri; Golden, Shannon L

    Children with medical complexity receive care from many healthcare providers including home healthcare nurses. The objective of our study, based on a conceptual framework, was to describe the relationships between parents/caregivers of children with medical complexity and home healthcare nurses caring for these children. We collected qualitative data in 20 semistructured in-depth interviews (15 English, 5 Spanish) with 26 primary caregivers of children with medical complexity, and 4 focus groups of 18 home healthcare nurses inquiring about their experiences about home healthcare nursing services for children with medical complexity. During an iterative analysis process, we identified recurrent themes related to caregiver-nurse relationships. Our study showed that: (1) caregiver-nurse relationships evolved over time and were determined by multiple factors; (2) communication and trust were essential to the establishment of caregiver-nurse relationships; (3) both caregivers and nurses described difficulties of navigating physical, professional, personal, and emotional boundaries, and identified strategies to maintain these boundaries; and (4) good caregiver-nurse relationships helped in the care of children with medical complexity, reduced caregiver burden, resulted in less stress for nurses, and was a factor in nurse retention. We conclude that trusted relationships between caregivers and nurses are important to the home care of children with medical complexity. Interventions to develop and maintain good caregiver-nurse relationships are necessary.

  16. An analytics approach to designing patient centered medical homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajorlou, Saeede; Shams, Issac; Yang, Kai

    2015-03-01

    Recently the patient centered medical home (PCMH) model has become a popular team based approach focused on delivering more streamlined care to patients. In current practices of medical homes, a clinical based prediction frame is recommended because it can help match the portfolio capacity of PCMH teams with the actual load generated by a set of patients. Without such balances in clinical supply and demand, issues such as excessive under and over utilization of physicians, long waiting time for receiving the appropriate treatment, and non-continuity of care will eliminate many advantages of the medical home strategy. In this paper, by using the hierarchical generalized linear model with multivariate responses, we develop a clinical workload prediction model for care portfolio demands in a Bayesian framework. The model allows for heterogeneous variances and unstructured covariance matrices for nested random effects that arise through complex hierarchical care systems. We show that using a multivariate approach substantially enhances the precision of workload predictions at both primary and non primary care levels. We also demonstrate that care demands depend not only on patient demographics but also on other utilization factors, such as length of stay. Our analyses of a recent data from Veteran Health Administration further indicate that risk adjustment for patient health conditions can considerably improve the prediction power of the model.

  17. Medical symptoms among pilots associated with work and home environments: a 3-year cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Xi; Lindgren, Torsten; Norbäck, Dan

    2015-05-01

    To study associations between the cockpit environment, psychosocial work environment, home environment, and medical symptoms in a cohort of commercial pilots followed over 3 yr. A standardized questionnaire was mailed in February-March 1997 to all Stockholm-based pilots on duty in a Scandinavian flight company (N = 622); 577 (93%) participated. During this time smoking was allowed on long haul flights, but not on shorter flights. Smoking was prohibited on all flights after September 1997. The same questionnaire was sent to the cohort of 577 pilots in February-March 2000; 436 participated (76%). The questionnaire contained questions on symptoms, the psychosocial work environment, and the home environment. Associations were investigated using multiple logistic and ordinal regression. Symptoms were common, especially eye symptoms (38.5%), nose symptoms (39.9%), and tiredness (29.9%). Pilots exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on long haul flights had more eye symptoms (odds ratio = 1.91) and tiredness (odds ratio = 2.73). These symptoms were reduced when no longer exposed to ETS. Those who started working on long haul flights developed more nose symptoms. Pilots reporting increased work demands developed more nose and dermal symptoms and tiredness and those with decreased work control developed more eye symptoms. Pilots living in new houses, multifamily houses, and in recently painted homes reported more symptoms. Eliminating ETS exposure on board reduced medical symptoms. Further work to reduce ETS exposure globally is needed. Psychosocial aspects of the work environment for commercial pilots should be considered, as well as the home environment.

  18. Effects of health insurance on non-working married women’s medical care use and bed days at home

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background This study examines whether bed days are alternative methods to medical care use for treating a particular illness. If bed days at home are considered as an alternative to medical treatment, then medical care use and bed days at home should be influenced by an individual’s health insurance status. Method This study uses data from the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) on medical care use and bed days at home for each contracted illness of non-working married women. Results The results suggest that the health insurance status of non-working married women has considerable influence on their choice between medical care use and bed days at home. In addition, those with health insurance are more likely to use medical care and less likely to use bed days at home, but they tend to avoid the simultaneous use of medical care and bed days at home. Conclusions In contrast to previous studies’ findings indicating that absences from work and medical care use among working males may be complements, this study’s results for non-working married women without health insurance suggest that they use rest and medical treatment as substitutes, not complements. PMID:23816313

  19. Patient-centered medical homes in Louisiana had minimal impact on Medicaid population's use of acute care and costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Evan S; Campbell, Claudia; Diana, Mark L; Webber, Larry; Culbertson, Richard

    2015-01-01

    The patient-centered medical home model of primary care has received considerable attention for its potential to improve outcomes and reduce health care costs. Yet little information exists about the model's ability to achieve these goals for Medicaid patients. We sought to evaluate the effect of patient-centered medical home certification of Louisiana primary care clinics on the quality and cost of care over time for a Medicaid population. We used a quasi-experimental pre-post design with a matched control group to assess the effect of medical home certification on outcomes. We found no impact on acute care use and modest support for reduced costs and primary care use among medical homes serving higher proportions of chronically ill patients. These findings provide preliminary results related to the ability of the patient-centered medical home model to improve outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries. The findings support a case-mix-adjusted payment policy for medical homes going forward. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  20. Patient-centered medical homes improve care for adults with chronic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourat, Nadereh; Lavarreda, Shana Alex; Snyder, Sophie

    2013-05-01

    The success of health care reform implementation in 2014 partly depends on more efficient delivery of care to the millions of California residents eligible to gain insurance. Emerging evidence supports the effectiveness of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) as a potential model of care delivery, which improves health outcomes and reduces costs. Among other principles, PCMH entails receipt of care from a personal doctor, who coordinates the patient's care and develops an individualized treatment plan for the patient. These principles are particularly essential in delivery of care to those with chronic conditions who require more intensive care management. Using the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2009), this policy brief indicates that patients who reported meeting these fundamental PCMH principles were more likely to have visited the doctor and to have received flu shots, and they also had better communication with providers than those who did not report meeting these PCMH principles. The data also showed that uninsured individuals, Medi-Cal beneficiaries, those at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, Latinos, and Asian-Americans were less likely to report meeting all three PCMH principles. These findings highlight the population groups that would most benefit from the PCMH care delivery model, particularly Medi-Cal beneficiaries and those eligible for Covered California, the California health benefits exchange.

  1. Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices among providers in a medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szucs, Kinga A; Miracle, Donna J; Rosenman, Marc B

    2009-03-01

    Breastfeeding offers numerous health advantages to children, mothers, and society. From obstetrics to pediatrics, breastfeeding dyads come in contact with a wide range of healthcare providers. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls for pediatricians to support breastfeeding enthusiastically and for all children to have a medical home. We studied an inner-city healthcare system with a Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative Model Medical Home clinic, to explore how a breastfeeding/baby-friendly medical home might be built upon this framework. We describe breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices among a full range of providers and healthcare system-level barriers to effective and coordinated breastfeeding services. We conducted eight focus groups using semistructured interviews: (1) pediatricians; (2) obstetricians; (3) pediatric nurses and allied health professionals; (4) obstetric nurses and allied health professionals; (5) 24-hour telephone triage answering service nurses; (6) public health nurses; (7) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) personnel; and (8) lactation consultants and peer counselors. We identified gaps in providers' breastfeeding knowledge, counseling skills, and professional education and training. Providers' cultures and attitudes affect breastfeeding promotion and support. Providers used their own breastfeeding experiences to replace evidence-based knowledge and AAP policy statement recommendations for breastfeeding dyads. There were communication disconnects between provider groups. Providers underestimated their own, and overestimated others', influence on breastfeeding. The system lacked a coordinated breastfeeding mission. This study illuminated key disconnectedness challenges (and, hence, opportunities) for a model medical home in fostering continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, culturally effective, and evidence-based breastfeeding promotion and support.

  2. An evaluation of venous thromboembolic risk in acutely ill medical patients immobilized at home: the AT-HOME Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, Sylvia K; Hach-Wunderle, Viola; Mader, Frank H; Ruster, Katherine; Paar, Wilhelm D

    2007-01-01

    Many risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized medical patients are also present in medical outpatients. VTE prevention represents an important challenge for physicians treating patients at home. The AT-HOME study was a prospective cross-sectional observational study designed to assess awareness of the risk of VTE in immobilized acutely ill medical outpatients among German physicians, many of whom were participating in a national Continuing Medical Education (CME) program designed to raise awareness of VTE. The study involved 1210 medical patients who were acutely confined to bed at home. Physicians performed a subjective assessment of VTE risk, which was rated on a 10-point scale (1 = very low risk; 10 = very high risk). The risk of VTE was also assessed retrospectively by using a scorecard developed for use in hospitalized medical patients. Of the 1210 patients, 198 (16%) had risk scores of 0-4, 319 (26%) had scores of 5 or 6, and 693 (57%) had scores > or =7. Overall, 966 patients (80%) received thromboprophylaxis. The proportion of patients receiving thromboprophylaxis was 0% to 47% in risk score groups 0-4, 76% to 85% in groups 5 and 6, and 90% to 100% in risk score groups 7-10. In the retrospective assessment of VTE risk, 74% of patients were at high risk, 15% were at intermediate risk, and 11% were at low risk. The proportions of patients receiving thromboprophylaxis in these groups were 87%, 61%, and 55%, respectively. The involvement of physicians in educational activities focusing on VTE awareness appeared to create awareness of the risks of VTE in acutely ill medical outpatients.

  3. Personalized Medication Management: Towards a Design of Individualized Support for Elderly Citizens at Home

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Verdezoto, Nervo; Olsen, Jesper Wolff

    2012-01-01

    Several technologies have been developed to support people's medication management, including pillboxes, specialized software applications, reminders and paper-based medication lists. Several of these technologies were discovered in older adults' homes during user studies carried out with the main...... purpose to help them to manage their medications and recall challenges. We confirm that a considerable number of older adults integrate their medication treatments into their daily life routines, and that the lack of knowledge, caregiver's support, medicine outside the home, forgetting medication intake...... towards the design of a personalized medication management system. We further describe our initial stage in a participatory design process as part of the ongoing Lev Vel Consortium....

  4. 75 FR 20854 - Medical Device Use in the Home Environment: Implications for the Safe and Effective Use of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-21

    ...] Medical Device Use in the Home Environment: Implications for the Safe and Effective Use of Medical Device... related to the safe and effective use of medical device technology in the home environment. The workshop... the home environment. FDA will solicit feedback on: 1. The agency's current working definition of...

  5. Integrating the Medical Home into the EHDI Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munoz, Karen F.; Nelson, Lauri; Bradham, Tamala S.; Hoffman, Jeff; Houston, K. Todd

    2011-01-01

    State coordinators of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs completed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, or SWOT, analysis that examined 12 areas within state EHDI programs. Related to how the medical home is integrated into the EHDI process, 273 items were listed by 48 coordinators, and themes were identified…

  6. Episodic medical home interventions in severe bedridden chronic respiratory failure patients: a 4 year retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbano, L; Bertella, E; Vitacca, M

    2009-09-01

    Home care for respiratory patients includes a complex array of services delivered in an uncontrolled setting. The role of a respiratory specialist inside the home healthcare team has been scarcely studied up to now. Our aims were to analyse the number and quality of episodic home visits performed by respiratory physicians to severe bedridden Chronic Respiratory Failure (CRF) patients, and also to evaluate the safety of tracheotomy tube substitutions at home. 231 home interventions (59.8/year) in 123 CRF patients (59 males; age 63 +/- 17 y, 24 on oxygen therapy, 35 under non invasive mechanical ventilation, 46 under invasive ventilation, 74 with tracheostomy) located 35 +/- 16 km far from referred hospital, were revised in a period of 4 years (2005-2008). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (31%) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (28%) were the more frequent diagnoses. Interventions were: tracheotomy tube substitution (64%) presenting 22% of minor adverse events and 1.4% of major adverse events; change or new oxygen prescription (37%); nocturnal pulsed saturimetric trend prescription (24%); change in mechanical ventilation (MV) setting (4%); new MV adaptation (7%). After medical intervention, new home medical equipment devices (oxygen and MV) were prescribed in 36% of the cases while rehabilitative hospital admission and home respiratory physiotherapy prescription was proposed in 9% and 6% of the cases respectively. Patient/caregiver's satisfaction was reported on average 8.48 +/- 0.79 (1 = the worst; 10 = the higher). The local health care system (HCS) reimbursed 70 euros for each home intervention. Families saved 42 +/- 20 euros per visit for ambulance transportation. Home visits performed by a respiratory physician to bedridden patients with chronic respiratory failure: 1. include predominantly patients affected by COPD and ALS; 2. determine a very good satisfaction to patients/caregivers; 3. allow money saving to caregivers; 4. are predominantly

  7. Emotional learning of undergraduate medical students in an early nursing attachment in a hospital or nursing home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helmich, Esther; Bolhuis, Sanneke; Prins, Judith; Laan, Roland; Koopmans, Raymond

    2011-01-01

    Entering medicine for the first time is highly impressive for students, but we know little about the actual emotional learning processes taking place. We aimed to get more insight into expectations, experiences and emotions of students during their first clinical experiences in a hospital compared to a nursing home. We carried out a qualitative and a quantitative survey by administering questionnaires about expectations, impressive experiences and learning activities within two cohorts of first-year medical students before and after a 4-week nursing attachment. Despite different expectations, students reported similar experiences and learning activities for the nursing home and the hospital. Most impressive events were related to patient care, being a trainee, or professional identities being challenged. Students in nursing homes most often referred to their own relationships with patients. Students expressed different emotions, and frequently experienced positive and negative emotions at the same time. Rewarding experiences (not only difficult or stressful events) do matter for medical professional development. Students need to learn how to deal with and feel strengthened by the emotions evoked during clinical experiences, which should be supported by educators. The nursing home and the hospital seem to be equally suited as learning environments.

  8. Medical staff involvement in nursing homes: development of a conceptual model and research agenda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shield, Renée; Rosenthal, Marsha; Wetle, Terrie; Tyler, Denise; Clark, Melissa; Intrator, Orna

    2014-02-01

    Medical staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants) involvement in nursing homes (NH) is limited by professional guidelines, government policies, regulations, and reimbursements, creating bureaucratic burden. The conceptual NH Medical Staff Involvement Model, based on our mixed-methods research, applies the Donabedian "structure-process-outcomes" framework to the NH, identifying measures for a coordinated research agenda. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews conducted with medical directors, administrators and directors of nursing, other experts, residents and family members and Minimum Data Set, the Online Certification and Reporting System and Medicare Part B claims data related to NH structure, process, and outcomes were analyzed. NH control of medical staff, or structure, affects medical staff involvement in care processes and is associated with better outcomes (e.g., symptom management, appropriate transitions, satisfaction). The model identifies measures clarifying the impact of NH medical staff involvement on care processes and resident outcomes and has strong potential to inform regulatory policies.

  9. Medical Home Implementation Gaps for Seniors: Perceptions and Experiences of Primary Care Medical Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoff, Timothy; DePuccio, Matthew

    2018-07-01

    The study objective was to better understand specific implementation gaps for various aspects of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care delivered to seniors. The study illuminates the physician and staff experience by focusing on how individuals make sense of and respond behaviorally to aspects of PCMH implementation. Qualitative data from 51 in-depth, semi-structured interviews across six different National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)-accredited primary care practices were collected and analyzed. Physicians and staff identified PCMH implementation gaps for their seniors: (a) performing in-depth clinical assessments, (b) identifying seniors' life needs and linking them with community resources, and (c) care management and coordination, in particular self-management support for seniors. Prior experiences trying to perform these aspects of PCMH care for older adults produced collective understandings that led to inaction and avoidance by medical practices around the first two gaps, and proactive behavior that took strategic advantage of external incentives for addressing the third gap. Greater understanding of physician and staff's PCMH implementation experiences, and the learning that accumulates from these experiences, allows for a deeper understanding of how primary care practices choose to enact the medical home model for seniors on an everyday basis.

  10. Hospitalization Risk and Potentially Inappropriate Medications among Medicare Home Health Nursing Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohman, Matthew C; Cotton, Brandi P; Zagaria, Alexandra B; Bao, Yuhua; Greenberg, Rebecca L; Fortuna, Karen L; Bruce, Martha L

    2017-12-01

    Hospitalizations and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use are significant and costly issues among older home health patients, yet little is known about the prevalence of PIM use in home health or the relationship between PIM use and hospitalization risk in this population. To describe the prevalence of PIM use and association with hospitalization among Medicare home health patients. Cross-sectional analysis using data from 132 home health agencies in the US. Medicare beneficiaries starting home health nursing services between 2013 and 2014 (n = 87,780). Prevalence of individual and aggregate PIM use at start of care, measured using the 2012 Beers criteria. Relative risk (RR) of 30-day hospitalization or re-hospitalization associated with individual and aggregate PIM use, compared to no PIM use. In total, 30,168 (34.4%) patients were using at least one PIM, with 5969 (6.8%) taking at least two PIMs according to the Beers list. The most common types of PIMs were those affecting the brain or spinal cord, analgesics, and medications with anticholinergic properties. With the exception of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), PIM use across all classes was associated with elevated risk (10-33%) of hospitalization compared to non-use. Adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics, patients using at least one PIM (excluding NSAIDs) had a 13% greater risk (RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.17) of being hospitalized than patients using no PIMs, while patients using at least two PIMs had 21% greater risk (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.30). Similar associations were found between PIMs and re-hospitalization risk among patients referred to home health from a hospital. Given the high prevalence of PIM use and the association between PIMs and hospitalization risk, home health episodes represent opportunities to substantially reduce PIM use among older adults and prevent adverse outcomes. Efforts to address medication use during home health episodes

  11. Identifying risk factors for healthcare-associated infections from electronic medical record home address data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosenman Marc B

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Residential address is a common element in patient electronic medical records. Guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specify that residence in a nursing home, skilled nursing facility, or hospice within a year prior to a positive culture date is among the criteria for differentiating healthcare-acquired from community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA infections. Residential addresses may be useful for identifying patients residing in healthcare-associated settings, but methods for categorizing residence type based on electronic medical records have not been widely documented. The aim of this study was to develop a process to assist in differentiating healthcare-associated from community-associated MRSA infections by analyzing patient addresses to determine if residence reported at the time of positive culture was associated with a healthcare facility or other institutional location. Results We identified 1,232 of the patients (8.24% of the sample with positive cultures as probable cases of healthcare-associated MRSA based on residential addresses contained in electronic medical records. Combining manual review with linking to institutional address databases improved geocoding rates from 11,870 records (79.37% to 12,549 records (83.91%. Standardization of patient home address through geocoding increased the number of matches to institutional facilities from 545 (3.64% to 1,379 (9.22%. Conclusions Linking patient home address data from electronic medical records to institutional residential databases provides useful information for epidemiologic researchers, infection control practitioners, and clinicians. This information, coupled with other clinical and laboratory data, can be used to inform differentiation of healthcare-acquired from community-acquired infections. The process presented should be extensible with little or no added data costs.

  12. MedMinify: An Advice-giving System for Simplifying the Schedules of Daily Home Medication Regimens Used to Treat Chronic Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, Allen J; Klasnja, Predrag; Friedman, Charles P

    2014-01-01

    For those with high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, adherence to a home medication regimen is important for health. Reductions in the number of daily medication-taking events or daily pill burden improve adherence. A novel advice-giving computer application was developed using the SMART platform to generate advice on how to potentially simplify home medication regimens. MedMinify generated advice for 41.3% of 1,500 home medication regimens for adults age 60 years and older with chronic medical conditions. If the advice given by MedMinify were implemented, 320 regimen changes would have reduced daily medication-taking events while an additional 295 changes would have decreased the daily pill burden. The application identified four serious drug-drug interactions and so advised against taking two pairs of medications simultaneously. MedMinify can give advice to change home medication regimens that could result in simpler home medication-taking schedules.

  13. Specific Physician Orders Improve Pain Detection and Pain Reports in Nursing Home Residents: Preliminary Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monroe, Todd B; Misra, Sumathi; Habermann, Ralf C; Dietrich, Mary S; Bruehl, Stephen P; Cowan, Ronald L; Newhouse, Paul A; Simmons, Sandra F

    2015-10-01

    Despite evidence that many nursing home residents' pain is poorly managed, reasons for this poor management remain unanswered. The aim of this study was to determine if specific order sets related to pain assessment would improve pain management in nursing home (NH) residents. Outcomes included observed nurse pain assessment queries and resident reports of pain. The pretest/post-test study was performed in a 240-bed for-profit nursing home in the mid-southern region of the United States and participants were 43 nursing home residents capable of self-consent. Medical chart abstraction was performed during a 2-week (14-day) period before the implementation of specific order sets for pain assessment (intervention) and a 2-week (14-day) period after the intervention. Trained research assistants observed medication administration passes and performed participant interviews after each medication pass. One month after intervention implementation, 1 additional day of observations was conducted to determine data reliability. Nurses were observed to ask residents about pain more frequently, and nurses continued to ask about pain at higher rates 1 month after the intervention was discontinued. The proportion of residents who reported pain also significantly increased in response to increased nurse queries (e.g., "Do you have any pain right now?"), which underscores the importance of nurses directly asking residents about pain. Notably 70% of this long-stay NH population only told the nurses about their pain symptoms when asked directly. Findings uncover that using specific pain order sets seems to improve the detection of pain, which should be a routine part of nursing assessment. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Patient-Centered Medical Home in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ortiz G

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Gabriel Ortiz1, Len Fromer21Pediatric Pulmonary Services, El Paso, TX; 2Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is a progressive and debilitating but preventable and treatable disease characterized by cough, phlegm, dyspnea, and fixed or incompletely reversible airway obstruction. Most patients with COPD rely on primary care practices for COPD management. Unfortunately, only about 55% of US outpatients with COPD receive all guideline-recommended care. Proactive and consistent primary care for COPD, as for many other chronic diseases, can reduce hospitalizations. Optimal chronic disease management requires focusing on maintenance rather than merely acute rescue. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH, which implements the chronic care model, is a promising framework for primary care transformation. This review presents core PCMH concepts and proposes multidisciplinary team-based PCMH care strategies for COPD.Keywords: Patient-Centered Medical Home, chronic care model, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, patient education, physician assistants, nurse practitioners

  15. Health-illness transition among persons using advanced medical technology at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fex, Angelika; Flensner, Gullvi; Ek, Anna-Christina; Söderhamn, Olle

    2011-06-01

    This study aimed to elucidate meanings of health-illness transition experiences among adult persons using advanced medical technology at home. As an increasing number of persons perform self-care while using different sorts of advanced medical technology at home, knowledge about health-illness transition experiences in this situation may be useful to caregivers in supporting these patients. A qualitative design was used. Five women and five men, all of whom performed self-care at home, either using long-term oxygen therapy from a ventilator or oxygen cylinder, or performing peritoneal or haemodialysis, were interviewed. Ethics committee approval was obtained. Informed consent was received from all participants, and ethical issues concerning their rights in research were raised. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutical methodology, including both an inductive and a deductive structural analysis. This method offers possibilities to obtain an increased understanding by uncovering a deeper meaning of lived experiences through interviews transcribed as texts. The health-illness transition for adult persons in this context was found to mean a learning process of accepting, managing, adjusting and improving daily life with technology, facilitated by realizing the gain from technology at home. Further, the meaning of the health-illness transition experience was interpreted as contentment with being part of the active and conscious process towards transcending into a new state of living, in which the individual and the technology were in tune. The healthy transition experience was characterized by human growth and becoming. This study elucidates one meaning of health-illness transition experiences in relation to the use of advanced medical technology on a more generic level, independent of the specific type of technology used. A positive attitude towards technology at home facilitates the transition. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of

  16. Indoor fire in a nursing home : evaluation of the medical response to a mass casualty incident based on a standardized protocol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koning, S. W.; Ellerbroek, P. M.; Leenen, L. P. H.

    This retrospective study reports the outcome of a mass casualty incident (MCI) caused by a fire in a nursing home. Data from the medical charts and registration system of the Major Incident Hospital (MIH) and ambulance service were analyzed. The evaluation reports from the MIH and an independent

  17. A positive deviance approach to understanding key features to improving diabetes care in the medical home

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gabbay, R.A.; Friedberg, M.W.; Miller-Day, M.; Cronholm, P.F.; Adelman, A.; Schneider, E.C.

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE The medical home has gained national attention as a model to reorganize primary care to improve health outcomes. Pennsylvania has undertaken one of the largest state-based, multipayer medical home pilot projects. We used a positive deviance approach to identify and compare factors driving

  18. Primary care providers and medical homes for individuals with spina bifida.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, William O

    2008-01-01

    The contributions of primary care providers to the successful care of children with spina bifida cannot be underestimated. Overcoming systemic barriers to their integration into a comprehensive care system is essential. By providing routine and disability specific care through the structure of a Medical Home, they are often the first line resource and support for individuals and their families. The Medical Home model encourages primary care providers to facilitate discussions on topics as varied as education and employment. Knowledge of specific medical issues unique to this population allows the primary care provider to complement the efforts of other specialty clinics and providers in often neglected areas such as sexual health, obesity and latex sensitization. As individuals with spina bifida live into adulthood, and access to traditional multidisciplinary care models evolves, these skills will take on increasing importance within the scope of providing comprehensive and coordinated care.

  19. Home Health PPS - Reports

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Abt Associates July 21, 2010 Analysis of 2000-2008 Home Health Case-mix Change Report estimates the extent to which the observed increases in average case-mix were...

  20. Stroke and Nursing Home care: a national survey of nursing homes.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cowman, Seamus

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Although stroke is recognised as a major factor in admission to nursing home care, data is lacking on the extent and nature of the disabilities and dependency in nursing homes arising from stroke. A national study conducted in nursing homes can quantify the number of residents with stroke in nursing homes, their disability and levels of dependency. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey research design was used. A total of 572 public and private nursing homes were identified nationally and a stratified random selection of 60 nursing homes with 3,239 residents was made. In half of the nursing homes (n = 30) efforts were made to interview all residents with stroke Survey instruments were used to collect data from residents with stroke and nursing home managers on demography, patient disability, and treatment. RESULTS: Across all nursing homes (n = 60), 18% (n = 570) of the residents had previously had a stroke. In homes (n = 30), where interviews with residents with stroke (n = 257), only 7% (n = 18) residents were capable of answering for themselves and were interviewed. Data on the remaining 93% (n = 239) residents were provided by the nursing home manager. Nurse Managers reported that 73% of residents with stroke had a high level of dependency. One in two residents with stroke was prescribed antidepressants or sedative medication. Only 21% of stroke residents were prescribed anticoagulants, 42% antiplatelets, and 36% cholesterol lowering medications. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines were lacking and 68% reported that there was no formal review process in place. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides seminal findings on stroke and nursing home services in Ireland. We now know that one in six nursing home residents in a national survey are residents with a stroke, and have a wide range of disabilities. There is currently little or no structured care (beyond generic care) for stroke survivors who reside in nursing homes in Ireland.

  1. The Relationship Between the Use of a Worksite Medical Home and ED Visits or Hospitalizations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marissa Stroo BS

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Worksite medical homes may be a good model for improving employee health. The aim of this study was to compare the likelihood of being seen in the emergency department (ED or being hospitalized by level of use (no use, occasional use, or primary care of a worksite medical home, overall and by type of user (employee, adult dependent, or pediatric dependent. This was a retrospective analysis of claims data, using covariate-adjusted logistic regression models for ED visits and inpatient hospitalizations. Secondary data for the years 2006 to 2008 from a company that offers an on-site health care center (HCC were used. Analyses were based on a data set that combines health plan claims and human resources demographic data. Overall, people who did not use the HCC were more likely to be seen in the ED (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval or CI [1.06, 1.37], P = .005 or to be hospitalized (adjusted OR = 1.58; 95% CI [1.34, 1.86]; P < .0001 compared with those who used the HCC for primary care. Both ED visits and hospitalizations for employees and dependents in this study were lower among those who used the worksite medical home for primary care. Worksite medical homes can improve chronic disease management and thus reduce ED visits and hospitalizations. These findings contribute to growing evidence that worksite medical homes are potentially cost-effective.

  2. Reengineering hemodialysis for the home environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treu, Denny

    2010-01-01

    Denny Treu of NxStage Medical, Inc., who has led the development of six dialysis systems with various companies, reports here on a home hemodialysis system that his company successfully designed specifically for home use.

  3. Adverse events in diabetic foot infections: a case control study comparing early versus delayed medical treatment after home remedies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cawich SO

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Shamir O Cawich, Patrick Harnarayan, Shariful Islam, Steve Budhooram, Shivaa Ramsewak, Vijay Naraynsingh Department of Clinical Surgical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies Background: The aim of conventional medical therapy in diabetic foot infections is to control infection, thereby reducing amputation rates, infectious morbidity, and death. Any delay incurred during a trial of home remedies could allow an infection to progress unchecked, increasing the risk of these adverse outcomes. This study sought to determine the effects of delayed operative interventions and amputations in these patients. Methods: A questionnaire study targeting all consecutive patients admitted with diabetic foot infection was carried out over 1 year. Two groups were defined, ie, a medical therapy group comprising patients who sought medical attention after detecting their infection and a home remedy group comprising those who voluntarily chose to delay medical therapy in favor of home remedies. The patients were followed throughout their hospital admissions. We recorded the duration of hospitalization and number of operative debridements and amputations performed. Results: There were 695 patients with diabetic foot infections, comprising 382 in the medical therapy group and 313 in the home remedy group. Many were previously hospitalized for foot infections in the medical therapy (78% and home remedy (74.8% groups. The trial of home remedies lasted for a mean duration of 8.9 days. The home remedy group had a longer duration of hospitalization (16.3 versus 8.5 days; P<0.001, more operative debridements (99.7% versus 94.5%; P<0.001, and more debridements per patient (2.85 versus 2.45; P<0.001. Additionally, in the home remedy group, there was an estimated increase in expenditure of US $10,821.72 US per patient and a trend toward more major amputations (9.3% versus 5.2%; P=0.073. Conclusion: There are negative

  4. Evaluating sociodemographic and medical conditions of patients under home care service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tolga Önder

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: In our study, we aimed to reveal medical conditions and the sociodemographic conditions of patients under home care service. Methods: Our study is planned on 52 patients who are under home care service at Sarıkamış State Hospital between June 2013 and May 2014. Patients' sex, education, social security status, comorbid diseases and general health status were recorded. Results: Fifty-two patients enrolled. 21 of them (40.4% were men, 31 of them (59.6 % were women. It is revealed that In 36 patients (69.2% did not receive formal education throughout their lives, while16 (30.8% of them had only primary education. All female patients were housewives. The most frequent diseases in home care patients were cerebrovascular disease in 18 (34.6% subjects, Alzheimer's disease in 9 (17.3%, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 4 (7.7% d. 38 patients (73.1% needed routine follow-up. Most of the patients (61.5% had green card health insurance. Only 6 patients (11.5% were in need of narcotic analgesics. Thirteen patients had pressure ulcers due to immobilization. Evaluating the exercise capacity of the patients; 43 (82.7% could not dressed themselves, 38 (73.1% could not use phone. Thirty-two patients had urinary incontinence and 31 had fecal incontinence. Conclusion: Today, population of patients who need home care service is increasing due to ease access to home care service and increase in survival. For a better care of patients, home care providers should be well educated and differences on features of patients and medical conditions it should be taken into consideration.

  5. The use of potentially inappropriate medications and changes in quality of life among older nursing home residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Aqqad, Saná M H; Chen, Li Li; Shafie, Asrul Akmal; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Tangiisuran, Balamurugan

    2014-01-01

    Nursing home residents are mainly older people with multiple diseases and taking multiple medications. The quality use of medication and its association with health related quality of life (HRQoL) have not been reported in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the association between the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and the changes observed in the HRQoL among older nursing home residents. A prospective follow up study was conducted at four nongovernmental organization nursing homes in Penang, Malaysia. Older residents (≥65 years old) taking at least one prescribed medication were included. Residents with PIMs were identified by using Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria. HRQoL was assessed using EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) at baseline and after a 3-month follow up. The association of PIMs with HRQoL was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. The median age of the 211 participants was 77 years (interquartile range 72-82 years) and the median number of prescription medicines was four (interquartile range three to six). The prevalence of PIMs was 23.7% and 18.6% at baseline and 3 months later, respectively. The most commonly prescribed PIMs in decreasing order were first generation antihistamine, prescriptions of duplicate drug class, glibenclamide with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and anticholinergic to treat extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic medications. At baseline, there was no significant difference among residents with or without PIMs in each bracket of EQ-5D, EQ-5D index, or EQ-VAS scores. Comparison of the differences in the mean score index of EQ-5D between baseline and after 3 months also showed no statistically significant differences. PIMs were found to be relatively common among older nursing home residents. However, no significant changes were observed in HRQoL among these residents. Further studies with a bigger sample size and

  6. A prospective study of symptoms, function, and medication use during acute illness in nursing home residents: design, rationale and cohort description

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Sophia

    2010-07-01

    incidence of 1.5 (SD 2.0 episodes per resident per year; 74% were managed in the nursing home and 26% managed in the acute care setting. Conclusion In this report, we describe the conceptual model and methods of designing a longitudinal cohort to measure acute illness patterns and symptoms among nursing home residents, and describe the characteristics of our cohort at baseline. In our planned analysis, we will further estimate the effect of the use and interruption of medications on withdrawal and relapse symptoms and illness outcomes.

  7. A household survey on the extent of home medication storage. A cross-sectional study from rural Crete, Greece.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsiligianni, Ioanna G; Delgatty, Candida; Alegakis, Athanasios; Lionis, Christos

    2012-03-01

    Patients often have multiple chronic diseases, use multiple prescriptions and over the counter medications resulting in polypharmacy. Many of them store these medications for future use in their homes, rather than take them as directed by their physician, resulting in a waste of health care resources, and potentially dangerous misuse. This study aimed to investigate the magnitude of medication home hoarding, the exchange of medication with family/friends, families' beliefs about the medication use, source of medication, pharmaceutical class, cost of stored medicine and conditions of storage. A structured questionnaire was administered within the homes in two rural areas in Crete. Forty families participated in the study including 85 individual household members (36 men, and 49 women with an average age of 56.5 ± 24.3 mean ± SD). There were a total of 557 medications recorded, with 324 different medications representing a total value of €8954. The mean quantity of medication boxes stored in each home was 8.5 ± 5.8. Cardiovascular medications accounted for 56% of medications for current use; whereas analgesics (24%), and antibiotics (17%), were the most medications being stored for future use. Exchange of medicine was very common (95%). Beliefs that 'more expensive medication is more effective', and that 'over the counter medications are safe because they were easily available' were expressed. Medications are being stored in large quantities in these rural areas, with a large percentage of them being wasted or misused.

  8. A Web site-based reporting system for monitoring home treatment during oral immunotherapy for food allergy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nachshon, Liat; Goldberg, Michael R; Elizur, Arnon; Levy, Michael B; Schwartz, Naama; Katz, Yitzhak

    2015-06-01

    Reactions during the home treatment phase of oral immunotherapy (OIT) are not uncommon. An ongoing accurate reporting of home treatment outcomes is crucial for the safety and success of OIT. Previous reports have shown that as few as 20% of patients are truly compliant with paper-based diaries. To develop a Web site-based electronic reporting system (web-RS) for monitoring home treatment during OIT for food allergy. A web-RS was developed and incorporated a thorough questionnaire querying for pertinent data including the dose(s) consumed, occurrence and details of adverse reactions, treatment(s), and relevant potential exacerbating factors. All patients enrolled in milk, peanut, or egg OIT programs for at least 4 weeks from November 2012 through January 2014 were introduced to web-RS (n = 157). Successful reporting through web-RS was defined by consecutive reporting during the first home treatment phase (24 days) after its introduction. Comparisons were made with a previous group of OIT-treated patients (n = 100) who reported by E-mail. Successful reporting was achieved by 142 of 157 patients (90.44%) in contrast to a 75% success rate with E-mail (P = .0009). The odds for successful reporting using web-RS were 3.1 (95% confidence interval 1.6-6.3) times higher compared with using E-mail. Mild reactions were reported more frequently with web-RS (P = .0032). Patient reports were constantly available in real time for medical staff review. No complaints regarding web-RS feasibility were reported. One risk factor for failure to use web-RS was a patient's prior successful OIT experience without using web-RS (P = .012). A web-RS can be a powerful tool for improving OIT safety by achieving a high level of patient cooperation in reporting home treatment results. Copyright © 2015 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Structuring payment to medical homes after the affordable care act.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Samuel T; Abrams, Melinda K; Baron, Richard J; Berenson, Robert A; Rich, Eugene C; Rosenthal, Gary E; Rosenthal, Meredith B; Landon, Bruce E

    2014-10-01

    The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a leading model of primary care reform, a critical element of which is payment reform for primary care services. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has emerged as a model of delivery system reform, and while there is theoretical alignment between the PCMH and ACOs, the discussion of physician payment within each model has remained distinct. Here we compare payment for medical homes with that for accountable care organizations, consider opportunities for integration, and discuss implications for policy makers and payers considering ACO models. The PCMH and ACO are complementary approaches to reformed care delivery: the PCMH ultimately requires strong integration with specialists and hospitals as seen under ACOs, and ACOs likely will require a high functioning primary care system as embodied by the PCMH. Aligning payment incentives within the ACO will be critical to achieving this integration and enhancing the care coordination role of primary care in these settings.

  10. Stroke and Nursing Home care: a national survey of nursing homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGee Hannah

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although stroke is recognised as a major factor in admission to nursing home care, data is lacking on the extent and nature of the disabilities and dependency in nursing homes arising from stroke. A national study conducted in nursing homes can quantify the number of residents with stroke in nursing homes, their disability and levels of dependency. Methods A cross-sectional survey research design was used. A total of 572 public and private nursing homes were identified nationally and a stratified random selection of 60 nursing homes with 3,239 residents was made. In half of the nursing homes (n = 30 efforts were made to interview all residents with stroke Survey instruments were used to collect data from residents with stroke and nursing home managers on demography, patient disability, and treatment. Results Across all nursing homes (n = 60, 18% (n = 570 of the residents had previously had a stroke. In homes (n = 30, where interviews with residents with stroke (n = 257, only 7% (n = 18 residents were capable of answering for themselves and were interviewed. Data on the remaining 93% (n = 239 residents were provided by the nursing home manager. Nurse Managers reported that 73% of residents with stroke had a high level of dependency. One in two residents with stroke was prescribed antidepressants or sedative medication. Only 21% of stroke residents were prescribed anticoagulants, 42% antiplatelets, and 36% cholesterol lowering medications. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines were lacking and 68% reported that there was no formal review process in place. Conclusions This study provides seminal findings on stroke and nursing home services in Ireland. We now know that one in six nursing home residents in a national survey are residents with a stroke, and have a wide range of disabilities. There is currently little or no structured care (beyond generic care for stroke survivors who reside in nursing homes in Ireland.

  11. Physician Payment Methods and the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Comment on "A Troubled Asset Relief Program for the Patient-Centered Medical Home".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinn, Kevin

    This commentary analyzes the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model within a framework of the 8 basic payment methods in health care. PCMHs are firmly within the fee-for-service tradition. Changes to the process and structure of the Resource Based Relative Value Scale, which underlies almost all physician fee schedules, could make PCMHs more financially viable. Of the alternative payment methods being considered, shared savings models are unlikely to transform medical practice whereas capitation models place unrealistic expectations on providers to accept epidemiological risk. Episode payment may strike a feasible balance for PCMHs, with newly available episode definitions presenting opportunities not previously available.

  12. Home delivery of medication - the role of a patient information leaflet on maximising service uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, L; Ahmed, N; Mccall, H; Minton, J; Benn, P; Edwards, S; Waters, L

    2014-12-01

    There are currently over 30,000 HIV-positive individuals in London and over 25,000 on anti-retroviral therapy. In 2009/2010, this equated to £170m spent by London's NHS on anti-retroviral drugs. Ways employed to reduce this cost include standardising the drugs patients are on and delivering medication to patients at home. Home delivery (HD) medication is exempt from value-added tax. The savings made from 10 patients using the home delivery service would free up resources to provide anti-retroviral therapy to one further patient. Studies have shown that concerns surrounding potential breaches of confidentiality are a potential barrier to some people using the home delivery service. In order to challenge these concerns, a leaflet was devised highlighting the major benefits to both the patient and the NHS of home delivery and addressing concerns over confidentiality. The leaflet was handed out to patients at the Mortimer Market Centre who were currently on anti-retroviral medication but not on home delivery. They were asked to complete a survey on their views of the service before and after reading the leaflet, whether they had been previously aware of the service and whether their concerns had been addressed. Some 79% felt that the patient information leaflet addressed all of their concerns, and it helped 11% decide whether to consider using home delivery. However, as more patients were opposed to the service after reading the patient information leaflet than those considering it, more work needs to be done to explore patients' concerns and other factors influencing home delivery service uptake. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  13. Does a medical home mediate racial disparities in unmet healthcare needs among children with special healthcare needs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Amanda C; Rankin, Kristin M; Rosenberg, Deborah

    2012-12-01

    This study extends mediation analysis techniques to explore whether and to what extent differential access to a medical home explains the black/white disparity in unmet healthcare needs among children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN). Data were obtained from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, with analyses limited to non-Hispanic white and black CSHCN (n = 14,677). The counterfactual approach to mediation analysis was used to estimate odds ratios for the natural direct and indirect effects of race on unmet healthcare needs. Overall, 43.0 % of white CSHCN and 60.4 % of black CSHCN did not have a medical home. Additionally, 8.8 % of white CSHCN and 15.3 % of black CSHCN had unmet healthcare needs. The natural indirect effect indicates that the odds of unmet needs among black CSHCN are elevated by approximately 20 % as a result of their current level of access to the medical home rather than access at a level equal to white CSHCN (OR(NIE) = 1.2, 95 % CI = 1.1, 1.3). The natural direct effect indicates that even if black CSHCN had the same level of access to a medical home as white CSHCN, blacks would still have 60 % higher odds of unmet healthcare needs than whites (OR(NDE) = 1.6, 95 % CI = 1.1, 2.4). The racial disparity in unmet healthcare needs among CSHCN is only partially explained by disparities in having a medical home. Ensuring all CSHCN have equal access to a medical home may reduce the racial disparity in unmet needs, but will not completely eliminate it.

  14. Payment and Care for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Patients: Toward a Specialized Medical Home for Complex Care Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajewski, James L; McClellan, Mark B; Majhail, Navneet S; Hari, Parameswaran N; Bredeson, Christopher N; Maziarz, Richard T; LeMaistre, Charles F; Lill, Michael C; Farnia, Stephanie H; Komanduri, Krishna V; Boo, Michael J

    2018-01-01

    Patient-centered medical home models are fundamental to the advanced alternative payment models defined in the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Plan Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The patient-centered medical home is a model of healthcare delivery supported by alternative payment mechanisms and designed to promote coordinated medical care that is simultaneously patient-centric and population-oriented. This transformative care model requires shifting reimbursement to include a per-patient payment intended to cover services not previously reimbursed such as disease management over time. Payment is linked to quality measures, including proportion of care delivered according to predefined pathways and demonstrated impact on outcomes. Some medical homes also include opportunities for shared savings by reducing overall costs of care. Recent proposals have suggested expanding the medical home model to specialized populations with complex needs because primary care teams may not have the facilities or the requisite expertise for their unique needs. An example of a successful care model that may provide valuable lessons for those creating specialty medical home models already exists in many hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) centers that deliver multidisciplinary, coordinated, and highly specialized care. The integration of care delivery in HCT centers has been driven by the specialty care their patients require and by the payment methodology preferred by the commercial payers, which has included bundling of both inpatient and outpatient care in the peritransplant interval. Commercial payers identify qualified HCT centers based on accreditation status and comparative performance, enabled in part by center-level comparative performance data available within a national outcomes database mandated by the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. Standardization across centers has been facilitated via voluntary accreditation implemented by Foundation for

  15. The patient-centered medical home in oncology: from concept to reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Ray D; Newcomer, Lee N; Sprandio, John D; McAneny, Barbara L

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, the cost of providing quality cancer care has been subject to an epic escalation causing concerns on the verge of a health care crisis. Innovative patient-management models in oncology based on patient-centered medical home (PCMH) principles, coupled with alternative payments to traditional fee for service (FFS), such as bundled and episodes payment are now showing evidence of effectiveness. These efforts have the potential to bend the cost curve while also improving quality of care and patient satisfaction. However, going forward with FFS alternatives, there are several performance-based payment options with an array of financial risks and rewards. Most novel payment options convey a greater financial risk and accountability on the provider. Therefore, the oncology medical home (OMH) can be a way to mitigate some financial risks by sharing savings with the payer through better global care of the patient, proactively preventing complications, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations. However, much of the medical home infrastructure that is required to reduced total costs of cancer care comes as an added expense to the provider. As best-of-practice quality standards are being elucidated and refined, we are now at a juncture where payers, providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders should work in concert to expand and implement the OMH framework into the variety of oncology practice environments to better equip them to assimilate into the new payment reform configurations of the future.

  16. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2017 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-11-03

    This final rule updates the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor; effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also: Implements the last year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates; updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the 2nd-year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014; finalizes changes to the methodology used to calculate payments made under the HH PPS for high-cost "outlier" episodes of care; implements changes in payment for furnishing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) using a disposable device for patients under a home health plan of care; discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments; includes an update on subsequent research and analysis as a result of the findings from the home health study; and finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, which was implemented on January 1, 2016; and updates to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).

  17. Psychotropic medication in a randomly selected group of citizens receiving residential or home care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Futtrup, Tina Bergmann; Schultz, Hanne; Jensen, Margit Bak

    2014-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Treatment with one or more psychotropic medications (PMs), especially in the elderly, is associated with risk, and the effects of treatment are poorly validated. The aim of this article was to describe the use of PM in a population of citizens receiving either residential care or home...... care with focus on the prevalence of drug use, the combination of different PMs and doses in relation to current recommendations. METHODS: The medication lists of 214 citizens receiving residential care (122) and home care (92) were collected together with information on age, gender and residential...

  18. Multipayer patient-centered medical home implementation guided by the chronic care model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbay, Robert A; Bailit, Michael H; Mauger, David T; Wagner, Edward H; Siminerio, Linda

    2011-06-01

    A unique statewide multipayer ini Pennsylvania was undertaken to implement the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) guided by the Chronic Care Model (CCM) with diabetes as an initial target disease. This project represents the first broad-scale CCM implementation with payment reform across a diverse range of practice organizations and one of the largest PCMH multipayer initiatives. Practices implemented the CCM and PCMH through regional Breakthrough Series learning collaboratives, supported by Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP) practice coaches, with required monthly quality reporting enhanced by multipayer infrastructure payments. Some 105 practices, representing 382 primary care providers, were engaged in the four regional collaboratives. The practices from the Southeast region of Pennsylvania focused on diabetes patients (n = 10,016). During the first intervention year (May 2008-May 2009), all practices achieved at least Level 1 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Physician Practice Connections Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) recognition. There was significant improvement in the percentage of patients who had evidence-based complications screening and who were on therapies to reduce morbidity and mortality (statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors). In addition, there were small but statistically significant improvements in key clinical parameters for blood pressure and cholesterol levels, with the greatest absolute improvement in the highest-risk patients. Transforming primary care delivery through implementation of the PCMH and CCM supported by multipayer infrastructure payments holds significant promise to improve diabetes care.

  19. A systematic review of patient medication error on self-administering medication at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mira, José Joaquín; Lorenzo, Susana; Guilabert, Mercedes; Navarro, Isabel; Pérez-Jover, Virtudes

    2015-06-01

    Medication errors have been analyzed as a health professionals' responsibility (due to mistakes in prescription, preparation or dispensing). However, sometimes, patients themselves (or their caregivers) make mistakes in the administration of the medication. The epidemiology of patient medication errors (PEs) has been scarcely reviewed in spite of its impact on people, on therapeutic effectiveness and on incremental cost for the health systems. This study reviews and describes the methodological approaches and results of published studies on the frequency, causes and consequences of medication errors committed by patients at home. A review of research articles published between 1990 and 2014 was carried out using MEDLINE, Web-of-Knowledge, Scopus, Tripdatabase and Index Medicus. The frequency of PE was situated between 19 and 59%. The elderly and the preschooler population constituted a higher number of mistakes than others. The most common were: incorrect dosage, forgetting, mixing up medications, failing to recall indications and taking out-of-date or inappropriately stored drugs. The majority of these mistakes have no negative consequences. Health literacy, information and communication and complexity of use of dispensing devices were identified as causes of PEs. Apps and other new technologies offer several opportunities for improving drug safety.

  20. Accuracy of Caregiver Proxy Reports of Home Care Service Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappell, Neena L; Kadlec, Helena

    2016-12-01

    Although much of the research on service use by older adults with dementia relies on proxy reports by informal caregivers, little research assesses the accuracy of these reports, and that which does exist, does not focus on home care services. This brief report compares proxy reports by family caregivers to those with dementia with provincial Ministry of Health records collected for payment and monitoring. The four home care services examined include home nursing care, adult day care, home support, and respite care. Data come from a province-wide study of caregivers in British Columbia, Canada. Caregiver reports are largely consistent with Ministry records, ranging from 81.0% agreement for home support to 96.6% for respite care. Spouses living with the care recipient (the vast majority of the sample) are the most accurate. Others, whether living with the care recipient or not, have only a 50-50 chance of being correct.

  1. Child and caregiver reported problems in using asthma medications and question-asking during paediatric asthma visits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleath, Betsy; Carpenter, Delesha M; Beard, Ashley; Gillette, Christopher; Williams, Dennis; Tudor, Gail; Ayala, Guadalupe X

    2014-02-01

    The objectives of the study were to describe the extent to which lay caregivers and children who reported asthma medication problems asked medication questions during their medical visits. Children with asthma ages 8 through 16 years and their caregivers were recruited at five paediatric practices and their medical visits were audiotape recorded. Children were interviewed after their medical visits and caregivers completed questionnaires. A home visit was conducted 1 month later. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyse the data. Two hundred and ninety six families participated. Among those caregivers who reported asthma medication problems, only 35% had asked at least one medication question during the visit. Among children who reported asthma medication problems, only 11% had asked at least one medication question during their consultation. Caregivers and children who reported a problem with their asthma medications were significantly more likely to have asked medication questions if providers had asked more questions about control medications. Children who reported higher asthma management self-efficacy were significantly more likely to have asked an asthma medication question. Only one in three caregivers and one in 10 children who reported an asthma medication problem asked a question during their medical visits and many still reported these problems 1 month later. Pharmacists should encourage caregivers and children to report problems they may be having using their asthma medications. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  2. Evaluation of Raising Adolescent Families Together Program: A Medical Home for Adolescent Mothers and Their Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buman, Matthew P.; Woods, Elizabeth R.; Famakinwa, Olatokunbo; Harris, Sion Kim

    2012-01-01

    Objectives. This study described a medical home model for adolescent mothers and their children, and their 1- and 2-year preventive care, repeat pregnancy, and psychosocial outcomes. Methods. In this prospective, single cohort demonstration project, adolescent mothers (14–18 years old) and their children received care in a medical home. Demographic, medical and social processes, and outcomes data were collected at enrollment through 24 months. Change over time and predictors of repeat pregnancy were analyzed. Results. A total of 181 adolescents enrolled, with 79.6% participating for 2 years. At 2 years, 90.2% of children were completely immunized. Children and adolescent mothers met standards for health care visits, and adolescent condom use improved. Rates of cumulative repeat pregnancy were 14.7% and 24.6%, school attendance 77.6% and 68.7%, and employment 21.2% and 32.3% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Conclusions. A medical home model with comprehensive and integrated medical care and social services can effectively address the complex needs of adolescent parents and their children. PMID:22897537

  3. Prescribing of psychotropic medication for nursing home residents with dementia: a general practitioner survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cousins JM

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Justin M Cousins, Luke RE Bereznicki, Nick B Cooling, Gregory M Peterson School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the prescribing of psychotropic medication by general practitioners (GPs to nursing home residents with dementia.Subjects and methods: GPs with experience in nursing homes were recruited through professional body newsletter advertising, while 1,000 randomly selected GPs from south-eastern Australia were invited to participate, along with a targeted group of GPs in Tasmania. An anonymous survey was used to collect GPs’ opinions.Results: A lack of nursing staff and resources was cited as the major barrier to GPs recommending non-pharmacological techniques for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD; cited by 55%; 78/141, and increasing staff levels at the nursing home ranked as the most important factor to reduce the usage of psychotropic agents (cited by 60%; 76/126.Conclusion: According to GPs, strategies to reduce the reliance on psychotropic medication by nursing home residents should be directed toward improved staffing and resources at the facilities. Keywords: dementia, nursing homes, general practitioners, antipsychotic agents, benzodiazepines

  4. The use of potentially inappropriate medications and changes in quality of life among older nursing home residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al Aqqad S MH

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Sana’ MH Al Aqqad, Li Li Chen, Asrul Akmal Shafie, Mohamed Azmi Hassali, Balamurugan Tangiisuran Pharmacy Practice Research Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia Background: Nursing home residents are mainly older people with multiple diseases and taking multiple medications. The quality use of medication and its association with health related quality of life (HRQoL have not been reported in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the association between the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs and the changes observed in the HRQoL among older nursing home residents. Methods: A prospective follow up study was conducted at four nongovernmental organization nursing homes in Penang, Malaysia. Older residents (≥65 years old taking at least one prescribed medication were included. Residents with PIMs were identified by using Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP criteria. HRQoL was assessed using EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D and EuroQol-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS at baseline and after a 3-month follow up. The association of PIMs with HRQoL was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The median age of the 211 participants was 77 years (interquartile range 72–82 years and the median number of prescription medicines was four (interquartile range three to six. The prevalence of PIMs was 23.7% and 18.6% at baseline and 3 months later, respectively. The most commonly prescribed PIMs in decreasing order were first generation antihistamine, prescriptions of duplicate drug class, glibenclamide with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and anticholinergic to treat extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic medications. At baseline, there was no significant difference among residents with or without PIMs in each bracket of EQ-5D, EQ-5D index, or EQ-VAS scores. Comparison of the differences in the mean score index of EQ-5D between baseline and after 3 months

  5. Effect of training and structured medication review on medication appropriateness in nursing home residents and on cooperation between health care professionals: the InTherAKT study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahlknecht, Angelika; Nestler, Nadja; Bauer, Ulrike; Schüßler, Nadine; Schuler, Jochen; Scharer, Sebastian; Becker, Ralf; Waltering, Isabel; Hempel, Georg; Schwalbe, Oliver; Flamm, Maria; Osterbrink, Jürgen

    2017-01-18

    Pharmacotherapy in residents of nursing homes is critical due to the special vulnerability of this population. Medical care and interprofessional communication in nursing homes are often uncoordinated. As a consequence, polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use are common and may lead to hospitalizations and health hazards. The aim of this study is to optimize communication between the involved professional groups by specific training and by establishing a structured medication review process, and to improve medication appropriateness and patient-relevant health outcomes for residents of nursing homes. The trial is designed as single-arm study. It involves 300 nursing home residents aged ≥ 65 years and the members of the different professional groups practising in nursing home care (15-20 general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists). The intervention consists of interprofessional education on safe medication use in geriatric patients, and a systematic interprofessional therapy check (recording, reviewing and adapting the medication of the participating residents by means of a specific online platform). The intervention period is divided into two phases; total project period is 3 years. Primary outcome measure is the change in medication appropriateness according to the Medication Appropriateness Index. Secondary outcomes are cognitive performance, occurrence of delirium, agitation, tendency of falls, total number of drugs, number of potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions and appropriateness of recorded analgesic therapy regimens according to the Medication Appropriateness Index. Data are collected at t 0 (before the start of the intervention), t 1 (after the first intervention period) and t 2 (after the second intervention period). Cooperation and communication between the professional groups are investigated twice by qualitative interviews. The project aims to establish a structured system for monitoring of drug therapy in nursing home residents

  6. How to Buy a Medical Home? Policy Options and Practical Questions

    OpenAIRE

    Berenson, Robert A.; Rich, Eugene C.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we describe a range of payment options to support the PCMH, identifying their conceptual strengths and weaknesses. These include enhanced FFS payment for office visits to the PCMH; paying additional FFS for “new” PCMH services; variations of traditional FFS combined with new PCMH-oriented per patient per month capitation; and combined capitation payments for traditional primary care medical services as well as new medical home services. In discussing options for PCMH payment re...

  7. Discussion on the Implementation of the Patient Centred Medical Home model - Experiences from Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Safa Majidi Rahbar

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Different practitioners and academics have been working on the application of the Patient Centred Medical Home (PCMH model within the Australian context for many years. In early 2016, the Commonwealth government of Australia announced plans to establish Health Care Homes throughout the country based off the PCMH model, beginning with trial sites focused on the bundling of payments. As a result, the number of Primary Health Networks, policy makers and general practices receptive to establishing Health Care Homes is growing rapidly. The time is ripe to identify how best the elements of the model translate into the Australian context and how to implement its elements with success. As a contribution to the opportunity for a widespread implementation, the North Coast Primary Health Network is engaged in a project to build capacity in general practices to transition into Health Care Homes. The main outcomes of this project include: 1. Preparing “The Australian Handbook for Transitioning to Health Care Homes” A resource which will provide a rationale for transitioning to a HCH, milestones for transitioning along a continuum and tools for practice and practice support for establishing the model in general practice. Thus developing capacity to train ‘change facilitators’ to work to accompany transitioning practices. 2. Establishment of a National Network of Patient Centred HCH Collaborators Made up of PHN representatives, experts and policy makers working in the PCMH development space. Focused on improving advocacy effectiveness, knowledge sharing and keeping stakeholders up to date with unfolding developments. 3. Increasing local preparedness and interest for establishing HCHs Focused on propagation of development of interest locally for transitioning practices into HCHs. A local network of practitioners and collaborators informed of project updates and HCH learning and development opportunities in the region. 4. Local trial and

  8. Treatment outcomes of overweight children and parents in the medical home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background Experience treating young obese children in the Patient Center Medical Home (PCMH) is lacking. We have shown in the PCMH that after 6 months concurrent treatment of overweight children and their overweight parents (Intervention) results in lower % Over Body Mass Index (%OBMI) compared to ...

  9. One Family's Journey: Medical Home and the Network of Supports It Offers Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs--Parent Partners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Sabra; Pola-Money, Gina; Gatto, Molly

    2007-01-01

    In this 12 installment Medical Home series, "EP" will present a case study about the American Academy of Pediatrics' Medical Home Initiative. A "Medical Home" is not a building. It is an approach to providing healthcare services to children with special healthcare needs. This article presents Part 3 in the series as readers learn more about Amita…

  10. Learning by Living: Life-Altering Medical Education through Nursing Home-Based Experiential Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gugliucci, Marilyn R.; Weiner, Audrey

    2013-01-01

    The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Learning by Living Project (referred to as Learning by Living) was piloted in 2006 as an experiential medical education learning model. Since its inception, medical and other health professions students have been "admitted" into nursing homes to live the life of an older adult nursing…

  11. Implementing the patient-centered medical home in complex adaptive systems: Becoming a relationship-centered patient-centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flieger, Signe Peterson

    This study explores the implementation experience of nine primary care practices becoming patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) as part of the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative Multi-Stakeholder Medical Home Pilot. The purpose of this study is to apply complex adaptive systems theory and relationship-centered organizations theory to explore how nine diverse primary care practices in New Hampshire implemented the PCMH model and to offer insights for how primary care practices can move from a structural PCMH to a relationship-centered PCMH. Eighty-three interviews were conducted with administrative and clinical staff at the nine pilot practices, payers, and conveners of the pilot between November and December 2011. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using both a priori and emergent themes. Although there is value in the structural components of the PCMH (e.g., disease registries), these structures are not enough. Becoming a relationship-centered PCMH requires attention to reflection, sensemaking, learning, and collaboration. This can be facilitated by settings aside time for communication and relationship building through structured meetings about PCMH components as well as the implementation process itself. Moreover, team-based care offers a robust opportunity to move beyond the structures to focus on relationships and collaboration. (a) Recognize that PCMH implementation is not a linear process. (b) Implementing the PCMH from a structural perspective is not enough. Although the National Committee for Quality Assurance or other guidelines can offer guidance on the structural components of PCMH implementation, this should serve only as a starting point. (c) During implementation, set aside structured time for reflection and sensemaking. (d) Use team-based care as a cornerstone of transformation. Reflect on team structures and also interactions of the team members. Taking the time to reflect will facilitate greater sensemaking and learning and

  12. Coordinating resources for prospective medication risk management of older home care clients in primary care: procedure development and RCT study design for demonstrating its effectiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toivo, Terhi; Dimitrow, Maarit; Puustinen, Juha; Savela, Eeva; Pelkonen, Katariina; Kiuru, Valtteri; Suominen, Tuula; Kinnunen, Sirkka; Uunimäki, Mira; Kivelä, Sirkka-Liisa; Leikola, Saija; Airaksinen, Marja

    2018-03-16

    The magnitude of safety risks related to medications of the older adults has been evidenced by numerous studies, but less is known of how to manage and prevent these risks in different health care settings. The aim of this study was to coordinate resources for prospective medication risk management of home care clients ≥ 65 years in primary care and to develop a study design for demonstrating effectiveness of the procedure. Health care units involved in the study are from primary care in Lohja, Southern Finland: home care (191 consented clients), the public healthcare center, and a private community pharmacy. System based risk management theory and action research method was applied to construct the collaborative procedure utilizing each profession's existing resources in medication risk management of older home care clients. An inventory of clinical measures in usual clinical practice and systematic review of rigorous study designs was utilized in effectiveness study design. The new coordinated medication management model (CoMM) has the following 5 stages: 1) practical nurses are trained to identify clinically significant drug-related problems (DRPs) during home visits and report those to the clinical pharmacist. Clinical pharmacist prepares the cases for 2) an interprofessional triage meeting (50-70 cases/meeting of 2 h) where decisions are made on further action, e.g., more detailed medication reviews, 3) community pharmacists conduct necessary medication reviews and each patients' physician makes final decisions on medication changes needed. The final stages concern 4) implementation and 5) follow-up of medication changes. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) was developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure. The developed procedure is feasible for screening and reviewing medications of a high number of older home care clients to identify clients with severe DRPs and provide interventions to solve them utilizing existing primary care resources

  13. Washington State Nursing Home Administrator Model Curriculum. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan, Florence Kelly

    The course outlines presented in this final report comprise a proposed Fort Steilacoom Community College curriculum to be used as a statewide model two-year associate degree curriculum for nursing home administrators. The eight courses described are introduction to nursing, home administration, financial management of nursing homes, nursing home…

  14. Behavioral health and health care reform models: patient-centered medical home, health home, and accountable care organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Yuhua; Casalino, Lawrence P; Pincus, Harold Alan

    2013-01-01

    Discussions of health care delivery and payment reforms have largely been silent about how behavioral health could be incorporated into reform initiatives. This paper draws attention to four patient populations defined by the severity of their behavioral health conditions and insurance status. It discusses the potentials and limitations of three prominent models promoted by the Affordable Care Act to serve populations with behavioral health conditions: the Patient-Centered Medical Home, the Health Home initiative within Medicaid, and the Accountable Care Organization. To incorporate behavioral health into health reform, policymakers and practitioners may consider embedding in the reform efforts explicit tools-accountability measures and payment designs-to improve access to and quality of care for patients with behavioral health needs.

  15. Applying surveillance and screening to family psychosocial issues: implications for the medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Arvin; Dworkin, Paul H

    2011-06-01

    Within the medical home, understanding the family and community context in which children live is critical to optimally promoting children's health and development. How to best identify psychosocial issues likely to have an impact on children's development is uncertain. Professional guidelines encourage pediatricians to incorporate family psychosocial screening within the context of primary care, yet few providers routinely screen for these issues. The authors propose applying the core principles of surveillance and screening, as applied to children's development and behavior, to also address family psychosocial issues during health supervision services. Integrating psychosocial surveillance and screening into the medical home requires changes in professional training, provider practice, and public policy. The potential of family psychosocial surveillance and screening to promote children's optimal development justifies such changes.

  16. Assessing the skills of home care workers in helping older people take their prescribed medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smyth, Elizabeth E J

    2015-08-01

    The Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland applied a modified version of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess the skills of home care workers in assisting older people taking prescribed medications. In Northern Ireland, home care workers are care workers employed by health and social care trusts or private agencies. The application of the model has developed the skills of this staff group, improved the relationship between the commissioner and provider, significantly reduced the time spent by community nurses in individual training and assessment, and enhanced the patient experience for those taking medication. Overall, the application of this model has provided assurances to the Trust board, the executive director of nursing, and operational directors that home care workers are competent in assisting older people in this high-risk activity.

  17. Socio-medical tendency of long-lived exposure in Hiroshima Survivors Home. I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimizu, K [Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Organization, Hiroshima (Japan)

    1976-03-01

    The author is continuing to observe socio-medically long-lived survivors over 90 years of age who are in the Hiroshima Survivors' Home, and this is the first report on them. In spite of a fairly large number of survivors of short-distance exposure, unexpectedly few showed a high dose. There were few medical findings suggestive of the effect of exposure. Although chronic diseases due to aging were observed prominently, no basis suggestive of the promotion of aging due to exposure was obtained. In view of social environments, born in rural districts, many of them tended to be rather unyielding and have endured low-income life, and their body had been hardened by physical labor. Most of them had rather mild somatic disturbances, and unexpectedly few needed complete help or diapers. Very few were judged to be DE by the ADL table. Of the total number of deaths (77) in 5 years, only 5 were above 90 years of age, and the cause was heart disease in 3 and senility in 2.

  18. Socio-medical tendency of long-lived exposure in Hiroshima Survivors Home, 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Kiyoshi

    1976-01-01

    The author is continuing to observe socio-medically long-lived survivors over 90 years of age who are in the Hiroshima Survivors' Home, and this is the first report on them. In spite of a fairly large number of survivors of short-distance exposure, unexpectedly few showed a high dose. There were few medical findings suggestive of the effect of exposure. Although chronic diseases due to aging were observed prominently, no basis suggestive of the promotion of aging due to exposure was obtained. In view of social environments, born in rural districts, many of them tended to be rather unyielding and have endured low-income life, and their body had been hardened by physical labor. Most of them had rather mild somatic disturbances, and unexpectedly few needed complete help or diapers. Very few were judged to be DE by the ADL table. Of the total number of deaths (77) in 5 years, only 5 were above 90 years of age, and the cause was heart disease in 3 and senility in 2. (Chiba, N.)

  19. Response to depression treatment in the Aging Brain Care Medical Home model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LaMantia MA

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Michael A LaMantia,1–4 Anthony J Perkins,5,6 Sujuan Gao,2,7 Mary G Austrom,8,9 Cathy A Alder,10 Dustin D French,11,12 Debra K Litzelman,2,3,13 Ann H Cottingham,3 Malaz A Boustani1–3,5 1Indiana University Center for Aging Research, 2Regenstrief Institute, Inc., 3Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 4Department of Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, 5Indiana University Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science, 6Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, 7Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, 8Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, 9Indiana University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, 10Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis, IN, 11Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 12Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service, Chicago, IL, 13Indiana University Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Indianapolis, IN, USA Objective: To evaluate the effect of the Aging Brain Care (ABC Medical Home program’s depression module on patients’ depression severity measurement over time.Design: Retrospective chart review.Setting: Public hospital system.Participants: Patients enrolled in the ABC Medical Home program between October 1, 2012 and March 31, 2014.Methods: The response of 773 enrolled patients who had multiple patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9 scores recorded in the ABC Medical Home program’s depression care protocol was evaluated. Repeatedly measured PHQ-9 change scores were the dependent variables in the mixed effects models, and demographic and comorbid medical conditions were tested as potential independent variables while including random effects for time and intercept.Results: Among those patients with baseline PHQ-9 scores >10, there was a significant decrease in PHQ-9 scores over time (P<0.001; however, the effect

  20. Quality improvement in healthcare delivery utilizing the patient-centered medical home model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akinci, Fevzi; Patel, Poonam M

    2014-01-01

    Despite the fact that the United States dedicates so much of its resources to healthcare, the current healthcare delivery system still faces significant quality challenges. The lack of effective communication and coordination of care services across the continuum of care poses disadvantages for those requiring long-term management of their chronic conditions. This is why the new transformation in healthcare known as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) can help restore confidence in our population that the healthcare services they receive is of the utmost quality and will effectively enhance their quality of life. Healthcare using the PCMH model is delivered with the patient at the center of the transformation and by reinvigorating primary care. The PCMH model strives to deliver effective quality care while attempting to reduce costs. In order to relieve some of our healthcare system distresses, organizations can modify their delivery of care to be patient centered. Enhanced coordination of services, better provider access, self-management, and a team-based approach to care represent some of the key principles of the PCMH model. Patients that can most benefit are those that require long-term management of their conditions such as chronic disease and behavioral health patient populations. The PCMH is a feasible option for delivery reform as pilot studies have documented successful outcomes. Controversy about the lack of a medical neighborhood has created concern about the overall sustainability of the medical home. The medical home can stand independently and continuously provide enhanced care services as a movement toward higher quality care while organizations and government policy assess what types of incentives to put into place for the full collaboration and coordination of care in the healthcare system.

  1. Interdisciplinary approach to the management of medical supplies in the nursing home setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Francisco Peris Martí

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Given the impact of pressure ulcers in institutionalized elderly people, an interdisciplinary approach to the care of ulcers and the management of medical supplies is essential. The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate the management of medical supplies by an interdisciplinary team in order to promote their rational use in the nursing home setting. Methods: An interdisciplinary team was set up, coordinated by a Pharmacy Unit including representatives of 18 elderly nursing homes (1,599 beds. Team interventions were assessed in terms of improvements in the management of wound care supplies. In addition, a retrospective descriptive study was carried out on those patients with pressure ulcers, in order to consider future interventions. Results: The team interventions led to a selection of 15% of the 180 wound care supplies from the public tender process. The monthly savings in wound dressing material purchases was at least 17%. Furthermore, a reduction in consumption greater than 50% was found in 7 centres. The prevalence of ulcers was 5.59%. A fourth of these ulcers were originated outside nursing homes. Conclusions: The creation of an interdisciplinary team, in which the pharmacist gets closer to patient needs, and where nurses share responsibility for the selection and management of medical supplies, leads to positive results and represents an opportunity for improvement in elderly care.

  2. Care coordination, the family-centered medical home, and functional disability among children with special health care needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litt, Jonathan S; McCormick, Marie C

    2015-01-01

    Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are at increased risk for functional disabilities. Care coordination has been shown to decrease unmet health service use but has yet been shown to improve functional status. We hypothesize that care coordination services lower the odds of functional disability for CSHCN and that this effect is greater within the context of a family-centered medical home. A secondary objective was to test the mediating effect of unmet care needs on functional disability. Our sample included children ages 0 to 17 years participating the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Care coordination, unmet needs, and disability were measured by parent report. We used logistic regression models with covariate adjustment for confounding and a mediation analysis approach for binary outcomes to assess the effect of unmet needs. There were 34,459 children in our sample. Care coordination was associated with lower odds of having a functional disability (adjusted odds ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.77, 0.88). This effect was greater for care coordination in the context of a medical home (adjusted odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.66, 0.76). The relationship between care coordination and functional disability was mediated by reducing unmet services. Care coordination is associated with lower odds of functional disability among CSHCN, especially when delivered in the setting of a family-centered medical home. Reducing unmet service needs mediates this effect. Our findings support a central role for coordination services in improving outcomes for vulnerable children. Copyright © 2015 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. The use of advanced medical technologies at home: a systematic review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ten Haken, Ingrid; Ben Allouch, Somaya; van Harten, Wim H

    2018-02-26

    The number of medical technologies used in home settings has increased substantially over the last 10-15 years. In order to manage their use and to guarantee quality and safety, data on usage trends and practical experiences are important. This paper presents a literature review on types, trends and experiences with the use of advanced medical technologies at home. The study focused on advanced medical technologies that are part of the technical nursing process and 'hands on' processes by nurses, excluding information technology such as domotica. The systematic review of literature was performed by searching the databases MEDLINE, Scopus and Cinahl. We included papers from 2000 to 2015 and selected articles containing empirical material. The review identified 87 relevant articles, 62% was published in the period 2011-2015. Of the included studies, 45% considered devices for respiratory support, 39% devices for dialysis and 29% devices for oxygen therapy. Most research has been conducted on the topic 'user experiences' (36%), mainly regarding patients or informal caregivers. Results show that nurses have a key role in supporting patients and family caregivers in the process of homecare with advanced medical technologies and in providing information for, and as a member of multi-disciplinary teams. However, relatively low numbers of articles were found studying nurses perspective. Research on medical technologies used at home has increased considerably until 2015. Much is already known on topics, such as user experiences; safety, risks, incidents and complications; and design and technological development. We also identified a lack of research exploring the views of nurses with regard to medical technologies for homecare, such as user experiences of nurses with different technologies, training, instruction and education of nurses and human factors by nurses in risk management and patient safety.

  4. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2018 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update and CY 2019 Case-Mix Adjustment Methodology Refinements; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-07

    This final rule updates the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor, effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2018. This rule also: Updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the third year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between calendar year (CY) 2012 and CY 2014; and discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments that were implemented in CY 2014 through CY 2017. In addition, this rule finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP). We are not finalizing the implementation of the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) in this final rule.

  5. Primary breast sarcoma: case report | Hassan | East African Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    East African Medical Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 81, No 7 (2004) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

  6. A cloud-based home health care information sharing system to connect patients with home healthcare staff -A case report of a study in a mountainous region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomoto, Shinichi; Utsumi, Momoe; Sasayama, Satoshi; Dekigai, Hiroshi

    2017-01-01

    We have developed a cloud system, the e-Renraku Notebook (e-RN) for sharing of home care information based on the concept of "patient-centricity". In order to assess the likelihood that our system will enhance the communication and sharing of information between home healthcare staff members and home-care patients, we selected patients who were residing in mountainous regions for inclusion in our study. We herein report the findings.Eighteen staff members from 7 medical facilities and 9 patients participated in the present study.The e-RN was developed for two reasons: to allow patients to independently report their health status and to have staff members view and respond to the information received. The patients and staff members were given iPads with the pre-installed applications and the information being exchanged was reviewed over a 54-day period.Information was mainly input by the patients (61.6%), followed by the nurses who performed home visits (19.9%). The amount of information input by patients requiring high-level nursing care and their corresponding staff member was significantly greater than that input by patients who required low-level of nursing care.This patient-centric system in which patients can independently report and share information with a member of the healthcare staff provides a sense of security. It also allows staff members to understand the patient's health status before making a home visit, thereby giving them a sense of security and confidence. It was also noteworthy that elderly patients requiring high-level nursing care and their staff counterpart input information in the system significantly more frequently than patients who required low-level care.

  7. The impact of medical technology on sense of security in the palliative home care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munck, Berit; Sandgren, Anna

    2017-03-02

    The increase in the use of medical devices in palliative home care requires that patients and next-of-kin feel secure. Therefore, the aim was to describe medical technology's impact on the sense of security for patients, next-of-kin and district nurses. Deductive content analysis was conducted on data from three previous studies, using the theoretical framework 'palliative home care as a secure base'. The use of medical technology was shown to have an impact on the sense of security for all involved. A sense of control was promoted by trust in staff and their competence in managing the technology, which was linked to continuity. Inner peace and being in comfort implied effective symptom relief facilitated by pain pumps and being relieved of responsibility. Health care professionals need to have practical knowledge about medical technology, but at the same time have an awareness of how to create and maintain a sense of security.

  8. MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN ELDERLY WITH POLYPHARMACY LIVING AT HOME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EXISTING STUDIES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelko, Erika; Klemenc-Ketis, Zalika; Tusek-Bunc, Ksenija

    2016-04-01

    We wanted to systematically review the available evidence to evaluate the drug adherence in elderly with polypharmacy living at home. We performed a literature search using MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, ProQuest, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Springer Link, Sage Journals and CINAHL. We used the following terms: Medication Adherence, Medication Compliance, Polypharmacy, and Elderly. The search was limited to English-language articles. We included only clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and cross-sectional studies. A total of seven articles were included in this systematic review after applying the search strategy. Six studies dealt with the prevalence of medication adherence and its correlates in patients aged 65 years or more with polypharmacy. Two studies dealt with the effect of various interventions on medication adherence in patients aged 65 years or more with polypharmacy. The available literature on the polypharmacy and drug adherence in elderly living at home is scarce and further studies are needed.

  9. Acceptability of Home-Assessment Post Medical Abortion and Medical Abortion in a Low-Resource Setting in Rajasthan, India. Secondary Outcome Analysis of a Non-Inferiority Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mandira Paul

    Full Text Available Studies evaluating acceptability of simplified follow-up after medical abortion have focused on high-resource or urban settings where telephones, road connections, and modes of transport are available and where women have formal education.To investigate women's acceptability of home-assessment of abortion and whether acceptability of medical abortion differs by in-clinic or home-assessment of abortion outcome in a low-resource setting in India.Secondary outcome of a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial.Outpatient primary health care clinics in rural and urban Rajasthan, India.Women were eligible if they sought abortion with a gestation up to 9 weeks, lived within defined study area and agreed to follow-up. Women were ineligible if they had known contraindications to medical abortion, haemoglobin < 85 mg/l and were below 18 years.Abortion outcome assessment through routine clinic follow-up by a doctor was compared with home-assessment using a low-sensitivity pregnancy test and a pictorial instruction sheet. A computerized random number generator generated the randomisation sequence (1:1 in blocks of six. Research assistants randomly allocated eligible women who opted for medical abortion (mifepristone and misoprostol, using opaque sealed envelopes. Blinding during outcome assessment was not possible.Women's acceptability of home-assessment was measured as future preference of follow-up. Overall satisfaction, expectations, and comparison with previous abortion experiences were compared between study groups.731 women were randomized to the clinic follow-up group (n = 353 or home-assessment group (n = 378. 623 (85% women were successfully followed up, of those 597 (96% were satisfied and 592 (95% found the abortion better or as expected, with no difference between study groups. The majority, 355 (57% women, preferred home-assessment in the event of a future abortion. Significantly more women, 284 (82%, in the home-assessment group preferred

  10. Does information matter? Competition, quality, and the impact of nursing home report cards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabowski, David C; Town, Robert J

    2011-12-01

    We evaluate the effects of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), which introduced quality measures to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare website, on facility performance and consumer demand for services. The nursing home Minimum Data Set facility reports from 1999 to 2005 merged with facility-level data from the On-Line Survey, Certification, and Reporting System. We rely on the staggered rollout of the report cards across pilot and nonpilot states to examine the effect of report cards on market share and quality of care. We also exploit differences in nursing home market competition at baseline to identify the impacts of the new information on nursing home quality. The introduction of the NHQI was generally unrelated to facility quality and consumer demand. However, nursing homes facing greater competition improved their quality more than facilities in less competitive markets. The lack of competition in many nursing home markets may help to explain why the NHQI report card effort had a minimal effect on nursing home quality. With the introduction of market-based reforms such as report cards, this result suggests policy makers must also consider market structure in efforts to improve nursing home performance. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  11. [Team Collaboration in Home Medical Care to Support Patients at the End-of-Life - Review of Service Personnel Meeting on Discharge Day].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogiwara, Miyoko; Irino, Hiromi; Yamaoka, Keita; Fujimaki, Yoko; Watanabe, Mutsuko; Yamamoto, Takeshi; Hirohara, Masayoshi; Kushida, Kazuki

    2018-03-01

    Due to the rising number of patients at the terminal stage or with high dependence on medical care, the cooperation of 2 teams, the hospital discharge support team and the home support team, has become very important. The recent spread of the Internet has enabled both patients and their families who have chosen home care to obtain a wide range of information about home services, as well as diseases, and form a picture of what will happen. However, there are actually many cases in which patients and families find that things are not as they imagined, and they are uneasy and unsure of what to do. Here, we report a case in which the mismatch between the patient's and family's expectations created an unsatisfactory care situation.

  12. Factors associated with polypharmacy in elderly home-care patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komiya, Hitoshi; Umegaki, Hiroyuki; Asai, Atsushi; Kanda, Shigeru; Maeda, Keiko; Shimojima, Takuya; Nomura, Hideki; Kuzuya, Masafumi

    2018-01-01

    Polypharmacy, which is often observed in elderly patients, has been associated with several unfavorable outcomes, including an increased risk of potentially inappropriate medications, medication non-adherence, drug duplication, drug-drug interactions, higher healthcare costs and adverse drug reactions. A significant association between polypharmacy and adverse outcomes among older people living in the community has also been confirmed. A reduction in the number of medications should thus be pursued for many older individuals. Nevertheless, the factors associated with polypharmacy in elderly home-care patients have not been reported. Here, we investigated those factors in elderly home-care patients in Japan. We used the data of the participants in the Observational Study of Nagoya Elderly with Home Medical investigation. Polypharmacy was defined as the current use of six or more different medications. We carried out univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the associations between polypharmacy and each of several factors. A total of 153 home-care patients were registered. The mean number of medications used per patient was 5.9, and 51.5% of the patients belonged to the polypharmacy group. The multivariate model showed that the patients' scores on the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the Mini-Nutrition Assessment Short Form were inversely associated with polypharmacy, and potentially inappropriate medication was most strongly associated with polypharmacy (odds ratio 4.992). The present findings showed that polypharmacy was quite common among the elderly home-care patients, and they suggest that home-care physicians should prescribe fewer medications in accord with the deterioration of home-care patients' general condition. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 33-41. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  13. Multi-professional clinical medication reviews in care homes for the elderly: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial with cost effectiveness analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sach Tracey

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence demonstrates that measures are needed to optimise therapy and improve administration of medicines in care homes for older people. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical and cost effectiveness of a novel model of multi-professional medication review. Methods A cluster randomised controlled trial design, involving thirty care homes. In line with current practice in medication reviews, recruitment and consent will be sought from general practitioners and care homes, rather than individual residents. Care homes will be segmented according to size and resident mix and allocated to the intervention arm (15 homes or control arm (15 homes sequentially using minimisation. Intervention homes will receive a multi-professional medication review at baseline and at 6 months, with follow-up at 12 months. Control homes will receive usual care (support they currently receive from the National Health Service, with data collection at baseline and 12 months. The novelty of the intervention is a review of medications by a multi-disciplinary team. Primary outcome measures are number of falls and potentially inappropriate prescribing. Secondary outcome measures include medication costs, health care resource use, hospitalisations and mortality. The null hypothesis proposes no difference in primary outcomes between intervention and control patients. The primary outcome variable (number of falls will be analysed using a linear mixed model, with the intervention specified as a fixed effect and care homes included as a random effect. Analyses will be at the level of the care home. The economic evaluation will estimate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to usual care from a National Health Service and personal social services perspective. The study is not measuring the impact of the intervention on professional working relationships, the medicines culture in care homes or the generic health-related quality of life of

  14. Key sectors of the home automation industry, topical report, January 1993

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, K.L.

    1993-01-01

    This is one of a series of topical reports dealing with the strategic, technical, and market development of home automation. Particular emphasis is placed upon identifying those aspects of home automation that will impact the gas industry and gas products. Communication standards, market drivers, key organizations, technical implementation, product opportunities, and market growth projections will all be addressed in this or subsequent reports. These reports will also discuss how the gas industry and gas-fired equipment can use home automation technology to benefit the consumer

  15. On-line hemodiafiltration at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vega, Almudena; Abad, Soraya; Macías, Nicolás; Aragoncillo, Inés

    2018-04-01

    Survival with online hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) is higher than with hemodialysis; frequent hemodialysis has also improved survival and quality of life. Home hemodialysis facilitates frequent therapy. We report our experience with 2 patients with stage 5 CKD who started home hemodialysis with OL-HDF in November 2016. After a training period at the hospital, they started home hemodialysis with OL-HDF after learning how to manage dialysis monitors and how to administer water treatment. We used the "5008-home" (FMC © ) monitor, and the Acqua C © (Fresenius Medical Care) for water treatment. Water conductivity was always checked before and during dialysis sessions and was always 2.5 to 3 mS/cm. Water cultures always fulfilled the criteria for ultrapurity. As far as we know, this is the first report on patients receiving OL-HDF at home. The technique proved to be safe and valid for renal replacement therapy and transfers the benefits of hospital convective therapy to the home setting. Future data will enable us to determine whether survival has also improved. © 2017 International Society for Hemodialysis.

  16. Medical specialist attendance in nursing homes [Beschreibung und Bewertung der fachärztlichen Versorgung von Pflegeheimbewohnern in Deutschland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balzer, Katrin

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available [english] The care in nursing homes was examined based on scientific studies. The analysis focuses on dementia and type II diabetes. There is evidence for deficits in the supply of medical specialist attendance to nursing home residents with these diseases in Germany. Compared with corresponding guidelines the medical care for nursing home residents may be too low or inadequate.[german] Es wird die Versorgung in Pflegeheimen auf Basis wissenschaftlicher Studien untersucht. Schwerpunkte der Analyse sind Demenz und Diabetes. Es gibt Hinweise auf fachärztliche Versorgungsmängel bei Pflegeheimbewohnern mit diesen Krankheiten in Deutschland. Verglichen mit entsprechenden Leitlinien bestehen mögliche Unter- bzw. Fehlversorgungen.

  17. The political economy of a public health case management program's transition into medical homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Rebecca; Cilenti, Dorothy; Issel, L Michele

    2015-11-01

    Throughout the United States, public health leaders are experimenting with how best to integrate services for individuals with complex needs. To that end, North Carolina implemented a policy incorporating both local public health departments and other providers into medical homes for low income pregnant women and young children at risk of developmental delays. To understand how this transition occurred within local communities, a pre-post comparative case study was conducted. A total of 42 people in four local health departments across the state were interviewed immediately before the 2011 policy change and six months later: 32 professionals (24 twice) and 10 pregnant women receiving case management at the time of the policy implementation. We used constant comparative analysis of interview and supplemental data to identify three key consequences of the policy implementation. One, having medical homes increased the centrality of other providers relative to local health departments. Two, a shift from focusing on personal relationships toward medical efficiency diverged in some respects from both case managers' and mothers' goals. Three, health department staff re-interpreted state policies to fit their public health values. Using a political economy perspective, these changes are interpreted as reflecting shifts in public health's broader ideological environment. To a large extent, the state successfully induced more connection between health department-based case managers and external providers. However, limited provider engagement may constrain the implementation of the envisioned medical homes. The increased focus on medical risk may also undermine health departments' role in supporting health over time by attenuating staff relationships with mothers. This study helps clarify how state public health policy innovations unfold at local levels, and why front line practice may in some respects diverge from policy intent. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Behavioral Health and Health Care Reform Models: Patient-Centered Medical Home, Health Home, and Accountable Care Organization

    OpenAIRE

    Bao, Yuhua; Casalino, Lawrence P.; Pincus, Harold Alan

    2013-01-01

    Discussions of health care delivery and payment reforms have largely been silent about how behavioral health could be incorporated into reform initiatives. This paper draws attention to four patient populations defined by the severity of their behavioral health conditions and insurance status. It discusses the potentials and limitations of three prominent models promoted by the Affordable Care Act to serve populations with behavioral health conditions: the Patient Centered Medical Home, the H...

  19. Training of medical staff positively influences postoperative pain management at home in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sepponen, K; Kokki, H; Ahonen, R

    1999-08-01

    The aim of this study was to describe how parents manage their child's postoperative pain at home following day-case surgery. The incidence of pain, different analgesics used and problems related to administering medications were the main interests of the study. A postal questionnaire was sent to the parents of 275 children who were under 8 years of age and had undergone an ear, nose and throat (ENT) day-case operation. The questionnaire was sent to the parents a week after discharge from hospital. Altogether, the parents of 227 children answered the questionnaire (response rate 83%). The study was divided into two phases (preintervention and postintervention), and incorporated a training program for doctors and nurses between these two phases. The training program aimed to improve the treatment practices of postoperative pain in children. Seventy-eight per cent of the children in the preintervention study and 75% in the postintervention study experienced at least mild pain after discharge. The training program for doctors and nurses affected the home treatment practices of postoperative pain. The proportion of parents treating their children increased from 68% to 80% after the training program (p = 0.028). Many parents faced problems while treating their children; for example, 19% (n = 30) of the children refused to take their medicine, and suppositories were regarded to be an especially unpleasant dosage form. However, no serious adverse effects were reported. We conclude that due to the pain experienced at home by the great majority of children following day-case ENT operations, parents need information on how to manage their child's pain. A training program for doctors and nurses can improve the treatment of children's pain even at home. Since some children dislike suppositories, it would be worth considering the use of small tablets or mixtures instead.

  20. Patient-centered medical home model: do school-based health centers fit the model?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Satu A; Chapman, Susan A

    2013-01-01

    School-based health centers (SBHCs) are an important component of health care reform. The SBHC model of care offers accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, and compassionate care to infants, children, and adolescents. These same elements comprise the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care being promoted by the Affordable Care Act with the hope of lowering health care costs by rewarding clinicians for primary care services. PCMH survey tools have been developed to help payers determine whether a clinician/site serves as a PCMH. Our concern is that current survey tools will be unable to capture how a SBHC may provide a medical home and therefore be denied needed funding. This article describes how SBHCs might meet the requirements of one PCMH tool. SBHC stakeholders need to advocate for the creation or modification of existing survey tools that allow the unique characteristics of SBHCs to qualify as PCMHs.

  1. Medication incidents reported to an online incident reporting system.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Alrwisan, Adel

    2011-01-15

    AIMS: Approximately 20% of deaths from adverse events are related to medication incidents, costing the NHS an additional £500 million annually. Less than 5% of adverse events are reported. This study aims to assess the reporting rate of medication incidents in NHS facilities in the north east of Scotland, and to describe the types and outcomes of reported incidents among different services. Furthermore, we wished to quantify the proportion of reported incidents according to the reporters\\' profession. METHODS: A retrospective description was made of medication incidents reported to an online reporting system (DATIX) over a 46-month-period (July 2005 to April 2009). Reports originated from acute and community hospitals, mental health, and primary care facilities. RESULTS: Over the study period there were 2,666 incidents reported with a mean monthly reporting rate of 78.2\\/month (SD±16.9). 6.1% of all incidents resulted in harm, with insulin being the most commonly implicated medication. Nearly three-quarters (74.2%, n=1,978) of total incidents originated from acute hospitals. Administration incidents were implicated in the majority of the reported medication incidents (59%), followed by prescribing (10.8%) and dispensing (9.9%), while the nondescript "other medication incidents" accounted for 20.3% of total incidents. The majority of reports were made by nursing and midwifery staff (80%), with medical and dental professionals reporting the lowest number of incidents (n=56, 2%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of medication incidents in this study were reported by nursing and midwifery staff, and were due to administration incidents. There is a clear need to elucidate the reasons for the limited contribution of the medical and dental professionals to reporting medication incidents.

  2. The Medical Home Concept and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: a Comfortable Habitat!

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Witchel SelmaFeldman

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Patient-centered interdisciplinary health care for children with chronic medical disorders represents an evolution from the traditional "stop and go" treatment for acute illnesses. This model for health care delivery has been called the "medical home," a concept that was originally developed in pediatrics for the care of children with special needs. Patient and family-centered, comprehensive, interdisciplinary, culturally effective, and readily accessible health care delivery is desirable for the care of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. As children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH become adolescents and young adults, transfer of this health care delivery model to adult endocrinologists is appropriate.

  3. The Medical Home Concept and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: A Comfortable Habitat!

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selma Feldman Witchel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Patient-centered interdisciplinary health care for children with chronic medical disorders represents an evolution from the traditional “stop and go” treatment for acute illnesses. This model for health care delivery has been called the “medical home,” a concept that was originally developed in pediatrics for the care of children with special needs. Patient and family-centered, comprehensive, interdisciplinary, culturally effective, and readily accessible health care delivery is desirable for the care of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. As children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH become adolescents and young adults, transfer of this health care delivery model to adult endocrinologists is appropriate.

  4. A nationwide survey of patient centered medical home demonstration projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitton, Asaf; Martin, Carina; Landon, Bruce E

    2010-06-01

    The patient centered medical home has received considerable attention as a potential way to improve primary care quality and limit cost growth. Little information exists that systematically compares PCMH pilot projects across the country. Cross-sectional key-informant interviews. Leaders from existing PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform. We used a semi-structured interview tool with the following domains: project history, organization and participants, practice requirements and selection process, medical home recognition, payment structure, practice transformation, and evaluation design. A total of 26 demonstrations in 18 states were interviewed. Current demonstrations include over 14,000 physicians caring for nearly 5 million patients. A majority of demonstrations are single payer, and most utilize a three component payment model (traditional fee for service, per person per month fixed payments, and bonus performance payments). The median incremental revenue per physician per year was $22,834 (range $720 to $91,146). Two major practice transformation models were identified--consultative and implementation of the chronic care model. A majority of demonstrations did not have well-developed evaluation plans. Current PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform include large numbers of patients and physicians as well as a wide spectrum of implementation models. Key questions exist around the adequacy of current payment mechanisms and evaluation plans as public and policy interest in the PCMH model grows.

  5. Transforming the Primary Care Training Clinic: New York State's Hospital Medical Home Demonstration Pilot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelotti, Marietta; Bliss, Kathryn; Schiffman, Dana; Weaver, Erin; Graham, Laura; Lemme, Thomas; Pryor, Veronica; Gesten, Foster C

    2015-06-01

    Training in patient-centered medical home (PCMH) settings may prepare new physicians to measure quality of care, manage the health of populations, work in teams, and include cost information in decision making. Transforming resident clinics to PCMHs requires funding for additional staff, electronic health records, training, and other resources not typically available to residency programs. Describe how a 1115 Medicaid waiver was used to transform the majority of primary care training sites in New York State to the PCMH model and improve the quality of care provided. The 2013-2014 Hospital Medical Home Program provided awards to 60 hospitals and 118 affiliated residency programs (training more than 5000 residents) to transform outpatient sites into PCMHs and provide high-quality, coordinated care. Site visits, coaching calls, resident surveys, data reporting, and feedback were used to promote and monitor change in resident continuity and quality of care. Descriptive analyses measured improvements in these areas. A total of 156 participating outpatient sites (100%) received PCMH recognition. All sites enhanced resident education using PCMH principles through patient empanelment, development of quality dashboards, and transforming resident scheduling and training. Clinical quality outcomes showed improvement across the demonstration, including better performance on colorectal and breast cancer screening rates (rate increases of 13%, P≤.001, and 11%, P=.011, respectively). A 1115 Medicaid waiver is a viable mechanism for states to transform residency clinics to reflect new primary care models. The PCMH transformation of 156 sites led to improvements in resident continuity and clinical outcomes.

  6. Examining Health Information Technology Implementations: Case of the Patient-Centered Medical Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behkami, Nima A.

    2012-01-01

    It has been shown that the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) is associated with reduced cost and increased quality of care. This dissertation examined the use of registries in Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices. A survey questionnaire was sent to a nationwide group of clinics certified for being a PCMH. They were asked to…

  7. Home iv antibiotic therapy through a medical day care unit

    OpenAIRE

    Gourdeau, Marie; Deschênes, Louise; Caron, Martine; Desmarais, Marc

    1993-01-01

    An out-patient parenteral antibiotic therapy program provided through a medical day care unit was evaluated in a tertiary care hospital. From July 11, 1988 to December 31, 1990, 122 patients were treated either on site at the unit or at home with self-administered intravenous antibiotics. In all, 142 courses of parenteral antibiotics (mostly cephalosporins and clindamycin) were given for a total of 124 infections, mostly bone and soft tissue infections (67 of 124, 54%). The duration of out-pa...

  8. Our Lady of Fatima Home, Oakpark, Tralee, Kerry.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cowman, Seamus

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Although stroke is recognised as a major factor in admission to nursing home care, data is lacking on the extent and nature of the disabilities and dependency in nursing homes arising from stroke. A national study conducted in nursing homes can quantify the number of residents with stroke in nursing homes, their disability and levels of dependency. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey research design was used. A total of 572 public and private nursing homes were identified nationally and a stratified random selection of 60 nursing homes with 3,239 residents was made. In half of the nursing homes (n = 30) efforts were made to interview all residents with stroke Survey instruments were used to collect data from residents with stroke and nursing home managers on demography, patient disability, and treatment. RESULTS: Across all nursing homes (n = 60), 18% (n = 570) of the residents had previously had a stroke. In homes (n = 30), where interviews with residents with stroke (n = 257), only 7% (n = 18) residents were capable of answering for themselves and were interviewed. Data on the remaining 93% (n = 239) residents were provided by the nursing home manager. Nurse Managers reported that 73% of residents with stroke had a high level of dependency. One in two residents with stroke was prescribed antidepressants or sedative medication. Only 21% of stroke residents were prescribed anticoagulants, 42% antiplatelets, and 36% cholesterol lowering medications. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines were lacking and 68% reported that there was no formal review process in place. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides seminal findings on stroke and nursing home services in Ireland. We now know that one in six nursing home residents in a national survey are residents with a stroke, and have a wide range of disabilities. There is currently little or no structured care (beyond generic care) for stroke survivors who reside in nursing homes in Ireland.

  9. The Medical Home for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Parent and Pediatrician Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbone, Paul S.; Behl, Diane D.; Azor, Virgina; Murphy, Nancy A.

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative study examines differences between perceptions of parents and pediatricians regarding the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and their families within the medical home. Two separate focus groups of parents of children with ASDs and pediatricians were conducted. Parents and pediatricians identify unmet needs…

  10. Patient-centered medical home initiatives expanded in 2009-13: providers, patients, and payment incentives increased.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Samuel T; Bitton, Asaf; Hong, Johan; Landon, Bruce E

    2014-10-01

    Patient-centered medical home initiatives are central to many efforts to reform the US health care delivery system. To better understand the extent and nature of these initiatives, in 2013 we performed a nationwide cross-sectional survey of initiatives that included payment reform incentives in their models, and we compared the results to those of a similar survey we conducted in 2009. We found that the number of initiatives featuring payment reform incentives had increased from 26 in 2009 to 114 in 2013. The number of patients covered by these initiatives had increased from nearly five million to almost twenty-one million. We also found that the proportion of time-limited initiatives--those with a planned end date--was 20 percent in 2013, a decrease from 77 percent in 2009. Finally, we found that the dominant payment model for patient-centered medical homes remained fee-for-service payments augmented by per member per month payments and pay-for-performance bonuses. However, those payments and bonuses were higher in 2013 than they were in 2009, and the use of shared-savings models was greater. The patient-centered medical home model is likely to continue both to become more common and to play an important role in delivery system reform. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  11. Implementing the patient-centered medical home in residency education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doolittle, Benjamin R; Tobin, Daniel; Genao, Inginia; Ellman, Matthew; Ruser, Christopher; Brienza, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, physician groups, government agencies and third party payers in the United States of America have promoted a Patient-centered Medical Home (PCMH) model that fosters a team-based approach to primary care. Advocates highlight the model's collaborative approach where physicians, mid-level providers, nurses and other health care personnel coordinate their efforts with an aim for high-quality, efficient care. Early studies show improvement in quality measures, reduction in emergency room visits and cost savings. However, implementing the PCMH presents particular challenges to physician training programs, including institutional commitment, infrastructure expenditures and faculty training. Teaching programs must consider how the objectives of the PCMH model align with recent innovations in resident evaluation now required by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in the US. This article addresses these challenges, assesses the preliminary success of a pilot project, and proposes a viable, realistic model for implementation at other institutions.

  12. Home Use of a Pyrethroid-Containing Pesticide and Facial Paresthesia in a Toddler: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Perkins

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Paresthesias have previously been reported among adults in occupational and non-occupational settings after dermal contact with pyrethroid insecticides. In this report, we describe a preverbal 13-month-old who presented to his primary care pediatrician with approximately 1 week of odd facial movements consistent with facial paresthesias. The symptoms coincided with a period of repeat indoor spraying at his home with a commercially available insecticide containing two active ingredients in the pyrethroid class. Consultation by the Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit and follow-up by the Washington State Department of Health included urinary pyrethroid metabolite measurements during and after the symptomatic period, counseling on home clean up and use of safer pest control methods. The child’s symptoms resolved soon after home cleanup. A diagnosis of pesticide-related illness due to pyrethroid exposure was made based on the opportunity for significant exposure (multiple applications in areas where the child spent time, supportive biomonitoring data, and the consistency and temporality of symptom findings (paresthesias. This case underscores the vulnerability of children to uptake pesticides, the role of the primary care provider in ascertaining an exposure history to recognize symptomatic illness, and the need for collaborative medical and public health efforts to reduce significant exposures in children.

  13. Implementation of Patient-Centered Medical Homes in Adult Primary Care Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Jeffrey A; Markovitz, Amanda R; Paustian, Michael L; Wise, Christopher G; El Reda, Darline K; Green, Lee A; Fetters, Michael D

    2015-08-01

    There has been relatively little empirical evidence about the effects of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) implementation on patient-related outcomes and costs. Using a longitudinal design and a large study group of 2,218 Michigan adult primary care practices, our study examined the following research questions: Is the level of, and change in, implementation of PCMH associated with medical surgical cost, preventive services utilization, and quality of care in the following year? Results indicated that both level and amount of change in practice implementation of PCMH are independently and positively associated with measures of quality of care and use of preventive services, after controlling for a variety of practice, patient cohort, and practice environmental characteristics. Results also indicate that lower overall medical and surgical costs are associated with higher levels of PCMH implementation, although change in PCMH implementation did not achieve statistical significance. © The Author(s) 2015.

  14. Barriers to medical error reporting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jalal Poorolajal

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study was conducted to explore the prevalence of medical error underreporting and associated barriers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from September to December 2012. Five hospitals, affiliated with Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, in Hamedan,Iran were investigated. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Participants consisted of physicians, nurses, midwives, residents, interns, and staffs of radiology and laboratory departments. Results: Overall, 50.26% of subjects had committed but not reported medical errors. The main reasons mentioned for underreporting were lack of effective medical error reporting system (60.0%, lack of proper reporting form (51.8%, lack of peer supporting a person who has committed an error (56.0%, and lack of personal attention to the importance of medical errors (62.9%. The rate of committing medical errors was higher in men (71.4%, age of 50-40 years (67.6%, less-experienced personnel (58.7%, educational level of MSc (87.5%, and staff of radiology department (88.9%. Conclusions: This study outlined the main barriers to reporting medical errors and associated factors that may be helpful for healthcare organizations in improving medical error reporting as an essential component for patient safety enhancement.

  15. An evaluation of medication appropriateness and frailty among residents of aged care homes in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, Syed Shahzad; Kow, Chia Siang; Verma, Rohit Kumar; Ahmed, Syed Imran; Mittal, Piyush; Chong, David W K

    2017-09-01

    Aging is significantly associated with the development of comorbid chronic conditions. These conditions indicate the use of multiple medications, and are often warranted by clinical guidelines. The aim of the present study was to evaluate medication appropriateness and frailty among Malaysian aged care home residents with chronic disease. The participants were 202 elderly (≥65 years) individuals, a cross-sectional sample from 17 aged care homes. After ethics approval, each participant was interviewed to collect data on sociodemographics, frailty status (Groningen Frailty Indicator [GFI]), medication appropriateness (Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI), the 2015 Beers' criteria (Potentially Inappropriate Medication [PIM]), and 2014 STOPP criteria (Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing [PIP]). The findings show that 81% (n = 164) and 42% (n = 85) were taking medications for cardiovascular and central nervous system-related conditions, respectively, and 34% were using medications for diabetes (n = 69). Each participant had a mean of 2.9 ± 1.5 chronic diseases, with an average GFI score of 6.4 ± 3.6. More than three-quarters of the participants (76%) were frail and polypharmacy was a factor in nearly half (48%); 41% and 36% were prescribed at least one PIP and PIM, respectively, whereas the average MAI score was 0.6 (range: 0-6). The number of medications used per participant correlated significantly and positively (0.21, P = .002) with GFI score. These findings reinforce the need for participants of aged care homes to receive periodic medication review aimed at minimizing morbidity associated with inappropriate pharmacotherapy.

  16. A medical home versus temporary housing: the importance of a stable usual source of care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeVoe, Jennifer E; Saultz, John W; Krois, Lisa; Tillotson, Carrie J

    2009-11-01

    Little is known about how the stability of a usual source of care (USC) affects access to care. We examined the prevalence of USC changes among low-income children and how these changes were associated with unmet health care need. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Oregon's food stamp program in 2005. We analyzed primary data from 2681 surveys and then weighted results to 84087 families, adjusting for oversampling and nonresponse. We then ascertained the percentage of children in the Oregon population who had ever changed a USC for insurance reasons, which characteristics were associated with USC change, and how USC change was associated with unmet need. We also conducted a posthoc analysis of data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to confirm similarities between the Oregon sample and a comparable national sample. Children without a USC in the Oregon population had greater odds of reporting an unmet health care need than those with a USC. This pattern was similar in national estimates. Among the Oregon sample, 23% had changed their USC because of insurance reasons, and 10% had no current USC. Compared with children with a stable USC, children who had changed their USC had greater odds of reporting unmet medical need, unmet prescription need, delayed care, unmet dental need, and unmet counseling need. This study highlights the importance of ensuring stability with a USC. Moving low-income children into new medical homes could disturb existing USC relationships, thereby merely creating "temporary housing."

  17. Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices That Require Electricity

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... to Create a Personal Emergency File My personal emergency file contains: □ Instructions for using the medical device and all device manuals. □ First aid kit □ Medical records □ Insurance cards □ Current home care doctor’s orders □ Plan of treatment □ What a family ...

  18. News media reports of patient deaths following 'medical tourism' for cosmetic surgery and bariatric surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Leigh

    2012-04-01

    Contemporary scholarship examining clinical outcomes in medical travel for cosmetic surgery identifies cases in which patients traveled abroad for medical procedures and subsequently returned home with infections and other surgical complications. Though there are peer-reviewed articles identifying patient deaths in cases where patients traveled abroad for commercial kidney transplantation or stem cell injections, no scholarly publications document deaths of patients who traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery or bariatric surgery. Drawing upon news media reports extending from 1993 to 2011, this article identifies and describes twenty-six reported cases of deaths of individuals who traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery or bariatric surgery. Over half of the reported deaths occurred in two countries. Analysis of these news reports cannot be used to make causal claims about why the patients died. In addition, cases identified in news media accounts do not provide a basis for establishing the relative risk of traveling abroad for care instead of seeking elective cosmetic surgery at domestic health care facilities. Acknowledging these limitations, the case reports suggest the possibility that contemporary peer-reviewed scholarship is underreporting patient mortality in medical travel. The paper makes a strong case for promoting normative analyses and empirical studies of medical travel. In particular, the paper argues that empirically informed ethical analysis of 'medical tourism' will benefit from rigorous studies tracking global flows of medical travelers and the clinical outcomes they experience. The paper contains practical recommendations intended to promote debate concerning how to promote patient safety and quality of care in medical travel. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  19. Medication Use and Its Potential Impact on the Oral Health Status of Nursing Home Residents in Flanders (Belgium).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janssens, Barbara; Petrovic, Mirko; Jacquet, Wolfgang; Schols, Jos M G A; Vanobbergen, Jacques; De Visschere, Luc

    2017-09-01

    Polypharmacy is considered the most important etiologic factor of hyposalivation, which in turn can initiate oral health problems. To describe the medication use of nursing home residents, to identify the medications related to hyposalivation and to find possible associations between the different classes of medication, the number of medications, and the oral health status of the residents. A cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of the residents of a nonrandom sample of 23 nursing homes from 2 Belgian provinces, belonging to the oral health care network Gerodent. All residents of the sample visited the Gerodent mobile dental clinic between October 2010 and April 2012. For each resident, oral health data, demographic data, and an overview of the total medication intake were collected. The study sample consisted of 1226 nursing home residents with a mean age of 83.9 years [standard deviation (SD) 8.5]. The mean number of medications per person was 9.0 (SD 3.6, range 0-23, median 9.0). Of all prescribed medication, 49.6% had a potential hyposalivatory effect with a mean number per person of 4.5 (SD 2.2, range 0-15, median 4.0). In the bivariate analyses, associations were found between medication use and oral health of residents with natural teeth: the higher the number of medications (with risk of dry mouth) and the overall risk of medication-related dry mouth, the lower the number of natural teeth (P = .022, P = .005, and P = .017, respectively). In contrast, the total treatment need tended to decrease with rising medication intake, resulting in a clear increase of the treatment index with rising medication intake (P = .003, P oral status of the residents. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Approaches to quality improvement in nursing homes: Lessons learned from the six-state pilot of CMS's Nursing Home Quality Initiative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palmer Laura

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In November 2002, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS launched a Nursing Home Quality Initiative that included publicly reporting a set of Quality Measures for all nursing homes in the country, and providing quality improvement assistance to nursing homes nationwide. A pilot of this initiative occurred in six states for six months prior to the launch. Methods Review and analysis of the lessons learned from the six Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs that led quality improvement efforts in nursing homes from the six pilot states. Results QIOs in the six pilot states found several key outcomes of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative that help to maximize the potential of public reporting to leverage effective improvement in nursing home quality of care. First, public reporting focuses the attention of all stakeholders in the nursing home industry on achieving good quality outcomes on a defined set of measures, and creates an incentive for partnership formation. Second, publicly reported quality measures motivate nursing home providers to improve in certain key clinical areas, and in particular to seek out new ways of changing processes of care, such as engaging physicians and the medical director more directly. Third, the lessons learned by QIOs in the pilot of this Initiative indicate that certain approaches to providing quality improvement assistance are key to guiding nursing home providers' desire and enthusiasm to improve towards a using a systematic approach to quality improvement. Conclusion The Nursing Home Quality Initiative has already demonstrated the potential of public reporting to foster collaboration and coordination among nursing home stakeholders and to heighten interest of nursing homes in quality improvement techniques. The lessons learned from this pilot project have implications for any organizations or individuals planning quality improvement projects in the nursing home setting.

  1. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2016 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-11-05

    This final rule will update Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2016. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the 3rd year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking and provides a clarification regarding the use of the "initial encounter'' seventh character applicable to certain ICD-10-CM code categories. This final rule will also finalize reductions to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rate in CY 2016, CY 2017, and CY 2018 of 0.97 percent in each year to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014. In addition, this rule implements a HH value-based purchasing (HHVBP) model, beginning January 1, 2016, in which all Medicare-certified HHAs in selected states will be required to participate. Finally, this rule finalizes minor changes to the home health quality reporting program and minor technical regulations text changes.

  2. Association of cardiovascular system medications with cognitive function and dementia in older adults living in nursing homes in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Enwu; Dyer, Suzanne M; O'Donnell, Lisa Kouladjian; Milte, Rachel; Bradley, Clare; Harrison, Stephanie L; Gnanamanickam, Emmanuel; Whitehead, Craig; Crotty, Maria

    2017-06-01

    To examine associations between cardiovascular system medication use with cognition function and diagnosis of dementia in older adults living in nursing homes in Australia. As part of a cross-sectional study of 17 Australian nursing homes examining quality of life and resource use, we examined the association between cognitive impairment and cardiovascular medication use (identified using the Anatomical Therapeutic Classification System) using general linear regression and logistic regression models. People who were receiving end of life care were excluded. Participants included 541 residents with a mean age of 85.5 years (± 8.5), a mean Psychogeriatric Assessment Scale-Cognitive Impairment (PAS-Cog) score of 13.3 (± 7.7), a prevalence of cardiovascular diseases of 44% and of hypertension of 47%. Sixty-four percent of participants had been diagnosed with dementia and 72% had received cardiovascular system medications within the previous 12 months. Regression models demonstrated the use of cardiovascular medications was associated with lower (better) PAS-Cog scores [Coefficient (β) = -3.7; 95% CI: -5.2 to -2.2; P cardiovascular system medication use and better cognitive status among older adults living in nursing homes. In this population, there may be differential access to health care and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. This association warrants further investigation in large cohort studies.

  3. Adaptation of oral medication in people institutionalized in nursing homes for whom medication is crushed: The ADECUA Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Apolo Carvajal

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate the effect of pharmacist interventions in the adaptation of pharmaceutical forms in elders institutionalized in nursing homes whose medicines are crushed, which may have a clinical relevance. Methods: Quasi-experimental, multicenter, transversal and prospective study carried out in 10 nursing homes. Subjects for whom drugs were being crushed were identified. Their treatments were reviewed in order to identify drugs that should not be crushed. In these cases, we proposed an alternative to the physician and we evaluated the degree of acceptance, its association to other variables and the pre-post adaptation index (tablets that can be crushed and capsules that can be opened/ total number of tablets and capsules before and after the intervention. Moreover, health professionals received a training course. Results: Medication was being crushed for 33% (618/1875 of residents (mean: 5 drugs susceptible of crushing. 220 pharmaceutical interventions were performed, mostly in extended release or gastro-resistant drugs (48% were accepted. Switch was the type of intervention more frequent (79%, mainly to Purpose: To evaluate the effect of pharmacist interventions in the adaptation of pharmaceutical forms in elders institutionalized in nursing homes whose medicines are crushed, which may have a clinical relevance. Methods: Quasi-experimental, multicenter, transversal and prospective study carried out in 10 nursing homes. Subjects for whom drugs were being crushed were identified. Their treatments were reviewed in order to identify drugs that should not be crushed. In these cases, we proposed an alternative to the physician and we evaluated the degree of acceptance, its association to other variables and the pre-post adaptation index (tablets that can be crushed and capsules that can be opened/ total number of tablets and capsules before and after the intervention. Moreover, health professionals received a training course. Results

  4. Medicare and Medicaid programs; CY 2015 Home Health Prospective Payment System rate update; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; and survey and enforcement requirements for home health agencies. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-11-06

    This final rule updates Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2015. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the second year of the four-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule provides information on our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments and the Affordable Care Act mandated face-to-face encounter requirement. This rule also implements: Changes to simplify the face-to-face encounter regulatory requirements; changes to the HH PPS case-mix weights; changes to the home health quality reporting program requirements; changes to simplify the therapy reassessment timeframes; a revision to the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) personnel qualifications; minor technical regulations text changes; and limitations on the reviewability of the civil monetary penalty provisions. Finally, this rule also discusses Medicare coverage of insulin injections under the HH PPS, the delay in the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and a HH value-based purchasing (HH VBP) model.

  5. Usual Primary Care Provider Characteristics of a Patient-Centered Medical Home and Mental Health Service Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Audrey L; Cochran, Susan D; Leibowitz, Arleen; Wells, Kenneth B; Kominski, Gerald; Mays, Vickie M

    2015-12-01

    The benefits of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) over and above that of a usual source of medical care have yet to be determined, particularly for adults with mental health disorders. To examine qualities of a usual provider that align with PCMH goals of access, comprehensiveness, and patient-centered care, and to determine whether PCMH qualities in a usual provider are associated with the use of mental health services (MHS). Using national data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we conducted a lagged cross-sectional study of MHS use subsequent to participant reports of psychological distress and usual provider and practice characteristics. A total of 2,358 adults, aged 18-64 years, met the criteria for serious psychological distress and reported on their usual provider and practice characteristics. We defined "usual provider" as a primary care provider/practice, and "PCMH provider" as a usual provider that delivered accessible, comprehensive, patient-centered care as determined by patient self-reporting. The dependent variable, MHS, included self-reported mental health visits to a primary care provider or mental health specialist, counseling, and psychiatric medication treatment over a period of 1 year. Participants with a usual provider were significantly more likely than those with no usual provider to have experienced a primary care mental health visit (marginal effect [ME] = 8.5, 95 % CI = 3.2-13.8) and to have received psychiatric medication (ME = 15.5, 95 % CI = 9.4-21.5). Participants with a PCMH were additionally more likely than those with no usual provider to visit a mental health specialist (ME = 7.6, 95 % CI = 0.7-14.4) and receive mental health counseling (ME = 8.5, 95 % CI = 1.5-15.6). Among those who reported having had any type of mental health visit, participants with a PCMH were more likely to have received mental health counseling than those with only a usual provider (ME = 10.0, 95 % CI

  6. Home care decision support using an Arden engine--merging smart home and vital signs data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marschollek, Michael; Bott, Oliver J; Wolf, Klaus-H; Gietzelt, Matthias; Plischke, Maik; Madiesh, Moaaz; Song, Bianying; Haux, Reinhold

    2009-01-01

    The demographic change with a rising proportion of very old people and diminishing resources leads to an intensification of the use of telemedicine and home care concepts. To provide individualized decision support, data from different sources, e.g. vital signs sensors and home environmental sensors, need to be combined and analyzed together. Furthermore, a standardized decision support approach is necessary. The aim of our research work is to present a laboratory prototype home care architecture that integrates data from different sources and uses a decision support system based on the HL7 standard Arden Syntax for Medical Logical Modules. Data from environmental sensors connected to a home bus system are stored in a data base along with data from wireless medical sensors. All data are analyzed using an Arden engine with the medical knowledge represented in Medical Logic Modules. Multi-modal data from four different sensors in the home environment are stored in a single data base and are analyzed using an HL7 standard conformant decision support system. Individualized home care decision support must be based on all data available, including context data from smart home systems and medical data from electronic health records. Our prototype implementation shows the feasibility of using an Arden engine for decision support in a home setting. Our future work will include the utilization of medical background knowledge for individualized decision support, as there is no one-size-fits-all knowledge base in medicine.

  7. The use of advanced medical technologies at home : A systematic review of the literature

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Haken, Ingrid; Allouch, Somaya Ben; van Harten, Willem H.

    2018-01-01

    Background: The number of medical technologies used in home settings has increased substantially over the last 10-15 years. In order to manage their use and to guarantee quality and safety, data on usage trends and practical experiences are important. This paper presents a literature review on

  8. Age and Sex Variation In Prevalence Of Chronic Medical Conditions In Older Residents of U.S. Nursing Homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Kelly L.; Boscardin, W. John; Steinman, Michael A.; Schwartz, Janice B.

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVES To investigate patterns in prevalences of chronic medical conditions over the agespan of long-term stay nursing home residents and between the sexes with data from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS). DESIGN Retrospective, cross-sectional study. SETTING U.S. nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS Nationally representative sample comprising 11,788 long-term stay residents (3003 (25%) men and 8785 women) aged 65 years or older. MEASUREMENTS Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) was used to group ICD-9 codes to identify the 20 most prevalent chronic medical conditions. SAS survey procedures were used to account for design effects of stratification and clustering to generate nationally representative estimates of prevalences of medical conditions. RESULTS Average age was 84 y, with women older than men (85 vs. 81, p=0.02) with 67% of women ages 80–95. Women required more ADL assistance. The most frequent chronic medical conditions were hypertension (53, 56%: men, women), dementia (45, 52%), depression (31, 37%), arthritis (26, 35%), diabetes mellitus (26, 23%), gastrointestinal reflux -GERD (23, 23%), atherosclerosis (24, 20%), congestive heart failure -CHF (18, 21%), cerebrovascular disease (24, 19%) and anemia (17, 20%). Sex differences in prevalences existed for all but constipation, GERD, and hypertension. Diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, and lipid disorders decreased with age in men and women. Atrial fibrillation, anemia, arthritis, CHF, and dementia, and thyroid disease increased with age in both men and women. Age-related patterns differed between the sexes for diabetes, hypertension, and Parkinson’s disease. CONCLUSION The profile of chronic medical conditions varies over the agespan of nursing home residents and differs between men and women. This knowledge should guide educational and care efforts in long-term care. PMID:22463062

  9. Narcolepsy in a Pre-teen Girl: A Case Report | Sheikh | Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Medical Journal of Zambia. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 44, No 3 (2017) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should load ...

  10. Age, Race, and Gender Differences in Antipsychotic Medication Use among Children Prior to Entry to Out-of-Home Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robst, John; Armstrong, Mary; Dollard, Norin

    2009-01-01

    There is growing literature examining the use of psychotropic medications and specifically antipsychotic medications among youth in the United States. This study uses administrative claims data to assess antipsychotic medication use among children prior to being served in therapeutic out-of-home care settings and whether there are utilization…

  11. The cost to successfully apply for level 3 medical home recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mottus, Kathleen; Reiter, Kristin; Mitchell, C. Madeline; Donahue, Katrina E.; Gabbard, Wilson M.; Gush, Kimberly

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND The NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition program provides practices an opportunity to implement Medical home activities. Understanding the costs to apply for recognition may enable practices to plan their work. METHODS Practice coaches identified 5 exemplar practices that received level 3 recognition (3 pediatric and 2 family medicine practices). This analysis focuses on 4 that received 2011 recognition. Clinical, informatics and administrative staff participated in 2–3 hour interviews. We collected the time required to develop, implement and maintain required activities. We categorized costs as: 1) non-personnel, 2) developmental 3) those to implement activities 4) those to maintain activities, 5) those to document the work and 6) consultant costs. Only incremental costs were included and are presented as costs per full-time equivalent provider (pFTE) RESULTS Practice size ranged from 2.5 – 10.5 pFTE’s, payer mixes from 7–43 % Medicaid. There was variation in the distribution of costs by activity by practice; but the costs to apply were remarkably similar ($11,453–$15,977 pFTE). CONCLUSION The costs to apply for 2011 recognition were noteworthy. Work to enhance care coordination and close loops were highly valued. Financial incentives were key motivators. Future efforts to minimize the burden of low value activities could benefit practices. PMID:26769879

  12. [Analysis of public quality reports for home care and long-term care with respect to their usefulness for the customer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sünderkamp, Susanne; Weiß, Christian; Rothgang, Heinz

    2014-10-01

    Public quality reports, based on new legislative regulations of 2008, were supposed to offer potential customers the possibility to make a well-informed choice of a care provider. This empirical study on marks for long-term care is based on the public quality reports of the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Companies (MDK), of 11 884 home care services and 10 310 nursing homes, which corresponds to a comprehensive survey of almost all care providers in Germany. Descriptive statistical methods and discussion of the results concerning the customer benefit. The analysis of transparency reports reveals a limited value for customers, which is particularly caused by very good quality results with low scattering. In addition, a high amount of missing data - especially in the area of home care providers - leads to a growing influence of service criteria on the final grade. Though deficits in nursing might be compensated by good marks in service criteria, it rarely occurs. At present, a more detailed look at risk criteria hardly improves the customer benefit. The marks for nursing need to be improved to increase their informative value for the customer.

  13. Elements of team-based care in a patient-centered medical home are associated with lower burnout among VA primary care employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helfrich, Christian D; Dolan, Emily D; Simonetti, Joseph; Reid, Robert J; Joos, Sandra; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Schectman, Gordon; Stark, Richard; Fihn, Stephan D; Harvey, Henry B; Nelson, Karin

    2014-07-01

    A high proportion of the US primary care workforce reports burnout, which is associated with negative consequences for clinicians and patients. Many protective factors from burnout are characteristics of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) models, though even positive organizational transformation is often stressful. The existing literature on the effects of PCMH on burnout is limited, with most findings based on small-scale demonstration projects with data collected only among physicians, and the results are mixed. To determine if components of PCMH related to team-based care were associated with lower burnout among primary care team members participating in a national medical home transformation, the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). Web-based, cross-sectional survey and administrative data from May 2012. A total of 4,539 VA primary care personnel from 588 VA primary care clinics. The dependent variable was burnout, and the independent variables were measures of team-based care: team functioning, time spent in huddles, team staffing, delegation of clinical responsibilities, working to top of competency, and collective self-efficacy. We also included administrative measures of workload and patient comorbidity. Overall, 39 % of respondents reported burnout. Participatory decision making (OR 0.65, 95 % CI 0.57, 0.74) and having a fully staffed PACT (OR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.68, 0.93) were associated with lower burnout, while being assigned to a PACT (OR 1.46, 95 % CI 1.11, 1.93), spending time on work someone with less training could do (OR 1.29, 95 % CI 1.07, 1.57) and a stressful, fast-moving work environment (OR 4.33, 95 % CI 3.78, 4.96) were associated with higher burnout. Longer tenure and occupation were also correlated with burnout. Lower burnout may be achieved by medical home models that are appropriately staffed, emphasize participatory decision making, and increase the proportion of time team members spend working to the top of their competency level.

  14. [For the betterment of home palliative care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midorikawa, Yasuhiko; Iiduka, Masashi

    2010-12-01

    The problems we have identified to overcome for a betterment of home palliative care were as follows:(1) Staffs' low level of knowledge and a lack of interest in home care, (2) Lack of cooperation between hospital and clinic, (3) Hard to keep the medical and caregiver staffs employed in the home care settings and a technical training is behind, (4) Insufficient cooperative networks for elderly care and welfare in the region, and (5) Misunderstanding of home palliative care by patient, family and people in the region. It is important to solve these problems one by one for a betterment of home palliative care. In this paper, we reported these problems through actual activities of our hospital and Iwaki city, and we propose to deal with them.

  15. Doctor-patient communication without family is most frequently practiced in patients with malignant tumors in home medical care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Takuma; Imanaga, Teruhiko; Matsuzaki, Makoto

    2014-01-01

    Promotion of home medical care is absolutely necessary in Japan where is a rapidly aging society. In home medical care settings, triadic communications among the doctor, patient and the family are common. And "communications just between the doctor and the patient without the family" (doctor-patient communication without family, "DPC without family") is considered important for the patient to frankly communicate with the doctor without consideration for the family. However, the circumstances associated with DPC without family are unclear. Therefore, to identify the factors of the occurrence of DPC without family, we conducted a cross-sectional mail-in survey targeting 271 families of Japanese patients who had previously received home medical care. Among 227 respondents (83.8%), we eventually analyzed data from 143, excluding families of patients with severe hearing or cognitive impairment and severe verbal communication dysfunction. DPC without family occurred in 26.6% (n = 38) of the families analyzed. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed using a model including Primary disease, Daily activity, Duration of home medical care, Interval between doctor visits, Duration of doctor's stay, Existence of another room, and Spouse as primary caregiver. As a result, DPC without family was significantly associated with malignant tumor as primary disease (OR, 3.165; 95% CI, 1.180-8.486; P = 0.022). In conclusion, the visiting doctors should bear in mind that the background factor of the occurrence of DPC without family is patient's malignant tumors.

  16. Embedding care management in the medical home: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daaleman, Timothy P; Hay, Sherry; Prentice, Amy; Gwynne, Mark D

    2014-04-01

    Care managers are playing increasingly significant roles in the redesign of primary care and in the evolution of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), yet their adoption within day-to-day practice remains uneven and approaches for implementation have been minimally reported. We introduce a strategy for incorporating care management into the operations of a PCMH and assess the preliminary effectiveness of this approach. A case study of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Family Medicine Center used an organizational model of innovation implementation to guide the parameters of implementation and evaluation. Two sources were used to determine the effectiveness of the implementation strategy: data elements from the care management informatics system in the health record and electronic survey data from the Family Medicine Center providers and care staff. A majority of physicians (75%) and support staff (82%) reported interactions with the care manager, primarily via face-to-face, telephone, or electronic means, primarily for facilitating referrals for behavioral health services and assistance with financial and social and community-based resources. Trend line suggests an absolute decrease of 8 emergency department visits per month for recipients of care management services and an absolute decrease of 7.5 inpatient admissions per month during the initial 2-year implementation period. An organizational model of innovation implementation is a potentially effective approach to guide the process of incorporating care management services into the structure and workflows of PCMHs.

  17. Impact of a Patient-Centered Medical Home on Access, Quality, and Cost

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-01

    Effec- tiveness Data and Information Set metrics, and composite measures for access, patient satisfaction, provider communica- tion, and customer service...reduced health care costs. The patient -centered medical home (PCMH) concept is “an approach to providing comprehensive primary care [in] a health care... patient at the right place and right time” is vital to the appro- priate utilization of health care services across a broad spec- trum of patient needs

  18. A Nationwide Survey of Patient Centered Medical Home Demonstration Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitton, Asaf; Martin, Carina

    2010-01-01

    Background The patient centered medical home has received considerable attention as a potential way to improve primary care quality and limit cost growth. Little information exists that systematically compares PCMH pilot projects across the country. Design Cross-sectional key-informant interviews. Participants Leaders from existing PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform. Measurements We used a semi-structured interview tool with the following domains: project history, organization and participants, practice requirements and selection process, medical home recognition, payment structure, practice transformation, and evaluation design. Results A total of 26 demonstrations in 18 states were interviewed. Current demonstrations include over 14,000 physicians caring for nearly 5 million patients. A majority of demonstrations are single payer, and most utilize a three component payment model (traditional fee for service, per person per month fixed payments, and bonus performance payments). The median incremental revenue per physician per year was $22,834 (range $720 to $91,146). Two major practice transformation models were identified—consultative and implementation of the chronic care model. A majority of demonstrations did not have well-developed evaluation plans. Conclusion Current PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform include large numbers of patients and physicians as well as a wide spectrum of implementation models. Key questions exist around the adequacy of current payment mechanisms and evaluation plans as public and policy interest in the PCMH model grows. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1262-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:20467907

  19. Lessons Learned from Implementing the Patient-Centered Medical Home

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen P. Green

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH is a primary care model that provides coordinated and comprehensive care to patients to improve health outcomes. This paper addresses practical issues that arise when transitioning a traditional primary care practice into a PCMH recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA. Individual organizations' experiences with this transition were gathered at a PCMH workshop in Alexandria, Virginia in June 2010. An analysis of their experiences has been used along with a literature review to reveal common challenges that must be addressed in ways that are responsive to the practice and patients’ needs. These are: NCQA guidance, promoting provider buy-in, leveraging electronic medical records, changing office culture, and realigning workspace in the practice to accommodate services needed to carry out the intent of PCMH. The NCQA provides a set of standards for implementing the PCMH model, but these standards lack many specifics that will be relied on in location situations. While many researchers and providers have made critiques, we see this vagueness as allowing for greater flexibility in how a practice implements PCMH.

  20. Physician Contacts and Their Influence on the Appropriateness of Pain Medication in Nursing Home Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flaig, Tanja Maria; Budnick, Andrea; Kuhnert, Ronny; Kreutz, Reinhold; Dräger, Dagmar

    2016-09-01

    This study assessed the frequency of physician contacts for individual nursing home residents (NHRs) and investigated whether the frequency of contacts influences the appropriateness of pain medication in NHRs. Observational cross-sectional study conducted between March 2009 and April 2010. Forty nursing homes in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany. A total of 560 NHRs. The number and type of NHR physician contacts were obtained by face-to-face interviews. To assess the appropriateness of pain medication, the German version of the Pain Medication Appropriateness Scale (PMASD) was used. The influence of physician contacts on the appropriateness of pain medication was calculated with a linear mixed-effect model. The proportions of NHRs with at least 1 contact with their attending physicians were 61.8% (primary care physicians), 55.2% (general practitioners), 9.6% (neurologists), 9.4% (other), 5.4% (internists), 2.2% (orthopedic surgeons), and 0.7% (psychiatrists). The number of all physician contacts correlated weakly with the appropriateness of pain medication (r = 0.166, P = .039). With every physician contact, the PMASD score rose by about 2 points (P = .056). Physician care in German nursing homes is mainly provided by primary care physicians. A higher number of physician contacts had a modest impact on more appropriate pain medication use. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Building Brains, Forging Futures: A Call to Action for the Family-Centered Medical Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraft, Colleen

    2013-01-01

    The family-centered medical home describes an approach to providing comprehensive primary care. Research advances in developmental neuroscience, genetics, and epigenetics offer a framework for understanding the dynamic process of brain development. It is this process that sets the life-course trajectory for an individual; in turn, a child's…

  2. The use of advanced medical technologies at home : a systematic review of the literature

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haken, ten I. (Ingrid); Ben Allouch, S. (Somaya); Harten, van W.H. (Wim)

    2018-01-01

    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5123-4 Background: The number of medical technologies used in home settings has increased substantially over the last 10–15 years. In order to manage their use and to guarantee quality and safety, data on usage trends and practical experiences are important.

  3. Medication use and risk of falls among nursing home residents: a retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bor, Andrea; Matuz, Mária; Csatordai, Márta; Szalai, Gábor; Bálint, András; Benkő, Ria; Soós, Gyöngyvér; Doró, Péter

    2017-04-01

    Background Geriatric falls are leading causes of hospital trauma admissions and injury-related deaths. Medication use is a crucial element among extrinsic risk factors for falls. To reduce fall risk and the prevalence of adverse drug reactions, potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) lists are widely used. Objective Our aim was to investigate the possible predictors of geriatric falls annualized over a 5-year-long period, as well as to evaluate the medication use of nursing home residents. Setting Nursing home residents were recruited from the same institution between 2010 and 2015 in Szeged, Hungary. Method A retrospective epidemiological study was performed. Patient data were analysed for the first 12 months of residency. Chi-squared test and Fisher's-test were applied to compare the categorical variables, Student's t test to compare the continuous variables between groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the association of falls with other variables found significant in univariate analysis. Microsoft Excel, IBM SPSS Statistics (version 23) and R (3.2.2) programs were used for data analysis. Main outcome measure Falls affected by age, gender, number of chronic medications, polypharmacy, PIM meds. Results A total of 197 nursing home residents were included, 150 (76.2%) women and 47 (23.8%) men, 55 fallers (annual fall prevalence rate was 27.9%) and 142 non-fallers. Gender was not a predisposing factor for falls (prevalence in males: 23.4 vs 29.3% in females, p > 0.05). Fallers were older (mean years ± SD; 84.0 ± 7.0) than non-fallers (80.1 ± 9.3, p factor for falls (p factor of falls (p fall risk were taken by 70.9% of fallers and 75.3% of non-fallers (p > 0.05). Taking pantoprazole, vinpocetine or trimetazidine was a significant risk factor for falls. Conclusion Older age, polypharmacy and the independent use of pantoprazole, vinpocetine, and trimetazidine were found to be major risk factors for falls. Further

  4. Guidelines for Reporting Medical Research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Mathilde; Thomsen, Simon Francis

    2016-01-01

    As a response to a low quality of reporting of medical research, guidelines for several different types of study design have been developed to secure accurate reporting and transparency for reviewers and readers from the scientific community. Herein, we review and discuss the six most widely...... accepted and used guidelines: PRISMA, CONSORT, STROBE, MOOSE, STARD, and SPIRIT. It is concluded that the implementation of these guidelines has led to only a moderate improvement in the quality of the reporting of medical research. There is still much work to be done to achieve accurate and transparent...... reporting of medical research findings....

  5. Development and Validation of a Short-Form Safety Net Medical Home Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocon, Robert S; Gunter, Kathryn E; Gao, Yue; Lee, Sang Mee; Chin, Marshall H

    2017-12-01

    To develop a short-form Safety Net Medical Home Scale (SNMHS) for assessing patient-centered medical home (PCMH) capability in safety net clinics. National surveys of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Interviews with FQHC directors. We constructed three short-form SNMHS versions and examined correlations with full SNMHS and related primary care assessments. We tested usability with FQHC directors and reviewed scale development with an advisory group. Federally qualified health center surveys were administered in 2009 and 2013, by mail and online. Usability testing was conducted through telephone interviews with FQHC directors in 2013. Six-, 12-, and 18-question short-form SNMHS versions had Pearson correlations with full scale of 0.84, 0.92, and 0.96, respectively. All versions showed a level of convergent validity with other primary care assessment scales comparable to the full SNMHS. User testers found short forms to be low-burden, though missing some PCMH concepts. Advisory group members expressed caution over missing concepts and appropriate use of short-form self-assessments. Short-form versions of SNMHS showed strong correlations with full scale and may be useful for brief assessment of safety net PCMH capability. Each short-form SNMHS version may be appropriate for different research, quality improvement, and assessment purposes. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  6. Palliative home care: A designer′s perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tigmanshu Bhatnagar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose for this observational research was to understand how Can Support provides palliative care at home and analyze its strengths and weaknesses in various socioeconomic scenarios for future development. In the period of 2 weeks, patients and their caregivers were silently observed in their natural surroundings during home care visits in order to listen their problems, identify the pattern of questions for the home care team, their natural way of storytelling, organizational techniques for medicines and medical reports, care givers lives, patient journey, etc. Such observations have enabled the understanding of the phenomena of home palliative care and have led to the identification of certain influential variables of the practice.

  7. Antidepressant Medication Management among Older Patients Receiving Home Health Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Yuhua; Shao, Huibo; Bruce, Martha L.; Press, Matthew J.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Antidepressant management for older patients receiving home health care (HHC) may occur through two pathways: nurse-physician collaboration (without patient visits to the physician) and physician management through office visits. This study examines the relative contribution of the two pathways and how they interplay. Methods Retrospective analysis was conducted using Medicare claims of 7,389 depressed patients 65 or older who received HHC in 2006–7 and who possessed antidepressants at the start of HHC. A change in antidepressant therapy (vs. discontinuation or refill) was the main study outcome and could take the form of a change in dose, switch to a different antidepressant, or augmentation (addition of a new antidepressant). Logistic regressions were estimated to examine how use of home health nursing care, patient visits to physicians, and their interactions predict a change in antidepressant therapy. Results About 30% of patients experienced a change in antidepressants versus 51% who refilled and 18% who discontinued. Receipt of mental health specialty care was associated with a statistically significant, 10–20 percentage-point increase in the probability of antidepressant change; receipt of primary care was associated with a small and statistically significant increase in the probability of antidepressant change among patients with no mental health specialty care and above-average utilization of nursing care. Increased home health nursing care in absence of physician visits was not associated with increased antidepressant change. Conclusions Active antidepressant management resulting in a change in medication occurred on a limited scale among older patients receiving HHC. Addressing knowledge and practice gaps in antidepressant management by primary care providers and home health nurses and improving nurse-physician collaboration will be promising areas for future interventions. PMID:25158915

  8. STS-3 medical report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pool, S. L. (Editor); Johnson, P. C., Jr. (Editor); Mason, J. A. (Editor)

    1982-01-01

    The medical operations report for STS-3, which includes a review of the health of the crew before, during, and immediately after the third Shuttle orbital flight is presented. Areas reviewed include: health evaluation, medical debriefing of crewmembers, health stabilization program, medical training, medical 'kit' carried in flight, tests and countermeasures for space motion sickness, cardiovascular profile, biochemistry and endocrinology results, hematology and immunology analyses, medical microbiology, food and nutrition, potable water, shuttle toxicology, radiological health, and cabin acoustic noise. Environmental effects of shuttle launch and landing medical information management, and management, planning, and implementation of the medical program are also dicussed.

  9. Paramedic-Initiated Home Care Referrals and Use of Home Care and Emergency Medical Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Amol A; Klich, John; Thurston, Adam; Scantlebury, Jordan; Kiss, Alex; Seddon, Gayle; Sinha, Samir K

    2018-01-01

    We examined the association between paramedic-initiated home care referrals and utilization of home care, 9-1-1, and Emergency Department (ED) services. This was a retrospective cohort study of individuals who received a paramedic-initiated home care referral after a 9-1-1 call between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Home care, 9-1-1, and ED utilization were compared in the 6 months before and after home care referral. Nonparametric longitudinal regression was performed to assess changes in hours of home care service use and zero-inflated Poisson regression was performed to assess changes in the number of 9-1-1 calls and ambulance transports to ED. During the 24-month study period, 2,382 individuals received a paramedic-initiated home care referral. After excluding individuals who died, were hospitalized, or were admitted to a nursing home, the final study cohort was 1,851. The proportion of the study population receiving home care services increased from 18.2% to 42.5% after referral, representing 450 additional people receiving services. In longitudinal regression analysis, there was an increase of 17.4 hours in total services per person in the six months after referral (95% CI: 1.7-33.1, p = 0.03). The mean number of 9-1-1 calls per person was 1.44 (SD 9.58) before home care referral and 1.20 (SD 7.04) after home care referral in the overall study cohort. This represented a 10% reduction in 9-1-1 calls (95% CI: 7-13%, p home care referral and 0.79 (SD 6.27) after home care referral, representing a 7% reduction (95% CI: 3-11%, p home care records were included in the analysis, the reductions in 9-1-1 calls and ambulance transports to ED were attenuated but remained statistically significant. Paramedic-initiated home care referrals in Toronto were associated with improved access to and use of home care services and may have been associated with reduced 9-1-1 calls and ambulance transports to ED.

  10. Sleeping position and reported night-time asthma symptoms and medication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalolella, Admirabilis Beno

    2016-01-01

    A 49 years old man, known case of bronchial asthma for 43 years, with history of frequent asthmatic attacks, usually responding to double dose of intravenous Aminophylline and double dose of Hydrocortisone was received at medical emergency care unit at midnight with night-time asthma attack. The attack did not settle with Aminophylline single Intravenous injection. He was then admitted and put in supine sleep position for re-evaluation while his asthma symptoms were monitored while waiting for the medical officer's evaluation of his asthma status. After 3 hours of observation, asthma symptoms were relieved, and patient was discharged home and advised to sleep in supine position throughout every night to prevent asthma symptoms. The patient was followed up through nighttime sleep diary for one month. After one month period of monitoring, the patient had significance reduction in asthma symptoms and reduced night time medication, reduced episodes of night awakening due to asthma symptoms, and improved capability for normal works. This case report describes a novel approach of management and prophylaxis of asthmatic episodes through sleeping position that reduces and control asthma symptoms resulting in reduced drug consumption.

  11. Purple urine bag syndrome in nursing homes: Ten elderly case reports and a literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Hung Lin

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Chi-Hung Lin1, Hsien-Te Huang1, Chia-Chang Chien1, Dong-Sheng Tzeng1,2, For-Wey Lung1,3–51Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health; 3Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 4Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; 5Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, TaiwanAbstract: Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS is a rare occurrence, in which the patient has a purple-colored urine bag following urinary catheterization for hours to days. Most of authors believe it is a mixture of indigo (blue and indirubin (red that becomes purple. Previous study showed that PUBS occurred predominantly in chronically catheterized, constipated women. We collected 10 elderly patients with PUBS in two nursing homes. The first two cases were identified by chart review in 1987 and 2003, and then later eight cases (42.1% were collected among 19 urinary catheterized elderly in the period between January 2007 and June 2007. In the present report, PUBS probably can occur in any patients with the right elements, namely urinary tract infection (UTI with bacteria possessing these enzymes, diet with enough tryptophan, and being catheterized. Associations with bed-bound state, Alzheimer’s, or dementia from other causes are reflections of the state of such patients who are at higher risk for UTI, and hence PUBS occurred. Although we presented PUBS as a harmless problem, prevention and control of the nosocomial catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs has become very important in the new patient-centered medical era. Thus, we should decrease the duration of catheterization, improve catheter care, and deploy technological advances designed for prevention, especially in the elderly cared for in nursing homes.Keyword: purple urine bag syndrome, indigo, indirubin, nursing home, bacteriuria, indoxyl sulphatase

  12. Impact on Seniors of the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Evidence from a Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fishman, Paul A.; Johnson, Eric A.; Coleman, Kathryn; Larson, Eric B.; Hsu, Clarissa; Ross, Tyler R.; Liss, David; Tufano, James; Reid, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the impact on health care cost and quality among seniors of a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot at Group Health Cooperative, an integrated health care system in Washington State. Design and Methods: A prospective before-and-after evaluation of the experience of seniors receiving primary care services at 1 pilot clinic…

  13. STS-1 medical report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pool, S. L. (Editor); Johnson, P. C., Jr. (Editor); Mason, J. A. (Editor)

    1981-01-01

    The report includes a review of the health of the crew before, during and immediately after the first Shuttle orbital flight (April 12-14, 1981). Areas reviewed include: health evaluation, medical debriefing of crewmembers, health stabilization program, medical training, medical kit carried inflight; tests and countermeasures for space motion sickness, cardiovascular profile, biochemistry and endocrinology results; hematology and immunology analyses; medical microbiology; food and nutrition; potable water; shuttle toxicology; radiological health; cabin acoustical noise. Also included is information on: environmental effects of Shuttle launch and landing, medical information management; and management, planning and implementation of the medical program.

  14. 78 FR 79315 - Copayments for Medications in 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-30

    ... financial hardship for some veterans and may decrease patient adherence to medical plans and have other... financial hardship for some veterans and may decrease patient adherence to medical plans and have other... devices, Medical research, Mental health programs, Nursing homes, Philippines, Reporting and recordkeeping...

  15. Snake bite on scrotum – a case report | Arshad | Pan African Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Pan African Medical Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 10 (2011) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should load here if your Web ...

  16. Development and evaluation of an algorithm-based tool for Medication Management in nursing homes: the AMBER study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erzkamp, Susanne; Rose, Olaf

    2018-04-20

    Residents of nursing homes are susceptible to risks from medication. Medication Reviews (MR) can increase clinical outcomes and the quality of medication therapy. Limited resources and barriers between healthcare practitioners are potential obstructions to performing MR in nursing homes. Focusing on frequent and relevant problems can support pharmacists in the provision of pharmaceutical care services. This study aims to develop and evaluate an algorithm-based tool that facilitates the provision of Medication Management in clinical practice. This study is subdivided into three phases. In phase I, semistructured interviews with healthcare practitioners and patients will be performed, and a mixed methods approach will be chosen. Qualitative content analysis and the rating of the aspects concerning the frequency and relevance of problems in the medication process in nursing homes will be performed. In phase II, a systematic review of the current literature on problems and interventions will be conducted. The findings will be narratively presented. The results of both phases will be combined to develop an algorithm for MRs. For further refinement of the aspects detected, a Delphi survey will be conducted. In conclusion, a tool for clinical practice will be created. In phase III, the tool will be tested on MRs in nursing homes. In addition, effectiveness, acceptance, feasibility and reproducibility will be assessed. The primary outcome of phase III will be the reduction of drug-related problems (DRPs), which will be detected using the tool. The secondary outcomes will be the proportion of DRPs, the acceptance of pharmaceutical recommendations and the expenditure of time using the tool and inter-rater reliability. This study intervention is approved by the local Ethics Committee. The findings of the study will be presented at national and international scientific conferences and will be published in peer-reviewed journals. DRKS00010995. © Article author(s) (or their

  17. Work-home interface stress: an important predictor of emotional exhaustion 15 years into a medical career.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hertzberg, Tuva Kolstad; Rø, Karin Isaksson; Vaglum, Per Jørgen Wiggen; Moum, Torbjørn; Røvik, Jan Ole; Gude, Tore; Ekeberg, Øivind; Tyssen, Reidar

    2016-01-01

    The importance of work-home interface stress can vary throughout a medical career and between genders. We studied changes in work-home interface stress over 5 yr, and their prediction of emotional exhaustion (main dimension of burn-out), controlled for other variables. A nationwide doctor cohort (NORDOC; n=293) completed questionnaires at 10 and 15 yr after graduation. Changes over the period were examined and predictors of emotional exhaustion analyzed using linear regression. Levels of work-home interface stress declined, whereas emotional exhaustion stayed on the same level. Lack of reduction in work-home interface stress was an independent predictor of emotional exhaustion in year 15 (β=-0.21, p=0.001). Additional independent predictors were reduction in support from colleagues (β=0.11, p=0.04) and emotional exhaustion at baseline (β=0.62, pwork-home interface stress among women, and reduction of collegial support and lack of reduction in working hours among men. Thus, change in work-home interface stress is a key independent predictor of emotional exhaustion among doctors 15 yr after graduation. Some gender differences in predictors of emotional exhaustion were found.

  18. To what extent is clinical and laboratory information used to perform medication reviews in the nursing home setting? the CLEAR study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gonzalvo, Carlota Mestres; Hurkens, Kim P. G. M.; de Wit, Hugo A. j M.; van Oijen, Brigit P. C.; Janknegt, Rob; Schols, Jos M. G. A.; Mulder, Wubbo J.; Verhey, Frans R.; Winkens, Bjorn; van der Kuy, Paul-Hugo M.

    2015-01-01

    Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate to what extent laboratory data, actual medication, medical history, and/or drug indication influence the quality of medication reviews for nursing home patients. Methods: Forty-six health care professionals from different fields were requested to

  19. Home iv Antibiotic Therapy through a Medical Day Care Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie Gourdeau

    1993-01-01

    Full Text Available An out-patient parenteral antibiotic therapy program provided through a medical day care unit was evaluated in a tertiary care hospital. From July 11, 1988 to December 31, 1990, 122 patients were treated either on site at the unit or at home with self-administered intravenous antibiotics. In all, 142 courses of parenteral antibiotics (mostly cephalosporins and clindamycin were given for a total of 124 infections, mostly bone and soft tissue infections (67 of 124, 54%. The duration of out-patient therapy ranged from two to 62 days with a mean duration of 9.4 days if treated at the unit, or 13.2 days in the home care model (1476 patient-days. Vein access was peripheral and catheters remained functional for an average of 4.9 days (range 0.5 to 22 days. Only two patients experienced adverse drug reactions that necessitated modification of treatment. One other case was readmitted to the hospital for surgical debridement. The average cost per patient-day was $66 compared with $375 for in-hospital therapy. This program proved to be safe, efficient, and cost-effective.

  20. Changes in clinical and hotel expenditures following publication of the nursing home compare report card.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukamel, Dana B; Spector, William D; Zinn, Jacqueline; Weimer, David L; Ahn, Richard

    2010-10-01

    Nursing Home Compare first published clinical quality measures at the end of 2002. It is a quality report card that for the first time offers consumers easily accessible information about the clinical quality of nursing homes. It led to changes in consumers' demand, increasing the relative importance of clinical versus hotel aspects of quality in their search and choice of a nursing home. To examine the hypothesis that nursing homes responding to these changes in demand shifted the balance of resources from hotel to clinical activities. The study included 10,022 free-standing nursing homes nationwide during 2001 to 2006. RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA: A retrospective multivariate statistical analysis of trends in the ratio of clinical to hotel expenditures, using Medicare cost reports, Minimum Data Set and Online Survey, Certification and Reporting data, controlling for changes in residents' acuity and facility fixed effects. Inference is based on robust standard errors. The ratio of clinical to hotel expenditures averaged 1.78. It increased significantly (P hotel expenditures following publication of the report card suggests that nursing homes responded as expected to the changes in the elasticity of demand with respect to clinical quality brought about by the public reporting of clinical quality measures. The response was stronger among nursing homes facing stronger incentives.

  1. Understanding the Home Math Environment and Its Role in Predicting Parent Report of Children's Math Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Sara A; Ganley, Colleen M; Purpura, David J

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing literature concerning the role of the home math environment in children's math development. In this study, we examined the relation between these constructs by specifically addressing three goals. The first goal was to identify the measurement structure of the home math environment through a series of confirmatory factor analyses. The second goal was to examine the role of the home math environment in predicting parent report of children's math skills. The third goal was to test a series of potential alternative explanations for the relation between the home math environment and parent report of children's skills, specifically the direct and indirect role of household income, parent math anxiety, and parent math ability as measured by their approximate number system performance. A final sample of 339 parents of children aged 3 through 8 drawn from Mechanical Turk answered a questionnaire online. The best fitting model of the home math environment was a bifactor model with a general factor representing the general home math environment, and three specific factors representing the direct numeracy environment, the indirect numeracy environment, and the spatial environment. When examining the association of the home math environment factors to parent report of child skills, the general home math environment factor and the spatial environment were the only significant predictors. Parents who reported doing more general math activities in the home reported having children with higher math skills, whereas parents who reported doing more spatial activities reported having children with lower math skills.

  2. Understanding the Home Math Environment and Its Role in Predicting Parent Report of Children's Math Skills.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara A Hart

    Full Text Available There is a growing literature concerning the role of the home math environment in children's math development. In this study, we examined the relation between these constructs by specifically addressing three goals. The first goal was to identify the measurement structure of the home math environment through a series of confirmatory factor analyses. The second goal was to examine the role of the home math environment in predicting parent report of children's math skills. The third goal was to test a series of potential alternative explanations for the relation between the home math environment and parent report of children's skills, specifically the direct and indirect role of household income, parent math anxiety, and parent math ability as measured by their approximate number system performance. A final sample of 339 parents of children aged 3 through 8 drawn from Mechanical Turk answered a questionnaire online. The best fitting model of the home math environment was a bifactor model with a general factor representing the general home math environment, and three specific factors representing the direct numeracy environment, the indirect numeracy environment, and the spatial environment. When examining the association of the home math environment factors to parent report of child skills, the general home math environment factor and the spatial environment were the only significant predictors. Parents who reported doing more general math activities in the home reported having children with higher math skills, whereas parents who reported doing more spatial activities reported having children with lower math skills.

  3. Optimizing Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes Through Antibiotic Stewardship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sloane, Philip D; Huslage, Kirk; Kistler, Christine E; Zimmerman, Sheryl

    2016-01-01

    Antibiotic stewardship is becoming a requirement for nursing homes. Programs should be interdisciplinary and multifaceted; should have support from nursing home administrators; and should aim to promote antibiotics only when needed, not just in case. Recommended components include use of evidence-based guidelines; ongoing monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions, cultures, and study results; monitoring of health outcomes; use of nursing home-specific antibiograms; regular reporting and feedback to medical providers and nurses; and education of residents and families. ©2016 by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and The Duke Endowment. All rights reserved.

  4. Prescribing quality for older people in Norwegian nursing homes and home nursing services using multidose dispensed drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halvorsen, Kjell H; Granas, Anne Gerd; Engeland, Anders; Ruths, Sabine

    2012-09-01

    To examine and compare the quality of drug prescribing for older patients in nursing homes and home nursing services. Cross-sectional study comprising 11,254 patients aged ≥ 65 years in nursing homes (n = 2986) and home nursing services (n = 8268). Potentially inappropriate medications were identified by using the Norwegian General Practice criteria and drug-drug interactions through a Norwegian Web-based tool. The impact of care setting on exposure to selected drug groups, potentially inappropriate medications, and drug interactions was calculated, adjusting for patients' age, gender, and number of drugs used. Patients in nursing homes and home nursing services used on average 5.7 (SD = 2.6) multidose dispensed regular drugs. Twenty-six percent used at least one potentially inappropriate medication, 31% in nursing homes and 25% in home nursing services, p nursing homes (18%) and home nursing services (9%), p nursing homes, more patients in home nursing services used cardiovascular drugs and fewer patients used psychotropic drugs. Altogether, 8615 drug-drug interactions were identified in 55% of patients, 48% in nursing homes and 57% in home nursing services, p quality of drug prescribing in nursing homes compared with home nursing services. Explanations as to why these differences exist need to be further explored. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Using an expanded outcomes framework and continuing education evidence to improve facilitation of patient-centered medical home recognition and transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hoof, Thomas J; Kelvey-Albert, Michele; Katz, Matthew; Lalime, Ken; Sacks, Ken; Meehan, Thomas P

    2014-01-01

    The patient-centered medical home is a model for delivering primary care in the United States. Primary care clinicians and their staffs require assistance in understanding the innovation and in applying it to practice. The purpose of this article is to describe and to critique a continuing education program that is relevant to, and will become more common in, primary care. A multifaceted educational strategy prepared 20 primary care private practices to achieve National Committee for Quality Assurance Level 3 recognition as Patient-Centered Medical Homes. Eighteen (90%) practices submitted an application to the National Committee for Quality Assurance. On the first submission attempt, 13 of 18 (72%) achieved Level 3 recognition and 5 (28%) achieved Level 1 recognition. An interactive multifaceted educational strategy can be successful in preparing primary care practices for Patient-Centered Medical Homes recognition, but the strategy may not ensure transformation. Future educational activities should consider an expanded outcomes framework and the evidence of effective continuing education to be more successful with recognition and transformation.

  6. Recurrent themes in the history of the home use of electrical stimulation: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and the medical battery (1870-1920).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wexler, Anna

    In recent years, neuroscientists and ethicists have warned of the dangers of the unsupervised home use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in which individuals stimulate their own brains with low levels of electricity for self-improvement purposes. Although the home use of tDCS is often referred to as a novel phenomenon, in reality the late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a proliferation of electrical stimulation devices for home use. In particular, the use of an object known as the medical battery bears a number of striking similarities to the modern-day use of tDCS. This article reviews a number of features thought to be unique to the present day home use of brain stimulation, with a particular focus on analogies between tDCS and the medical battery. Archival research was conducted at the Bakken Museum and at the American Medical Association's Historical Health Fraud Archives. Many of the features characterizing the contemporary home use tDCS-a do-it-yourself (DIY) movement, anti-medical establishment themes, conflicts between lay and professional usage-are a repetition of themes that occurred a century ago with regard to the medical battery. A number of features, however, seem to be unique to the present, such as the dominant discourse about risk and safety, the division between cranial and non-cranial stimulation, and utilization for cognitive enhancement purposes. Viewed in the long durée, the contemporary use of electrical stimulation at home is not a novel phenomenon, but rather the latest wave in a series of ongoing attempts by lay individuals to utilize electricity for therapeutic purposes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. SuperAssist: A User-Assistant Collaborative Environment for the supervision of medical instrument use at home

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blanson Henkemans, O.A.; Neerincx, M.A.; Lindenberg, J.; Mast, C.A.P.G. van der

    2007-01-01

    With the rise of Transmural care, patients increasingly use medical instruments at home. Maintenance and troubleshooting greatly determines the safety and accuracy of these instruments. For the supervision of these complex tasks, we developed a User-Assistant Collaborative Environment (U-ACE). We

  8. Prescription pattern of medication in the elderly residing in nursing homes in Tehran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabour Malihe

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to investigate prescription patterns for older people in nursing homes of Tehran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the data of 170 older people, sampled random cluster gathering method, using medical records, questionnaires and interview with nurses and physicians. Results: The mean average age of the sample was 79.75. 64.7% of them were female. 62.4% received more than 5 types of medicines. The mean number of medicines was 7.55 with the ranging of 1-19 drugs. The most medicine forms used by older people were: tablets 98.2%, injection medicines 20.6 %, drops 13.5%, syrup 8.8%, sprays 6.5%, ointments and suppositories 2.9%. There was not a significant relationship between participating in geriatric educational course And the mean numbers of the prescribed medications (P>0.05., as well as between covering by health insurance specialty in medicine and the mean of the numbers of mediations (P>0.05. There was a significant relationship between having insurance and the mean number of prescribed medicine (P<0.05. Conclusion: Developing educational programs on geriatric pharmacology general practitioners and more supervision on residential care homes practices may have affects on prescription pattern.

  9. Changes in Consumer Demand Following Public Reporting of Summary Quality Ratings: An Evaluation in Nursing Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, Rachel M; Konetzka, R Tamara; Polsky, Daniel

    2016-06-01

    Limited consumer use of health care report cards may be due to the large amount of information presented in report cards, which can be difficult to understand. These limitations may be overcome with summary measures. Our objective was to evaluate consumer response to summary measures in the setting of nursing homes. 2005-2010 nursing home Minimum Data Set and Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) datasets. In December 2008, Medicare converted its nursing home report card to summary or star ratings. We test whether there was a change in consumer demand for nursing homes related to the nursing home's star rating after the information was released. The star rating system was associated with a significant change in consumer demand for low- and high-scoring facilities. After the star-based rating system was released, 1-star facilities typically lost 8 percent of their market share and 5-star facilities gained over 6 percent of their market share. The nursing home star rating system significantly affected consumer demand for high- and low-rated nursing homes. These results support the use of summary measures in report cards. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  10. Opportunities for social workers in the patient centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawk, Mary; Ricci, Edmund; Huber, George; Myers, Marcella

    2015-01-01

    The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has been hailed as one method of improving chronic care outcomes in the United States. A number of studies have underscored the importance of the social work role within the PCMH, yet little existing research explores the social worker as a driver of improved patient care. The Pennsylvania Chronic Care Initiative was created with a primary goal of increasing the number of practices that were recognized as PCMH by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. This article describes findings from in-depth qualitative interviews with representatives from seven primary care practices, in which the authors examined barriers and facilitators to implementation of the initiative. Barriers to implementation included small practice size, payer-driven care, not having a strong physician champion, variability within patient populations, and high implementation costs. Facilitators included having a social worker coordinate behavioral health services, clinical nurse case managers, preexisting models of outcomes-driven care, and being part of an integrated health delivery and financing system. Recommendations strengthening the role of medical social workers in primary care practices are discussed.

  11. PRagmatic trial Of Video Education in Nursing homes: The design and rationale for a pragmatic cluster randomized trial in the nursing home setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mor, Vincent; Volandes, Angelo E; Gutman, Roee; Gatsonis, Constantine; Mitchell, Susan L

    2017-04-01

    Background/Aims Nursing homes are complex healthcare systems serving an increasingly sick population. Nursing homes must engage patients in advance care planning, but do so inconsistently. Video decision support tools improved advance care planning in small randomized controlled trials. Pragmatic trials are increasingly employed in health services research, although not commonly in the nursing home setting to which they are well-suited. This report presents the design and rationale for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial that evaluated the "real world" application of an Advance Care Planning Video Program in two large US nursing home healthcare systems. Methods PRagmatic trial Of Video Education in Nursing homes was conducted in 360 nursing homes (N = 119 intervention/N = 241 control) owned by two healthcare systems. Over an 18-month implementation period, intervention facilities were instructed to offer the Advance Care Planning Video Program to all patients. Control facilities employed usual advance care planning practices. Patient characteristics and outcomes were ascertained from Medicare Claims, Minimum Data Set assessments, and facility electronic medical record data. Intervention adherence was measured using a Video Status Report embedded into electronic medical record systems. The primary outcome was the number of hospitalizations/person-day alive among long-stay patients with advanced dementia or cardiopulmonary disease. The rationale for the approaches to facility randomization and recruitment, intervention implementation, population selection, data acquisition, regulatory issues, and statistical analyses are discussed. Results The large number of well-characterized candidate facilities enabled several unique design features including stratification on historical hospitalization rates, randomization prior to recruitment, and 2:1 control to intervention facilities ratio. Strong endorsement from corporate leadership made randomization

  12. Work-home interface stress: an important predictor of emotional exhaustion 15 years into a medical career

    Science.gov (United States)

    HERTZBERG, Tuva Kolstad; RØ, Karin Isaksson; VAGLUM, Per Jørgen Wiggen; MOUM, Torbjørn; RØVIK, Jan Ole; GUDE, Tore; EKEBERG, Øivind; TYSSEN, Reidar

    2015-01-01

    The importance of work-home interface stress can vary throughout a medical career and between genders. We studied changes in work-home interface stress over 5 yr, and their prediction of emotional exhaustion (main dimension of burn-out), controlled for other variables. A nationwide doctor cohort (NORDOC; n=293) completed questionnaires at 10 and 15 yr after graduation. Changes over the period were examined and predictors of emotional exhaustion analyzed using linear regression. Levels of work-home interface stress declined, whereas emotional exhaustion stayed on the same level. Lack of reduction in work-home interface stress was an independent predictor of emotional exhaustion in year 15 (β=−0.21, p=0.001). Additional independent predictors were reduction in support from colleagues (β=0.11, p=0.04) and emotional exhaustion at baseline (β=0.62, pseparate analyses, significant adjusted predictors were lack of reduction in work-home interface stress among women, and reduction of collegial support and lack of reduction in working hours among men. Thus, change in work-home interface stress is a key independent predictor of emotional exhaustion among doctors 15 yr after graduation. Some gender differences in predictors of emotional exhaustion were found. PMID:26538002

  13. Facilitating primary care provider use in a patient-centered medical home intervention study for chronic hemodialysis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chukwudozie, Ifeanyi Beverly; Fitzgibbon, Marian L; Schiffer, Linda; Berbaum, Michael; Gilmartin, Cheryl; David, Pyone; Ekpo, Eson; Fischer, Michael J; Porter, Anna C; Aziz-Bradley, Alana; Hynes, Denise M

    2018-05-23

    Patients with chronic kidney disease have a high disease burand may benefit from primary care services and care coord A medical home model with direct access to primary care services is one approach that may address this need, yet has not been examined. As a substudy of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) patient-centered medical home for kidney disease (PCMH-KD) health system intervention study, we examined the uptake of free primary care physician (PCP) services. The PCORI PCMH-KD study was an initial step toward integrating PCPs, a nurse coordinator, a pharmacist, and community health workers (CHWs) within the health care delivery team. Adult chronic hemodialysis (CHD) at two urban dialysis centers were enrolled in the intervention. We examined trends and factors associated with the use of the PCMH-KD PCP among two groups of patients based on their report of having a regular physician for at least six months (established-PCP) or not (no-PCP). Of the 173 enrolled patients, 91 (53%) patients had at least one visit with the PCMH-KD PCP. The rate of visits was higher in those in the no-PCP group compared with those in the established-PCP group (62% vs. 41%, respectively). Having more visits with the CHW was positively associated with having a visit with the PCMH-KD PCPs for both groups. Embedded CHWs within the care team played a role in facilithe uptake of PCMH-KD PCP. Lessons from this health system intervention can inform future approaches on the integration of PCPs and care coordination for CHD patients.

  14. Statement of the American Psychological Association in response to the "joint principles: integrating behavioral health care into the patient-centered medical home".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Norman B; Belar, Cynthia D; Cubic, Barbara A; Garrison, Ellen G; Johnson, Suzanne Bennett; Kaslow, Nadine J

    2014-06-01

    Comments on the article "Joint principles: Integrating behavioral health care into the patient-centered medical home" (see record 2014-24217-011), presented by the Working Party Group on Integrated Behavioral Healthcare. The American Psychological Association (APA) shares concerns about the lack of reference to behavioral health care in the original 2007 Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home for which this new document is intended to supplement but not replace. The decision to support the supplemental Joint Principles was not an easy one for APA, as there is one area of significant concern. That concern is related to the use of the term "physician-directed medical practice"

  15. Home care, hospitalizations and doctor visits

    OpenAIRE

    Gonçalves Judite; Weaver France

    2014-01-01

    This study estimates the effects of formal home care on hospitalizations and doctor visits. We compare the effects of medically- and non-medically-related home care and investigate heterogeneous effects by age group and informal care availability. Two-part models are estimated, using data from Switzerland. In this federal country, home care policy is decentralized into cantons (i.e. states). The endogeneity of home care is addressed by using instrumental variables, canton and time fixed effec...

  16. A qualitative evaluation of the crucial attributes of contextual information necessary in EHR design to support patient-centered medical home care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weir, Charlene R; Staggers, Nancy; Gibson, Bryan; Doing-Harris, Kristina; Barrus, Robyn; Dunlea, Robert

    2015-04-16

    Effective implementation of a Primary Care Medical Home model of care (PCMH) requires integration of patients' contextual information (physical, mental, social and financial status) into an easily retrievable information source for the healthcare team and clinical decision-making. This project explored clinicians' perceptions about important attributes of contextual information for clinical decision-making, how contextual information is expressed in CPRS clinical documentation as well as how clinicians in a highly computerized environment manage information flow related to these areas. A qualitative design using Cognitive Task Analyses and a modified Critical Incident Technique were used. The study was conducted in a large VA with a fully implemented EHR located in the western United States. Seventeen providers working in a PCMH model of care in Primary Care, Home Based Care and Geriatrics reported on a recent difficult transition requiring contextual information for decision-making. The transcribed interviews were qualitatively analyzed for thematic development related to contextual information using an iterative process and multiple reviewers with ATLAS@ti software. Six overarching themes emerged as attributes of contextual information: Informativeness, goal language, temporality, source attribution, retrieval effort, and information quality. These results indicate that specific attributes are needed to in order for contextual information to fully support clinical decision-making in a Medical Home care delivery environment. Improved EHR designs are needed for ease of contextual information access, displaying linkages across time and settings, and explicit linkages to both clinician and patient goals. Implications relevant to providers' information needs, team functioning and EHR design are discussed.

  17. Gatekeepers as Care Providers: The Care Work of Patient-centered Medical Home Clerical Staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solimeo, Samantha L; Ono, Sarah S; Stewart, Kenda R; Lampman, Michelle A; Rosenthal, Gary E; Stewart, Greg L

    2017-03-01

    International implementation of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model for delivering primary care has dramatically increased in the last decade. A majority of research on PCMH's impact has emphasized the care provided by clinically trained staff. In this article, we report our ethnographic analysis of data collected from Department of Veterans Affairs staff implementing PACT, the VA version of PCMH. Teams were trained to use within-team delegation, largely accomplished through attention to clinical licensure, to differentiate staff in providing efficient, patient-centered care. In doing so, PACT may reinforce a clinically defined culture of care that countermands PCMH ideals. Such competing rubrics for care are brought into relief through a focus on the care work performed by clerks. Ethnographic analysis identifies clerks' care as a kind of emotional dirty work, signaling important areas for future anthropological study of the relationships among patient-centered care, stigma, and clinical authority. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

  18. Barriers to medication error reporting among hospital nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutledge, Dana N; Retrosi, Tina; Ostrowski, Gary

    2018-03-01

    The study purpose was to report medication error reporting barriers among hospital nurses, and to determine validity and reliability of an existing medication error reporting barriers questionnaire. Hospital medication errors typically occur between ordering of a medication to its receipt by the patient with subsequent staff monitoring. To decrease medication errors, factors surrounding medication errors must be understood; this requires reporting by employees. Under-reporting can compromise patient safety by disabling improvement efforts. This 2017 descriptive study was part of a larger workforce engagement study at a faith-based Magnet ® -accredited community hospital in California (United States). Registered nurses (~1,000) were invited to participate in the online survey via email. Reported here are sample demographics (n = 357) and responses to the 20-item medication error reporting barriers questionnaire. Using factor analysis, four factors that accounted for 67.5% of the variance were extracted. These factors (subscales) were labelled Fear, Cultural Barriers, Lack of Knowledge/Feedback and Practical/Utility Barriers; each demonstrated excellent internal consistency. The medication error reporting barriers questionnaire, originally developed in long-term care, demonstrated good validity and excellent reliability among hospital nurses. Substantial proportions of American hospital nurses (11%-48%) considered specific factors as likely reporting barriers. Average scores on most barrier items were categorised "somewhat unlikely." The highest six included two barriers concerning the time-consuming nature of medication error reporting and four related to nurses' fear of repercussions. Hospitals need to determine the presence of perceived barriers among nurses using questionnaires such as the medication error reporting barriers and work to encourage better reporting. Barriers to medication error reporting make it less likely that nurses will report medication

  19. Quality assessment of home births in Denmark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Sabrina; Colmorn, Lotte B; Schroll, Anne-Mette; Krebs, Lone

    2017-05-01

    The safety of home births has been widely debated. Observational studies examining maternal and neonatal outcomes of home births have become more frequent, and the quality of these studies has improved. The aim of the present study was to describe neonatal outcomes of home births compared with hospital births and to discuss which data are needed to evaluate the safety of home births. This was a register-based cohort study. Data on all births in Denmark (2003-2013) were collected from the Danish Medical Birth Registry (DMBR). The cohort included healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies and no medical interventions during delivery. A total of 6,395 home births and 266,604 hospital births were eligible for analysis. Comparative analyses were performed separately in nulliparous and multiparous women. The outcome measures were neonatal mortality and morbidity. Frequencies of admission to a neonatal intensive care unit and treatment with continuous positive airway pressure were significantly lower in infants born at home than in infants born at a hospital. A slightly, but significantly increased rate of early neonatal death was found among infants delivered by nulliparous at home. This study indicates that home births in Denmark are characterized by a high level of safety owing to low rates of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Missing registration on intrapartum transfers and planned versus unplanned home births in the DMBR are, however, major limitations to the validity and utility of the reported results. Registration of these items of information is necessary to make reasonable assessments of home births in the future. none. not relevant. Articles published in the DMJ are “open access”. This means that the articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

  20. Violence exposure and burn-out among Turkish nursing home staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandiracioglu, Aliye; Cam, Olcay

    2006-10-01

    The aim of this study was to describe the frequency of violence against personnel from residents and to identify the prevalence of burn-out among staff working in nursing homes. The study was performed in two cities in the west of Turkey. A semi-structured questionnaire on violence and Pines' Burnout scale were distributed among all the staff working in six nursing homes, and 214 of them responded. Of the total number of respondents, 56% stated that they had been exposed to violence during the preceding year. More than 20% stated that they had reported violence to their supervisor. Less than 10% had received medical or psychological support following the event. Violent incidents were reported significantly more frequently among staff who reported problems working with elderly residents. There was no relationship between violence towards staff and burn-out. Violence is commonly experienced by care workers in nursing homes for the elderly. Strategies to improve occupational conditions in nursing homes are required.

  1. Maternal and newborn outcomes in planned home birth vs planned hospital births: a metaanalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wax, Joseph R; Lucas, F Lee; Lamont, Maryanne; Pinette, Michael G; Cartin, Angelina; Blackstone, Jacquelyn

    2010-09-01

    We sought to systematically review the medical literature on the maternal and newborn safety of planned home vs planned hospital birth. We included English-language peer-reviewed publications from developed Western nations reporting maternal and newborn outcomes by planned delivery location. Outcomes' summary odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Planned home births were associated with fewer maternal interventions including epidural analgesia, electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, episiotomy, and operative delivery. These women were less likely to experience lacerations, hemorrhage, and infections. Neonatal outcomes of planned home births revealed less frequent prematurity, low birthweight, and assisted newborn ventilation. Although planned home and hospital births exhibited similar perinatal mortality rates, planned home births were associated with significantly elevated neonatal mortality rates. Less medical intervention during planned home birth is associated with a tripling of the neonatal mortality rate. Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Collaboration between Hospital and Community Pharmacists to Improve Medication Management from Hospital to Home

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judith Kristeller

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this study is to determine if a model for patient-centered care that integrates medication management between hospital and community pharmacists is feasible and can improve medication adherence. Design: This was a randomized, non-blinded, interventional study of 69 patients discharged from a hospital to home. Process measures include the number and type of medication-related discrepancies or problems identified, patient willingness to participate, the quality and quantity of interactions with community pharmacists, hospital readmissions, and medication adherence. Setting: A 214-bed acute care hospital in Northeastern Pennsylvania and seventeen regional community pharmacies. Patients: Enrolled patients were hospitalized with a primary or secondary diagnosis of heart failure or COPD, had a planned discharge to home, and agreed to speak to one of seventeen community pharmacists within the study network (i.e., a network community pharmacist following hospital discharge. Intervention: Information about a comprehensive medication review completed by the hospital pharmacist was communicated with the network community pharmacist to assist with providing medication therapy management following hospital discharge. Results: Of 180 patients eligible for the study, 111 declined to participate. Many patients were reluctant to talk to an additional pharmacist, however if the patient’s pharmacist was already within the network of 17 pharmacies, they usually agreed to participate. The study enrolled 35 patients in the intervention group and 34 in the control group. An average of 6 medication-related problems per patient were communicated to the patient’s network community pharmacist after discharge. In the treatment group, 44% of patients had at least one conversation with the network community pharmacist following hospital discharge. There was no difference in post-discharge adherence between the groups (Proportion of Days

  3. Polypharmacy and Renal Failure in Nursing Home Residents: Results of the Inappropriate Medication in Patients with Renal Insufficiency in Nursing Homes (IMREN) Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dörks, Michael; Herget-Rosenthal, Stefan; Schmiemann, Guido; Hoffmann, Falk

    2016-01-01

    Polypharmacy has become an emerging public health issue in recent years, since use of multiple medications or polypharmacy is beneficial for many conditions, but may also have negative effects like adverse drug reactions. The risk further increases in patients with chronic renal failure, a comorbidity very frequent in nursing home residents. Since more than 50% of all drugs were renally excreted, dose adjustments in patients with renal failure are required. To assess polypharmacy in German nursing homes, in particular in residents with renal failure. Multi-center cross-sectional study in 21 nursing homes in Bremen and Lower Saxony/Germany. Baseline data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Multivariable logistic regression model and 95% confidence intervals were used to study the association of renal failure and polypharmacy. Of all 852 residents, the analysis comprised those 685 with at least one serum creatinine value so that the estimated creatinine clearance could be calculated. Of those, 436 (63.6%) had a severe or moderate renal failure, defined as estimated creatinine clearance renal failure (estimated creatinine clearance renal failure are common in German nursing home residents and an association of both could be found. Further studies are needed to assess the appropriateness of polypharmacy in these patients.

  4. Understanding the Home Math Environment and Its Role in Predicting Parent Report of Children’s Math Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganley, Colleen M.; Purpura, David J.

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing literature concerning the role of the home math environment in children’s math development. In this study, we examined the relation between these constructs by specifically addressing three goals. The first goal was to identify the measurement structure of the home math environment through a series of confirmatory factor analyses. The second goal was to examine the role of the home math environment in predicting parent report of children’s math skills. The third goal was to test a series of potential alternative explanations for the relation between the home math environment and parent report of children’s skills, specifically the direct and indirect role of household income, parent math anxiety, and parent math ability as measured by their approximate number system performance. A final sample of 339 parents of children aged 3 through 8 drawn from Mechanical Turk answered a questionnaire online. The best fitting model of the home math environment was a bifactor model with a general factor representing the general home math environment, and three specific factors representing the direct numeracy environment, the indirect numeracy environment, and the spatial environment. When examining the association of the home math environment factors to parent report of child skills, the general home math environment factor and the spatial environment were the only significant predictors. Parents who reported doing more general math activities in the home reported having children with higher math skills, whereas parents who reported doing more spatial activities reported having children with lower math skills. PMID:28005925

  5. Keeping warm? Self-reported housing and home energy efficiency factors impacting on older people heating homes in North Wales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burholt, Vanessa; Windle, Gill

    2006-01-01

    This paper examines a representative sample (N=421) of older people (aged 70+) living in rural North Wales with regard to relationships between fuel poverty, feeling cold in one's home and a range of self-reported housing and home energy efficiency items. In the Welsh context, the combination of poor housing stock and low-level income is likely to increase the chance of older people experiencing fuel poverty, therefore the analyses are relevant to both energy and social policy. The paper hypothesises that: (i) People in 'fuel poor' homes are: low-income households; living in older houses; lacking home energy efficiency measures; (ii) not all people facing difficulties heating their home (i.e. wearing extra clothing to keep warm during cold spells) are identified as 'fuel poor', but there will be an association between taking extra measures to keep warm and low income; older houses and lacking home energy efficiency factors. The results partially support the hypotheses. An estimation is made of the expenditure required to counter the factors associated with fuel poverty and cold homes in the region. The paper concludes with implications for the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy

  6. Adaptation and Validation of the HOME-SF as a Caregiver-Report Home Environment Measure for Use in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jennifer Chun-Li; Chiang, Tung-liang; Bradley, Robert H.

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to develop a brief caregiver-report instrument for measuring the home environment of children aged three and under, as part of the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS). Instrument development was conducted by translating and adapting the Home Observation for the Measurement of Environment Inventory-Short Form (HOME-SF) which comprises…

  7. Closing the loop of the medication use process using electronic medication administration registration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenderink, Bertil W; Egberts, Toine C G

    2004-08-01

    Recent reports and studies of errors in the medication process have raised the awareness of the threat to public health. An essential step in this multi-stage process is the actual administration of a medicine to the patient. The closed loop system is thought to be a way of preventing medication errors. Current information technology can facilitate this process. This article describes the way barcode technology is being used to facilitate medication administration registration on several wards in our hospital and nursing home.

  8. Development of a Computerized Medical History Profile for Children in Out-of-Home Placement Using Medicaid Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chisolm, Deena J.; Scribano, Philip V.; Purnell, Tanjala S.; Kelleher, Kelly J.

    2010-01-01

    Children in out-of-home placements (foster children) often undergo multiple placement changes while under the care of child protective services. This instability can result in lack of health care continuity and poor health outcomes. This brief describes the development of a medical history profile, or passport, developed from Medicaid administrative data. A purposive sample of 25 youths was provided from a county child protective services agency. The patients were systematically matched with data from the state Medicaid agency. Using Medicaid claims/encounter data we generated health care profiles that provided information on historical use of ambulatory care, diagnoses, providers seen, medications used, and inpatient admissions. Profiles were however limited by missing provider information and non-specific diagnostic coding. Despite these limitations, Medicaid data-based profiles show the potential to be a cost efficient method for improving continuity of care for children in out-of-home placement. PMID:19648702

  9. Music therapy for reducing agitation and psychotropic medication in nursing home residents with dementia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner

    2015-01-01

    Dementia is a neurocognitive disease with a high risk of social isolation and agitation due to loss of cognitive functions. In nursing home residents with dementia, agitation is the most significant symptom causing patient distress and care- giver burden. Agitation is described as abuse or aggres......Dementia is a neurocognitive disease with a high risk of social isolation and agitation due to loss of cognitive functions. In nursing home residents with dementia, agitation is the most significant symptom causing patient distress and care- giver burden. Agitation is described as abuse...... or aggressive or inappropriate behaviour. According to a psychosocial model of care, agitation is understood as attempts to communicate psychosocial needs. The prevalence of agitation is predicted by the psychosocial culture of care, and too often symptoms of agitation are treated with psychotropic medication...

  10. Effective Alternative to Constipation Medication in Nursing Home Residents: Libera Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ismael Sobrón Monge

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study is to ascertain the impact of administering a dessert rich in fibre and sorbitol on the prescription of laxatives in nursing home residents with constipation. Material and methods: Single-centre, interventional prospective study in elderly nursing home residents diagnosed with constipation and treated with laxatives, in which each patient is his/her own comparator. A dessert rich in fibre and sorbitol (high-fibre Resource® Fruit Purée was given for 7 weeks. The main variable was the difference in days of pharmacological treatment with laxatives between the week before the start of the study and the last week of the study. Results: 40 patients were studied with a median age of 88.5 years (range: 72–101. After 7 weeks, the residents required a mean of 3.5 fewer days per week of treatment with laxatives. Patients receiving pharmacological medication decreased by 40%. Weekly bowel movements increased by a mean of 2 while gastrointestinal discomfort decreased. The intervention did not change previous intake. Adherence to the prescribed regimen was over 94%. A decrease in the number of days with laxative therapy was associated with: consuming 5 or more desserts a week, being over 85, having poor oral health and not suffering from malnutrition or food disorders. Conclusions: Dispensing a dessert rich in fibre and sorbitol may be an effective and safe alternative to laxatives in elderly nursing home residents with constipation, and may help to reduce polymedication in these patients.

  11. Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

    2008-01-01

    To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers.

  12. An economic appraisal of the Australian Medical Sheepskin for the prevention of sacral pressure ulcers from a nursing home perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Many devices are in use to prevent pressure ulcers, but from most little is known about their effects and costs. One such preventive device is the Australian Medical Sheepskin that has been proven effective in three randomized trials. In this study the costs and savings from the use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin were investigated from the perspective of a nursing home. Methods An economic model was developed in which monetary costs and monetary savings in respect of the sheepskin were balanced against each other. The model was applied to a fictional (Dutch) nursing home with 100 beds for rehabilitation patients and a time horizon of one year. Input variables for the model consisted of investment costs for using the sheepskin (purchase and laundry), and savings through the prevented cases of pressure ulcers. The input values for the investment costs and for the effectiveness were empirically based on a trial with newly admitted rehabilitation patients from eight nursing homes. The input values for the costs of pressure ulcer treatment were estimated by means of four different approaches. Results Investment costs for using the Australian Medical Sheepskin were larger than the monetary savings obtained by preventing pressure ulcers. Use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin involves an additional cost of approximately €2 per patient per day. Preventing one case of a sacral pressure ulcer by means of the Australian Medical Sheepskin involves an investment of €2,974 when the sheepskin is given to all patients. When the sheepskin is selectively used for more critical patients only, the investment to prevent one case of sacral pressure ulcers decreases to €2,479 (pressure ulcer risk patients) or €1,847 (ADL-severely impaired patients). The factors with the strongest influence on the balance are the frequency of changing the sheepskin and the costs of washing related to this. The economic model was hampered by considerable uncertainty in the

  13. An economic appraisal of the Australian Medical Sheepskin for the prevention of sacral pressure ulcers from a nursing home perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achterberg Wilco

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Many devices are in use to prevent pressure ulcers, but from most little is known about their effects and costs. One such preventive device is the Australian Medical Sheepskin that has been proven effective in three randomized trials. In this study the costs and savings from the use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin were investigated from the perspective of a nursing home. Methods An economic model was developed in which monetary costs and monetary savings in respect of the sheepskin were balanced against each other. The model was applied to a fictional (Dutch nursing home with 100 beds for rehabilitation patients and a time horizon of one year. Input variables for the model consisted of investment costs for using the sheepskin (purchase and laundry, and savings through the prevented cases of pressure ulcers. The input values for the investment costs and for the effectiveness were empirically based on a trial with newly admitted rehabilitation patients from eight nursing homes. The input values for the costs of pressure ulcer treatment were estimated by means of four different approaches. Results Investment costs for using the Australian Medical Sheepskin were larger than the monetary savings obtained by preventing pressure ulcers. Use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin involves an additional cost of approximately €2 per patient per day. Preventing one case of a sacral pressure ulcer by means of the Australian Medical Sheepskin involves an investment of €2,974 when the sheepskin is given to all patients. When the sheepskin is selectively used for more critical patients only, the investment to prevent one case of sacral pressure ulcers decreases to €2,479 (pressure ulcer risk patients or €1,847 (ADL-severely impaired patients. The factors with the strongest influence on the balance are the frequency of changing the sheepskin and the costs of washing related to this. The economic model was hampered by considerable

  14. Overcoming challenges to teamwork in patient-centered medical homes: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Malley, Ann S; Gourevitch, Rebecca; Draper, Kevin; Bond, Amelia; Tirodkar, Manasi A

    2015-02-01

    There is emerging consensus that enhanced inter-professional teamwork is necessary for the effective and efficient delivery of primary care, but there is less practical information specific to primary care available to guide practices on how to better work as teams. The purpose of this study was to describe how primary care practices have overcome challenges to providing team-based primary care and the implications for care delivery and policy. Practices for this qualitative study were selected from those recognized as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) via the most recent National Committee for Quality Assurance PCMH tool, which included a domain on practice teamwork. Sixty-three respondents, ranging from physicians to front-desk staff, were interviewed from May through December of 2013. Practice respondents came from 27 primary care practices ranging in size, type, geography, and population served. Practices emphasizing teamwork overcame common challenges through the incremental delegation of non-clinical tasks away from physicians. The roles of medical assistants and nurses are expanding to include template-guided information collection from patients prior to the physician office visit as well as many other tasks. The inclusion of staff input in care workflow redesign and the use of data to demonstrate how team care process changes improved patient care were helpful in gaining staff buy-in. Team "huddles" guided by pre-visit planning were reported to assist in role delegation, consistency of information collected from patients, and structured communication among team members. Nurse care managers were found to be important team members in working with patients and their physicians on care plan design and execution. Most practices had not participated in formal teamwork training, but respondents expressed a desire for training for key team members, particularly if they could access it on-site (e.g., via practice coaches or the Internet). Participants who

  15. The diagnostic suitability of a xerostomia questionnaire and the association between xerostomia, hyposalivation and medication use in a group of nursing home residents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Putten, Gerard van der; Brand, H.S.; Schols, J.M.; Baat, C. de

    2011-01-01

    The study objective was to explore the diagnostic suitability of the Xerostomia Inventory and the association between xerostomia, hyposalivation and medication use in a group of nursing home residents. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 50 physically impaired nursing home residents (20 men)

  16. Home-Use Tests - Cholesterol

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Medical Procedures In Vitro Diagnostics Home Use Tests Cholesterol Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options ... a home-use test kit to measure total cholesterol. What cholesterol is: Cholesterol is a fat (lipid) ...

  17. Home Rx: The Health Benefits of Home Performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, Jonathan [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Jacobs, David [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Reddy, Amanda [National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), Columbia, MD (United States); Tohn, Ellen [Tohn Environmental Strategies, Wayland, MA (United States); Cohen, Jonathan [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Jacobsohn, Ely [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Evidence in a new, groundbreaking U.S. Department of Energy report, Home Rx: The Health Benefits of Home Performance, shows that home performance upgrades can improve the quality of a home’s indoor environment by reducing the prevalence of harmful indoor air pollutants and contaminants. Until recently, no systematic review of this evidence had been conducted, limiting full understanding of the link between home performance and health. This new report summarizes current knowledge and identifies research gaps. The design characteristics and results of each of the 40 studies considered in the report are summarized in a searchable matrix.

  18. The Re-contextualization of the Patient: What Home Health Care Can Teach Us About Medical Decision-Making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salter, Erica K

    2015-06-01

    This article examines the role of context in the development and deployment of standards of medical decision-making. First, it demonstrates that bioethics, and our dominant standards of medical decision-making, developed out of a specific historical and philosophical environment that prioritized technology over the person, standardization over particularity, individuality over relationship and rationality over other forms of knowing. These forces de-contextualize the patient and encourage decision-making that conforms to the unnatural and contrived environment of the hospital. The article then explores several important differences between the home health care and acute care settings. Finally, it argues that the personalized, embedded, relational and idiosyncratic nature of the home is actually a much more accurate reflection of the context in which real people make real decisions. Thus, we should work to "re-contextualize" patients, in order that they might be better equipped to make decisions that harmonize with their real lives.

  19. The epidemiology and type of medication errors reported to the National Poisons Information Centre of Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassidy, Nicola; Duggan, Edel; Williams, David J P; Tracey, Joseph A

    2011-07-01

    Medication errors are widely reported for hospitalised patients, but limited data are available for medication errors that occur in community-based and clinical settings. Epidemiological data from poisons information centres enable characterisation of trends in medication errors occurring across the healthcare spectrum. The objective of this study was to characterise the epidemiology and type of medication errors reported to the National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) of Ireland. A 3-year prospective study on medication errors reported to the NPIC was conducted from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 inclusive. Data on patient demographics, enquiry source, location, pharmaceutical agent(s), type of medication error, and treatment advice were collated from standardised call report forms. Medication errors were categorised as (i) prescribing error (i.e. physician error), (ii) dispensing error (i.e. pharmacy error), and (iii) administration error involving the wrong medication, the wrong dose, wrong route, or the wrong time. Medication errors were reported for 2348 individuals, representing 9.56% of total enquiries to the NPIC over 3 years. In total, 1220 children and adolescents under 18 years of age and 1128 adults (≥ 18 years old) experienced a medication error. The majority of enquiries were received from healthcare professionals, but members of the public accounted for 31.3% (n = 736) of enquiries. Most medication errors occurred in a domestic setting (n = 2135), but a small number occurred in healthcare facilities: nursing homes (n = 110, 4.68%), hospitals (n = 53, 2.26%), and general practitioner surgeries (n = 32, 1.36%). In children, medication errors with non-prescription pharmaceuticals predominated (n = 722) and anti-pyretics and non-opioid analgesics, anti-bacterials, and cough and cold preparations were the main pharmaceutical classes involved. Medication errors with prescription medication predominated for adults (n = 866) and the major medication

  20. The epidemiology and type of medication errors reported to the National Poisons Information Centre of Ireland.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cassidy, Nicola

    2012-02-01

    INTRODUCTION: Medication errors are widely reported for hospitalised patients, but limited data are available for medication errors that occur in community-based and clinical settings. Epidemiological data from poisons information centres enable characterisation of trends in medication errors occurring across the healthcare spectrum. AIM: The objective of this study was to characterise the epidemiology and type of medication errors reported to the National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) of Ireland. METHODS: A 3-year prospective study on medication errors reported to the NPIC was conducted from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 inclusive. Data on patient demographics, enquiry source, location, pharmaceutical agent(s), type of medication error, and treatment advice were collated from standardised call report forms. Medication errors were categorised as (i) prescribing error (i.e. physician error), (ii) dispensing error (i.e. pharmacy error), and (iii) administration error involving the wrong medication, the wrong dose, wrong route, or the wrong time. RESULTS: Medication errors were reported for 2348 individuals, representing 9.56% of total enquiries to the NPIC over 3 years. In total, 1220 children and adolescents under 18 years of age and 1128 adults (>\\/= 18 years old) experienced a medication error. The majority of enquiries were received from healthcare professionals, but members of the public accounted for 31.3% (n = 736) of enquiries. Most medication errors occurred in a domestic setting (n = 2135), but a small number occurred in healthcare facilities: nursing homes (n = 110, 4.68%), hospitals (n = 53, 2.26%), and general practitioner surgeries (n = 32, 1.36%). In children, medication errors with non-prescription pharmaceuticals predominated (n = 722) and anti-pyretics and non-opioid analgesics, anti-bacterials, and cough and cold preparations were the main pharmaceutical classes involved. Medication errors with prescription medication predominated for

  1. Wildfire ignition resistant home design(WIRHD) program: Full-scale testing and demonstration final report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quarles, Stephen, L.; Sindelar, Melissa

    2011-12-13

    The primary goal of the Wildfire ignition resistant home design(WIRHD) program was to develop a home evaluation tool that could assess the ignition potential of a structure subjected to wildfire exposures. This report describes the tests that were conducted, summarizes the results, and discusses the implications of these results with regard to the vulnerabilities to homes and buildings.

  2. Caring for patients on home enteral nutrition: Reported complications by home carers and perspectives of community nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Mei Ling; Yong, Bei Yi Paulynn; Mar, Mei Qi Maggie; Ang, Shin Yuh; Chan, Mei Mei; Lam, Madeleine; Chong, Ngian Choo Janet; Lopez, Violeta

    2018-07-01

    To explore the experiences of community nurses and home carers, in caring for patients on home enteral nutrition. The number of patients on home enteral nutrition is on the increase due to advancement in technology and shift in focus of providing care from acute to community care settings. A mixed-method approach was adopted. (i) A face-to-face survey design was used to elicit experience of carers of patients on home enteral nutrition. (ii) Focus group interviews were conducted with community nurses. Ninety-nine carers (n = 99) were recruited. Patient's mean age that they cared for was aged 77.7 years (SD = 11.2), and they had been on enteral feeding for a mean of 29 months (SD = 23.0). Most were bed-bound (90%) and required full assistance with their feeding (99%). Most were not on follow-up with dietitians (91%) and dentists (96%). The three most common reported gastrointestinal complications were constipation (31%), abdominal distension (28%) and vomiting (22%). Twenty community nurses (n = 20) were recruited for the focus group interviews. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (i) challenge of accessing allied health services in the community; (ii) shorter length of stay in the acute care setting led to challenges in carers' learning and adaptation; (iii) transition gaps between hospital and home care services; and (iv) managing expectations of family. To facilitate a better transition of care for patients, adequate training for carers, standardising clinical practice in managing patients with home enteral nutrition and improving communication between home care services and the acute care hospitals are needed. This study highlighted the challenges faced by community home care nurses and carers. Results of this study would help to inform future policies and practice changes that would improve the quality of care received by patients on home enteral nutrition. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. The patient-centered medical home: an ethical analysis of principles and practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braddock, Clarence H; Snyder, Lois; Neubauer, Richard L; Fischer, Gary S

    2013-01-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH), with its focus on patient-centered care, holds promise as a way to reinvigorate the primary care of patients and as a necessary component of health care reform. While its tenets have been the subject of review, the ethical dimensions of the PCMH have not been fully explored. Consideration of the ethical foundations for the core principles of the PCMH can and should be part of the debate concerning its merits. The PCMH can align with the principles of medical ethics and potentially strengthen the patient-physician relationship and aspects of health care that patients value. Patient choice and these ethical considerations are central and at least as important as the economic and practical arguments in support of the PCMH, if not more so. Further, the ethical principles that support key concepts of the PCMH have implications for the design and implementation of the PCMH. This paper explores the PCMH in light of core principles of ethics and professionalism, with an emphasis both on how the concept of the PCMH may reinforce core ethical principles of medical practice and on further implications of these principles.

  4. Strategies for Addressing the Challenges of Patient-Centered Medical Home Implementation: Lessons from Oregon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelmon, Sherril; Bouranis, Nicole; Sandberg, Billie; Petchel, Shauna

    2018-01-01

    Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are at the forefront of the transformation of primary care as part of health systems reform. Despite robust literature describing implementation challenges, few studies describe strategies being used to overcome these challenges. This article addresses this gap through observations of exemplary PCMHs in Oregon, where the Oregon Health Authority supports and recognizes Patient-Centered Primary Care Homes (PCPCH). Twenty exemplary PCPCHs were selected using program scores, with considerations for diversity in clinic characteristics. Between 2015 and 2016, semistructured interviews and focus groups were completed with 85 key informants. Clinics reported similar challenges implementing the PCPCH model, including shifting patterns of care use, fidelity to the PCPCH model, and refining care processes. The following ten implementation strategies emerged: expanding access through care teams, preventing unnecessary emergency department visits through patient outreach, improved communication and referral tracking with outside providers, prioritization of selected program metrics, implementing patient-centered practices, developing continuous improvement capacity through committees and "champions," incorporating preventive services and chronic disease management, standardization of workflows, customizing electronic health records, and integration of mental health. Clinic leaders benefited from understanding the local context in which they were operating. Despite differences in size, ownership, geography, and population, all clinic leaders were observed to be proponents of strategies commonly associated with a "learning organization": systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team. Clinics can draw on their own characteristics, use state resources, and look to established PCMHs to build the evidence base for implementation in primary care. © Copyright 2018 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

  5. Present Conditions and Problems of Home Care Education in Pharmaceutical Education: Through the Activities of "the Working Group to Create Home Clinical Cases for Education".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobuke, Yuko

    2017-01-01

    In the pharmaceutical education model core curriculums revision, "basic qualities required as a pharmacist" are clearly shown, and "the method based on learning outcomes" has been adopted. One of the 10 qualities (No. 7) is "Practical ability of the health and medical care in the community". In the large item "F. Pharmaceutical clinical" of the model core curriculums, "participation in the home (visit) medical care and nursing care" is written in "participation in the health, medical care, and welfare of the community", and it is an important problem to offer opportunities of home medical care education at university. In our university, we launched a working group to create "home clinical cases for education" from the educational point of view to pharmacy students to learn home medical care, in collaboration with university faculty members and pharmacists, who are practitioners of home care. Through its working group activities, we would like to organize the present conditions and problems of home care education in pharmaceutical education and to examine the possibility of using "home clinical case studies" in home care education at university.

  6. Effects of Patient-centered Medical Home Transformation on Child Patient Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harder, Valerie S; Krulewitz, Julianne; Jones, Craig; Wasserman, Richard C; Shaw, Judith S

    2016-01-01

    Patient experience, 1 of 3 aims for improving health care, is rarely included in studies of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) transformation. This study examines the association between patient experience and National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH transformation. This was a cross-sectional study of parent-reported child patient experience from PCMH and non-PCMH practices. It used randomly sampled experience surveys completed by 2599 patients at 29 pediatric and family medicine PCMH (n = 21) and non-PCMH (n = 8) practices in Vermont from 2011 to 2013. Patient experiences related to child development and prevention were assessed using the Consumer Assessment of Health care Providers and Systems (CAHPS). A 10-point increase in NCQA score at PCMH practices is associated with a 3.1% higher CAHPS child prevention score (P = .004). Among pediatric practices, PCMH recognition is associated with 7.7% (P child development and prevention composite scores, respectively. Among family medicine practices, PCMH recognition is associated with 7.4% (P = .001) and 11.0% (P child development and prevention composite scores, respectively. Our results suggest that PCMH recognition may improve child patient experience at pediatric practices and worsen experience at family medicine practices. These findings warrant further investigation into the differential influence of NCQA PCMH transformation on family medicine and pediatric practices. © Copyright 2016 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

  7. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and renal failure in nursing home residents-results of the study "Inappropriate Medication in Patients with Renal Insufficiency in Nursing Homes".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dörks, Michael; Herget-Rosenthal, Stefan; Schmiemann, Guido; Hoffmann, Falk

    2016-04-01

    Use of potentially inappropriate medications may result in increased morbidity, mortality and resource utilisation. Due to polypharmacy and age-related decline in renal function the elderly population is at particular risk. Therefore, the Beers Criteria include use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in chronic renal failure stage 4 and 5 as these drugs may worsen renal function. According to the summary of product characteristics, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen and diclofenac are contraindicated in these patients. Objective was to assess the extent of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in nursing homes with a focus on residents with severe renal failure. Multi-centre cross-sectional study in 21 German nursing homes. The study population comprised residents for whom at least one serum creatinine value and information about sex were available, so that creatinine clearance rate could be estimated. In all, 685 of 852 residents were included as they fulfilled the abovementioned criteria. Renal failure was severe (estimated creatinine clearance rate renal failure (20.8 %). With one exception, all residents prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with severe renal failure were treated with at least one nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that was contraindicated due to the underlying renal function. Notwithstanding their classification as potentially inappropriate medications and underlying contraindications, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is common among nursing home residents with severe renal failure.

  8. Inclusion of persons with mental illness in patient-centred medical homes: cross-sectional findings from Ontario, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steele, Leah S; Durbin, Anna; Sibley, Lyn M; Glazier, Richard

    2013-01-01

    In Ontario, Canada, the patient-centred medical home is a model of primary care delivery that includes 3 model types of interest for this study: enhanced fee-for-service, blended capitation, and team-based blended capitation. All 3 models involve rostering of patients and have similar practice requirements but differ in method of physician reimbursement, with the blended capitation models incorporating adjustments for age and sex, but not case mix, of rostered patients. We evaluated the extent to which persons with mental illness were included in physicians' total practices (as rostered and non-rostered patients) and were included on physicians' rosters across types of medical homes in Ontario. Using population-based administrative data, we considered 3 groups of patients: those with psychotic or bipolar diagnoses, those with other mental health diagnoses, and those with no mental health diagnoses. We modelled the prevalence of mental health diagnoses and the proportion of patients with such diagnoses who were rostered across the 3 medical home model types, controlling for demographic characteristics and case mix. Compared with enhanced fee-for-service practices, and relative to patients without mental illness, the proportions of patients with psychosis or bipolar disorders were not different in blended capitation and team-based blended capitation practices (rate ratio [RR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82-1.01; RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.96-1.17, respectively). However, there were fewer patients with other mental illnesses (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.99; RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.85-0.94, respectively). Compared with expected proportions, practices based on both capitation models were significantly less likely than enhanced fee-for-service practices to roster patients with psychosis or bipolar disorders (for blended capitation, RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.90-0.93; for team-based capitation, RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88-0.93) and also patients with other mental illnesses (for blended capitation

  9. Impact of technological innovation on a nursing home performance and on the medication-use process safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baril, Chantal; Gascon, Viviane; Brouillette, Christel

    2014-03-01

    Despite the fact that since 1985 the government of Québec increased by 5.75 % on average the amount of money spent on healthcare per year, little improvement was noted. It is obvious that an optimal use of resources is essential to reduce waiting times and provide safer and faster services to patients. The use of new technology can contribute to improve the healthcare system efficiency. Our study aims to assess the impact of a medication distribution technology on 1) the performance of a health and social services center's pharmacy, 2) the performance of one care unit in a nursing home and on 3) the medication-use process safety. To measure performance we were inspired by the Lean approach. The results show that medication distribution technology is considered as an effective way to significantly detect medication errors, to allow nurses to focus more on patients and pharmacy to react more rapidly to changes in patient medications.

  10. Validity of parent-reported weight and height of preschool children measured at home or estimated without home measurement: a validation study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cox Bianca

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Parental reports are often used in large-scale surveys to assess children's body mass index (BMI. Therefore, it is important to know to what extent these parental reports are valid and whether it makes a difference if the parents measured their children's weight and height at home or whether they simply estimated these values. The aim of this study is to compare the validity of parent-reported height, weight and BMI values of preschool children (3-7 y-old, when measured at home or estimated by parents without actual measurement. Methods The subjects were 297 Belgian preschool children (52.9% male. Participation rate was 73%. A questionnaire including questions about height and weight of the children was completed by the parents. Nurses measured height and weight following standardised procedures. International age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off values were employed to determine categories of weight status and obesity. Results On the group level, no important differences in accuracy of reported height, weight and BMI were identified between parent-measured or estimated values. However, for all 3 parameters, the correlations between parental reports and nurse measurements were higher in the group of children whose body dimensions were measured by the parents. Sensitivity for underweight and overweight/obesity were respectively 73% and 47% when parents measured their child's height and weight, and 55% and 47% when parents estimated values without measurement. Specificity for underweight and overweight/obesity were respectively 82% and 97% when parents measured the children, and 75% and 93% with parent estimations. Conclusions Diagnostic measures were more accurate when parents measured their child's weight and height at home than when those dimensions were based on parental judgements. When parent-reported data on an individual level is used, the accuracy could be improved by encouraging the parents to measure weight and height

  11. Patient-Centered Medical Home Undergraduate Internship, Benefits to a Practice Manager: Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasnett, Bonita; Harris, Susie T; White, Shelly

    Health services management interns become practice facilitators for primary care clinics interested in pursuing patient-centered recognition for their practice. This experience establishes a collaborative relationship between the university and clinic practices where students apply their academic training to a system of documentation to improve the quality of patient care delivery. The case study presents the process undertaken, benefits, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for intern, practice mangers, and educators. The practice manager benefits as interns become Patient-Centered Medical Home facilitators and assist practice managers in the recognition process.

  12. Stakeholder Perspectives on Changes in Hypertension Care Under the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donnell, Alison J; Bogner, Hillary R; Cronholm, Peter F; Kellom, Katherine; Miller-Day, Michelle; McClintock, Heather F de Vries; Kaye, Elise M; Gabbay, Robert

    2016-02-25

    Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease, yet the proportion of adults whose hypertension is controlled is low. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a model for care delivery that emphasizes patient-centered and team-based care and focuses on quality and safety. Our goal was to investigate changes in hypertension care under PCMH implementation in a large multipayer PCMH demonstration project that may have led to improvements in hypertension control. The PCMH transformation initiative conducted 118 semistructured interviews at 17 primary care practices in southeastern Pennsylvania between January 2011 and January 2012. Clinicians (n = 47), medical assistants (n = 26), office administrators (n = 12), care managers (n = 11), front office staff (n = 7), patient educators (n = 4), nurses (n = 4), social workers (n = 4), and other administrators (n = 3) participated in interviews. Study personnel used thematic analysis to identify themes related to hypertension care. Clinicians described difficulties in expanding services under PCMH to meet the needs of the growing number of patients with hypertension as well as how perceptions of hypertension control differed from actual performance. Staff and office administrators discussed achieving patient-centered hypertension care through patient education and self-management support with personalized care plans. They indicated that patient report cards were helpful tools. Participants across all groups discussed a team- and systems-based approach to hypertension care. Practices undergoing PCMH transformation may consider stakeholder perspectives about patient-centered, team-based, and systems-based approaches as they work to optimize hypertension care.

  13. Medicolegal Investigation of Medical Negligence in India: A Report of Forensic Autopsy Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raktim Pratim Tamuli

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In general negligence means failure to take proper care over something and according to law negligence means breach of a duty of care which results in damage. Medical negligence is not very uncommon; every now and then cases of medical negligence are reported in the electronic media. Medical Negligence is doing something that one is not supposed to do, or failing to do something that one is supposed to do. Role of Forensic Pathologist in cases of Medical Negligence is always unquestionable. Forensic Pathologists need to explore and maintain a high degree of transparency between the doctors, patients and the law enforcing agencies. In the present case, a person was attacked by a wild animal and he fell down on a rough surface. Immediately he was rushed to a local hospital. The treating doctor stitched the external injury and allowed him to go home; he neither advised any investigation nor kept him under observation to rule out any internal injury. After 12 hours the victim succumbed to death. At autopsy a fractured skull with underlying subdural haemorrhage was noticed. Was not the treating doctor negligent in this case? Were the protocols followed? What should be the role of a Forensic Pathologist in such kind of cases?

  14. Ensuring Quality Nursing Home Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cases, you can also call the Department of Health. Nursing homes are required to post information on how you ... nursing homes in your area, go to Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website at ... information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of medical ...

  15. Perceptions of Ghanaian medical students completing a clinical elective at the University of Michigan Medical School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abedini, Nauzley C; Danso-Bamfo, Sandra; Moyer, Cheryl A; Danso, Kwabena A; Mäkiharju, Heather; Donkor, Peter; Johnson, Timothy R B; Kolars, Joseph C

    2014-07-01

    International medical electives typically represent a unidirectional flow of students from economically advantaged countries in the global "North" to resource-poor nations in the global "South." Little is known about the impact of bilateral exchanges on students from less affluent nations. Since 2007, students from the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) and medical schools in Ghana have engaged in a bilateral clinical exchange program. A 45-item online survey was distributed to all 73 Ghanaian medical students who had rotated at UMMS from 2008 to 2010 to assess perspectives on the value and impact of their participation. Incoming Ghanaian students outnumbered outgoing UMMS students 73 to 33 during the study period. Of eligible Ghanaian students, 70% (51/73) participated in the survey, with 40 of 51 providing valid data on at least 50% of questions. Ninety-seven percent (37/38) reported that the UMMS rotation was valuable to their medical training, 90% (35/39) reported changes in how they approach patient care, and 77% (24/31) reported feeling better equipped to serve patients in their home community. Eighty-five percent of students (28/33) felt more inclined to pursue training opportunities outside of their home country after their rotation at UMMS. More studies are needed to determine the feasibility of bidirectional exchanges as well as the short-term and long-term impact of rotations on students from underresourced settings and their hosts in more resource-rich environments.

  16. 76 FR 28917 - Medical Foster Homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-19

    ... facilities do not adequately protect bedridden patients. The current regulations are only intended to address homes where personal care services are provided to veterans and are not intended to address bedridden...

  17. Factors Associated with Korean Immigrants' Medical Tourism to the Homeland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Sou Hyun

    2017-07-01

    This study examined factors associated with first-generation Korean immigrants' medical tours to the homeland, which has emerged as a field of study in immigrant medical transnationalism and immigrant healthcare behaviors. This paper reports survey data from 507 Korean immigrants and indepth interviews with 120 Korean immigrants in the New York-New Jersey area. About one-fourth of survey respondents have visited their home country for medical care since their migration to the US. Of those with relatives in Korea, 29% have experienced at least one medical tour, compared to only 9.2% of those without relatives in Korea. Having frequent contacts with relatives in the home country was positively associated with the number of medical tour visits. Except for social transnational ties, other types of transnational ties with the home country were marginally related to Korean immigrants' medical tourism. Surprisingly, their health insurance status itself, which is assumed to be important, was not statistically associated with medical tourism. Although this study has the limitation of analyzing a convenience sample, it contributes to the literature on immigrant transnationalism and immigrant healthcare behaviors by using a mixed-methods approach to focus on one ethnic group's medical transnationalism.

  18. Incorporating the principles of the patient- centered medical home into a student-run free clinic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riddle MC

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Megan C Riddle,1,* Jiahui Lin,3,* Jonathan B Steinman,2 Joshua D Salvi,2 Margaret M Reynolds,3 Anne S Kastor,3,† Christina Harris,4 Carla Boutin-Foster3 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 2Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD–PhD Program, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 4Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, LA, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work †Anne S Kastor passed away on July 5, 2013. Abstract: As the health care delivery landscape changes, medical schools must develop creative strategies for preparing future physicians to provide quality care in this new environment. Despite the growing prominence of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH as an effective model for health care delivery, few medical schools have integrated formal education on the PCMH into their curricula. Incorporating the PCMH model into medical school curricula is important to ensure that students have a comprehensive understanding of the different models of health care delivery and can operate effectively as physicians. The authors provide a detailed description of the process by which the Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC, a student-run free clinic, has integrated PCMH principles into a service-learning initiative. The authors assessed patient demographics, diagnoses, and satisfaction along with student satisfaction. During the year after a PCMH model was adopted, 112 students and 19 licensed physicians volunteered their time. A review of the 174 patients seen from July 2011 to June 2012 found that the most common medical reasons for visits included management of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, gastrointestinal conditions, arthritis, anxiety, and depression. During the year after the adoption of the PCMH model, 87

  19. Location, Location, Location: Characteristics and Services of Long-Stay Home Care Recipients in Retirement Homes Compared to Others in Private Homes and Long-Term Care Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poss, Jeffrey W; Sinn, Chi-Ling Joanna; Grinchenko, Galina; Blums, Jane; Peirce, Tom; Hirdes, John

    2017-02-01

    We examine recipients of publicly funded ongoing care in a single Ontario jurisdiction who reside in three different settings: long-stay home care patients in private homes and apartments, other patients in retirement homes and residents of long-term care homes, using interRAI assessment instruments. Among home care patients, those in retirement homes have higher proportions of dementia and moderate cognitive impairment, less supportive informal care systems as well as more personal care and nursing services above those provided by the public home care system, more frequent but shorter home support visits and lower than expected public home care expenditures. These lower expenditures may be because of efficiency of care delivery or by retirement homes providing some services otherwise provided by the public home care system. Although persons in each setting are mostly older adults with high degrees of frailty and medical complexity, long-term care home residents show distinctly higher needs. We estimate that 40% of retirement home residents are long-stay home care patients, and they comprise about one in six of this Community Care Access Centre's long-stay patients. Copyright © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

  20. Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

    2008-01-01

    Objective To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. Design A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Setting Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. Main outcome measures A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. Results 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. Conclusions The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers. PMID:18263912

  1. Emergency Medical Services Perspectives on Identifying and Reporting Victims of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Self-Neglect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Tony; Lien, Cynthia; Stern, Michael E; Bloemen, Elizabeth M; Mysliwiec, Regina; McCarthy, Thomas J; Clark, Sunday; Mulcare, Mary R; Ribaudo, Daniel S; Lachs, Mark S; Pillemer, Karl; Flomenbaum, Neal E

    2017-10-01

    Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers, who perform initial assessments of ill and injured patients, often in a patient's home, are uniquely positioned to identify potential victims of elder abuse, neglect, or self-neglect. Despite this, few organized programs exist to ensure that EMS concerns are communicated to or further investigated by other health care providers, social workers, or the authorities. To explore attitudes and self-reported practices of EMS providers surrounding identification and reporting of elder mistreatment. Five semi-structured focus groups with 27 EMS providers. Participants reported believing they frequently encountered and were able to identify potential elder mistreatment victims. Many reported infrequently discussing their concerns with other health care providers or social workers and not reporting them to the authorities due to barriers: 1) lack of EMS protocols or training specific to vulnerable elders; 2) challenges in communication with emergency department providers, including social workers, who are often unavailable or not receptive; 3) time limitations; and 4) lack of follow-up when EMS providers do report concerns. Many participants reported interest in adopting protocols to assist in elder protection. Additional strategies included photographically documenting the home environment, additional training, improved direct communication with social workers, a dedicated location on existing forms or new form to document concerns, a reporting hotline, a system to provide feedback to EMS, and community paramedicine. EMS providers frequently identify potential victims of elder abuse, neglect, and self-neglect, but significant barriers to reporting exist. Strategies to empower EMS providers and improve reporting were identified. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Report: Review of Hotline Complaint on Employee Granted Full-Time Work-at-Home Privilege

    Science.gov (United States)

    Report #10-P-0002, October 7, 2009. We found an unauthorized, full-time work-at-home arrangement that has existed for 9 years and allows a NETI employee to work from home in Ohio instead of an office in Washington, DC.

  3. Home parenteral nutrition in treatment of severe radiation enteritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, D.G.; Ivey, M.; Young, J.

    1979-01-01

    Ten patients with radiation enteritis unresponsive to conventional medical and surgical therapy were put on long-term parenteral nutrition at home. Six of the patients are alive at home; four patients died, two from recurrent cancer. Some of the patients have been able to resume oral intake, but none have been able to discontinue parenteral nutrition. Fistulas healed or had a marked decrease in output. Two patients in our series were given prednisone and sulfasalazine without significant benefit, in contrast to previously reported clinical improvement of radiation enteritis with this therapy

  4. Analysis of Medication Error Reports

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whitney, Paul D.; Young, Jonathan; Santell, John; Hicks, Rodney; Posse, Christian; Fecht, Barbara A.

    2004-11-15

    In medicine, as in many areas of research, technological innovation and the shift from paper based information to electronic records has created a climate of ever increasing availability of raw data. There has been, however, a corresponding lag in our abilities to analyze this overwhelming mass of data, and classic forms of statistical analysis may not allow researchers to interact with data in the most productive way. This is true in the emerging area of patient safety improvement. Traditionally, a majority of the analysis of error and incident reports has been carried out based on an approach of data comparison, and starts with a specific question which needs to be answered. Newer data analysis tools have been developed which allow the researcher to not only ask specific questions but also to “mine” data: approach an area of interest without preconceived questions, and explore the information dynamically, allowing questions to be formulated based on patterns brought up by the data itself. Since 1991, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has been collecting data on medication errors through voluntary reporting programs. USP’s MEDMARXsm reporting program is the largest national medication error database and currently contains well over 600,000 records. Traditionally, USP has conducted an annual quantitative analysis of data derived from “pick-lists” (i.e., items selected from a list of items) without an in-depth analysis of free-text fields. In this paper, the application of text analysis and data analysis tools used by Battelle to analyze the medication error reports already analyzed in the traditional way by USP is described. New insights and findings were revealed including the value of language normalization and the distribution of error incidents by day of the week. The motivation for this effort is to gain additional insight into the nature of medication errors to support improvements in medication safety.

  5. Report of VA Medical Training Programs

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Veterans Affairs — The Report of VA Medical Training Programs Database is used to track medical center health services trainees and VA physicians serving as faculty. The database also...

  6. Increased care demand and medical costs after falls in nursing homes: A Delphi study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sterke, Carolyn Shanty; Panneman, Martien J; Erasmus, Vicki; Polinder, Suzanne; van Beeck, Ed F

    2018-04-21

    To estimate the increased care demand and medical costs caused by falls in nursing homes. There is compelling evidence that falls in nursing homes are preventable. However, proper implementation of evidence-based guidelines to prevent falls is often hindered by insufficient management support, staff time and funding. A three-round Delphi study. A panel of 41 experts, all working in nursing homes in the Netherlands, received three online questionnaires to estimate the extra hours of care needed during the first year after the fall. This was estimated for ten falls categories with different levels of injury severity, in three scenarios, that is a best-case, a typical-case and a worst-case scenario. We calculated the costs of falls by multiplying the mean amount of extra hours that the participants spent on the care for a resident after a fall with their hourly wages. In case of a noninjurious fall, the extra time spent on the faller is on average almost 5 hr, expressed in euros that add to € 193. The extra staff time and costs of falls increased with increasing severity of injury. In the case of a fracture of the lower limb, the extra staff time increased to 132 hr, expressed in euros that is € 4,604. In the worst-case scenario of a fracture of the lower limb, the extra staff time increased to 284 hr, expressed in euros that is € 10,170. Falls in nursing homes result in a great deal of extra staff time spent on care, with extra costs varying between € 193 for a noninjurious fall and € 10,170 for serious falls. This study could aid decision-making on investing in appropriate implementation of falls prevention interventions in nursing homes. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Automation of a high risk medication regime algorithm in a home health care population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, Catherine H; Dierich, Mary; Westra, Bonnie L

    2014-10-01

    Create an automated algorithm for predicting elderly patients' medication-related risks for readmission and validate it by comparing results with a manual analysis of the same patient population. Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) and medication data were reused from a previous, manual study of 911 patients from 15 Medicare-certified home health care agencies. The medication data was converted into standardized drug codes using APIs managed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and then integrated in an automated algorithm that calculates patients' high risk medication regime scores (HRMRs). A comparison of the results between algorithm and manual process was conducted to determine how frequently the HRMR scores were derived which are predictive of readmission. HRMR scores are composed of polypharmacy (number of drugs), Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIM) (drugs risky to the elderly), and Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) (complex dose forms, instructions or administration). The algorithm produced polypharmacy, PIM, and MRCI scores that matched with 99%, 87% and 99% of the scores, respectively, from the manual analysis. Imperfect match rates resulted from discrepancies in how drugs were classified and coded by the manual analysis vs. the automated algorithm. HRMR rules lack clarity, resulting in clinical judgments for manual coding that were difficult to replicate in the automated analysis. The high comparison rates for the three measures suggest that an automated clinical tool could use patients' medication records to predict their risks of avoidable readmissions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Medication Incidents Related to Automated Dose Dispensing in Community Pharmacies and Hospitals - A Reporting System Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Ka-Chun; van den Bemt, Patricia M. L. A.; Bouvy, Marcel L.; Wensing, Michel; De Smet, Peter A. G. M.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Automated dose dispensing (ADD) is being introduced in several countries and the use of this technology is expected to increase as a growing number of elderly people need to manage their medication at home. ADD aims to improve medication safety and treatment adherence, but it may introduce new safety issues. This descriptive study provides insight into the nature and consequences of medication incidents related to ADD, as reported by healthcare professionals in community pharmacies and hospitals. Methods The medication incidents that were submitted to the Dutch Central Medication incidents Registration (CMR) reporting system were selected and characterized independently by two researchers. Main Outcome Measures Person discovering the incident, phase of the medication process in which the incident occurred, immediate cause of the incident, nature of incident from the healthcare provider's perspective, nature of incident from the patient's perspective, and consequent harm to the patient caused by the incident. Results From January 2012 to February 2013 the CMR received 15,113 incidents: 3,685 (24.4%) incidents from community pharmacies and 11,428 (75.6%) incidents from hospitals. Eventually 1 of 50 reported incidents (268/15,113 = 1.8%) were related to ADD; in community pharmacies more incidents (227/3,685 = 6.2%) were related to ADD than in hospitals (41/11,428 = 0.4%). The immediate cause of an incident was often a change in the patient's medicine regimen or relocation. Most reported incidents occurred in two phases: entering the prescription into the pharmacy information system and filling the ADD bag. Conclusion A proportion of incidents was related to ADD and is reported regularly, especially by community pharmacies. In two phases, entering the prescription into the pharmacy information system and filling the ADD bag, most incidents occurred. A change in the patient's medicine regimen or relocation was the immediate causes of an incident

  9. An overview of intravenous-related medication administration errors as reported to MEDMARX, a national medication error-reporting program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Rodney W; Becker, Shawn C

    2006-01-01

    Medication errors can be harmful, especially if they involve the intravenous (IV) route of administration. A mixed-methodology study using a 5-year review of 73,769 IV-related medication errors from a national medication error reporting program indicates that between 3% and 5% of these errors were harmful. The leading type of error was omission, and the leading cause of error involved clinician performance deficit. Using content analysis, three themes-product shortage, calculation errors, and tubing interconnectivity-emerge and appear to predispose patients to harm. Nurses often participate in IV therapy, and these findings have implications for practice and patient safety. Voluntary medication error-reporting programs afford an opportunity to improve patient care and to further understanding about the nature of IV-related medication errors.

  10. Randomized trial of the ForeseeHome monitoring device for early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The HOme Monitoring of the Eye (HOME) study design - HOME Study report number 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, Emily Y; Clemons, Traci E; Bressler, Susan B; Elman, Michael J; Danis, Ronald P; Domalpally, Amitha; Heier, Jeffrey S; Kim, Judy E; Garfinkel, Richard A

    2014-03-01

    To evaluate the effects of a home-monitoring device with tele-monitoring compared with standard care in detection of progression to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the US. Participants, aged 55 to 90 years, at high risk of developing CNV associated with AMD were recruited to the HOme Monitoring of Eye (HOME) Study, an unmasked, multi-center, randomized trial of the ForeseeHome (FH) device plus standard care vs. standard care alone. The FH device utilizes preferential hyperacuity perimetry and tele-monitoring to detect changes in vision function associated with development of CNV, potentially prior to symptom and visual acuity loss. After establishing baseline measurements, subsequent changes on follow-up are detected by the device, causing the monitoring center to alert the clinical center to recall participants for an exam. Standard care consists of instructions for self-monitoring visual changes with subsequent self-report to the clinical center. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether home monitoring plus standard care in comparison with standard care alone, results in earlier detection of incident CNV with better present visual acuity. The primary outcome is the decline in visual acuity at CNV diagnosis from baseline. Detection of CNV prior to substantial vision loss is critical as vision outcome following anti-angiogenic therapy is dependent on the visual acuity at initiation of treatment. HOME Study is the first large scale study to test the use of home tele-monitoring system in the management of AMD patients. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. Medicine management in municipal home care : delegating, administrating and receiving

    OpenAIRE

    Gransjön Craftman, Åsa

    2015-01-01

    The general aim of this thesis was to investigate how delegation of medication is handled in municipal home care. Specific aims were to 1) explore the prevalence of medication use in older adults over time; 2) describe district nurses’ experiences of the delegation of medication management to municipal home care personnel; 3) explore and describe how home care assistants experience receiving the actual delegation of the responsibility of medication administration; and 4) to describe how older...

  12. Nurses' attitude and intention of medication administration error reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Chang-Chiao; Chu, Tsui-Ping; Lee, Bih-O; Hsiao, Chia-Chi

    2016-02-01

    The Aims of this study were to explore the effects of nurses' attitudes and intentions regarding medication administration error reporting on actual reporting behaviours. Underreporting of medication errors is still a common occurrence. Whether attitude and intention towards medication administration error reporting connect to actual reporting behaviours remain unclear. This study used a cross-sectional design with self-administered questionnaires, and the theory of planned behaviour was used as the framework for this study. A total of 596 staff nurses who worked in general wards and intensive care units in a hospital were invited to participate in this study. The researchers used the instruments measuring nurses' attitude, nurse managers' and co-workers' attitude, report control, and nurses' intention to predict nurses' actual reporting behaviours. Data were collected from September-November 2013. Path analyses were used to examine the hypothesized model. Of the 596 nurses invited to participate, 548 (92%) completed and returned a valid questionnaire. The findings indicated that nurse managers' and co-workers' attitudes are predictors for nurses' attitudes towards medication administration error reporting. Nurses' attitudes also influenced their intention to report medication administration errors; however, no connection was found between intention and actual reporting behaviour. The findings reflected links among colleague perspectives, nurses' attitudes, and intention to report medication administration errors. The researchers suggest that hospitals should increase nurses' awareness and recognition of error occurrence. Regardless of nurse managers' and co-workers' attitudes towards medication administration error reporting, nurses are likely to report medication administration errors if they detect them. Management of medication administration errors should focus on increasing nurses' awareness and recognition of error occurrence. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Effect of warning symbols in combination with education on the frequency of erroneously crushing medication in nursing homes : An uncontrolled before and after study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Welie, Steven; Wijma, Linda; Beerden, Tim; van Doormaal, Jasperien; Taxis, Katja

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: Residents of nursing homes often have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), which complicates the administration of solid oral dosage formulations. Erroneously crushing medication is common, but few interventions have been tested to improve medication safety. Therefore, we evaluated the

  14. Reflections: Volunteering at Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Amanda

    2016-08-01

    Many young people look forward to volunteering abroad and overlook the ample volunteer opportunities at home. There are several advantages to volunteering at home: you help people in your own community; you can make a long-term commitment; and you have continuity of care for your patients. There are >1200 free clinics in the United States whose main goal is to provide care to the indigent population. These free clinics are always looking for volunteers with specialized medical training. This article reviews the medically related and unrelated volunteer opportunities available in the United States. Volunteering at home is a worthwhile experience, and I encourage the otolaryngology community to explore these opportunities. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

  15. Impact of a reengineered electronic error-reporting system on medication event reporting and care process improvements at an urban medical center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKaig, Donald; Collins, Christine; Elsaid, Khaled A

    2014-09-01

    A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a reengineered approach to electronic error reporting at a 719-bed multidisciplinary urban medical center. The main outcome of interest was the monthly reported medication errors during the preimplementation (20 months) and postimplementation (26 months) phases. An interrupted time series analysis was used to describe baseline errors, immediate change following implementation of the current electronic error-reporting system (e-ERS), and trend of error reporting during postimplementation. Errors were categorized according to severity using the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) Medication Error Index classifications. Reported errors were further analyzed by reporter and error site. During preimplementation, the monthly reported errors mean was 40.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 36.3-43.7). Immediately following e-ERS implementation, monthly reported errors significantly increased by 19.4 errors (95% CI: 8.4-30.5). The change in slope of reported errors trend was estimated at 0.76 (95% CI: 0.07-1.22). Near misses and no-patient-harm errors accounted for 90% of all errors, while errors that caused increased patient monitoring or temporary harm accounted for 9% and 1%, respectively. Nurses were the most frequent reporters, while physicians were more likely to report high-severity errors. Medical care units accounted for approximately half of all reported errors. Following the intervention, there was a significant increase in reporting of prevented errors and errors that reached the patient with no resultant harm. This improvement in reporting was sustained for 26 months and has contributed to designing and implementing quality improvement initiatives to enhance the safety of the medication use process.

  16. Evaluation of owner experiences and adherence to home-cooked diet recipes for dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, L N; Linder, D E; Heinze, C R; Kehs, R L; Freeman, L M

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate owner experiences and adherence to home-cooked diet recipes for dogs. Clients of a veterinary teaching hospital clinical nutrition service who had a home-cooked diet recipe formulated for their dogs between March 2011 and December 2013 were given a survey by email, postal mail and telephone. Survey questions addressed motivations, positive and negative aspects of feeding home-cooked diets and current feeding practices. Responses were compared to animals' medical records to determine adherence. Of the 93 owners who were contacted, 53 (57%) completed the survey. Of the 53 respondents, 43 owners (81%) reported that they were still feeding an home-cooked diet or had fed an home-cooked diet until the time of their dogs' deaths. The most common motivation for feeding a home-cooked diet was suitability for specific medical needs. Of the 30 surveys that included a complete diet history, only four (13%) demonstrated exact adherence to home-cooked diet recipes. Most respondents liked and continued to feed a home-cooked diet, but few owners adhered to prescribed recipes and many dogs required recipe modifications. It is important to counsel dog owners about benefits and drawbacks of feeding home-cooked diets, importance of recipe adherence and necessity for follow-up after diet formulation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. © 2015 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

  17. New to Care: Demands on a Health System When Homeless Veterans Are Enrolled in a Medical Home Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourgault, Claire; Johnson, Erin E.; Redihan, Stephen G.; Borgia, Matthew; Aiello, Riccardo; Kane, Vincent

    2013-01-01

    Objectives. We compared service use among homeless and nonhomeless veterans newly enrolled in a medical home model and identified patterns of use among homeless veterans associated with reductions in emergency department (ED) use. Methods. We used case–control matching with a nested cohort analysis to measure 6-month health services use, new diagnoses, and care use patterns in veterans at the Providence, Rhode Island, Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 2008 to 2011. Results. We followed 127 homeless and 106 nonhomeless veterans. Both groups had similar rates of chronic medical and mental health diagnoses; 25.4% of the homeless and 18.1% of the nonhomeless group reported active substance abuse. Homeless veterans used significantly more primary, mental health, substance abuse, and ED care during the first 6 months. Homeless veterans who accessed primary care at higher rates (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 1.92) or who used specialty and primary care (RRR = 10.95; 95% CI = 1.58, 75.78) had reduced ED usage. Homeless veterans in transitional housing or doubled-up at baseline (RRR = 3.41; 95% CI = 1.24, 9.42) had similar reductions in ED usage. Conclusions. Homeless adults had substantial health needs when presenting for care. High-intensity primary care and access to specialty care services could reduce ED use. PMID:24148042

  18. Dental caries in Victorian nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, M; Hopcraft, M; Morgan, M

    2014-09-01

    The poor oral health of nursing home residents is the cause of substantial morbidity and has major implications relating to health care policy. The aim of this study was to measure dental caries experience in Australians living in nursing homes, and investigate associations with resident characteristics. Clinical dental examinations were conducted on 243 residents from 19 nursing homes in Melbourne. Resident characteristics were obtained from nursing home records and interviews with residents, family and nursing home staff. Two dental examiners assessed coronal and root dental caries using standard ICDAS-II criteria. Residents were elderly, medically compromised and functionally impaired. Most required assistance with oral hygiene and professional dental care was rarely utilized. Residents had high rates of coronal and root caries, with a mean 2.8 teeth with untreated coronal caries and 5.0 root surfaces with untreated root caries. Functional impairment and irregular professional dental care were associated with higher rates of untreated tooth decay. There were no significant associations with medical conditions or the number of medications taken. Nursing home residents have high levels of untreated coronal and root caries, particularly those with high needs due to functional impairment but poor access to professional services. © 2014 Australian Dental Association.

  19. Interprofessional collaboration in nursing homes (interprof): a grounded theory study of general practitioner experiences and strategies to perform nursing home visits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleischmann, Nina; Tetzlaff, Britta; Werle, Jochen; Geister, Christina; Scherer, Martin; Weyerer, Siegfried; Hummers-Pradier, Eva; Mueller, Christiane A

    2016-08-30

    Interprofessionalism, considered as collaboration between medical professionals, has gained prominence over recent decades and evidence for its impact has grown. The steadily increasing number of residents in nursing homes will challenge medical care and the interaction across professions, especially nurses and general practitioners (GPs). The nursing home visit, a key element of medical care, has been underrepresented in research. This study explores GP perspectives on interprofessional collaboration with a focus on their visits to nursing homes in order to understand their experiences and expectations. This research represents an aspect of the interprof study, which explores medical care needs as well as the perceived collaboration and communication by nursing home residents, their families, GPs and nurses. This paper focusses on GPs' views, investigating in particular their visits to nursing homes in order to understand their experiences. Open guideline-interviews covering interprofessional collaboration and the visit process were conducted with 30 GPs in three study centers and analyzed with grounded theory methodology. GPs were recruited via postal request and existing networks of the research partners. Four different types of nursing home visits were found: visits on demand, periodical visits, nursing home rounds and ad-hoc-decision based visits. We identified the core category "productive performance" of home visits in nursing homes which stands for the balance of GPs´ individual efforts and rewards. GPs used different strategies to perform a productive home visit: preparing strategies, on-site strategies and investing strategies. We compiled a theory of GPs home visits in nursing homes in Germany. The findings will be useful for research, and scientific and management purposes to generate a deeper understanding of GP perspectives and thereby improve interprofessional collaboration to ensure a high quality of care.

  20. Ostomy Home Skills Program

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Medical Student Core Curriculum ACS/ASE Medical Student Simulation-Based Surgical Skills Curriculum Cancer Education Cancer Education ... Home Skills Kit supports patients with educational and simulation materials to learn and practice the skills needed ...

  1. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Patient-Centered Medical Home: A Critical Analysis and Lessons Learned.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budgen, Jacqueline; Cantiello, John

    This article provides a detailed examination of the pros and cons associated with patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). Opinions and findings from those who have studied PCMHs and those who have been directly involved with this type of health care model are outlined. Key lessons from providers are detailed, and critical success factors are highlighted. This synthesized analysis serves to lend evidence to health care managers and providers who are considering implementation of the PCMH model.

  2. Perspectives on medical malpractice self-insurance financial reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frese, Richard C; Kitchen, Patrick J

    2012-11-01

    Financial reporting of medical malpractice self-insurance is evolving. The Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Section 954-450-25 provides guidance for accounting and financial reporting for medical malpractice. Discounting of medical malpractice liabilities has been reassessed in recent years. Malpractice litigation reform efforts continue in several states. Accountable care organizations could increase the frequency of medical malpractice claims because of patients' heightened expectations regarding quality of care.

  3. Do care homes deliver person-centred care? A cross-sectional survey of staff-reported abusive and positive behaviours towards residents from the MARQUE (Managing Agitation and Raising Quality of Life) English national care home survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Claudia; Marston, Louise; Barber, Julie; Livingston, Deborah; Rapaport, Penny; Higgs, Paul; Livingston, Gill

    2018-01-01

    There are widespread concerns about abuse of care home residents. We report, in the largest care home survey, prevalence of staff anonymously-reported, perpetrated/witnessed abusive behaviours towards care home residents over 3 months. We also report positive care behaviours. 1544 staff in 92 English care home units completed the revised Modified Conflict Tactics Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Most staff reported positive care behaviours, but specific person-centred activities were sometimes infrequent. Many care home staff were never or almost never aware of a resident being taken out of the home for their enjoyment (34%, n = 520); or an activity planned around a resident's interests (15%, n = 234). 763 (51%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 47% to 54%) of care home staff reported carrying out or observing potentially abusive or neglectful behaviours at least sometimes in the preceding 3 months; some abuse was reported as happening "at least sometimes" in 91/92 care homes. Neglect was most frequently reported: making a resident wait for care (n = 399, 26%), avoiding a resident with challenging behaviour (n = 391, 25%), giving residents insufficient time for food (n = 297, 19%), and taking insufficient care when moving residents (n = 169, 11%). 1.1% of staff reported physical and 5% verbal abuse. More staff reported abusive/neglectful behaviour in homes with higher staff burnout-depersonalisation scores (adjusted odds ratio 1.191, CI 1.052-1.349). Staff anonymous reports of abusive behaviour and neglect could be used to monitor care quality, as cases currently reported are probably tip of the iceberg, and be an outcome in intervention studies.

  4. Prevalence and management of pain, by race and dementia among nursing home residents: United States, 2004.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengupta, Manisha; Bercovitz, Anita; Harris-Kojetin, Lauren D

    2010-03-01

    Data from the National Nursing Home Survey, 2004. About one-quarter of all nursing home residents reported or showed signs of pain. Nonwhite residents and residents with dementia were less likely to report or show signs of pain compared with white residents and residents without dementia. Nonwhite residents with dementia were least likely, and white residents without dementia were most likely to report or show signs of pain. Forty-four percent of nursing home residents with pain received neither standing orders for pain medication nor special services for pain management (i.e., appropriate pain management). Among residents with dementia and pain, nonwhite residents were more likely than white residents to lack appropriate pain management.

  5. Nursing home quality: a comparative analysis using CMS Nursing Home Compare data to examine differences between rural and nonrural facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Gessert, Charles E; Lipsky, Martin S

    2013-08-01

    Advances in medicine and an aging US population suggest that there will be an increasing demand for nursing home services. Although nursing homes are highly regulated and scrutinized, their quality remains a concern and may be a greater issue to those living in rural communities. Despite this, few studies have investigated differences in the quality of nursing home care across the rural-urban continuum. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of rural and nonrural nursing homes by using aggregated rankings on multiple quality measures calculated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and reported on their Nursing Home Compare Web site. Independent-sample t tests were performed to compare the mean ratings on the reported quality measures of rural and nonrural nursing homes. A linear mixed binary logistic regression model controlling for state was performed to determine if the covariates of ownership, number of beds, and geographic locale were associated with a higher overall quality rating. Of the 15,177 nursing homes included in the study sample, 69.2% were located in nonrural areas and 30.8% in rural areas. The t test analysis comparing the overall, health inspection, staffing, and quality measure ratings of rural and nonrural nursing homes yielded statistically significant results for 3 measures, 2 of which (overall ratings and health inspections) favored rural nursing homes. Although a higher percentage of nursing homes (44.8%-42.2%) received a 4-star or higher rating, regression analysis using an overall rating of 4 stars or higher as the dependent variable revealed that when controlling for state and adjusting for size and ownership, rural nursing homes were less likely to have a 4-star or higher rating when compared with nonrural nursing homes (OR = .901, 95% CI 0.824-0.986). Mixed model logistic regression analysis suggested that rural nursing home quality was not comparable to that of nonrural nursing homes. When controlling for

  6. Project CHERISH (Children in Home Environments: Regulation To Improve Safety and Health). Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grubb, Paul Dallas

    In 1990, Project CHERISH (Children in Home Environments: Regulation to Increase Safety and Health) enabled the Texas Department of Human Services to implement and evaluate several innovative strategies to strengthen regulation of family day care homes. This report contains descriptions of those strategies, an evaluation of their efficacy, and…

  7. Patient-centered medical home cyberinfrastructure current and future landscape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkelstein, Joseph; Barr, Michael S; Kothari, Pranav P; Nace, David K; Quinn, Matthew

    2011-05-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is an approach that evolved from the understanding that a well-organized, proactive clinical team working in a tandem with well-informed patients is better able to address the preventive and disease management needs in a guideline-concordant manner. This approach represents a fundamental shift from episodic acute care models and has become an integral part of health reform supported on a federal level. The major aspects of PCMH, especially pertinent to its information infrastructure, have been discussed by an expert panel organized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at the Informatics for Consumer Health Summit. The goal of this article is to summarize the panel discussions along the four major domains presented at the summit: (1) PCMH as an Evolving Model of Healthcare Delivery; (2) Health Information Technology (HIT) Applications to Support the PCMH; (3) Current HIT Landscape of PCMH: Challenges and Opportunities; and (4) Future HIT Landscape of PCMH: Federal Initiatives on Health Informatics, Legislation, and Standardization. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

  8. Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jose Manuel Lopez-Guede

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder’s daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense or if something is wrong relative to the user’s health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%.

  9. Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez-Guede, Jose Manuel; Moreno-Fernandez-de-Leceta, Aitor; Martinez-Garcia, Alexeiw; Graña, Manuel

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder's daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense) or if something is wrong relative to the user's health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%. PMID:26783514

  10. Rationale and design of a patient-centered medical home intervention for patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Anna C; Fitzgibbon, Marian L; Fischer, Michael J; Gallardo, Rani; Berbaum, Michael L; Lash, James P; Castillo, Sheila; Schiffer, Linda; Sharp, Lisa K; Tulley, John; Arruda, Jose A; Hynes, Denise M

    2015-05-01

    In the U.S., more than 400,000 individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require hemodialysis (HD) for renal replacement therapy. ESRD patients experience a high burden of morbidity, mortality, resource utilization, and poor quality of life (QOL). Under current care models, ESRD patients receive fragmented care from multiple providers at multiple locations. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a team approach, providing coordinated care across the healthcare continuum. While this model has shown some early benefits for complex chronic diseases such as diabetes, it has not been applied to HD patients. This study is a non-randomized quasi-experimental intervention trial implementing a Patient-Centered Medical Home for Kidney Disease (PCMH-KD). The PCMH-KD extends the existing dialysis care team (comprised of a nephrologist, dialysis nurse, dialysis technician, social worker, and dietitian) by adding a general internist, pharmacist, nurse coordinator, and a community health worker, all of whom will see the patients together, and separately, as needed. The primary goal is to implement a comprehensive, multidisciplinary care team to improve care coordination, quality of life, and healthcare use for HD patients. Approximately 240 patients will be recruited from two sites; a non-profit university-affiliated dialysis center and an independent for-profit dialysis center. Outcomes include (i) patient-reported outcomes, including QOL and satisfaction; (ii) clinical outcomes, including blood pressure and diet; (iii) healthcare use, including emergency room visits and hospitalizations; and (iv) staff perceptions. Given the significant burden that patients with ESRD on HD experience, enhanced care coordination provides an opportunity to reduce this burden and improve QOL. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Energy-efficient mortgages and home energy rating systems: A report on the nation`s progress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farhar, B.C.; Eckert, J.

    1993-09-01

    This report summarizes progress throughout the nation in establishing voluntary programs linking home energy rating systems (HERS) and energy-efficient mortgages (EEMs). These programs use methods for rating the energy efficiency of new and existing homes and predicting energy cost savings so lenders can factor in energy cost savings when underwriting mortgages. The programs also encourage lenders to finance cost-effective energy-efficiency improvements to existing homes with low-interest mortgages or other instruments. The money saved on utility bills over the long term can more than offset the cost of such energy-efficiency improvements. The National Collaborative on HERS and EEMs recommended that this report be prepared.

  12. Physical restraint use among nursing home residents: A comparison of two data collection methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Voyer Philippe

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In view of the issues surrounding physical restraint use, it is important to have a method of measurement as valid and reliable as possible. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of physical restraint use a reported by nursing staff and b reviewed from medical and nursing records in nursing home settings, by comparing these methods with direct observation. Methods We sampled eight care units in skilled nursing homes, seven care units in nursing homes and one long-term care unit in a hospital, from eight facilities which included 28 nurses and 377 residents. Physical restraint use was assessed the day following three periods of direct observation by two different means: interview with one or several members of the regular nursing staff, and review of medical and nursing records. Sensitivity and specificity values were calculated according to 2-by-2 contingency tables. Differences between the methods were assessed using the phi coefficient. Other information collected included: demographic characteristics, disruptive behaviors, body alignment problems, cognitive and functional skills. Results Compared to direct observation (gold standard, reported restraint use by nursing staff yielded a sensitivity of 87.4% at a specificity of 93.7% (phi = 0.84. When data was reviewed from subjects' medical and nursing records, sensitivity was reduced to 74.8%, and specificity to 86.3% (phi = 0.54. Justifications for restraint use including risk for falls, agitation, body alignment problems and aggressiveness were associated with the use of physical restraints. Conclusions The interview of nursing staff and the review of medical and nursing records are both valid and reliable techniques for measuring physical restraint use among nursing home residents. Higher sensitivity and specificity values were achieved when nursing staff was interviewed as compared to reviewing medical records. This study suggests that the interview of nursing

  13. Improving prediction of fall risk among nursing home residents using electronic medical records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marier, Allison; Olsho, Lauren E W; Rhodes, William; Spector, William D

    2016-03-01

    Falls are physically and financially costly, but may be preventable with targeted intervention. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) is one potential source of information on fall risk factors among nursing home residents, but its limited breadth and relatively infrequent updates may limit its practical utility. Richer, more frequently updated data from electronic medical records (EMRs) may improve ability to identify individuals at highest risk for falls. The authors applied a repeated events survival model to analyze MDS 3.0 and EMR data for 5129 residents in 13 nursing homes within a single large California chain that uses a centralized EMR system from a leading vendor. Estimated regression parameters were used to project resident fall probability. The authors examined the proportion of observed falls within each projected fall risk decile to assess improvements in predictive power from including EMR data. In a model incorporating fall risk factors from the MDS only, 28.6% of observed falls occurred among residents in the highest projected risk decile. In an alternative specification incorporating more frequently updated measures for the same risk factors from the EMR data, 32.3% of observed falls occurred among residents in the highest projected risk decile, a 13% increase over the base MDS-only specification. Incorporating EMR data improves ability to identify those at highest risk for falls relative to prediction using MDS data alone. These improvements stem chiefly from the greater frequency with which EMR data are updated, with minimal additional gains from availability of additional risk factor variables. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Website design: technical, social and medical issues for self-reporting by elderly patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Mark J; Stables, Rod; Matata, Bashir; Lisboa, Paulo J G; Laws, Andy; Almond, Peter

    2014-06-01

    There is growing interest in the use of the Internet for interacting with patients, both in terms of healthcare information provision and information gathering. In this article, we examine the issues in designing healthcare websites for elderly users. In particular, this article uses a year-long case study of the development of a web-based system for self-reporting of symptoms and quality of life with a view to examine the issues relating to website design for elderly users. The issues identified included the technical, social and medical aspects of website design for elderly users. The web-based system developed was based on the European Quality of Life 5-Dimensions health-status questionnaire, a commonly used tool for patient self-reporting of quality of life, and the more specific coronary revascularisation outcome questionnaire. Currently, self-reporting is generally administered in the form of paper-based questionnaires to be completed in the outpatient clinic or at home. There are a variety of issues relating to elderly users, which imply that websites for elderly patients may involve different design considerations to other types of websites.

  15. Continuous subcutaneous delivery of medications for home care palliative patients-using an infusion set or a pump?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menahem, Sasson; Shvartzman, Pesach

    2010-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate safety, feasibility, and efficacy of continuous drug delivery by the subcutaneous route through a solution bag connected to an infusion set compared with an infusion pump in a home palliative care setting. Patients in need of continuous subcutaneous medication delivery for pain control, nausea, and/or vomiting were recruited. The study was designed as a double-blind, crossover study. The patient was connected to two parallel subcutaneous lines running simultaneously, connected together to a line entering the subcutaneous tissue. One line is connected to an infusion set and the other to a pump. The infusion set included a 500-cc solution bag connected to a 1.5-m plastic tube containing a drip chamber controlled by a roller clamp that is gravity driven without hyaluronidase. Active medications were randomly assigned to start in either administration method and switched after 24 h. An independent research assistant evaluated symptom control and side effects at baseline and every 24 h for 2 days using a structured questionnaire. Another independent research assistant connected the lines after adding medications and evaluated technical and clinical failures. Twenty-seven patients were recruited, and of them, 18 completed the study. Incidents in fluid administration were more common through the infusion set (18 times) compared to the pump (only twice). On the other hand, no clinical significant change was noted in the average symptom levels and side effects when medications were given through the infusion set versus the pump. No local edema or irritation was observed in either way of administration. In a home palliative care setting with a medical staff on call for 24 h, using medications for symptom control can be considered to be infused to a fluid solution bag through an infusion set instead of using a syringe driver or a pump when there is a responsible caregiver to follow up on the fluid. Subcutaneous constant drug delivery

  16. Shortening a Patient Experiences Survey for Medical Homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judy H. Ng

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems—Patient-Centered Medical Home (CAHPS PCMH Survey assesses patient experiences reflecting domains of care related to general patient experience (access to care, communication with providers, office staff interaction, provider rating and PCMH-specific aspects of patient care (comprehensiveness of care, self-management support, shared decision making. The current work compares psychometric properties of the current survey and a proposed shortened version of the survey (from 52 to 26 adult survey items, from 66 to 31 child survey items. The revisions were based on initial psychometric analysis and stakeholder input regarding survey length concerns. A total of 268 practices voluntarily submitted adult surveys and 58 submitted child survey data to the National Committee for Quality Assurance in 2013. Mean unadjusted scores, practice-level item and composite reliability, and item-to-scale correlations were calculated. Results show that the shorter adult survey has lower reliability, but still it still meets general definitions of a sound survey for the adult version, and resulted in few changes to mean scores. The impact was more problematic for the pediatric version. Further testing is needed to investigate approaches to improving survey response and the relevance of survey items in informing quality improvement.

  17. 77 FR 5186 - Medical Foster Homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-02

    ... have a posted ``No Smoking'' sign. Oxygen cylinders must be adequately secured or protected to prevent... living areas of the home. (n) Smoking. Smoking must be prohibited in all sleeping rooms, including... not limited to prohibiting smoking or use of a fireplace. However, each veteran resident who is...

  18. Measuring the Cost of the Patient-Centered Medical Home: A Cost-Accounting Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieberthal, Robert D; Payton, Colleen; Sarfaty, Mona; Valko, George

    To explore the cost for individual practices to become more patient-centered, we inventoried and calculated the cost of costly activities involved in implementing the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) as defined by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. There were 3 key findings. The cost of each PCMH-related clinical activity can be classified in 1 of 3 major categories. Cost offsets can be used to defray part of the cost recognition. The cost of PCMH transformation varied by practice with no clear level or pattern of costs. Our study suggests that small- and medium-sized practices may experience difficulty with the financial burden of PCMH recognition.

  19. The Study of Electronic Medical Record Adoption in a Medicare Certified Home Health Agency Using a Grounded Theory Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Joy L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to examine the experiences of clinicians in the adoption of Electronic Medical Records in a Medicare certified Home Health Agency. An additional goal for this study was to triangulate qualitative research between describing, explaining, and exploring technology acceptance. The experiences…

  20. National status report: Home energy rating systems and energy-efficient mortgages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plympton, P.

    2000-04-27

    The Energy Policy Act of 1992 included several provisions promoting the use of HERS and EEMs, which strengthened efforts to develop a national infrastructure for HERS and to promote the use of EEMs. This report documents HERS and EEMs activities since 1992 by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, mortgage lenders, and other organizations. Though the process of establishing HERS has faced some barriers, this report shows that, as of November 1999, home energy ratings were available in 47 states and the District of Columbia, which represents a significant increase from 1993 when home energy ratings were available in 17 states. Both national and state organizations have developed HERS and related residential energy-efficiency programs. The availability and use of EEMs has also increased significantly. The number of EEMs supported by the Federal Housing Administration has increased more than eight times in the last three years. More than $2.5 billion in federally supported EEMs have been issued to date. Several national lenders offer EEMs, and six states have state-specific EEM or loan programs. EEMs have been used to finance energy-efficient homes in every state.

  1. Giving rheumatology patients online home access to their electronic medical record (EMR): advantages, drawbacks and preconditions according to care providers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Vaart, R.; Drossaert, Constance H.C.; Taal, Erik; van de Laar, Mart A F J

    2013-01-01

    Technology enables patients home access to their electronic medical record (EMR), via a patient portal. This study aims to analyse (dis)advantages, preconditions and suitable content for this service, according to rheumatology health professionals. A two-phase policy Delphi study was conducted.

  2. Exploring new operational research opportunities within the Home Care context: the chemotherapy at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chahed, Salma; Marcon, Eric; Sahin, Evren; Feillet, Dominique; Dallery, Yves

    2009-06-01

    Home Care (HC) services provide complex and coordinated medical and paramedical care to patients at their homes. As health care services move into the home setting, the need for developing innovative approaches that improve the efficiency of home care organizations increases. We first conduct a literature review of investigations dealing with operation planning within the area of home care management. We then address a particular issue dealing with the planning of operations related to chemotherapy at home as it is an emergent problem in the French context. Our interest is focused on issues specific to the anti-cancer drug supply chain. We identify various models that can be developed and analyze one of them.

  3. The first multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure: home telemonitoring study for patients with heart failure (HOMES-HF).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotooka, Norihiko; Kitakaze, Masafumi; Nagashima, Kengo; Asaka, Machiko; Kinugasa, Yoshiharu; Nochioka, Kotaro; Mizuno, Atsushi; Nagatomo, Daisuke; Mine, Daigo; Yamada, Yoko; Kuratomi, Akiko; Okada, Norihiro; Fujimatsu, Daisuke; Kuwahata, So; Toyoda, Shigeru; Hirotani, Shin-Ichi; Komori, Takahiro; Eguchi, Kazuo; Kario, Kazuomi; Inomata, Takayuki; Sugi, Kaoru; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Tsutsui, Hiroyuki; Masuyama, Tohru; Shimokawa, Hiroaki; Momomura, Shin-Ichi; Seino, Yoshihiko; Sato, Yasunori; Inoue, Teruo; Node, Koichi

    2018-02-15

    Home telemonitoring is becoming more important to home medical care for patients with heart failure. Since there are no data on home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure, we investigated its effect on cardiovascular outcomes. The HOMES-HF study was the first multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) to elucidate the effectiveness of home telemonitoring of physiological data, such as body weight, blood pressure, and pulse rate, for Japanese patients with heart failure (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry 000006839). The primary end-point was a composite of all-cause death or rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure. We analyzed 181 recently hospitalized patients with heart failure who were randomly assigned to a telemonitoring group (n = 90) or a usual care group (n = 91). The mean follow-up period was 15 (range 0-31) months. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary end-point between groups [hazard ratio (HR), 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.548-1.648; p = 0.572]. Home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure was feasible; however, beneficial effects in addition to those of usual care were not demonstrated. Further investigation of more patients with severe heart failure, participation of home medical care providers, and use of a more integrated home telemonitoring system emphasizing communication as well as monitoring of symptoms and physiological data are required.

  4. A needs assessment of health information technology for improving care coordination in three leading patient-centered medical homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Joshua E; Vest, Joshua R; Green, Cori M; Kern, Lisa M; Kaushal, Rainu

    2015-07-01

    We investigated ways that patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are currently using health information technology (IT) for care coordination and what types of health IT are needed to improve care coordination. A multi-disciplinary team of researchers conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 28 participants from 3 PCMHs in the United States. Participants included administrators and clinicians from PCMHs, electronic health record (EHR) and health information exchange (HIE) representatives, and policy makers. Participants identified multiple barriers to care coordination using current health IT tools. We identified five areas in which health IT can improve care coordination in PCMHs: 1) monitoring patient populations, 2) notifying clinicians and other staff when specific patients move across care settings, 3) collaborating around patients, 4) reporting activities, and 5) interoperability. To accomplish these tasks, many participants described using homegrown care coordination systems separate from EHRs. The participants in this study have resources, experience, and expertise with using health IT for care coordination, yet they still identified multiple areas for improvement. We hypothesize that focusing health IT development in the five areas we identified can enable more effective care coordination. Key findings from this work are that homegrown systems apart from EHRs are currently used to support care coordination and, also, that reporting tools are key components of care coordination. New health IT that enables monitoring, notifying, collaborating, reporting, and interoperability would enhance care coordination within PCMHs beyond what current health IT enables. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Home hemodialysis: a comprehensive review of patient-centered and economic considerations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walker RC

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Rachael C Walker,1,2 Kirsten Howard,1 Rachael L Morton3 1School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 2Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, Hastings, New Zealand; 3NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Abstract: Internationally, the number of patients requiring treatment for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD continues to increase, placing substantial burden on health systems and patients. Home hemodialysis (HD has fluctuated in its popularity, and the rates of home HD vary considerably between and within countries although there is evidence suggesting a number of clinical, survival, economic, and quality of life (QoL advantages associated with this treatment. International guidelines encourage shared decision making between patients and clinicians for the type of dialysis, with an emphasis on a treatment that aligned to the patients’ lifestyle. This is a comprehensive literature review of patient-centered and economic impacts of home HD with the studies published between January 2000 and July 2016. Data from the primary studies representing both efficiency and equity of home HD were presented as a narrative synthesis under the following topics: advantages to patients, barriers to patients, economic factors influencing patients, cost-effectiveness of home HD, and inequities in home HD delivery. There were a number of advantages for patients on home HD including improved survival and QoL and flexibility and potential for employment, compared to hospital HD. Similarly, there were several barriers to patients preferring or maintaining home HD, and the strategies to overcome these barriers were frequently reported. Good evidence reported that indigenous, low-income, and other socially disadvantaged individuals had reduced access to home HD compared to other forms of dialysis and that this situation compounds already-poor health outcomes on renal

  6. Performance enhancement using a balanced scorecard in a Patient-centered Medical Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fields, Scott A; Cohen, Deborah

    2011-01-01

    Oregon Health & Science University Family Medicine implemented a balanced scorecard within our clinics that embraces the inherent tensions between care quality, financial productivity, and operational efficiency. This data-driven performance improvement process involved: (1) consensus-building around specific indicators to be measured, (2) developing and refining the balanced scorecard, and (3) using the balanced scorecard in the quality improvement process. Developing and implementing the balanced scorecard stimulated an important culture shift among clinics; practice members now actively use data to recognize successes, understand emerging problems, and make changes in response to these problems. Our experience shows how Patient-centered Medical Homes can be enhanced through use of information technology and evidence-based tools that support improved decision making and performance and help practices develop into learning organizations.

  7. Staying home to give birth: why women in the United States choose home birth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boucher, Debora; Bennett, Catherine; McFarlin, Barbara; Freeze, Rixa

    2009-01-01

    Approximately 1% of American women give birth at home and face substantial obstacles when they make this choice. This study describes the reasons that women in the United States choose home birth. A qualitative descriptive secondary analysis was conducted in a previously collected dataset obtained via an online survey. The sample consisted of 160 women who were US residents and planned a home birth at least once. Content analysis was used to study the responses from women to one essay question: "Why did you choose home birth?" Women who participated in the study were mostly married (91%) and white (87%). The majority (62%) had a college education. Our analysis revealed 508 separate statements about why these women chose home birth. Responses were coded and categorized into 26 common themes. The most common reasons given for wanting to birth at home were: 1) safety (n = 38); 2) avoidance of unnecessary medical interventions common in hospital births (n = 38); 3) previous negative hospital experience (n = 37); 4) more control (n = 35); and 5) comfortable, familiar environment (n = 30). Another dominant theme was women's trust in the birth process (n = 25). Women equated medical intervention with reduced safety and trusted their bodies' inherent ability to give birth without interference.

  8. Studies on the radiation exposure and protection at the X-ray radiography in the medical care at home

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Shoichi; Fujii, Shigehisa; Asada, Yasuo; Orito, Takeo; Kamei, Tetsuya; Koga, Sukehiko

    1998-01-01

    Since there are scarce studies on the exposure and protection at the radiography in the medical care at home, authors performed such studies as comparison of doses from self-rectifying and inverter tubes, exposure and protection to patients and nursing persons and actual measurement (October, 1997) at home in Tohno city, Iwate prefecture, of scattering radiation dose at radiography. Apparatuses used were: Portable X-ray equipments; self-rectifying types (Toshiba TR-20 and Medisonacoma PX 30N) and an inverter type (Medisonacoma PX-15HF), Kyoto Kagaku WAC water phantom, X-ray analyzer Model 200 of Kasei Optonics, and Dosimeters (Victoreen Radocon ionization dosimeter and Aloka ICS-301 ionization chamber survey meters). Radiation qualities, surface doses and scattering doses of the equipments under various conditions were compared by the half value layer and effective energy measured with the analyzer. Actual measurement of scattering dose was done at home for 4 patients at chest radiography. Annual dose in monthly ordinary radiography at home, when the distance was >200 cm far from the flux center, was found about 1/100 of 1 mSv (the annual public dose limit), thus securing the safety of nurses. (K.H.)

  9. Studies on the radiation exposure and protection at the X-ray radiography in the medical care at home

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Shoichi; Fujii, Shigehisa; Asada, Yasuo; Orito, Takeo [Fujita Health Univ., Toyoake, Aichi (Japan). School of Health Science; Kamei, Tetsuya; Koga, Sukehiko

    1998-12-01

    Since there are scarce studies on the exposure and protection at the radiography in the medical care at home, authors performed such studies as comparison of doses from self-rectifying and inverter tubes, exposure and protection to patients and nursing persons and actual measurement (October, 1997) at home in Tohno city, Iwate prefecture, of scattering radiation dose at radiography. Apparatuses used were: Portable X-ray equipments; self-rectifying types (Toshiba TR-20 and Medisonacoma PX 30N) and an inverter type (Medisonacoma PX-15HF), Kyoto Kagaku WAC water phantom, X-ray analyzer Model 200 of Kasei Optonics, and Dosimeters (Victoreen Radocon ionization dosimeter and Aloka ICS-301 ionization chamber survey meters). Radiation qualities, surface doses and scattering doses of the equipments under various conditions were compared by the half value layer and effective energy measured with the analyzer. Actual measurement of scattering dose was done at home for 4 patients at chest radiography. Annual dose in monthly ordinary radiography at home, when the distance was >200 cm far from the flux center, was found about 1/100 of 1 mSv (the annual public dose limit), thus securing the safety of nurses. (K.H.)

  10. Factors associated with emergency services use in Taiwanese advanced cancer patients receiving palliative home care services during out-of-hours periods: a retrospective medical record study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Yee-Hsin; Liu, Yao-Ting; Koo, Malcolm; Chiang, Jui-Kun

    2018-03-12

    For patients receiving palliative home care, the need to visit the emergency department is considered to be an indicator of poor quality care. The situation can be particularly distressing when it occurs outside of normal hours of palliative home care service. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors for emergency department use during out-of-hours periods of palliative home care service among advanced cancer patients in Taiwan. This case-control study was based on a retrospective medical chart review (January 2010 to December 2012) of advanced cancer patients who were receiving palliative home care in a community hospital in south Taiwan. The use of emergency medical services by these patients was dichotomized into either normal hours (8 a.m. to midnight, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays) of palliative home care or outside normal hours. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with emergency services use during out-of-hours period of palliative home care. Of the 94 patients receiving palliative home care, 65 had used emergency services at least once during the 3-year study period. Of these 65 patients, 40% used emergency services during out-of-hours of palliative home care. Patients with distressing conditions (defined as the occurrence of any two conditions of dyspnea, change of consciousness, or gastrointestinal bleeding) were significantly more likely to use emergency services during out-of-hours of palliative home care. Patients at risk of developing dyspnea, change of consciousness, or gastrointestinal bleeding should be provided with relevant information regarding these symptoms and signs.

  11. Patient-centered medical home transformation with payment reform: patient experience outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyworth, Leonie; Bitton, Asaf; Lipsitz, Stuart R; Schilling, Thad; Schiff, Gordon D; Bates, David W; Simon, Steven R

    2014-01-01

    To examine changes in patient experience across key domains of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) following practice transformation with Lean quality improvement methodology inclusive of payment reform. Pre-intervention/post-intervention analysis of intervention with a comparison group, a quasi-experimental design. We surveyed patients following office visits at the intervention (n = 2502) and control (n = 1622) practices during the 15-month period before and 14-month period after PCMH Lean transformation (April-October 2009). We measured and compared pre-intervention and post-intervention levels of patient satisfaction and other indicators of patient-centered care. Propensity weights adjusted for potential case-mix differences in intervention and control groups; propensity-adjusted proportions accounted for physician-level clustering. More intervention patients were very satisfied with their care after the PCMH Lean intervention (68%) compared with pre-intervention (62%). Among control patients, there was no corresponding increase in satisfaction (63% very satisfied pre-intervention vs 64% very satisfied post-intervention). This comparison resulted in a statistical trend (P = .10) toward greater overall satisfaction attributable to the intervention. Post-intervention, patients in the intervention practice consistently rated indicators of patient-centered care higher than patients in the control practice, particularly in the personal physician and communication domain. In this domain, intervention patients reported superior provider explanations, time spent, provider concern, and follow-up instructions compared with control participants, whereas control group ratings fell in the post-intervention period (P for difference Lean enhancement with payment reform, patient experience was sustained or improved across key PCMH domains.

  12. Organizational Processes and Patient Experiences in the Patient-centered Medical Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aysola, Jaya; Schapira, Marilyn M; Huo, Hairong; Werner, Rachel M

    2018-06-01

    There is increasing emphasis on the use of patient-reported experience data to assess practice performance, particularly in the setting of patient-centered medical homes. Yet we lack understanding of what organizational processes relate to patient experiences. Examine associations between organizational processes practices adopt to become PCMH and patient experiences with care. We analyzed visit data from patients (n=8356) at adult primary care practices (n=22) in a large health system. We evaluated the associations between practice organizational processes and patient experience using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with an exchangeable correlation structure to account for patient clustering by practice in multivariate models, adjusting for several practice-level and patient-level characteristics. We evaluated if these associations varied by race/ethnicity, insurance type, and the degree of patient comorbidity MEASURES:: Predictors include overall PCMH adoption and adoption of six organizational processes: access and communications, patient tracking and registry, care management, test referral tracking, quality improvement and external coordination. Primary outcome was overall patient experience. In our full sample, overall PCMH adoption score was not significantly associated with patient experience outcomes. However, among subpopulations with higher comorbidities, the overall PCMH adoption score was positively associated with overall patient experience measures [0.2 (0.06, 0.4); P=0.006]. Differences by race/ethnicity and insurance type in associations between specific organizational processes and patient experience were noted. Although some organizational processes relate to patients' experiences with care irrespective of the background of the patient, further efforts are needed to align practice efforts with patient experience.

  13. Disregarded use of herbal medical products and dietary supplements among surgical and medical patients as estimated by home inspection and interview

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glintborg, Bente; Andersen, Stig Ejdrup; Spang-Hanssen, Eva

    2005-01-01

    and DS among patients recently discharged from two hospital departments. METHODS: Patients were visited within 1 week after discharge and interviewed about their use of HMP and DS. Stored products were inspected and registered. Hospital files and discharge letters were examined to establish the frequency...... of registration. RESULTS: Totally, 83 surgical and 117 medical patients were included (n = 200), 139 patients (70%) were women. 53 patients (27%) stored no HMP or DS, whereas the home inventories of 147 patients (74%) comprised 343 products. 116 patients (58%) used HMP or DS daily and 25 patients (13%) used...

  14. Home Care Services: Questions to Ask

    Science.gov (United States)

    Healthy Lifestyle Healthy aging Home care services range from medical care to help with daily household chores. If ... 12, 2017 Original article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/home-care-services/art- ...

  15. Maltreatment histories of aging out foster youth: A comparison of official investigated reports and self-reports of maltreatment prior to and during out-of-home care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havlicek, Judy; Courtney, Mark E

    2016-02-01

    This study compared official investigated reports of child maltreatment with retrospective self-reports prior to and during out-of-home care for a sample of foster youth who reached the age of majority in out-of-home care in Illinois. Using matched administrative and self-reported data for 474 youth who completed a baseline interview in the Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (i.e. the Midwest study) at ages 17-18, and 386 youth who completed a follow up interview at age 19, this study finds that official reports and self-reports of maltreatment prior to and during out-of-home care differ significantly. Findings from this study add insight into measurement discrepancies, and help to inform understanding of the extent of maltreatment experienced by this sub-sample of young people exiting out-of-home care in adulthood. Study findings have implications for independent living policy and practice in child welfare. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Reporting Statistical Results in Medical Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arifin, Wan Nor; Sarimah, Abdullah; Norsa’adah, Bachok; Najib Majdi, Yaacob; Siti-Azrin, Ab Hamid; Kamarul Imran, Musa; Aniza, Abd Aziz; Naing, Lin

    2016-01-01

    Statistical editors of the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences (MJMS) must go through many submitted manuscripts, focusing on the statistical aspect of the manuscripts. However, the editors notice myriad styles of reporting the statistical results, which are not standardised among the authors. This could be due to the lack of clear written instructions on reporting statistics in the guidelines for authors. The aim of this editorial is to briefly outline reporting methods for several important and common statistical results. It will also address a number of common mistakes made by the authors. The editorial will serve as a guideline for authors aiming to publish in the MJMS as well as in other medical journals. PMID:27904419

  17. Learning from medication errors through a nationwide reporting programme

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cheung, K.C.

    2015-01-01

    One of the strategies to enhance patient safety is the spontaneous reporting and analysis of medication errors. Sharing this information with other healthcare providers will help to prevent the reoccurrence of similar medication errors. In The Netherlands medication errors can be reported to a

  18. Eldercare at Home: Problems of Daily Living

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... suggestions and provide education or other support. A social worker with the home health agency may make a few visits to discuss options ... carry out needed medical procedures. They often have social workers and ... When home health agency staff are visiting the home because of physical ...

  19. Medication errors of nurses and factors in refusal to report medication errors among nurses in a teaching medical center of iran in 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostafaei, Davoud; Barati Marnani, Ahmad; Mosavi Esfahani, Haleh; Estebsari, Fatemeh; Shahzaidi, Shiva; Jamshidi, Ensiyeh; Aghamiri, Seyed Samad

    2014-10-01

    About one third of unwanted reported medication consequences are due to medication errors, resulting in one-fifth of hospital injuries. The aim of this study was determined formal and informal medication errors of nurses and the level of importance of factors in refusal to report medication errors among nurses. The cross-sectional study was done on the nursing staff of Shohada Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran in 2012. The data was gathered through a questionnaire, made by the researchers. The questionnaires' face and content validity was confirmed by experts and for measuring its reliability test-retest was used. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. We used SPSS for related statistical analyses. The most important factors in refusal to report medication errors respectively were: lack of medication error recording and reporting system in the hospital (3.3%), non-significant error reporting to hospital authorities and lack of appropriate feedback (3.1%), and lack of a clear definition for a medication error (3%). There were both formal and informal reporting of medication errors in this study. Factors pertaining to management in hospitals as well as the fear of the consequences of reporting are two broad fields among the factors that make nurses not report their medication errors. In this regard, providing enough education to nurses, boosting the job security for nurses, management support and revising related processes and definitions are some factors that can help decreasing medication errors and increasing their report in case of occurrence.

  20. Commentary from Westminster. Medical effects of nuclear war.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deitch, R

    1983-03-12

    A British Medical Association report on the medical consequences of nuclear war, scheduled for commercial publication in April 1983, could damage the Government's arguments for maintaining a nuclear deterrent. The gist of the BMA's findings is that Britain could not possibly cope with the aftermath of nuclear attack. Although Prime Minister Thatcher has made no comment, both the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Security have criticized the report's negative conclusions. The BMA is expected to take up the issue at its annual meeting, and the Labour party has called for a Parliamentary debate on the report and its implications.

  1. Social learning: medical student perceptions of geriatric house calls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbey, Linda; Willett, Rita; Selby-Penczak, Rachel; McKnight, Roberta

    2010-01-01

    Bandura's social learning theory provides a useful conceptual framework to understand medical students' perceptions of a house calls experience at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Social learning and role modeling reflect Liaison Committee on Medical Education guidelines for "Medical schools (to) ensure that the learning environment for medical students promotes the development of explicit and appropriate professional attributes (attitudes, behaviors, and identity) in their medical students." This qualitative study reports findings from open-ended survey questions from 123 medical students who observed a preceptor during house calls to elderly homebound patients. Their comments included reflections on the medical treatment as well as interactions with family and professional care providers. Student insights about the social learning process they experienced during house calls to geriatric patients characterized physician role models as dedicated, compassionate, and communicative. They also described patient care in the home environment as comprehensive, personalized, more relaxed, and comfortable. Student perceptions reflect an appreciation of the richness and complexity of details learned from home visits and social interaction with patients, families, and caregivers.

  2. Liver Transplant: Complications/Medications

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Transplant: Complications/Medications Viral Hepatitis Menu Menu Viral Hepatitis Viral Hepatitis Home For Veterans and the Public Veterans and the Public Home Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hepatitis C Home Getting ...

  3. Quality assessment of home births in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Sabrina; Colmorn, Lotte B.; Schroll, Anne-Mette

    2017-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: The safety of home births has been widely debated. Observational studies examining maternal and neonatal outcomes of home births have become more frequent, and the quality of these studies has improved. The aim of the present study was to describe neonatal outcomes of home births...... compared with hospital births and to discuss which data are needed to evaluate the safety of home births. METHODS: This was a register-based cohort study. Data on all births in Denmark (2003-2013) were collected from the Danish Medical Birth Registry (DMBR). The cohort included healthy women...... with uncomplicated pregnancies and no medical interventions during delivery. A total of 6,395 home births and 266,604 hospital births were eligible for analysis. Comparative analyses were performed separately in nulliparous and multiparous women. The outcome measures were neonatal mortality and morbidity. RESULTS...

  4. [Possibilities and limitations of telemedical home monitoring in ophthalmology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jürgens, C; Grossjohann, R; Tost, F

    2009-09-01

    For medical professionals, home monitoring represents an innovative health service for remote patient care: The patient may remain in his or her domestic environment and continue normal activities. The physician can also, through technical and organizational integration, provide medical attendance from his or her usual working environment. All in all, in the near future home monitoring can help provide sufficient health services while also enabling medical resources to be used more effectively. The patient may benefit from individually optimized treatment and active integration into medical care. The better we manage the technical, organizational, medical, legal, and economic challenges of telemedicine, the better we can minimize the limitations of telemedical home monitoring. Other existing subjective concerns will be eliminated only if telemedical concepts are adapted to the specific needs of affected patients and physicians.

  5. Relationship between home care service use and changes in the care needs level of Japanese elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Gohei; Tamiya, Nanako; Kashiwagi, Masayo; Sato, Mikiya; Takahashi, Hideto

    2009-12-21

    With the introduction of long-term care insurance (LTCI) in Japan, more home care services are available for the community-dwelling elderly. To deliver effective home care services, it is important to know the effects of service use. In this study, as the first step to determine this, we sought to describe different home service use in the sustained/improved group and deteriorated group in their care needs levels, and to report the relationship between the use of home care services and changes in care needs levels. The participants included 624 of a total of 1,474 users of LTCI services in one city in Japan. Home care service users were stratified into a 'lower care needs level subgroup' and a 'higher care needs level subgroup' based on the baseline care needs level. Simple statistical comparison and multiple logistic regression analyses in which the change in care needs level was set as a dependent variable were performed. Gender, age, and baseline care needs level were designated as control variables. Home based services were treated as independent variables. In this study, home care services consisted of home help, home bathing services, a visiting nurse, home rehabilitation, nursing home daycare, health daycare, loan of medical devices, respite stay in a nursing home, respite stay in a health care facility, respite stay in a sanatorium-type medical care facility, and medical management by a physician. In the lower care needs level subgroup, age (OR = 1.04, CI, 1.01-1.08), use of respite stay in a nursing home (OR = 2.55; CI, 1.43-4.56), and the number of types of long-term care services (OR = 1.33; CI, 1.02-1.74) used during an 11 month period were significantly related to a deterioration of the user's care needs level. In the higher care needs level subgroup, use of medical management by a physician (OR = 6.99; CI, 1.42-41.25) was significantly related to a deterioration of the user's care needs level. There were no home based services significantly related to

  6. Medical rehabilitation of leprosy patients discharged home in abia and ebonyi States of Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enwereji, Ezinne Ezinna; Ahuizi, Eke Reginald; Iheanocho, Okereke Chukwunenye; Enwereji, Kelechi Okechukwu

    2011-11-01

    To examine the extent to which medical coverage is available to discharged leprosy patients in communities. Evidence has shown that after care services, follow-up visits and national disease prevention programs are important components of medical rehabilitation to leprosy patients discharged home after treatment. Denying them accessibility to these services could expose them to multiple disabilities as well as several disease conditions including HIV/AIDS. These adverse health conditions could be averted if health workers extend healthcare services to discharged leprosy patients. This study was conducted to examine the extent to which discharged leprosy patients have access to healthcare services in the communities. All 33 leprosy patients who were fully treated with multi-drug therapy (MDT) and discharged home in the two leprosy settlements in Abia and Ebonyi States of Nigeria were included in this study. The list of discharged leprosy patients studied and their addresses were provided by the leprosy settlements where they were treated. Also, snowball-sampling method was used to identify some of the leprosy patients whose addresses were difficult to locate in the communities. Instruments for data collection were questionnaire, interview guide and checklist. These were administered because respondents were essentially those with no formal education. Analysis of data was done quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings showed that 20 (60.6%) of discharged patients did not receive health programs like HIV/AIDS prevention or family planning. Also, follow-up visits and after-care services were poor. About 14 (42.4%) of the patients live in dirty and overcrowded houses. On the whole, discharged patients were poorly medically rehabilitated (mean score: 4.7±1.1 out of total score of 7). Denying discharged leprosy patients opportunity of accessing health care services could increase prevalence of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS among them. There is need to extend

  7. Eating Dinner Away from Home: Perspectives of Middle- to High-Income Parents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robson, Shannon M.; Crosby, Lori E.; Stark, Lori J.

    2015-01-01

    This study sought to understand barriers and facilitators for preparing and eating dinner at home in families who report eating dinner away from home ≥3 per week. Cross-sectional, mixed methods (focus groups, questionnaires) study. Twenty-seven parents with a child 3–10 years-old who reported eating dinner away from home ≥3 times per week from a pediatric medical center in the Midwest participated. The key concepts analytic framework guided focus group analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize parent demographics, anthropometrics, attitudes and confidence toward cooking, perceptions of dinner costs and portions, and parent and child dinners. Parents reported confidence in cooking a home prepared meal, but that eating away from home was reinforcing because it provided quality family time and diminished barriers such as picky eating and perceived costs. Home cooking was also hindered by early school lunch and after-school sports as children were not hungry or home at the typical dinner hour and parents did not want to cook after 8pm. Parents estimated preparing and eating a meal at home took significantly more time than driving and eating out (80.7 minutes vs. 30.3 minutes, peating out, interventions should address family factors (e.g., time management, quality time) and child behavior (e.g., picky eating). Innovative interventions that include experiential cooking opportunities that incorporate time management, address picky eating and enthusiasm for cooking with education on decreasing costs may be particularly beneficial for middle- to high-income families. PMID:26386299

  8. Prescribing quality for older people in Norwegian nursing homes and home nursing services using multidose dispensed drugs

    OpenAIRE

    Halvorsen, Kjell H.; Granås, Anne Gerd; Engeland, Anders; Ruths, Sabine

    2012-01-01

    Tverrsnittstudie, undersøker og sammenligner forskrivningskvaliteten hos eldre som bor i sykehjem og hjemme. Purpose: to examine and compare the quality of drug prescribing for older patients in nursing homes and home nursing services. Methods: Cross-sectional study comprising 11 254 patients aged ≥65 years in nursing homes (n = 2986) and home nursing services (n = 8268). Potentially inappropriate medications were identified by using the Norwegian General Practice criteria and drug–drug in...

  9. Implementing the patient-centered medical home model for chronic disease care in small medical practices: practice group characteristics and physician understanding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxter, Louisa; Nash, David B

    2013-01-01

    Strengthening primary care may improve health outcomes and restrain spending. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model is endorsed as a tool to achieve this. Early evaluations in large group practices demonstrate improvements in some health outcomes. Evidence is lacking from small medical practices that deliver the majority of primary health care. This was a national survey of 200 physicians that explored perceptions of PCMH. There was considerable interest in adoption of the model; however, providing PCMH care was seen as an extension of traditional roles that requires additional reimbursement. No differentiation was made among a variety of payment models to do this. All joint principle components of the model were identified as important: extending access and information technology were the most contentious. There was consensus that PCMH might improve the quality of primary care; however, tension between wider societal benefits and rising costs for individual practices was a challenge to implementation.

  10. Self-reported Medication Adherence and CKD Progression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esteban A. Cedillo-Couvert

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In the general population, medication nonadherence contributes to poorer outcomes. However, little is known about medication adherence among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD. We evaluated the association of self-reported medication adherence with CKD progression and all-cause death in patients with CKD. Methods: In this prospective observational study of 3305 adults with mild-to-moderate CKD enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC Study, the baseline self-reported medication adherence was assessed by responses to 3 questions and categorized as high, medium, and low. CKD progression (50% decline in eGFR or incident end-stage renal disease and all-cause death were measured using multivariable Cox proportional hazards. Results: Of the patients, 68% were categorized as high adherence, 17% medium adherence, and 15% low adherence. Over a median follow-up of 6 years, there were 969 CKD progression events and 675 deaths. Compared with the high-adherence group, the low-adherence group experienced increased risk for CKD progression (hazard ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.54 after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, cardiovascular medications, number of medication types, and depressive symptoms. A similar association existed between low adherence and all-cause death, but did not reach standard statistical significance (hazard ratio = 1.14 95% confidence interval = 0.88, 1.47. Conclusion: Baseline self-reported low medication adherence was associated with an increased risk for CKD progression. Future work is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying this association and to develop interventions to improve adherence. Keywords: CKD, death, medication adherence, progression

  11. The Patient-Centered Medical Home: Preparation of the Workforce, More Questions than Answers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, P Preston; Klink, Kathleen; Gilman, Stuart; Green, Larry A; Phillips, Russell S; Shipman, Scott; Keahey, David; Rugen, Kathryn; Davis, Molly

    2015-07-01

    As American medicine continues to undergo significant transformation, the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is emerging as an interprofessional primary care model designed to deliver the right care for patients, by the right professional, at the right time, in the right setting, for the right cost. A review of local, state, regional and national initiatives to train professionals in delivering care within the PCMH model reveals some successes, but substantial challenges. Workforce policy recommendations designed to improve PCMH effectiveness and efficiency include 1) adoption of an expanded definition of primary care, 2) fundamental redesign of health professions education, 3) payment reform, 4) responsiveness to local needs assessments, and 5) systems improvement to emphasize quality, population health, and health disparities.

  12. SMS-Based Medical Diagnostic Telemetry Data Transmission Protocol for Medical Sensors

    OpenAIRE

    Townsend, Ben; Abawajy, Jemal; Kim, Tai-Hoon

    2011-01-01

    People with special medical monitoring needs can, these days, be sent home and remotely monitored through the use of data logging medical sensors and a transmission base-station. While this can improve quality of life by allowing the patient to spend most of their time at home, most current technologies rely on hardwired landline technology or expensive mobile data transmissions to transmit data to a medical facility. The aim of this paper is to investigate and develop an approach to increase...

  13. Solar Mosaic Inc. Mosaic Home Solar Loan SunShot 9 Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walsh, Colin James [Solar Mosaic Inc., Oakland, CA (United States)

    2017-02-09

    The 6686 Mosaic SunShot award has helped Solar Mosaic Inc to progress from an early stage startup focused on commercial crowdfunding to a leading multi-state residential solar lender. The software platform is now used by the majority of the nation's top solar installers and offers a variety of simple home solar loans. Mosaic is has originated approximately $1Bil in solar loans to date to put solar on over 35k rooftops. The company now lends to homeowners with a wide range of credit scores across multiple states and mitigates boundaries preventing them from profiting from ownership of a home solar system. The project included milestones in 5 main categories: 1. Lending to homeowners outside of CA 2. Lending to homeowners with FICO scores under 700 3. Packaging O&M with the home solar loan 4. Allowing residential installers to process home solar loans via API 5. Lowering customer acquisition costs below $1500 This report includes a detailed review of the final results achieved and key findings.

  14. Beta-blocker withdrawal among patients presenting for surgery from home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schonberger, Robert B.; Lukens, Carrie L.; Turkoglu, O. Dicle; Feinleib, Jessica L.; Haspel, Kenneth L.; Burg, Matthew M.

    2012-01-01

    Structured Abstract Objective This study sought to measure the incidence of perioperative beta-blocker non-compliance by patients who were prescribed chronic beta blocker therapy and presented for surgery from home. The effect of patient non-compliance on day of surgery presenting heart rate was also examined. Design Prospective observational study with outcome data obtained from review of the medical record. Setting The preoperative clinic and operating rooms of a Veterans Administration hospital. Participants Patients on chronic beta blocker therapy who presented from home for surgery. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Demographic and comorbidity data as well as data on self-reported compliance to beta-blocker therapy, initial day of surgery vital signs, and recent ambulatory vital signs were collected. Ten out of fifty subjects (20%; 95% CI = 9-31%) reported not taking their day of surgery beta-blocker. These self-reported non-adherers demonstrated a higher presenting heart rate on the day of surgery vs. adherent subjects (median of 78 beats per minute vs. 65 beats per minute, p=0.02 by Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test). The difference-in-difference between baseline primary care and day of surgery heart rate was also statistically significant between compliant and non-compliant subjects (-7 beats per minute vs. +12.5 beats per minute, p<0.00001). Conclusions Patient self-report and physiologic data documented failure to take beta-blockers and possible beta-blocker withdrawal in 20% of patients who presented for surgery from home. If these findings are confirmed in larger studies, improved patient understanding of and compliance with medication instructions during preoperative visits should be a focus of future quality improvement initiatives. PMID:22418043

  15. Changes in the relationship between nursing home financial performance and quality of care under public reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jeongyoung; Werner, Rachel M

    2011-07-01

    The relationship between financial performance and quality of care in nursing homes is not well defined and prior work has been mixed. The recent focus on improving the quality of nursing homes through market-based incentives such as public reporting may have changed this relationship, as public reporting provides nursing homes with increased incentives to engage in quality-based competition. If quality improvement activities require substantial production costs, nursing home profitability may become a more important predictor of quality under public reporting. This study explores the relationship between financial performance and quality of care and test whether this relationship changes under public reporting. Using a 10-year (fiscal years 1997-2006) panel data set of 9444 skilled nursing facilities in the US, this study employs a facility fixed-effects with and without instrumental variables approach to test the effect of finances on quality improvement and correct for potential endogeneity. The results show that better financial performance, as reflected by the 1-year lagged total profit margin, is modestly associated with higher quality but only after public reporting is initiated. These findings have important policy implications as federal and state governments use market-based incentives to increase demand for high-quality care and induce providers to compete based on quality. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Measuring the Impact of the Home Health Nursing Shortage on Family Caregivers of Children Receiving Palliative Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Meaghann S; Wichman, Brittany; Bace, Sue; Schroeder, Denice; Vail, Catherine; Wichman, Chris; Macfadyen, Andrew

    2018-06-01

    The national nursing shortage translates into a gap in home nursing care available to children with complex, chronic medical conditions and their family caregivers receiving palliative care consultations. A total of 38 home health nursing surveys were completed by families receiving pediatric palliative care consultation services at a freestanding children's hospital in the Midwest. The gap in the average number of nursing hours allotted versus received was 40 h/wk per family, primarily during evening hours. Parents missed an average of 23 hours of employment per week to provide hands-on nursing care at home, ranking stress regarding personal employment due to nursing shortage at 6.2/10. Families invested an average of 10 h/mo searching for additional nursing coverage and often resorted to utilizing more than 6 different home nurse coverage personnel per month. Families reported multiple delays to hospital discharges (mean, 15 days per delay) due to inability to find home nursing coverage. Respiratory technology and lack of Medicaid coverage ( P home nursing access. This study examines how the pediatric home nursing shortage translates into a lived experience for families with children with complex medical conditions receiving palliative care.

  17. Patient experience in a coordinated care model featuring diabetes self-management education integrated into the patient-centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janiszewski, Debra; O'Brian, Catherine A; Lipman, Ruth D

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this study is to gain insight about patient experience of diabetes self-management education in a patient-centered medical home. Six focus groups consisting of 37 people with diabetes, diverse in race and ethnicity, were conducted at 3 sites. Participants described their experience in the program and their challenges in diabetes self-management; they also suggested services to meet their diabetes care needs. The most common theme was ongoing concerns about care and support. There was much discussion about the value of the support provided by health navigators integrated in the diabetes health care team. Frequent concerns expressed by participants centered on personal challenges in engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors. Ongoing programmatic support of self-management goals was widely valued. Individuals who received health care in a patient-centered medical home and could participate in diabetes self-management education with integrated support valued both activities. The qualitative results from this study suggest need for more formalized exploration of effective means to meet the ongoing support needs of people with diabetes. © 2015 The Author(s).

  18. 42 CFR 440.70 - Home health services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... an acute illness to avoid the recipient's transfer to a nursing facility. (d) “Home health agency... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Home health services. 440.70 Section 440.70 Public...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS SERVICES: GENERAL PROVISIONS Definitions § 440.70 Home health services. (a...

  19. Hypertension in a residential home for the elderly in Penang, Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, H T; Oung, L S; Ong, L M; Tan, K P S

    2010-03-01

    A study of residents at the Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged was conducted to determine the prevalence, awareness and control of hypertension in this elderly community in Penang, Malaysia. Prevalence of hypertension was 36%, with 81% of patients being initially aware of this diagnosis. This relatively low hypertension prevalence rate may be because residents have a fairly sheltered lifestyle with less social stress and a daily routine that incorporates adequate exercise. Similarly, the high hypertension awareness rate compared to reported figures in the community may be because residents are more regularly monitored by the attending medical care-givers. At the beginning of the study, only 34% of hypertensive patients were well controlled with a blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg. This proportion rose to 53% at the end of study period. Compliance is better at a residential home because medication is served by their care-givers and cost is absorbed in this charitable organization. Our study suggests that hypertension awareness and control can be reasonable for the elderly in a residential home.

  20. Are patients reliable when self-reporting medication use? Validation of structured drug interviews and home visits by drug analysis and prescription data in acutely hospitalized patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glintborg, Bente; Hillestrøm, Peter René; Olsen, Lenette Holm

    2007-01-01

    inspected, and patients were interviewed about their drug use. Additional blood samples were drawn for drug analysis. The median age of included patients was 72 years, and 298 patients (60%) were women. Patients reported use of 3 (median) prescription-only medications (range, 0-14) during the structured...... interview. The congruence between self-report and drug analysis was high for all 5 drugs measured (all kappa >0.8). However, 9 patients (2%) reported use of drugs that were not detected in their blood samples. In 29 patients (6%), the blood samples contained drugs not reported during the structured...... to an acute medical department at a Danish university hospital were interviewed on the day of admission about their recent medication use. Blood samples drawn immediately after admission were screened for contents of 5 drugs (digoxin, bendroflumethiazide, amlodipine, simvastatin, glimepiride), and the results...

  1. Behavioral health service utilization and preferences of older adults receiving home-based aging services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gum, Amber M; Iser, Lindsay; Petkus, Andrew

    2010-06-01

    To examine use of behavioral health services, treatment preferences, and facilitators and barriers to service use in older adults receiving home-based services within the aging network. Cross-sectional survey. Interviews were conducted in participants' homes. One hundred forty-two clients receiving home-based aging services. Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; Brief Symptom Inventory-18; Discrimination-Devaluation Scale; utilization of behavioral health services; and preferences, facilitators, and barriers for behavioral health services. Use of psychotropic medication was high (54.2%), primarily received in primary care settings (58.8%), with a few visits a year (54.0%). Participants were more likely to be taking psychotropic medication if they were younger and white. Approximately one-third of participants on antidepressant or antianxiety medication still met criteria for an Axis I disorder. Twenty-one participants (14.8%) reported receiving counseling within the past year, with a few visits or less a year for most (57.1%). Almost all were willing to see at least one professional (97.2%) and try prescribed medications or counseling (90.1%). The most common barriers to service use were practical: affordability (71.8%), difficulty traveling (62.7%), and lack of transportation (45.8%). Aging network clients receiving home-based services have ready access to psychotropic medications but receive very few specialty behavioral health services and medication monitoring visits. They are willing to use a variety of behavioral health services and perceive mainly practical barriers to using services. The aging network has significant potential to enhance access to service utilization; strategies for integrating behavioral health services in the aging network are discussed.

  2. Non medical factors associated with psychological disorders in cancer patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, A.; Intikhab, K.; Saeed, K.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To find out major non-medial factors associated with psychological disorders in cancer patients. Design: An observational study conducted on adult cancer patients. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center Lahore Pakistan from January 1999. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and twenty-four newly-diagnosed adult cancer patients were interviewed by the clinical psychologist and data was collected regarding non-medical causal factors, patients age, gender family support system, general home atmosphere and marital status. Collected data was analyzed by utilizing. SPSS for windows version 10.0. Results: Of the 224 patients 142 (63.4%) reported non-medical factors causing psychological distress and 82 (36.6%) reported that medical sources are the most distressing. Ten most common non-medical sources of developing psychological disorders were identified. It was observed that family support system and general home atmosphere were significantly associated with the development of psychological disorders whereas the other variables such as age, gender and marital status had no significant relationship with the non Medical factors. Conclusion: It was concluded that non-medical factors causing psychological problems are significant in cancer patients. The results suggest that we should identify these factors and target psychosocial intervention for those patients most at risk. (author)

  3. Legionnaires' Disease acquired within the homes of two patients: link to the home water supply

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stout, J.E.; Yu, V.L.; Muraca, P.

    1987-01-01

    Two patients with sporadic community-acquired legionnaires' disease are described. Legionella pneumophila was isolated from sputum specimens, and seroconversion of antibody titers was demonstrated for both patients. Legionella pneumophila was also recovered from the residential water supply of both patients. In each case, the serogroup of the environmental organism matched that of the infecting organism. In one patient, serogroup 3 was isolated - a rare cause of legionnaires' disease, and in the second case, monoclonal antibody testing confirmed that the serogroup 1 organisms isolated from sputum and residential water supply samples were identical. The incubation period of legionnaires' disease is presumed to be up to two weeks. Because of medical problems, both patients had been confined to their homes for the entire two weeks before the onset of symptoms. This is the first report that links acquisition of community-acquired legionnaires' disease to contaminated water supplies within the homes of susceptible patients

  4. SCI Hospital in Home Program: Bringing Hospital Care Home for Veterans With Spinal Cord Injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madaris, Linda L; Onyebueke, Mirian; Liebman, Janet; Martin, Allyson

    2016-01-01

    The complex nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) and the level of care required for health maintenance frequently result in repeated hospital admissions for recurrent medical complications. Prolonged hospitalizations of persons with SCI have been linked to the increased risk of hospital-acquired infections and development or worsening pressure ulcers. An evidence-based alternative for providing hospital-level care to patients with specific diagnoses who are willing to receive that level of care in the comfort of their home is being implemented in a Department of Veterans Affairs SCI Home Care Program. The SCI Hospital in Home (HiH) model is similar to a patient-centered interdisciplinary care model that was first introduced in Europe and later tested as part of a National Demonstration and Evaluation Study through Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and School of Public Health. This was funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The objectives of the program are to support veterans' choice and access to patient-centered care, reduce the reliance on inpatient medical care, allow for early discharge, and decrease medical costs. Veterans with SCI who are admitted to the HiH program receive daily oversight by a physician, daily visits by a registered nurse, access to laboratory services, oxygen, intravenous medications, and nursing care in the home setting. In this model, patients may typically access HiH services either as an "early discharge" from the hospital or as a direct admit to the program from the emergency department or SCI clinic. Similar programs providing acute hospital-equivalent care in the home have been previously implemented and are successfully demonstrating decreased length of stay, improved patient access, and increased patient satisfaction.

  5. Archives: Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 51 - 88 of 88 ... Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home > Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 51 - 88 of 88 ...

  6. 38 CFR 17.57 - Use of community nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... MEDICAL Use of Community Nursing Home Care Facilities § 17.57 Use of community nursing homes. (a) Nursing home care in a contract public or private nursing home facility may be authorized for the following... currently receiving VA hospital based home health services. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1720; sec. 108, Pub. L. 99...

  7. Integration of pharmacists into a patient-centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Mollie Ashe; Hitch, Bill; Ray, Lisa; Colvin, Gaye

    2011-01-01

    To define the joint principles of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) and describe the integration of pharmacists into a PCMH. Family medicine residency training program in North Carolina from 2001 to 2011. Mountain Area Health Education Family Health Center is a family medicine residency training program that is part of the North Carolina Area Health Education Center system. The goal of the organization is to train and retain health care students and residents. The practice is recognized as a level III PCMH by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and seeks to provide quality, safe, patient-centered care according to the joint principles of PCMH. Pharmacists, nurses, nutritionists, care managers, Spanish translators, and behavioral medicine specialists work collaboratively with physicians to provide seamless, comprehensive care. The Department of Pharmacotherapy is embedded in the family medicine clinic. Three pharmacists and two pharmacy residents are involved in providing direct patient care services, ensuring access to community resources, assisting patients with transitions of care, providing interprofessional education, and participating in continuous quality improvement initiatives. The pharmacists serve as clinical pharmacist practitioners and provide medication therapy management services in a pharmacotherapy clinic, anticoagulation clinics, and an osteoporosis clinic and via an inpatient family medicine service. Multiple learners such as student pharmacists, pharmacy residents, and family medicine residents rotate through the various pharmacy clinics to learn about pharmacotherapeutic principles and the role of the pharmacist in PCMH. PCMH is a comprehensive, patient-centered, team-based approach to population management in the primary care setting. Pharmacists play a vital role in PCMH and make fundamental contributions to patient care across health care settings. Such innovations in the ambulatory care setting create a unique niche

  8. Archives: Malawi Medical Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 50 of 72 ... Archives: Malawi Medical Journal. Journal Home > Archives: Malawi Medical Journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 1 - 50 of 72 Items, 1 2 > >> ...

  9. [Enteral alimentation at home: why PEG now?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Y; Hanyu, N; Kashiwagi, H; Kubo, T; Aoki, T

    1996-12-01

    The history of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is relatively short. In 1980, a report entitled "Gastrostomy without laparotomy: A percutaneous endoscopic technique" by Ponsky and Gaudere was first published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Thereafter, PEG soon saw widespread use in Western countries because of its clinical efficacy and economy. It has been performed in about 170,000 cases annually in the US. In contrast, its spread in Japan has been extremely slow: only about 10,000 cases have undergone this procedure annually, and this number accounted for less than 5% of patients receiving enteral alimentation. The reason why PEG has not spread may be the medical insurance system in Japan and the local distaste for operation scarring. However, in consideration of the unprecedented ageing of society that is surely coming in the near future, the role of PEG in Japan must be reexamined. In this report, we presented the methodology of enteral alimentation at home by means of PEG, giving special consideration to: (1) "What points are improved by using enteral alimentation at home by means of PEG in various diseases; (2) dysphagia due to cerebral angiopathy; (3) terminal cancer; (4) otolaryngological diseases; and (5) Crohn disease. We also discussed "Why PEG is important now?" in performing enteral alimentation at home.

  10. Medication/Drug Allergy

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Training Home Conditions Medication/Drug Allergy Medication/Drug Allergy Make an Appointment Find a Doctor Ask a ... risk for adverse reactions to medications. Facts about Allergies The tendency to develop allergies may be inherited. ...

  11. Interventions to support people with dementia and their caregivers during the transition from home care to nursing home care: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Christian; Lautenschläger, Sindy; Meyer, Gabriele; Stephan, Astrid

    2017-06-01

    During the transition of people with dementia from home to nursing home family caregivers often feel burdened. We aimed to 1) identify interventions which support people with dementia and their caregivers in the transition from home care to nursing home care, 2) synthesize the evidence for efficacy of these interventions, and 3) examine whether the identified interventions have been systematically developed, evaluated and implemented according to the Medical Research Council guidance on complex interventions. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials was conducted according to the recommendations specified in the Cochrane Handbook for Intervention Reviews. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (2015: CRD42015019839). Reporting follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement. MEDLINE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, OTseeker, and PEDro, were searched. Other sources included Google Scholar, and ALOIS. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of the articles. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and verified independently by another. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used for critical appraisal. Development and evaluation of the identified interventions were assessed, taking the Medical Research Council guidance into account. Review findings were synthesized narratively. The search yielded 1278 records. Five studies were included, all conducted in the United States (4 RCTs and 1 cRCT with a total of 695 participants). The psychosocial interventions were individual and family counseling via telephone or ad hoc all of which addressed only informal caregivers. The intervention components, content and mode of delivery differed widely with inconsistent results. Significant intervention effects were found for the reduction of caregivers' depressive symptoms, burden, feeling of guilt, emotional distress, overload, and interactions with staff. Other outcomes, i.e. stress, placement

  12. Use of physical restraints and antipsychotic medications in nursing homes: a cross-national study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Zhanlian; Hirdes, John P; Smith, Trevor F; Finne-Soveri, Harriet; Chi, Iris; Du Pasquier, Jean-Noel; Gilgen, Ruedi; Ikegami, Naoki; Mor, Vincent

    2009-10-01

    This study compares inter- and intra-country differences in the prevalence of physical restraints and antipsychotic medications in nursing homes, and examines aggregated resident conditions and organizational characteristics correlated with these treatments. Population-based, cross-sectional data were collected using a standardized Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) from 14,504 long-term care facilities providing nursing home level services in five countries participating in the interRAI consortium, including Canada, Finland, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region, China), Switzerland, and the United States. Facility-level prevalence rates of physical restraints and antipsychotic use were examined both between and within the study countries. The prevalence of physical restraint use varied more than five-fold across the study countries, from an average 6% in Switzerland, 9% in the US, 20% in Hong Kong, 28% in Finland, and over 31% in Canada. The prevalence of antipsychotic use ranged from 11% in Hong Kong, between 26-27% in Canada and the US, 34% in Switzerland, and nearly 38% in Finland. Within each country, substantial variations existed across facilities in both physical restraint and antipsychotic use rates. In all countries, neither facility case mix nor organizational characteristics were particularly predictive of the prevalence of either treatment. There exists large, unexplained variability in the prevalence of physical restraint and antipsychotic use in nursing home facilities both between and within countries. Since restraints and antipsychotics are associated with adverse outcomes, it is important to understand the idiosyncratic factors specific to each country that contribute to variation in use rates. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Administration of Home Intravenous Chemotherapy to Children by their Parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCall, Claire; Mannion, Michelle; Hilliard, Carol; Lannon, Pamela; McKenna, Fiona; O'Marcaigh, Aengus; Slevin, Teresa; Smith, Owen; Storey, Lorna

    Caring for a child with cancer can disrupt family life and financial stability, in addition to affecting the child's social, emotional, and educational development. Health care providers must consider ways to minimize the negative impact of illness and hospitalization on the child and family. This study evaluates a nationwide initiative to educate and support parents to administer chemotherapy to their child in their home. A questionnaire was circulated to parents participating in a home chemotherapy program from 2009 to 2014 (n = 140), seeking their perspective on the education program, and the benefits and concerns associated with administering home chemotherapy. Data analysis was conducted using a combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis. Questionnaires were received from 108 parents (response rate = 77%). Overall, the program was positively evaluated with 100% of parents (n = 108) reporting that the training met their needs. More than one-third of parents (41%, n = 44) initially felt nervous about home chemotherapy but reported that the education program helped assuage their concerns. Benefits included reduced financial costs, reduced travel time to hospital, less disruption to family life, and less stress for the child and family. No medication errors were reported during the evaluation period. An important feature of the program is the partnership approach, which ensures that parents' decision to enter the program is informed, appropriate for their situation, and centered on the needs of the child.

  14. When Patients Customize Nursing Home Ratings, Choices And Rankings Differ From The Government's Version.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukamel, Dana B; Amin, Alpesh; Weimer, David L; Sharit, Joseph; Ladd, Heather; Sorkin, Dara H

    2016-04-01

    Report cards currently published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer composite (summary) quality measures based on a five-star ratings system, such as the one featured on the Nursing Home Compare website. These ratings are "one size fits all patients" measures. Nursing Home Compare Plus is an alternative that allows patients and their families to create their own composite scores based on their own preferences and medical needs. We present data from 146 patients who were discharged from the hospital to nursing homes who used Nursing Home Compare Plus. We found that the individual patient-constructed composites differed from CMS's five-star ratings composite. Patients differed from each other and from CMS in the number of performance measures they chose to include in their composite and in their weighting of each performance measure. When comparing Nursing Home Compare Plus to Medicare's five-star ratings, we found only minimal agreement on ranking of nursing homes. We conclude that patients might benefit if current report cards are modified to include an option for personalized ranking. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  15. Factors affecting death at home in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauvaget, C; Tsuji, I; Li, J H; Hosokawa, T; Fukao, A; Hisamichi, S

    1996-10-01

    Despite the wish of the Japanese people to spend their final moments at home, the percentage of deaths at home among elderly is decreasing. Moreover, large variations in this rate were observed over the country. The present ecological study analyzed the relationship between the percentage of deaths at home for decedents aged 70 and over, and demographic, medical and socioeconomic characteristics. The data published in 1990 by the Japanese National Government were analyzed by correlation, principal-component, and multiple linear regression analyses. The results showed that the percentage of deaths at home for decedents aged 70 and over was positively associated with the number of persons per household, and the area of floor space per house. The divorce rate, the national tax per capita, and the mean length of hospitalization for stroke showed a negative association with the percentage of deaths at home. In the prefectures where the crude death rates of stroke and senility were high, elderly were more likely to die at home. These results suggested the importance of the number of family caregivers, and the housing conditions for terminal care at home. This research may lead to improve home medical assistance which is still underdeveloped in Japan.

  16. New journals for publishing medical case reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akers, Katherine G

    2016-04-01

    Because they do not rank highly in the hierarchy of evidence and are not frequently cited, case reports describing the clinical circumstances of single patients are seldom published by medical journals. However, many clinicians argue that case reports have significant educational value, advance medical knowledge, and complement evidence-based medicine. Over the last several years, a vast number (∼160) of new peer-reviewed journals have emerged that focus on publishing case reports. These journals are typically open access and have relatively high acceptance rates. However, approximately half of the publishers of case reports journals engage in questionable or "predatory" publishing practices. Authors of case reports may benefit from greater awareness of these new publication venues as well as an ability to discriminate between reputable and non-reputable journal publishers.

  17. Home Ventilator Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... lower cost, and compensation for leaks from masks. Disadvantages include lack of internal batteries, no or few ... www.gerespiratorycarecentral.com/home_care.php Löwenstein Medical Technology GmbH + Co. KG (Weinmann.de) https://loewensteinmedical.de/ ...

  18. Introduction of assistive devices: home nurses' practices and beliefs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roelands, Marc; Van Oost, Paulette; Depoorter, Anne Marie; Buysse, Ann; Stevens, Veerle

    2006-04-01

    This paper reports a study describing home nurses' intention and current practices regarding introducing assistive devices, and investigating whether their practice is related to social cognitive factors (attitudes, subjective norms and self-efficacy). Home nurses not only care for patients in particular medical domains, but also educate and guide them towards more independence. Patients with age-related disabilities in mobility and self-care might benefit from the use of assistive devices. A home nurse might be the first and only person to discuss the disability and use of an assistive device. Therefore, home nurses' beliefs about the introduction of assistive devices could affect their daily practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 64 home nurses chosen from a random sample of home nursing departments. The home nurses completed a self-administered questionnaire. The Theory of Planned Behaviour framework was used to develop the social cognitive measures regarding each of the six steps distinguished in the introduction of assistive devices. Home nurses had positive attitudes and high levels of intention, subjective norm and self-efficacy towards most steps of the decision process to introduce assistive devices. In a multiple linear regression analysis, attitude and self-efficacy predicted intention to introduce assistive devices to older clients with disabilities. Intention was correlated to home nurses' current practices. The findings suggest that conditions are present to involve home nurses more explicitly in the introduction of assistive devices to their patients. Social cognitive factors should be taken into account when developing interventions that aim to support home nurses to do this.

  19. 77 FR 70893 - Authorization for Non-VA Medical Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-28

    ... care, nursing home care, domiciliary care, or medical services and who requires medical services to... care, nursing home care, domiciliary care, or medical services, and requires medical services to... may contract for certain hospital care (inpatient care) and medical services (outpatient care) for...

  20. Stylistic features of case reports as a genre of medical discourse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lysanets, Yuliia; Morokhovets, Halyna; Bieliaieva, Olena

    2017-03-13

    The present paper discusses the lexical and grammatical peculiarities of English language medical case reports, taking into account their communicative purposes and intentions. The objective of the research is to clarify the principal mechanisms of producing an effective English language medical case report and thus to provide recommendations and guidelines for medical professionals who will deal with this genre. The analysis of medical case reports will largely focus on the most significant linguistic peculiarities, such as the use of active and passive voice, the choice of particular verb tenses, and pronouns. The selected medical case reports will be considered using methods of lexico-grammatical analysis, quantitative examination, and contextual, structural, narrative, and stylistic analyses. The research revealed a range of important stylistic features of medical case reports which markedly distinguish them from other genres of medical scientific writing: educational and instructive intentions, conciseness and brevity, direct and personal tone, and material presented in a narrative style. The present research has shown that the communicative strategies of the analyzed discourse, mentioned immediately above, are effectively implemented by means of specific lexical units and grammatical structures: the dominance of active voice sentences, past simple tense, personal pronouns, and modal verbs. The research has also detected the occasional use of the present perfect, present simple, and future simple tenses and passive voice which also serve particular communicative purposes of medical case reports. Medical case reports possess a range of unique characteristics which differ from those of research articles and other scientific genres within the framework of written medical discourse. It is to be emphasized that it is highly important for medical professionals to master the major stylistic principles and communicative intentions of medical case report as a genre in

  1. Ontario pharmacists practicing in family health teams and the patient-centered medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolovich, Lisa

    2012-04-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) approach continues to gather momentum in the United States and Canada as a broad approach to reform the delivery of the complete primary care system. The family health team (FHT) model implemented in Ontario, Canada, best mirrors the PCMH approach of the United States. The integration of pharmacists as key members of the health care team providing on-site, in-office coordinated care to FHT patients was included from the start of planning the FHT model and represents a substantial opportunity for pharmacists to realize their professional vision. Several research projects in Canada and elsewhere have contributed to providing evidence to support the integration of pharmacists into primary care practice sites. Two major research programs, the Seniors Medication Assessment Research Trial (SMART) cluster randomized controlled trial and the Integrating Family Medicine and Pharmacy to Advance Primary Care Therapeutics (IMPACT) multipronged demonstration project made substantial contributions to evidence-informed policy decisions supporting the integration of pharmacists into FHTs. These projects can provide useful information to support the integration of pharmacists into the PCMH and to encourage further research to better measure the effect of the pharmacist from the holistic patient-centered perspective.

  2. Patient-Centered Medical Home Exposure and Its Impact on PA Career Intentions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayingo, Gerald; Gilani, Owais; Kidd, Vasco Deon; Warner, Mary L

    2016-10-01

    The transformation of primary care (PC) training sites into patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) has implications for the education of health professionals. This study investigates the extent to which physician assistant (PA) students report learning about the PCMH model and how clinical exposure to PCMH might impact their interest in a primary care career. An electronic survey was distributed to second-year PA students who had recently completed their PC rotation from 12 PA programs. Descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression analyses were used to characterize the results. A total of 202 second-year PA students completed the survey. When asked about their knowledge of the new health care delivery models, 30% of the students responded they had received instruction about the PCMH. Twenty- five percent of respondents stated they were oriented to new payment structures proposed in the Affordable Care Act and quality improvement principles. Based on their experiences in the primary care clerkship, 64% stated they were likely to pursue a career in primary care, 13% were not likely, and 23% were unsure. Predictors of interest in a primary care career included: (1) age greater than 35 years, (2) being a recipient of a NHSC scholarship, (3) clerkship site setting in an urban cluster of 2,500 to 50,000 people, (4) number of PCMH elements offered at site, and (4) positive impression of team-based care. PA students lack adequate instruction related to the new health care delivery models. Students whose clerkship sites offered greater number of PCMH elements were more interested in pursuing a career in primary care.

  3. Medication errors: classification of seriousness, type, and of medications involved in the reports from a university teaching hospital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriella Rejane dos Santos Dalmolin

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Medication errors can be frequent in hospitals; these errors are multidisciplinary and occur at various stages of the drug therapy. The present study evaluated the seriousness, the type and the drugs involved in medication errors reported at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. We analyzed written error reports for 2010-2011. The sample consisted of 165 reports. The errors identified were classified according to seriousness, type and pharmacological class. 114 reports were categorized as actual errors (medication errors and 51 reports were categorized as potential errors. There were more medication error reports in 2011 compared to 2010, but there was no significant change in the seriousness of the reports. The most common type of error was prescribing error (48.25%. Errors that occurred during the process of drug therapy sometimes generated additional medication errors. In 114 reports of medication errors identified, 122 drugs were cited. The reflection on medication errors, the possibility of harm resulting from these errors, and the methods for error identification and evaluation should include a broad perspective of the aspects involved in the occurrence of errors. Patient safety depends on the process of communication involving errors, on the proper recording of information, and on the monitoring itself.

  4. Home Health Nursing Care and Hospital Use for Medically Complex Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gay, James C; Thurm, Cary W; Hall, Matthew; Fassino, Michael J; Fowler, Lisa; Palusci, John V; Berry, Jay G

    2016-11-01

    Home health nursing care (HH) may be a valuable approach to long-term optimization of health for children, particularly those with medical complexity who are prone to frequent and lengthy hospitalizations. We sought to assess the relationship between HH services and hospital use in children. Retrospective, matched cohort study of 2783 hospitalized children receiving postdischarge HH services by BAYADA Home Health Care across 19 states and 7361 matched controls not discharged to HH services from the Children's Hospital Association Case Mix database between January 2004 and September 2012. Subsequent hospitalizations, hospital days, readmissions, and costs of hospital care were assessed over the 12-month period after the initial hospitalization. Nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for comparisons between HH and non-HH users. Although HH cases had a higher percentage of complex chronic conditions (68.5% vs 65.4%), technology assistance (40.5% vs 35.7%), and neurologic impairment (40.7% vs 37.3%) than matched controls (P ≤ .003 for all), 30-day readmission rates were lower in HH patients (18.3% vs 21.5%, P = .001). At 12 months after the index admission, HH patients averaged fewer admissions (0.8 vs 1.0, P < .001), fewer days in the hospital (6.4 vs 6.6, P < .001), and lower hospital costs ($22 511 vs $24 194, P < .001) compared with matched controls. Children discharged to HH care experienced less hospital use than children with similar characteristics who did not use HH care. Further investigation is needed to understand how HH care affects the health and health services of children. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  5. Community pharmacist collaboration with a patient-centered medical home: Establishment of a patient-centered medical neighborhood and payment model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luder, Heidi R; Shannon, Pam; Kirby, James; Frede, Stacey M

    To determine the feasibility of a partnership between a community pharmacy and a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) by measuring the impact on office- and patient-level clinical outcomes. Kroger Pharmacy and a PCMH practice in Cincinnati, OH. The Kroger Co. is a large grocery store chain that operates 102 pharmacies in the Cincinnati-Dayton marketing area. The PCMH practice is an accredited PCMH office serving more than 9000 patients in the Cincinnati area. In a medical neighborhood, a PCMH coordinates care with other local specialty practices or partners. A partnership between the community pharmacy chain and the PCMH was established to create a medical neighborhood. The pharmacist spent 2 half-days per week at the PCMH. The pharmacist provided initial medication therapy management appointments in the PCMH and offered follow-up services in the office, the pharmacy, or both, depending on patient preference. The pharmacy received a capitated payment per patient per month for a predetermined number of 1000 high-risk patients. Office-level changes in clinical outcomes such as A1C, blood pressure, and lipid measures were collected and compared with those of a similar control office. In addition, patient-level outcomes such as change in A1C, blood pressure, lipids, and weight were measured. One hundred five patients were seen by the pharmacist during the study period, with 1.5% of the total managed at the office. There was a statistically significant increase in influenza vaccinations received. On a patient level, A1C and systolic blood pressure significantly improved. This project represents an exciting opportunity for community pharmacists to expand their scope of services through direct partnership with PCMHs and maintain a sustainable reimbursement structure. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  6. Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 9 (2007) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  7. A Comparison of Self-reported Medication Adherence to Concordance Between Part D Claims and Medication Possession.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savitz, Samuel T; Stearns, Sally C; Zhou, Lei; Thudium, Emily; Alburikan, Khalid A; Tran, Richard; Rodgers, Jo E

    2017-05-01

    Medicare Part D claims indicate medication purchased, but people who are not fully adherent may extend prescription use beyond the interval prescribed. This study assessed concordance between Part D claims and medication possession at a study visit in relation to self-reported medication adherence. We matched Part D claims for 6 common medications to medications brought to a study visit in 2011-2013 for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. The combined data consisted of 3027 medication events (claims, medications possessed, or both) for 2099 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study participants. Multinomial logistic regression estimated the association of concordance (visit only, Part D only, or both) with self-reported medication adherence while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, veteran status, and availability under Generic Drug Discount Programs. Relative to participants with high adherence, medication events for participants with low adherence were approximately 25 percentage points less likely to match and more likely to be visit only (PDiscount Programs were 3 percentage points more likely to be visit only. Part D claims were substantially less likely to be concordant with medications possessed at study visit for participants with low self-reported adherence. This result supports the construction of adherence proxies such as proportion days covered using Part D claims.

  8. A review of medical terminology standards and structured reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awaysheh, Abdullah; Wilcke, Jeffrey; Elvinger, François; Rees, Loren; Fan, Weiguo; Zimmerman, Kurt

    2018-01-01

    Much effort has been invested in standardizing medical terminology for representation of medical knowledge, storage in electronic medical records, retrieval, reuse for evidence-based decision making, and for efficient messaging between users. We only focus on those efforts related to the representation of clinical medical knowledge required for capturing diagnoses and findings from a wide range of general to specialty clinical perspectives (e.g., internists to pathologists). Standardized medical terminology and the usage of structured reporting have been shown to improve the usage of medical information in secondary activities, such as research, public health, and case studies. The impact of standardization and structured reporting is not limited to secondary activities; standardization has been shown to have a direct impact on patient healthcare.

  9. Home safe home: Evaluation of a childhood home safety program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Tanya Charyk; Clark, Andrew; Gilliland, Jason; Miller, Michael R; Edwards, Jane; Haidar, Tania; Batey, Brandon; Vogt, Kelly N; Parry, Neil G; Fraser, Douglas D; Merritt, Neil

    2016-09-01

    The London Health Sciences Centre Home Safety Program (HSP) provides safety devices, education, a safety video, and home safety checklist to all first-time parents for the reduction of childhood home injuries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the HSP for the prevention of home injuries in children up to 2 years of age. A program evaluation was performed with follow-up survey, along with an interrupted time series analysis of emergency department (ED) visits for home injuries 5 years before (2007-2013) and 2 years after (2013-2015) implementation. Spatial analysis of ED visits was undertaken to assess differences in home injury rates by dissemination areas controlling differences in socioeconomic status (i.e., income, education, and lone-parent status) at the neighborhood level. A total of 3,458 first-time parents participated in the HSP (a 74% compliance rate). Of these, 20% (n = 696) of parents responded to our questionnaire, with 94% reporting the program to be useful (median, 6; interquartile range, 2 on a 7-point Likert scale) and 81% learning new strategies for preventing home injuries. The median age of the respondent's babies were 12 months (interquartile range, 1). The home safety check list was used by 87% of respondents to identify hazards in their home, with 95% taking action to minimize the risk. The time series analysis demonstrated a significant decline in ED visits for home injuries in toddlers younger than2 years of age after HSP implementation. The declines in ED visits for home injuries remained significant over and above each socioeconomic status covariate. Removing hazards, supervision, and installing safety devices are key facilitators in the reduction of home injuries. Parents found the HSP useful to identify hazards, learn new strategies, build confidence, and provide safety products. Initial finding suggests that the program is effective in reducing home injuries in children up to 2 years of age. Therapeutic/care management study

  10. Home birth attendants in low income countries: who are they and what do they do?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garces Ana

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nearly half the world’s babies are born at home. We sought to evaluate the training, knowledge, skills, and access to medical equipment and testing for home birth attendants across 7 international sites. Methods Face-to-face interviews were done by trained interviewers to assess level of training, knowledge and practices regarding care during the antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods. The survey was administered to a sample of birth attendants conducting home or out-of-facility deliveries in 7 sites in 6 countries (India, Pakistan, Guatemala, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Zambia. Results A total of 1226 home birth attendants were surveyed. Less than half the birth attendants were literate. Eighty percent had one month or less of formal training. Most home birth attendants did not have basic equipment (e.g., blood pressure apparatus, stethoscope, infant bag and mask manual resuscitator. Reporting of births and maternal and neonatal deaths to government agencies was low. Indian auxilliary nurse midwives, who perform some home but mainly clinic births, were far better trained and differed in many characteristics from the birth attendants who only performed deliveries at home. Conclusions Home birth attendants in low-income countries were often illiterate, could not read numbers and had little formal training. Most had few of the skills or access to tests, medications and equipment that are necessary to reduce maternal, fetal or neonatal mortality.

  11. Home birth attendants in low income countries: who are they and what do they do?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Nearly half the world’s babies are born at home. We sought to evaluate the training, knowledge, skills, and access to medical equipment and testing for home birth attendants across 7 international sites. Methods Face-to-face interviews were done by trained interviewers to assess level of training, knowledge and practices regarding care during the antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods. The survey was administered to a sample of birth attendants conducting home or out-of-facility deliveries in 7 sites in 6 countries (India, Pakistan, Guatemala, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Zambia). Results A total of 1226 home birth attendants were surveyed. Less than half the birth attendants were literate. Eighty percent had one month or less of formal training. Most home birth attendants did not have basic equipment (e.g., blood pressure apparatus, stethoscope, infant bag and mask manual resuscitator). Reporting of births and maternal and neonatal deaths to government agencies was low. Indian auxilliary nurse midwives, who perform some home but mainly clinic births, were far better trained and differed in many characteristics from the birth attendants who only performed deliveries at home. Conclusions Home birth attendants in low-income countries were often illiterate, could not read numbers and had little formal training. Most had few of the skills or access to tests, medications and equipment that are necessary to reduce maternal, fetal or neonatal mortality. PMID:22583622

  12. Cost analysis of the Ohio nursing home industry.

    OpenAIRE

    Caswell, R J; Cleverley, W O

    1983-01-01

    This study was part of a major review of long-term care policy in the state of Ohio. The authors analyzed 1532 cost reports filed by nursing homes in 1975-1976 with the Ohio Medical Assistance (Medicaid) program. The objective was to guide policy on size (economies of scale), ownership, certification status, and reimbursement. Economies of scale were not found important: skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) offered the only evidence of operation below optimal scale, and the savings attributable ...

  13. Breaching confidentiality: medical mandatory reporting laws in Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milanifar, Alireza; Larijani, Bagher; Paykarzadeh, Parvaneh; Ashtari, Golanna; Mehdi Akhondi, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    Medical ethics is a realm where four important subjects of philosophy, medicine, theology and law are covered. Physicians and philosophers cooperation in this area will have great efficiency in the respective ethical rules formation. In addition to respect the autonomy of the patient, physician's obligation is to ensure that the medical intervention has benefit for the patient and the harm is minimal. There is an obvious conflict between duty of confidentiality and duty of mandatory reporting. Professional confidentiality is one of the basic components in building a constant physician-patient relationship which nowadays, beside the novelty, it is the subject of discussion. Legal obligation of confidentiality is not absolute. In physician-patient relationship, keeping patient's secrets and maintaining confidentiality is a legal and ethical duty, and disclosure of such secrets is mainly through specific statutes. Thus, there are a number of situations where breach of confidentiality is permitted in different legal systems. One of the situations where breaching confidentiality is permitted is the medical mandatory reporting to the relevant authority which is in accordance with many countries' legal systems. Some situations are considered in many countries legal systems' such as notification of births and deaths, infectious diseases, child abuse, sport and relevant events, medical errors, drug side effects and dangerous pregnancies. In this paper, we will examine and discuss medical mandatory reporting and its ethical and legal aspects in the judicial and legal system of Iran and few other countries. Finally we will suggest making Medical Mandatory Reporting Law in Iran.

  14. Factors Associated With Self-reported and Medically Diagnosed Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women In Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeongok Park

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI in community-dwelling Korean women 60 years or older, and to identify factors associated with self-reported and medically diagnosed UI. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the 2008 Actual Living Condition of the Elderly and Welfare Need Survey, which used a stratified two-stage cluster sampling method to select a representative sample of 8,961 elderly Korean women. Results: Of the 8,961 women in this study, 579 (6.5% had self-reported UI, and 209 (2.3% were medically diagnosed with UI. As patient age and exercise ability of the upper extremities increased, risk for self-reported UI decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96–0.99; OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–0.99, respectively. In contrast, as the number of limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL increased, the risk for self-reported UI increased (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.24–1.35. Overweight women were 1.94 times more likely to have self-reported UI compared to underweight women. Women with a history of stroke or asthma were more likely to have self-reported UI compared to women with no history. Also, women who reported being in good health were less likely to have UI, compared to women who reported being in poor health (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31–0.70. Medically diagnosed UI was negatively associated with the number of limited IADL and exercise ability scores for the lower extremities (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80–0.92; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99, respectively. In contrast, as the exercise ability score for the upper extremities increased, so did the risk for medically diagnosed UI (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03. Conclusions: An interventional program for home visit health services is needed for incontinent women who are highly dependent on others for IADL.

  15. Stimulant and atypical antipsychotic medications for children placed in foster homes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L Oriana Linares

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the use of prescribed psychoactive medications in a prospective cohort of children shortly after they entered foster homes; and to identify demographics, maltreatment history, psychiatric diagnoses including ADHD comorbidity, and level of aggression that contribute to prescribed use of stimulant and atypical antipsychotic medication over time.The sample included N = 252 children (nested in 95 sibling groups followed for three years up to 4 yearly waves.Nearly all (89% met criteria for at least one of eight psychiatric diagnoses and 31% (75/252 used one or more prescribed psychoactive medications. Over half (55% were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; of these 38% used stimulants and 36% used atypical antipsychotics. Of the 75 medicated children, 19% received ≥3 different classes of drugs over the course of the study. Stimulants (69% and atypical antipsychotics (65% were the most frequently used drugs among medicated children. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR showed that male gender (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.5-9.3, African American vs Latino ethnicity (AOR = 5.4; 95% CI = 2.1-14.2, ADHD regardless of Oppositional Defiant (ODD or Conduct (CD comorbidity (AOR = 6.0, 95% CI = 1.3-27.5, ODD or CD (AOR = 11.1, 95% CI = 2.1-58.6, and Separation Anxiety (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.0-4.0 psychiatric disorders were associated with the use of prescribed stimulants; while male gender (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.5-9.3, African American vs Latino (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI = 1.2-9.2 or Mixed/Other ethnicity (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.9-13.7, ADHD regardless of ODD or CD comorbidity (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.2-28.7, ODD or CD (AOR = 13.9, 95% CI = 3.3-58.5, Major Depression/Dysthymia (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.1-6.7 psychiatric disorders, and history of sexual abuse (AOR = 4.6, 95% CI = 1.3-18.4 were associated with the use of

  16. Tilling the soil while sowing the seeds: combining resident education with medical home transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muench, John; Jarvis, Kelly; Boverman, Josh; Hardman, Joseph; Hayes, Meg; Winkle, Jim

    2012-01-01

    In order to successfully integrate screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) into primary care, education of clinicians must be paired with sustainable transformation of the clinical settings in which they practice. The SBIRT Oregon project adopted this strategy in an effort to fully integrate SBIRT into 7 primary care residency clinics. Residents were trained to assess and intervene in their patients' unhealthy substance use, whereas clinic staff personnel were trained to carry out a multistep screening process. Electronic medical record tools were created to further integrate and track SBIRT processes. This article describes how a resident training curriculum complemented and was informed by the transformation of workflow processes within the residents' home clinics.

  17. Measuring diversity in medical reports based on categorized attributes and international classification systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Přečková Petra

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Narrative medical reports do not use standardized terminology and often bring insufficient information for statistical processing and medical decision making. Objectives of the paper are to propose a method for measuring diversity in medical reports written in any language, to compare diversities in narrative and structured medical reports and to map attributes and terms to selected classification systems. Methods A new method based on a general concept of f-diversity is proposed for measuring diversity of medical reports in any language. The method is based on categorized attributes recorded in narrative or structured medical reports and on international classification systems. Values of categories are expressed by terms. Using SNOMED CT and ICD 10 we are mapping attributes and terms to predefined codes. We use f-diversities of Gini-Simpson and Number of Categories types to compare diversities of narrative and structured medical reports. The comparison is based on attributes selected from the Minimal Data Model for Cardiology (MDMC. Results We compared diversities of 110 Czech narrative medical reports and 1119 Czech structured medical reports. Selected categorized attributes of MDMC had mostly different numbers of categories and used different terms in narrative and structured reports. We found more than 60% of MDMC attributes in SNOMED CT. We showed that attributes in narrative medical reports had greater diversity than the same attributes in structured medical reports. Further, we replaced each value of category (term used for attributes in narrative medical reports by the closest term and the category used in MDMC for structured medical reports. We found that relative Gini-Simpson diversities in structured medical reports were significantly smaller than those in narrative medical reports except the "Allergy" attribute. Conclusions Terminology in narrative medical reports is not standardized. Therefore it is nearly

  18. Ostomy Home Skills Program

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... for Hospitals Ostomy Home Skills Hospital Quality Improvement Package The standardized interactive program has been developed by the American College of Surgeons ... and Associates Medical Students International Surgeons ...

  19. Developing the home energy report: An everyday householder-centred approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parnell, R.; Popovic Larsen, O. [Sheffield Univ., School of Architecture, Sheffield (United Kingdom)

    2005-10-01

    A compulsory home energy report (Her) is to be introduced by the government in England and Wales as part of the Home Information Pack. This will, in part, meet the requirements of the European Directive on The Energy Performance of Buildings, providing energy performance certificates for dwellings when sold on the open market and information on measures to improve energy performance. This paper presents the results of a study, which explored the effectiveness of an Her in use. The study found that householders intended to take-up 27.1% ({+-}5.7%; n = 231, p < 0.05) of the recommended measures and 46.3% ({+-}6.4%; n = 231, p < 0.05) of householders intended to install at least one recommended measure within a year. However, preliminary findings suggest that actual take-up is lower than the intended rate and measures adopted tend to be those that are least effective. The paper draws on an everyday householder-centred framework in order to make proposals for the improved effectiveness of the HER programme in England and Wales. These recommendations have implications for: the report's motivational content; the presentation of information; and the environment in which information is delivered and action is supported. (Author)

  20. 6. Home deliveries

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sitwala

    determine factors associated with home deliveries. Main outcome ... deliver at home than a health facility compared to those who .... regression analysis, women who had four years of schooling or .... by report bias, the burden of home deliveries is a real challenge .... Journal of Econometrics 1987; 36: 185-204. 14. Michelo ...

  1. Building integrated mental health and medical programs for vulnerable populations post-disaster: connecting children and families to a medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madrid, Paula A; Sinclair, Heidi; Bankston, Antoinette Q; Overholt, Sarah; Brito, Arturo; Domnitz, Rita; Grant, Roy

    2008-01-01

    Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane, made landfall in August 2005. Approximately 1,500 deaths have been directly attributed to the hurricane, primarily in Louisiana and Mississippi. In New Orleans, Louisiana, most of the healthcare infrastructure was destroyed by flooding, and > 200,000 residents became homeless. Many of these internally displaced persons received transitional housing in trailer parks ("villages") under the auspices of the [US] Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The FEMA villages are isolated from residential communities, lack access to healthcare services, and have become unsafe environments. The trailers that house families have been found to be contaminated with formaldehyde. The Children's Health Fund, in partnership with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, began a program ("Operation Assist") to provide health and mental health services within a medical home model. This program includes the Baton Rouge Children's Health Project (BRCHP), which consists of two mobile medical units (one medical and one mental health). Licensed professionals at the FEMA villages and other isolated communities provide care on these mobile units. Medical and psychiatric diagnoses from the BRCHP are summarized and case vignettes presented. Immediately after the hurricane, prescription medications were difficult to obtain. Complaints of headache, nosebleeds, and stomachache were observed at an unusually frequent degree for young children, and were potentially attributable to formaldehyde exposure. Dermatological conditions included eczema, impetigo, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) abscesses, and tinea corporis and capitis. These were especially difficult to treat because of unhygienic conditions in the trailers and ongoing formaldehyde exposure. Signs of pediatric under-nutrition included anemia, failure to thrive, and obesity. Utilization of initial mental health services was low due to pressing survival needs

  2. Using incident reports to inform the prevention of medication administration errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Härkänen, Marja; Saano, Susanna; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri

    2017-11-01

    To describe ways of preventing medication administration errors based on reporters' views expressed in medication administration incident reports. Medication administration errors are very common, and nurses play important roles in committing and in preventing such errors. Thus far, incident reporters' perceptions of how to prevent medication administration errors have rarely been analysed. This is a qualitative, descriptive study using an inductive content analysis of the incident reports related to medication administration errors (n = 1012). These free-text descriptions include reporters' views on preventing the reoccurrence of medication administration errors. The data were collected from two hospitals in Finland and pertain to incidents that were reported between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2014. Reporters' views on preventing medication administration errors were divided into three main categories related to individuals (health professionals), teams and organisations. The following categories related to individuals in preventing medication administration errors were identified: (1) accuracy and preciseness; (2) verification; and (3) following the guidelines, responsibility and attitude towards work. The team categories were as follows: (1) distribution of work; (2) flow of information and cooperation; and (3) documenting and marking the drug information. The categories related to organisation were as follows: (1) work environment; (2) resources; (3) training; (4) guidelines; and (5) development of the work. Health professionals should administer medication with a high moral awareness and an attempt to concentrate on the task. Nonetheless, the system should support health professionals by providing a reasonable work environment and encouraging collaboration among the providers to facilitate the safe administration of medication. Although there are numerous approaches to supporting medication safety, approaches that support the ability of individual health

  3. Accounting for Medication Particularities: Designing for Everyday Medication Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalgaard, Lea Gulstav; Grönvall, Erik; Verdezoto, Nervo

    2013-01-01

    Several projects have shown that self-management of medication in private homes can be challenging. Many projects focused on specific illness-related approaches (e.g. diabetes) or practical issues such as how to handle medication while travelling. However, designing for everyday medication manage....... These medication particularities can enhance the individual’s medication overview and support the understanding of medication intake in everyday life. The study also presents five design principles for future design of PHMMS....

  4. [Anniversaries of the Serbian Medical Society. 60 years since its founding. The dream is fulfilled--the home of the Serbian Medical Society is opened].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuković, Z

    1998-01-01

    The Serbian Medical Society was founded in Belgrade in 1872, 126 years ago. At that time, Serbia was liberated from the Ottoman domination, and was one of some thirty existing independent states gaining international recognition in 1878. In 1932 an old dream has been fulfilled--on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the existence and activity of the Serbian Medical Society--the home of Serbian Medical Society was opened. A 30-year-long period in which the building of the Home was one of the main preoccupations and a "guiding light" of Serbian doctors thus ended. Money from charitable funds was used, which caused certain benefactors to be praised as noted personalities. Medical practice in those days was in the state of choice. There were no means for adequate treatment of certain ailments, and therapy without realistic scientific base was given, often covered by fictitious reasons. This was especially true for tuberculosis and cancer. Under the pretext of the introduction of "new therapeutical approaches" into medical practice and treatment, diverse pharmaceutical formulas were introduced without knowledge of their real effect--injections of milk, drug containing animal embrional cells and special attention was paid to transplantation of the sexual glands. The injection of "camphor oil" (5 cc) was thus "recommended, harmless but useless". The treatment of tuberculosis, which domineered the pathology of population, was very chaotic. The greatest number of drugs for "successful cure" were to be found here. Most commotion was caused by the so-called Friedman's cure for tuberculosis which was rejected only after vigorous debates. Our drug "Joannin" on the basis of "the old tuberculine" was also represented in this confusion (and Koch himself was forced to recant it). This medicament was also hailed as "successful cure". The origin of serious scientific efforts, however, are to be found around newly formed journal "Medicinski pregled", which attracted new and

  5. Facilitated Nurse Medication-Related Event Reporting to Improve Medication Management Quality and Safety in Intensive Care Units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jie; Reale, Carrie; Slagle, Jason M; Anders, Shilo; Shotwell, Matthew S; Dresselhaus, Timothy; Weinger, Matthew B

    Medication safety presents an ongoing challenge for nurses working in complex, fast-paced, intensive care unit (ICU) environments. Studying ICU nurse's medication management-especially medication-related events (MREs)-provides an approach to analyze and improve medication safety and quality. The goal of this study was to explore the utility of facilitated MRE reporting in identifying system deficiencies and the relationship between MREs and nurses' work in the ICUs. We conducted 124 structured 4-hour observations of nurses in three different ICUs. Each observation included measurement of nurse's moment-to-moment activity and self-reports of workload and negative mood. The observer then obtained MRE reports from the nurse using a structured tool. The MREs were analyzed by three experts. MREs were reported in 35% of observations. The 60 total MREs included four medication errors and seven adverse drug events. Of the 49 remaining MREs, 65% were associated with negative patient impact. Task/process deficiencies were the most common contributory factor for MREs. MRE occurrence was correlated with increased total task volume. MREs also correlated with increased workload, especially during night shifts. Most of these MREs would not be captured by traditional event reporting systems. Facilitated MRE reporting provides a robust information source about potential breakdowns in medication management safety and opportunities for system improvement.

  6. Development of an electronic medical report delivery system to 3G GSM mobile (cellular) phones for a medical imaging department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Eugene Y; Lee, Chiang; Cai, Weidong; Feng, Dagan; Fulham, Michael

    2007-01-01

    Medical practice is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity in collaborative and cooperative patient care. Fast and effective communication between medical practitioners can improve patient care. In medical imaging, the fast delivery of medical reports to referring medical practitioners is a major component of cooperative patient care. Recently, mobile phones have been actively deployed in telemedicine applications. The mobile phone is an ideal medium to achieve faster delivery of reports to the referring medical practitioners. In this study, we developed an electronic medical report delivery system from a medical imaging department to the mobile phones of the referring doctors. The system extracts a text summary of medical report and a screen capture of diagnostic medical image in JPEG format, which are transmitted to 3G GSM mobile phones.

  7. Follow-up home visits with registered dietitians have a positive effect on the functional and nutritional status of geriatric medical patients after discharge

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beck, Anne Marie; Kjær, Stine; Hansen, Birthe Stenbæk

    2013-01-01

    Objective:To assess the additional benefits of individualized nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian in geriatric patients' home after discharge from hospital, in relation to risk of re-admissions, functional status, nutritional status, use of social services and mortality.Design:Twelv......Objective:To assess the additional benefits of individualized nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian in geriatric patients' home after discharge from hospital, in relation to risk of re-admissions, functional status, nutritional status, use of social services and mortality.......Design:Twelve-week single-blind randomized controlled study.Setting and subjects:Geriatric medical patients (65+ years) at nutritional risk.Interventions:Participants were randomly allocated to receive a visit in their homes, either three individualized nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian complemented......, rehabilitation capacity), nutritional status (weight, BMI, energy and protein intake), need of social services (home care, home nursing, meals-on-wheels) and mortality.Results:One hundred and fifty-two patients were included; 132 (87%) completed the first and 124 (82%) the second data collection after 12 weeks...

  8. Effect of Home Care Nursing on Patients Discharged From Hospital With Self-Reported Signs of Constipation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Konradsen, Hanne; Rasmussen, Marie Louise Thiese; Noiesen, Eline

    2017-01-01

    Constipation is a common health problem in relation to hospitalization. This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate whether advice from a home care nurse after discharge had an effect on self-reported signs of constipation. A total of 59 patients were included in the study on the basis...... of their self-reported signs of constipation evaluated using the Constipation Assessment Scale. Advice from the home care nurses was given on the intake of fiber and liquid and mobilization related to scorings on the Constipation Risk Assessment Scale, the administration of laxatives, and referral...

  9. Home-based humidification for mucositis in patients undergoing radical radiotherapy: preliminary report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton, Randall P; Thomson, Vicki C; Macann, Andrew; Gerard, Catherine M; Izzard, Mark; Hay, K David

    2008-04-01

    Oropharyngeal mucositis is a frequent, severe complication of local irradiation for tumours in the head and neck. We postulated that heated humidification of inspired air via a nasal interface may palliate symptoms of mucositis by reducing the discomfort associated with dry, sticky secretions. We sought to review the effect of home-based humidification on hospital admissions and the patient reported experience of that humidification. This study was a retrospective review. A historical (control) group of patients did not receive home humidification at any stage (n = 55) and a study group (n = 53) received home humidification at or after the onset of grade 3 mucositis. A questionnaire was sent to study group patients to obtain information about their experience of using the humidifier at home. There were no demographic differences between the study and control groups, but the study group had significantly more advanced cancer (stage IV; p = .0307) and significantly higher total fractions and days treated (p humidification were admitted after starting that use (p humidification was of benefit, and 81% stated that it relieved mouth or throat pain. Humidification of inspired gas offers a simple, drug-free option for managing a number of the adverse mucosal effects of radiation and chemoradiation in head and neck cancer patients.

  10. Archives: Medical Journal of Zambia

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 39 of 39 ... Archives: Medical Journal of Zambia. Journal Home > Archives: Medical Journal of Zambia. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 1 - 39 of 39 Items ...

  11. Archives: Pan African Medical Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 28 of 28 ... Archives: Pan African Medical Journal. Journal Home > Archives: Pan African Medical Journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 1 - 28 of 28 Items ...

  12. Volunteers in the Danish Home Guard 2016

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fridberg, Torben; Larsen, Mona

    This report maps the composition of a group of volunteer members of the Home Guard, as well as their opinions and expectations of the Home Guard and their own voluntary efforts. The report is a follow-up to two previous surveys completed in 2007 and 2011 and it therefore also highlights changes...... from 2007 to 2011 and 2016. Based on a questionnaire survey, the report paints a picture of who the volunteers are, what motivates them and how they perceive their surrounding environment’s view of them as members of the Home Guard. The report also focuses on the volunteers’ view of the Home Guard......’s tasks and activities both in Denmark and abroad. Finally, the report describes the volunteers’ perception of the Home Guards’ communication and campaigns. The report was commissioned and financed by the Danish Home Guard Command....

  13. Report from the fourth international consensus meeting to harmonize core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME initiative)

    OpenAIRE

    Chalmers, J.R.; Simpson, E.; Apfelbacher, C.J.; Thomas, K.S.; von Kobyletzki, L.; Schmitt, J.; Singh, J.A.; Svensson, Å.; Williams, H.C.; Abuabara, K.; Aoki, V.; Ardeleanu, M.; Awici-Rasmussen, M.; Barbarot, S.; Berents, T.L.

    2016-01-01

    This article is a report of the fourth meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in Malmö, Sweden on 23–24 April 2015 (HOME IV). The aim of the meeting was to achieve consensus over the preferred outcome instruments for measuring patient-reported symptoms and quality of life for the HOME core outcome set for atopic eczema (AE). Following presentations, which included data from systematic reviews, consensus discussions were held in a mixture of whole group a...

  14. Evaluation of computer-based medical histories taken by patients at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slack, Warner V; Kowaloff, Hollis B; Davis, Roger B; Delbanco, Tom; Locke, Steven E; Safran, Charles; Bleich, Howard L

    2012-01-01

    The authors developed a computer-based general medical history to be taken by patients in their homes over the internet before their first visit with their primary care doctor, and asked six doctors and their participating patients to assess this history and its effect on their subsequent visit. Forty patients began the history; 32 completed the history and post-history assessment questionnaire and were for the most part positive in their assessment; and 23 continued on to complete their post-visit assessment questionnaire and were for the most part positive about the helpfulness of the history and its summary at the time of their visit with the doctor. The doctors in turn strongly favored the immediate, routine use of two modules of the history--the family and social histories--for all their new patients. The doctors suggested further that the summaries of the other modules of the history be revised and shortened to make it easier for them to focus on clinical issues in the order of their preference.

  15. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Illness Prevention and Sun Safety. “Sun Safety.” https:// phc.amedd.army.mil/ topics /discond/hipss/Pages/ SunSafety.aspx. Accessed on 7 December 2016. 22...febrile illness; however, after its wide- spread introduction into immunologically MSMR Vol. 23 No. 12 December 2016 Page 8 naïve populations, a...October 2016 (data as of 22 November 2016) MSMR’s Invitation to Readers Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR) invites readers to submit topics for

  16. Report from the fourth international consensus meeting to harmonize core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME initiative)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chalmers, J. R.; Simpson, E.; Apfelbacher, C. J.; Thomas, K. S.; von Kobyletzki, L.; Schmitt, J.; Singh, J. A.; Svensson, A.; Williams, H. C.; Abuabara, K.; Aoki, V.; Ardeleanu, M.; Awici-Rasmussen, M.; Barbarot, S.; Berents, T. L.; Block, J.; Bragg, A.; Burton, T.; Clemmensen, K. K. Bjerring; Creswell-Melville, A.; Dinesen, M.; Drucker, A.; Eckert, L.; Flohr, C.; Garg, M.; Gerbens, L. A. A.; Graff, A. L. B.; Hanifin, J.; Heinl, D.; Humphreys, R.; Ishii, H. A.; Kataoka, Y.; Leshem, Y. A.; Marquort, B.; Massuel, M. -A.; Merhand, S.; Mizutani, H.; Murota, H.; Murrell, D. F.; Nakahara, T.; Nasr, I.; Nograles, K.; Ohya, Y.; Osterloh, I.; Pander, Jan; Prinsen, C.; Purkins, L.; Ridd, M.; Sach, T.; Schuttelaar, M. -L. A.; Shindo, S.; Smirnova, J.; Sulzer, A.; Gjerde, E. Synnove; Takaoka, R.; Talmo, H. Vestby; Tauber, M.; Torchet, F.; Volke, A.; Wahlgren, C. -F.; Weidinger, S.; Weisshaar, E.; Wollenberg, A.; Yamaga, K.; Zhao, C. Y.; Spuls, P. I.

    This article is a report of the fourth meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in Malmo, Sweden on 23-24 April 2015 (HOME IV). The aim of the meeting was to achieve consensus over the preferred outcome instruments for measuring patient-reported symptoms and

  17. [Preparation and assignment of medical reports: basis for settlement of compensation claims].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomann, K D

    2011-03-01

    Medical reporting represents an essential element in the settlement of personal claims. Moreover, the report prepares the basis for determing the compensation which is appropriate to the injury. The practice of instructing the expert medical assessor to obtain the medical documents required has proved a failure and causes delays in completion of the report. The doctor who is the expert medical assessor is often unsuccessful in obtaining these vital documents. In doubtful cases the expert will deliver his report without access to the vital documents. Incomplete reports affect the settlement adversely and promote unnecessary legal disputes. Many errors can be avoided if the officials of the relevant insurance company prepare the report assignment carefully. Such preparation includes clarification of the accident circumstances, requests for copies of the primary diagnosis and requests for hospital and medical reports, including full details of surgery carried out. Printouts of the daily reports by the doctors involved are also required. Of course these doctors must be released from the obligation to treat medical records confidentially. Furthermore, if the original documents are used, results of the injury which may seem insignificant will not be overlooked. The report assignment and primary medical documents should be sent to the medical assessor at the same time. The report assignment contains a detailed questionnaire which takes into account the particular aspects of the individual claim.

  18. The role of the pharmacist in patient-centered medical home practices: current perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lewis NJW

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Nancy JW Lewis,1 Leslie A Shimp,2 Stuart Rockafellow,2 Jeffrey M Tingen,2 Hae Mi Choe,3 Marie A Marcelino21Private consultancy practice, Rochester Hills, MI, USA; 2Clinical, Social and Administrative Department, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 3Department of Pharmacy Services, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USAAbstract: Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs are the centerpiece of primary care transformation in the US. They are intended to improve care coordination and communication, enhance health care quality and patient experiences, and lower health care costs by linking patients to a physician-led interdisciplinary health care team. PCMHs are widely supported by health care associations, payers, and employers. Health care accreditation organizations have created performance measures that promote the adoption of PCMH core attributes. Public and private payers are increasingly providing incentives and bonuses related to performance measure status. Evidence-based prescription, medication adherence, medication use coordination, and systems to support medication safety are all necessary components of PCMHs. Pharmacists have unique knowledge and skills that can complement the care provided by other PCMH team members. Their experience in drug therapy assessments, medication therapy management, and population health has documented benefits, both in terms of patient health outcomes and health care costs. Through collaborative care, pharmacists can assist physicians and other prescribers in medication management and thus improve prescriber productivity and patient access to care. Pharmacists are engaged in PCMHs through both employment and contractual arrangements. While some pharmacists serve a unique PCMH, others work within practice networks that serve practices within a geographical area. Financial support for pharmacist-provided services includes university funding, external grant funding

  19. Home or foster home care versus institutional long-term care for functionally dependent older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Camilla; Hall, Amanda M; Gonçalves-Bradley, Daniela C; Quinn, Terry J; Hooft, Lotty; van Munster, Barbara C; Stott, David J

    2017-04-03

    Changing population demographics have led to an increasing number of functionally dependent older people who require care and medical treatment. In many countries, government policy aims to shift resources into the community from institutional care settings with the expectation that this will reduce costs and improve the quality of care compared. To assess the effects of long-term home or foster home care versus institutional care for functionally dependent older people. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) via the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and two trials registers to November 2015. We included randomised and non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted time series studies complying with the EPOC study design criteria and comparing the effects of long-term home care versus institutional care for functionally dependent older people. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of each included study. We reported the results narratively, as the substantial heterogeneity across studies meant that meta-analysis was not appropriate. We included 10 studies involving 16,377 participants, all of which were conducted in high income countries. Included studies compared community-based care with institutional care (care homes). The sample size ranged from 98 to 11,803 (median N = 204). There was substantial heterogeneity in the healthcare context, interventions studied, and outcomes assessed. One study was a randomised trial (N = 112); other included studies used designs that had potential for bias, particularly due lack of randomisation, baseline imbalances, and non-blinded outcome assessment. Most studies did not select (or exclude) participants for any specific disease state, with the exception of one study that only included patients if they had a stroke. All studies had methodological limitations, so readers should interpret results with caution.It is uncertain

  20. The cost of sustaining a patient-centered medical home: experience from 2 states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magill, Michael K; Ehrenberger, David; Scammon, Debra L; Day, Julie; Allen, Tatiana; Reall, Andreu J; Sides, Rhonda W; Kim, Jaewhan

    2015-09-01

    As medical practices transform to patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), it is important to identify the ongoing costs of maintaining these "advanced primary care" functions. A key required input is personnel effort. This study's objective was to assess direct personnel costs to practices associated with the staffing necessary to deliver PCMH functions as outlined in the National Committee for Quality Assurance Standards. We developed a PCMH cost dimensions tool to assess costs associated with activities uniquely required to maintain PCMH functions. We interviewed practice managers, nurse supervisors, and medical directors in 20 varied primary care practices in 2 states, guided by the tool. Outcome measures included categories of staff used to perform various PCMH functions, time and personnel costs, and whether practices were delivering PCMH functions. Costs per full-time equivalent primary care clinician associated with PCMH functions varied across practices with an average of $7,691 per month in Utah practices and $9,658 in Colorado practices. PCMH incremental costs per encounter were $32.71 in Utah and $36.68 in Colorado. The average estimated cost per member per month for an assumed panel of 2,000 patients was $3.85 in Utah and $4.83 in Colorado. Identifying costs of maintaining PCMH functions will contribute to effective payment reform and to sustainability of transformation. Maintenance and ongoing support of PCMH functions require additional time and new skills, which may be provided by existing staff, additional staff, or both. Adequate compensation for ongoing and substantial incremental costs is critical for practices to sustain PCMH functions. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  1. Solar Energy: Uses for Your Home. The CIRcular: Consumer Information Report 15.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bank of America NT & SA, San Francisco, CA.

    This report defines active and passive solar energy systems, describes home uses for solar energy, and offers guidelines for choosing and installing a system. Much of the information is specific to the state of California. Uses for solar energy which are presented include passive space heating, passive cooling, active space heating, household…

  2. Report from the fourth international consensus meeting to harmonize core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME initiative)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chalmers, J. R.; Simpson, E.; Apfelbacher, C. J.; Thomas, K. S.; von Kobyletzki, L.; Schmitt, J.; Singh, J. A.; Svensson, Å; Williams, H. C.; Abuabara, K.; Aoki, V.; Ardeleanu, M.; Awici-Rasmussen, M.; Barbarot, S.; Berents, T. L.; Block, J.; Bragg, A.; Burton, T.; Bjerring Clemmensen, K. K.; Creswell-Melville, A.; Dinesen, M.; Drucker, A.; Eckert, L.; Flohr, C.; Garg, M.; Gerbens, L. A. A.; Graff, A. L. B.; Hanifin, J.; Heinl, D.; Humphreys, R.; Ishii, H. A.; Kataoka, Y.; Leshem, Y. A.; Marquort, B.; Massuel, M.-A.; Merhand, S.; Mizutani, H.; Murota, H.; Murrell, D. F.; Nakahara, T.; Nasr, I.; Nograles, K.; Ohya, Y.; Osterloh, I.; Pander, J.; Prinsen, C.; Purkins, L.; Ridd, M.; Sach, T.; Schuttelaar, M.-L. A.; Shindo, S.; Smirnova, J.; Sulzer, A.; Synnøve Gjerde, E.; Takaoka, R.; Vestby Talmo, H.; Tauber, M.; Torchet, F.; Volke, A.; Wahlgren, C.-F.; Weidinger, S.; Weisshaar, E.; Wollenberg, A.; Yamaga, K.; Zhao, C. Y.; Spuls, P. I.

    2016-01-01

    This article is a report of the fourth meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in Malmö, Sweden on 23-24 April 2015 (HOME IV). The aim of the meeting was to achieve consensus over the preferred outcome instruments for measuring patient-reported symptoms and

  3. Determinants of the Morning-Evening Home Blood Pressure Difference in Treated Hypertensives: The HIBA-Home Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas S. Aparicio

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The morning home blood pressure (BP rise is a significant asymptomatic target organ damage predictor in hypertensives. Our aim was to evaluate determinants of home-based morning-evening difference (MEdiff in Argentine patients. Methods. Treated hypertensive patients aged ≥18 years participated in a cross-sectional study, after performing home morning and evening BP measurement. MEdiff was morning minus evening home average results. Variables identified as relevant predictors were entered into a multivariable linear regression analysis model. Results. Three hundred sixty-seven medicated hypertensives were included. Mean age was 66.2 (14.5, BMI 28.1 (4.5, total cholesterol 4.89 (1.0 mmol/L, 65.9% women, 11.7% smokers, and 10.6% diabetics. Mean MEdiff was 1.1 (12.5 mmHg systolic and 2.3 (6.1 mmHg diastolic, respectively. Mean self-recorded BP was 131.5 (14.1 mmHg systolic and 73.8 (7.6 mmHg diastolic, respectively. Mean morning and evening home BPs were 133.1 (16.5 versus 132 (15.7 systolic and 75.8 (8.4 versus 73.5 (8.2 diastolic, respectively. Significant beta-coefficient values were found in systolic MEdiff for age and smoking and in diastolic MEdiff for age, smoking, total cholesterol, and calcium-channel blockers. Conclusions. In a cohort of Argentine medicated patients, older age, smoking, total cholesterol, and use of calcium channel blockers were independent determinants of home-based MEdiff.

  4. United States home births increase 20 percent from 2004 to 2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDorman, Marian F; Declercq, Eugene; Mathews, T J

    2011-09-01

    After a gradual decline from 1990 to 2004, the percentage of births occurring at home increased from 2004 to 2008 in the United States. The objective of this report was to examine the recent increase in home births and the factors associated with this increase from 2004 to 2008. United States birth certificate data on home births were analyzed by maternal demographic and medical characteristics. In 2008, there were 28,357 home births in the United States. From 2004 to 2008, the percentage of births occurring at home increased by 20 percent from 0.56 percent to 0.67 percent of United States births. This rise was largely driven by a 28 percent increase in the percentage of home births for non-Hispanic white women, for whom more than 1 percent of births occur at home. At the same time, the risk profile for home births has been lowered, with substantial drops in the percentage of home births of infants who are born preterm or at low birthweight, and declines in the percentage of home births that occur to teen and unmarried mothers. Twenty-seven states had statistically significant increases in the percentage of home births from 2004 to 2008; only four states had declines. The 20 percent increase in United States home births from 2004 to 2008 is a notable development that will be of interest to practitioners and policymakers. (BIRTH 38:3 September 2011). © 2011, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. [Planned home versus planned hospital births: adverse outcomes comparison by reviewing the international literature].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faucon, C; Brillac, T

    2013-06-01

    To assess the safety of planned home birth compared to hospital birth, in low-risk pregnancies. An international literature review was conducted. Mortality, adverse outcomes and medical interventions were compared. Home birth was not associated with higher mortality rates, but with lower maternal adverse outcomes. Perinatal adverse outcomes are not significantly different at home and in hospital. Medical interventions are more frequent in hospital births. Home birth attended by a well-trained midwife is not associated with increased mortality and morbidity rates, but with less medical interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. Misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage prevention at home birth: an integrative review of global implementation experience to date.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jeffrey Michael; Gubin, Rehana; Holston, Martine M; Fullerton, Judith; Prata, Ndola

    2013-02-20

    Hemorrhage continues to be a leading cause of maternal death in developing countries. The 2012 World Health Organization guidelines for the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) recommend oral administration of misoprostol by community health workers (CHWs). However, there are several outstanding questions about distribution of misoprostol for PPH prevention at home births. We conducted an integrative review of published research studies and evaluation reports from programs that distributed misoprostol at the community level for prevention of PPH at home births. We reviewed methods and cadres involved in education of end-users, drug administration, distribution, and coverage, correct and incorrect usage, and serious adverse events. Eighteen programs were identified; only seven reported all data of interest. Programs utilized a range of strategies and timings for distributing misoprostol. Distribution rates were higher when misoprostol was distributed at a home visit during late pregnancy (54.5-96.9%) or at birth (22.5-83.6%), compared to antenatal care (ANC) distribution at any ANC visit (22.5-49.1%) or late ANC visit (21.0-26.7%). Coverage rates were highest when CHWs and traditional birth attendants distributed misoprostol and lower when health workers/ANC providers distributed the medication. The highest distribution and coverage rates were achieved by programs that allowed self-administration. Seven women took misoprostol prior to delivery out of more than 12,000 women who were followed-up. Facility birth rates increased in the three programs for which this information was available. Fifty-one (51) maternal deaths were reported among 86,732 women taking misoprostol: 24 were attributed to perceived PPH; none were directly attributed to use of misoprostol. Even if all deaths were attributable to PPH, the equivalent ratio (59 maternal deaths/100,000 live births) is substantially lower than the reported maternal mortality ratio in any of these

  7. Mental Health Medications

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... for Mental Illnesses Clinical Trials Outreach Outreach Home Stakeholder Engagement Outreach Partnership Program Alliance for Research Progress ... public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy and security of drugs (medications), biological products, medical devices, our ...

  8. Home-Based Comprehensive Assessment of Rural Elderly Persons: The CARE Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cravens, David D.; Mehr, David R.; Campbell, James D.; Armer, Jane; Kruse, Robin L.; Rubenstein, Laurence Z.

    2005-01-01

    Context: Home-based comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been effective in urban areas but has had little study in rural areas. CGA involves medical history taking, a physical exam, and evaluation of functional status, mental status, cognitive status, gait and balance, medications, vision, extent of social supports, and home safety. We…

  9. Nurse led home-based care for people with HIV/AIDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Elizabeth M; Zani, Babalwa; Esterhuizen, Tonya M; Young, Taryn

    2018-03-27

    Home-based care is used in many countries to increase quality of life and limit hospital stay, particularly where public health services are overburdened. Home-based care objectives for HIV/AIDS can include medical care, delivery of antiretroviral treatment and psychosocial support. This review assesses the effects of home-based nursing on morbidity in people infected with HIV/AIDS. The trials studied are in HIV positive adults and children, regardless of sex or setting and all randomised controlled. Home-based care provided by qualified nurses was compared with hospital or health-facility based treatment. The following electronic databases were searched from January 1980 to March 2015: AIDSearch, CINAHL, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO/LIT, with an updated search in November 2016. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts from the electronic search based on the study design, interventions and types of participant. For all selected abstracts, full text articles were obtained. The final study selection was determined with use of an eligibility form. Data extraction was performed independently from assessment of risk of bias. The results were analysed by narrative synthesis, in order to be able to obtain relevant effect measures plus 95% confidence intervals. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The trial size varied from 37 to 238 participants. Only one trial was conducted in children. Five studies were conducted in the USA and two in China. Four studies looked at home-based adherence support and the rest at providing home-based psychosocial support. Reported adherence to antiretroviral drugs improved with nurse-led home-based care but did not affect viral load. Psychiatric nurse support in those with existing mental health conditions improved mental health and depressive symptoms. Home-based psychological support impacted on HIV stigma, worry and physical functioning and in certain cases depressive symptoms

  10. Indoor air quality in 300 homes in Kingston/Harriman, Tennessee: winter phase status report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hawthorne, A.R.; Uziel, M.; Vo-Dinh, T.; Cohen, M.A.; Orebaugh, C.T.; Miller, G.H.; Ironsides, K.; Monar, K.P.; Dudney, C.S.; Tyndall, R.L.

    1986-10-01

    This report summarizes the status of the 300-Home Kingston/Harriman Indoor Air Quality Study at the end of the winter phase of monitoring. Plans for the summer monitoring phase are also presented. The report is organized by the major pollutants monitored. Reporting focuses on study protocols and summaries of winter monitoring activities. A minimum of results are presented since, for many pollutants, laboratory analyses are not yet complete.

  11. Stimulant and Atypical Antipsychotic Medications For Children Placed in Foster Homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linares, L. Oriana; Martinez-Martin, Nuria; Castellanos, F. Xavier

    2013-01-01

    Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the use of prescribed psychoactive medications in a prospective cohort of children shortly after they entered foster homes; and to identify demographics, maltreatment history, psychiatric diagnoses including ADHD comorbidity, and level of aggression that contribute to prescribed use of stimulant and atypical antipsychotic medication over time. Methods The sample included N = 252 children (nested in 95 sibling groups) followed for three years up to 4 yearly waves. Results Nearly all (89%) met criteria for at least one of eight psychiatric diagnoses and 31% (75/252) used one or more prescribed psychoactive medications. Over half (55%) were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); of these 38% used stimulants and 36% used atypical antipsychotics. Of the 75 medicated children, 19% received ≥3 different classes of drugs over the course of the study. Stimulants (69%) and atypical antipsychotics (65%) were the most frequently used drugs among medicated children. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) showed that male gender (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.5–9.3), African American vs Latino ethnicity (AOR = 5.4; 95% CI = 2.1–14.2), ADHD regardless of Oppositional Defiant (ODD) or Conduct (CD) comorbidity (AOR = 6.0, 95% CI = 1.3–27.5), ODD or CD (AOR = 11.1, 95% CI = 2.1–58.6), and Separation Anxiety (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.0–4.0) psychiatric disorders were associated with the use of prescribed stimulants; while male gender (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.5–9.3), African American vs Latino (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI = 1.2–9.2) or Mixed/Other ethnicity (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.9–13.7), ADHD regardless of ODD or CD comorbidity (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.2–28.7), ODD or CD (AOR = 13.9, 95% CI = 3.3–58.5), Major Depression/Dysthymia (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.1–6.7) psychiatric disorders, and history of sexual abuse (AOR = 4.6, 95

  12. Eating dinner away from home: Perspectives of middle-to high-income parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robson, Shannon M; Crosby, Lori E; Stark, Lori J

    2016-01-01

    This study sought to understand barriers and facilitators for preparing and eating dinner at home in families who report eating dinner away from home ≥3 times per week. Cross-sectional, mixed methods (focus groups, questionnaires) study. Twenty-seven parents with a child 3-10 years-old who reported eating dinner away from home ≥3 times per week from a pediatric medical center in the Midwest participated. The key concepts analytic framework guided focus group analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize parent demographics, anthropometrics, attitudes and confidence toward cooking, perceptions of dinner costs and portions, and parent and child dinners. Parents reported confidence in cooking a home prepared meal, but that eating away from home was reinforcing because it provided quality family time and diminished barriers such as picky eating and perceived costs. Home cooking was also hindered by early school lunch and after-school sports as children were not hungry or home at the typical dinner hour and parents did not want to cook after 8pm. Parents estimated preparing and eating a meal at home took significantly more time than driving and eating out (80.7 min vs. 30.3 min, p < 0.001). Parents significantly (F (3, 104) = 8.80, p < 0.001) overestimated the cost of home-prepared meals compared to take-out and frozen meals. Portion size was also overestimated for a protein serving. Findings are limited to predominantly married, female parents whom are highly educated and working. To reduce eating out, interventions should address family factors (e.g., time management, quality time) and child behavior (e.g., picky eating). Innovative interventions that include experiential cooking opportunities that incorporate time management, address picky eating and enthusiasm for cooking with education on decreasing costs may be particularly beneficial for middle-to high-income families. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Ostomy Home Skills Program

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Resources Educational Resources E-Learning Entering Resident Readiness Assessment Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery Medical Student Resources ... checklist Evaluation (Complete the Ostomy Patient Survey . We need your opinion!) Program outcomes The ACS Ostomy Home ...

  14. Ostomy Home Skills Program

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Centers National Cancer Database National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Oncology Medical Home Accreditation Program Stereotactic Breast ... collaboration with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), American Urological Association (AUA), Certified Enterostomal ...

  15. Understanding sharps injuries in home healthcare: The Safe Home Care qualitative methods study to identify pathways for injury prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markkanen, Pia; Galligan, Catherine; Laramie, Angela; Fisher, June; Sama, Susan; Quinn, Margaret

    2015-04-11

    Home healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in the United States. Percutaneous injuries from sharp medical devices (sharps) are a source of bloodborne pathogen infections among home healthcare workers and community members. Sharps use and disposal practices in the home are highly variable and there is no comprehensive analysis of the system of sharps procurement, use and disposal in home healthcare. This gap is a barrier to effective public health interventions. The objectives of this study were to i) identify the full range of pathways by which sharps enter and exit the home, stakeholders involved, and barriers for using sharps with injury prevention features; and ii) assess the leverage points for preventive interventions. This study employed qualitative research methods to develop two systems maps of the use of sharps and prevention of sharps injuries in home healthcare. Twenty-six in-depth interview sessions were conducted including home healthcare agency clinicians, public health practitioners, sharps device manufacturers, injury prevention advocates, pharmacists and others. Interview transcripts were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically using NVIVO qualitative research analysis software. Analysis of supporting archival material also was conducted. All findings guided development of the two maps. Sharps enter the home via multiple complex pathways involving home healthcare providers and home users. The providers reported using sharps with injury prevention features. However, home users' sharps seldom had injury prevention features and sharps were commonly re-used for convenience and cost-savings. Improperly discarded sharps present hazards to caregivers, waste handlers, and community members. The most effective intervention potential exists at the beginning of the sharps systems maps where interventions can eliminate or minimize sharps injuries, in particular with needleless treatment methods and sharps with injury prevention features

  16. Teamwork and delegation in medical homes: primary care staff perspectives in the Veterans Health Administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    True, Gala; Stewart, Greg L; Lampman, Michelle; Pelak, Mary; Solimeo, Samantha L

    2014-07-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) relies on a team approach to patient care. For organizations engaged in transitioning to a PCMH model, identifying and providing the resources needed to promote team functioning is essential. To describe team-level resources required to support PCMH team functioning within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and provide insight into how the presence or absence of these resources facilitates or impedes within-team delegation. Semi-structured interviews with members of pilot teams engaged in PCMH implementation in 77 primary care clinics serving over 300,000 patients across two VHA regions covering the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest United States. A purposive sample of 101 core members of pilot teams, including 32 primary care providers, 42 registered nurse care managers, 15 clinical associates, and 12 clerical associates. Investigators from two evaluation sites interviewed frontline primary care staff separately, and then collaborated on joint analysis of parallel data to develop a broad, comprehensive understanding of global themes impacting team functioning and within-team delegation. We describe four themes key to understanding how resources at the team level supported ability of primary care staff to work as effective, engaged teams. Team-based task delegation was facilitated by demarcated boundaries and collective identity; shared goals and sense of purpose; mature and open communication characterized by psychological safety; and ongoing, intentional role negotiation. Our findings provide a framework for organizations to identify assets already in place to support team functioning, as well as areas in need of improvement. For teams struggling to make practice changes, our results indicate key areas where they may benefit from future support. In addition, this research sheds light on how variation in medical home implementation and outcomes may be associated with variation in team-based task delegation.

  17. Multimethod evaluation of the VA's peer-to-peer Toolkit for patient-centered medical home implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luck, Jeff; Bowman, Candice; York, Laura; Midboe, Amanda; Taylor, Thomas; Gale, Randall; Asch, Steven

    2014-07-01

    Effective implementation of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) in primary care practices requires training and other resources, such as online toolkits, to share strategies and materials. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) developed an online Toolkit of user-sourced tools to support teams implementing its Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) medical home model. To present findings from an evaluation of the PACT Toolkit, including use, variation across facilities, effect of social marketing, and factors influencing use. The Toolkit is an online repository of ready-to-use tools created by VA clinic staff that physicians, nurses, and other team members may share, download, and adopt in order to more effectively implement PCMH principles and improve local performance on VA metrics. Multimethod evaluation using: (1) website usage analytics, (2) an online survey of the PACT community of practice's use of the Toolkit, and (3) key informant interviews. Survey respondents were PACT team members and coaches (n = 544) at 136 VA facilities. Interview respondents were Toolkit users and non-users (n = 32). For survey data, multivariable logistic models were used to predict Toolkit awareness and use. Interviews and open-text survey comments were coded using a "common themes" framework. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided data collection and analyses. The Toolkit was used by 6,745 staff in the first 19 months of availability. Among members of the target audience, 80 % had heard of the Toolkit, and of those, 70 % had visited the website. Tools had been implemented at 65 % of facilities. Qualitative findings revealed a range of user perspectives from enthusiastic support to lack of sufficient time to browse the Toolkit. An online Toolkit to support PCMH implementation was used at VA facilities nationwide. Other complex health care organizations may benefit from adopting similar online peer-to-peer resource libraries.

  18. Use of CAHPS® patient experience survey data as part of a patient-centered medical home quality improvement initiative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quigley DD

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Denise D Quigley,1 Peter J Mendel,1 Zachary S Predmore,2 Alex Y Chen,3 Ron D Hays41RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, 2RAND Corporation, Boston, MA, 3AltaMed Health Services Corporation, 4Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAObjective: To describe how practice leaders used Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS® Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS data in transitioning toward a patient-centered medical home (PCMH.Study design: Interviews conducted at 14 primary care practices within a large urban Federally Qualified Health Center in California.Participants: Thirty-eight interviews were conducted with lead physicians (n=13, site clinic administrators (n=13, nurse supervisors (n=10, and executive leadership (n=2.Results: Seven themes were identified on how practice leaders used CG-CAHPS data for PCMH transformation. CAHPS® was used: 1 for quality improvement (QI and focusing changes for PCMH transformation; 2 to maintain focus on patient experience; 3 alongside other data; 4 for monitoring site-level trends and changes; 5 to identify, analyze, and monitor areas for improvement; 6 for provider-level performance monitoring and individual coaching within a transparent environment of accountability; and 7 for PCMH transformation, but changes to instrument length, reading level, and the wording of specific items were suggested.Conclusion: Practice leaders used CG-CAHPS data to implement QI, develop a shared vision, and coach providers and staff on performance. They described how CAHPS® helped to improve the patient experience in the PCMH model, including access to routine and urgent care, wait times, provider spending enough time and listening carefully, and courteousness of staff. Regular reporting, reviewing, and discussing of patient-experience data alongside other clinical quality and productivity measures at multilevels of the organization was critical in maximizing the

  19. Mifepristone followed by home administration of buccal misoprostol for medical abortion up to 70 days of amenorrhoea in a general practice in Curacao

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boersma, Adriana A.; Jong, Betty Meyboom-de; Kleiverda, Gunilla

    Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of home administration of buccal misoprostol after mifepristone for medical abortion up to 70 days' gestation in a general practice in Curacao, where induced abortion is severely restricted by law. Methods In a prospective study 330 women received 200 mg

  20. Health patterns of cardiac surgery clients using home health care nursing services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redeker, N S; Brassard, A B

    1996-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the health patterns of cardiac surgical patients in the home health care population and their relationships to outcomes and duration of home health care using Gordon's Functional Health Pattern framework. Home health care records of 96 cardiac surgical clients were reviewed. Admission health pattern data, reasons for admission, duration and outcomes of home care services, characteristics of hospital experience, and demographic data were analyzed. Dysfunctional health patterns were primarily in the area of activity/exercise. The most common reasons for admission were monitoring of cardiopulmonary status, wound care, and instruction on diet, medications, and cardiac regimen. The mean duration of home care was 28.8 days. Thirty percent of the sample were readmitted to the hospital. Duration of home care was shorter for those who were married and for those who reported weakness, tiredness, or fatigue as a chief complaint. Readmission to the hospital was more likely for those who had complications during their initial hospital stay and those who required at least partial assistance with bathing, dressing, feeding, or toileting. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

  1. Introducing Psychiatric Care into Nursing Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakauye, Kenneth M.; Camp, Cameron J.

    1992-01-01

    Consultation-liaison psychiatry program in teaching nursing home helped implement six guiding principles, including make patient human to the staff; assume no behavior is random; look for depression or psychosis as source of problems; reduce medications and medication doses; create more homelike environment; and use conditions in which learning…

  2. Recognition of medical errors' reporting system dimensions in educational hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yarmohammadian, Mohammad H; Mohammadinia, Leila; Tavakoli, Nahid; Ghalriz, Parvin; Haghshenas, Abbas

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays medical errors are one of the serious issues in the health-care system and carry to account of the patient's safety threat. The most important step for achieving safety promotion is identifying errors and their causes in order to recognize, correct and omit them. Concerning about repeating medical errors and harms, which were received via theses errors concluded to designing and establishing medical error reporting systems for hospitals and centers that are presenting therapeutic services. The aim of this study is the recognition of medical errors' reporting system dimensions in educational hospitals. This research is a descriptive-analytical and qualities' study, which has been carried out in Shahid Beheshti educational therapeutic center in Isfahan during 2012. In this study, relevant information was collected through 15 face to face interviews. That each of interviews take place in about 1hr and creation of five focused discussion groups through 45 min for each section, they were composed of Metron, educational supervisor, health officer, health education, and all of the head nurses. Concluded data interviews and discussion sessions were coded, then achieved results were extracted in the presence of clear-sighted persons and after their feedback perception, they were categorized. In order to make sure of information correctness, tables were presented to the research's interviewers and final the corrections were confirmed based on their view. The extracted information from interviews and discussion groups have been divided into nine main categories after content analyzing and subject coding and their subsets have been completely expressed. Achieved dimensions are composed of nine domains of medical error concept, error cases according to nurses' prospection, medical error reporting barriers, employees' motivational factors for error reporting, purposes of medical error reporting system, error reporting's challenges and opportunities, a desired system

  3. Maternity waiting homes in Southern Lao PDR: the unique 'silk home'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckermann, Elizabeth; Deodato, Giovanni

    2008-10-01

    The concept of maternity waiting homes (MWH) has a long history spanning over 100 years. The research reported here was conducted in the Thateng District of Sekong Province in southern Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) to establish whether the MWH concept would be affordable, accessible, and most importantly acceptable, as a strategy to improve maternal outcomes in the remote communities of Thateng with a high proportion of the population from ethnic minority groups. The research suggested that there were major barriers to minority ethnic groups using existing maternal health services (reflected in very low usage of trained birth attendants and hospitals and clinics) in Thateng. Unless MWH are adapted to overcome these potential barriers, such initiatives will suffer the same fate as existing maternal facilities. Consequently, the Lao iteration of the concept, as operationalized in the Silk Homes project in southern Lao PDR is unique in combining maternal and infant health services with opportunities for micro credit and income generating activities and allowing non-harmful traditional practices to co-exist alongside modern medical protocols. These innovative approaches to the MWH concept address the major economic, social and cultural barriers to usage of safe birthing options in remote communities of southern Lao PDR.

  4. RUGs and "Medi-Cal" systems for classifying nursing home patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimaldi, P L

    1985-12-01

    Medicare and most state Medicaid programs currently use indirect case-mix measures to determine reimbursement for nursing home care. In the future, however, they probably will incorporate more direct case-mix measures into their payment systems. Care must be exercised in designing a case-based prospective payment system to ensure that its financial incentives motivate providers to expedite recovery, prevent deterioration, and admit heavy-care patients. For example, although use of a services-rendered approach helps guarantee that care will be provided when needed, it also offers providers an incentive to furnish a service regardless of whether it is in the patient's best interest. Consideration must be given to the frequency with which patients are reassessed. The implications of the timing of reassessments for quality of care also must be studied. Ideally, quality would be measured on an outcome basis--that is, payment would depend on whether targeted goals for individual patients are reached--rather than on structural or process measures alone. Two recent classification systems--Resource Utilization Groups and Medi-Cal groups--may serve as models for case-based prospective payment systems. Each method classifies patients into distinct, meaningful categories based on activities of daily living and services received.

  5. The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-05-01

    307 The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting Donald R. Woolever Abstract Background: In response to the occurrence of...a sentinel event—a medical error with serious consequences—Eglin U.S. Air Force (USAF) Regional Hospital developed and implemented a patient safety...communication, teamwork, and reporting. Objective: To determine the impact of a patient safety program on patterns of medical error reporting. Methods: This

  6. The relationship between planned and reported home infant sleep locations among mothers of late preterm and term infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tully, Kristin P; Holditch-Davis, Diane; Brandon, Debra

    2015-07-01

    To compare maternal report of planned and practiced home sleep locations of infants born late preterm (34 0/7 to 36 6/7 gestational weeks) with those infants born term (≥37 0/7 gestational weeks) over the first postpartum month. Open-ended semi-structured maternal interviews were conducted in a US hospital following birth and by phone at 1 month postpartum during 2010-2012. Participants were 56 mother-infant dyads: 26 late preterm and 30 term. Most women planned to room share at home with their infants and reported doing so for some or all of the first postpartum month. More women reported bed sharing during the first postpartum month than had planned to do so in both the late preterm and term groups. The primary reason for unplanned bed sharing was to soothe nighttime infant fussiness. Those participants who avoided bed sharing at home commonly discussed their fear for infant safety. A few parents reported their infants were sleeping propped on pillows and co-sleeping on a recliner. Some women in both the late preterm and term groups reported lack of opportunity to obtain a bassinet prior to childbirth. The discrepancy between plans for infant sleep location at home and maternally reported practices were similar in late preterm and term groups. Close maternal proximity to their infants at night was derived from the need to assess infant well-being, caring for infants, and women's preferences. Bed sharing concerns related to infant safety and the establishment of an undesirable habit, and alternative arrangements included shared recliner sleep.

  7. US Army Medical Research and Development Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1979-10-01

    RI) US ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT. Colonel/John Jr DTIC JUL 1 5 1980; A USL &MY MEDICAL BIOENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT...pollutants in water or soil . Pollutant by-products and breakdown products in water, air or soil will be isolated, characterized, and quantified. Where...determination of selected low-level pollutants io soil and water. Degradation products and secondary pollutants arising from munitions manufacture or pest

  8. The Cost of Sustaining a Patient-Centered Medical Home: Experience From 2 States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magill, Michael K.; Ehrenberger, David; Scammon, Debra L.; Day, Julie; Allen, Tatiana; Reall, Andreu J.; Sides, Rhonda W.; Kim, Jaewhan

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE As medical practices transform to patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), it is important to identify the ongoing costs of maintaining these “advanced primary care” functions. A key required input is personnel effort. This study’s objective was to assess direct personnel costs to practices associated with the staffing necessary to deliver PCMH functions as outlined in the National Committee for Quality Assurance Standards. METHODS We developed a PCMH cost dimensions tool to assess costs associated with activities uniquely required to maintain PCMH functions. We interviewed practice managers, nurse supervisors, and medical directors in 20 varied primary care practices in 2 states, guided by the tool. Outcome measures included categories of staff used to perform various PCMH functions, time and personnel costs, and whether practices were delivering PCMH functions. RESULTS Costs per full-time equivalent primary care clinician associated with PCMH functions varied across practices with an average of $7,691 per month in Utah practices and $9,658 in Colorado practices. PCMH incremental costs per encounter were $32.71 in Utah and $36.68 in Colorado. The average estimated cost per member per month for an assumed panel of 2,000 patients was $3.85 in Utah and $4.83 in Colorado. CONCLUSIONS Identifying costs of maintaining PCMH functions will contribute to effective payment reform and to sustainability of transformation. Maintenance and ongoing support of PCMH functions require additional time and new skills, which may be provided by existing staff, additional staff, or both. Adequate compensation for ongoing and substantial incremental costs is critical for practices to sustain PCMH functions. PMID:26371263

  9. Quality assessment of home births in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Sabrina; Colmorn, Lotte B.; Schroll, Anne-Mette

    2017-01-01

    by nulliparous at home. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that home births in Denmark are characterized by a high level of safety owing to low rates of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Missing registration on intrapartum transfers and planned versus unplanned home births in the DMBR are, however, major......INTRODUCTION: The safety of home births has been widely debated. Observational studies examining maternal and neonatal outcomes of home births have become more frequent, and the quality of these studies has improved. The aim of the present study was to describe neonatal outcomes of home births...... compared with hospital births and to discuss which data are needed to evaluate the safety of home births. METHODS: This was a register-based cohort study. Data on all births in Denmark (2003-2013) were collected from the Danish Medical Birth Registry (DMBR). The cohort included healthy women...

  10. Computerised clinical decision support systems to improve medication safety in long-term care homes: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marasinghe, Keshini Madara

    2015-05-12

    Computerised clinical decision support systems (CCDSS) are used to improve the quality of care in various healthcare settings. This systematic review evaluated the impact of CCDSS on improving medication safety in long-term care homes (LTC). Medication safety in older populations is an important health concern as inappropriate medication use can elevate the risk of potentially severe outcomes (ie, adverse drug reactions, ADR). With an increasing ageing population, greater use of LTC by the growing ageing population and increasing number of medication-related health issues in LTC, strategies to improve medication safety are essential. Databases searched included MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane Library. Three groups of keywords were combined: those relating to LTC, medication safety and CCDSS. One reviewer undertook screening and quality assessment. Overall findings suggest that CCDSS in LTC improved the quality of prescribing decisions (ie, appropriate medication orders), detected ADR, triggered warning messages (ie, related to central nervous system side effects, drug-associated constipation, renal insufficiency) and reduced injury risk among older adults. CCDSS have received little attention in LTC, as attested by the limited published literature. With an increasing ageing population, greater use of LTC by the ageing population and increased workload for health professionals, merely relying on physicians' judgement on medication safety would not be sufficient. CCDSS to improve medication safety and enhance the quality of prescribing decisions are essential. Analysis of review findings indicates that CCDSS are beneficial, effective and have potential to improve medication safety in LTC; however, the use of CCDSS in LTC is scarce. Careful assessment on the impact of CCDSS on medication safety and further modifications to existing CCDSS are recommended for wider acceptance. Due to scant evidence in the current literature, further research on implementation and

  11. Drug-related problems and changes in drug utilization after medication reviews in nursing homes in Oslo, Norway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fog, Amura Francesca; Kvalvaag, Gunnar; Engedal, Knut; Straand, Jørund

    2017-12-01

    We describe the drug-related problems (DRPs) identified during medication reviews (MRs) and the changes in drug utilization after MRs at nursing homes in Oslo, Norway. We explored predictors for the observed changes. Observational before-after study. Forty-one nursing homes. MRs performed by multidisciplinary teams during November 2011 to February 2014. In all, 2465 long-term care patients. DRPs identified by explicit criteria (STOPP/START and NORGEP) and drug-drug interaction database; interventions to resolve DRPs; drug use changes after MR. A total of 6158 DRPs were identified, an average of 2.6 DRPs/patient, 2.0 for regular and 0.6 for pro re nata (prn) drugs. Of these patients, 17.3% had no DRPs. The remaining 82.7% of the patients had on average 3.0 DRPs/patient. Use of unnecessary drugs (43.5%), excess dosing (12.5%) and lack of monitoring of the drug use (11%) were the most frequent DRPs. Opioids and psychotropic drugs were involved in 34.4% of all DRPs. The mean number of drugs decreased after the MR from 6.8 to 6.3 for regular drugs and from 3.0 to 2.6 for prn drugs. Patients with DRPs experienced a decrease of 1.1 drugs after MR (0.5 for regular and 0.6 for prn drugs). The reduction was most pronounced for the regular use of antipsychotics, antidepressants, hypnotics/sedatives, diuretics, antithrombotic agents, antacid drugs; and for prn use of anxiolytics, opioids, hypnotics/sedatives, metoclopramide and NSAIDs. The medication review resulted in less drug use, especially opioids and psychotropic drugs.

  12. Examining Fall Recurrence Risk of Homebound Hispanic Older Adults Receiving Home Care Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solis, Guillermina R; Champion, Jane Dimmitt

    2017-03-01

    Unintentional falls and injuries is a major problem among older adults and the fourth cause of death in the United States. A previous fall event doubles the risk of recurrence and lessens the person's quality of life. Hispanic older adults have higher rates of disability and lower independent functioning due to poor medical health and risk for fall recurrence. Most fall studies focus on fall risk with few studies on fall recurrence in older adults receiving home health care services unrelated to fall incident. A descriptive pilot study of 30 homebound Hispanic older adults receiving home care services who reported a fall within 3 months was conducted by a multidisciplinary team to evaluate risk of fall recurrence. A heightened risk for fall recurrence was identified with high number of chronic illnesses, high intake of medications, vision problems, and prevalence of urinary incontinence. Findings highlight significant number of intrinsic factors for fall risk recurrence and injuries in a Hispanic older adults population that is homebound and receiving home care services. A multidisciplinary evaluation and culturally appropriate interventions to lessen the risk of fall recurrence are recommended.

  13. Get the Most Out of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Get the most out of home blood pressure monitoring Checking your blood pressure at home is an important part of managing ... monitors might not give you an accurate reading. Most pharmacies, medical supply stores and some websites sell ...

  14. Education and training to enhance end-of-life care for nursing home staff: a systematic literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anstey, Sally; Powell, Tom; Coles, Bernadette; Hale, Rachel; Gould, Dinah

    2016-09-01

    The delivery of end-of-life care in nursing homes is challenging. This situation is of concern as 20% of the population die in this setting. Commonly reported reasons include limited access to medical care, inadequate clinical leadership and poor communication between nursing home and medical staff. Education for nursing home staff is suggested as the most important way of overcoming these obstacles. To identify educational interventions to enhance end-of-life care for nursing home staff and to identify types of study designs and outcomes to indicate success and benchmark interventions against recent international guidelines for education for palliative and end-of-life care. Thirteen databases and reference lists of key journals were searched from the inception of each up to September 2014. Included studies were appraised for quality and data were synthesised thematically. Twenty-one studies were reviewed. Methodological quality was poor. Education was not of a standard that could be expected to alter clinical behaviour and was evaluated mainly from the perspectives of staff: self-reported increase in knowledge, skills and confidence delivering care rather than direct evidence of impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes. Follow-up was often short term, and despite sound economic arguments for delivering effective end-of-life care to reduce burden on the health service, no economic analyses were reported. There is a clear and urgent need to design educational interventions that have the potential to improve end-of-life care in nursing homes. Robust evaluation of these interventions should include impact on residents, families and staff and include economic analysis. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  15. SMS-Based Medical Diagnostic Telemetry Data Transmission Protocol for Medical Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Ben; Abawajy, Jemal; Kim, Tai-Hoon

    2011-01-01

    People with special medical monitoring needs can, these days, be sent home and remotely monitored through the use of data logging medical sensors and a transmission base-station. While this can improve quality of life by allowing the patient to spend most of their time at home, most current technologies rely on hardwired landline technology or expensive mobile data transmissions to transmit data to a medical facility. The aim of this paper is to investigate and develop an approach to increase the freedom of a monitored patient and decrease costs by utilising mobile technologies and SMS messaging to transmit data from patient to medico. To this end, we evaluated the capabilities of SMS and propose a generic communications protocol which can work within the constraints of the SMS format, but provide the necessary redundancy and robustness to be used for the transmission of non-critical medical telemetry from data logging medical sensors. PMID:22163845

  16. SMS-Based Medical Diagnostic Telemetry Data Transmission Protocol for Medical Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tai-Hoon Kim

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available People with special medical monitoring needs can, these days, be sent home and remotely monitored through the use of data logging medical sensors and a transmission base-station. While this can improve quality of life by allowing the patient to spend most of their time at home, most current technologies rely on hardwired landline technology or expensive mobile data transmissions to transmit data to a medical facility. The aim of this paper is to investigate and develop an approach to increase the freedom of a monitored patient and decrease costs by utilising mobile technologies and SMS messaging to transmit data from patient to medico. To this end, we evaluated the capabilities of SMS and propose a generic communications protocol which can work within the constraints of the SMS format, but provide the necessary redundancy and robustness to be used for the transmission of non-critical medical telemetry from data logging medical sensors.

  17. The home as an appropriate setting for women undertaking cervical ripening before the induction of labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, Margaret; Lorimer, Karen; Norman, Jane E; Bollapragada, Shrikant S; Norrie, John

    2011-02-01

    to explore women's experiences of cervical ripening using isosorbide mononitrate (IMN) in the home as part of the main randomised controlled trial. qualitative study with semi-structured interviews carried out at three weeks post partum. Interview transcripts were analysed to identify recurrent themes, focusing on why women became involved in the study, their views about both the self-medication and the home setting, and whether they would repeat the experience. the home. twenty women enrolled in the main randomised controlled trial. the study is part of a double-blind randomised controlled trial with 350 patients investigating whether a nitric oxide donor (IMN) used in cervical ripening improves the process of induction of labour. women liked the opportunity to remain at home during the cervical ripening process. Timing and setting were central issues; women hoped that it would hasten labour, while the home was seen as a setting offering freedom, security and reassurance, as opposed to the hospital, seen as constraining. Two women reported problems with IMN but the remainder reported that they would repeat the experience. women were very positive about the opportunity to undertake cervical ripening at home. It is important to explore this setting further for appropriate interventions. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Home care patients in four Nordic capitals – predictors of nursing home admission during one-year followup

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liv W Sørbye

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Liv W Sørbye1, Torunn Hamran2, Nils Henriksen2, Astrid Norberg2,31Diakonhjemmet University College, Oslo, Norway; 2Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Norway; 3Umeå University, Umeå, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, SwedenAbstract: The aim was to predict nursing home admission (NHA for home care patients after a 12-month follow-up study. This Nordic study is derived from the aged in home care (AdHOC project conducted in 2001–2003 with patients at 11 sites in Europe. The participants in the cohort study were randomly selected individuals, aged 65 years or older, receiving homecare in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Reykjavik. The Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (version 2.0 was used. Epidemiological and medical characteristics of patients and service utilization were recorded for 1508 home care patients (participation rate 74%. In this sample 75% were female. The mean age was 82.1 (6.9 years for men and 84.0 (6.6 for women. The most consistent predictor of NHA was receiving skilled nursing procedures at baseline (help with medication and injections, administration or help with oxygen, intravenous, catheter and stoma care, wounds and skin care (adjusted odds ratio = 3.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.7–7.8; P < 0.001. In this Nordic material, stronger emphasizing on higher qualified nurses in a home care setting could prevent or delay NHA.Keywords: aged, home care, cross-sectional study, self-rated health, level of care, care burden, comprehensive assessment, RAI, Nordic

  19. Outcomes and risk factors for unplanned delivery at home and before arrival to the hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazić, Zlatko; Takač, Iztok

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the outcomes and risk factors for unplanned delivery at home and before arrival to the hospital in Maribor region, Slovenia. We used data from medical records of all deliveries in Maribor region from the year 1997 to the year 2005. We analysed a total of 17,846 births from annual reports of the Maribor University Hospital. Among the total of 17,846 births, there were 58 (3.2‰) unplanned births at home and on the way to the hospital. The study based on the data from medical records on safety of unplanned home birth reveals that hospital delivery is approximately 7 times safer than unplanned home delivery. This conclusion is reached by comparing perinatal mortality, which was 68‰ for unplanned deliveries at home versus 8.8‰ for deliveries at hospital. The prematurity was more common in unplanned home deliveries: 13 (22%) versus 1399 (8%) for hospital deliveries. Unplanned deliveries at home and on the way to the hospital were more common in multiparous women (ratio 4:1 compared to 1:1 for hospital births). When for all hospital deliveries the pregnancies were followed, for one third of unplanned deliveries at home or on the way to the hospital the pregnancies were not monitored. Mothers who gave birth at home or on the way to the hospital were without higher education (i.e. 55.2%) and mothers who gave birth in hospital were with higher education (i.e. 87.4%). There was higher rate of perinatal morbidity for unplanned home deliveries compared to hospital deliveries. Factors that make unplanned home deliveries more common are high parity, absence or inadequacy of antenatal care, marital status and lower education. Some conditions in newborn, such as hypothermia, were clearly the result of unplanned birth at home. Additional effort to improve antenatal care and also identifying social vulnerabilities would possibly decrease the number of unplanned deliveries and improve the perinatal outcomes.

  20. PLANNED HOME BIRTH: A REVIEW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamara Serdinšek

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Home birth is as old as humanity, but still most middle- and high-income countries consider hospitals as the safest birth settings, as complications regarding birth are highly unpredictable. Despite this there are a few countries in which home birth in integrated into official healthcare system (the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada etc.. Home births can be divided into unplanned and planned, and the latter can be further categorized by the presence of the birth attendants. This review focuses on planned home births, which are differently represented throughout the world. In the United States 0.6-1.0% of all children are born at home, in the United Kingdom 2-3%, in Canada 1.6% and in the Netherlands 20-30%. For Slovenia, the number of planned home births is unknown; however, in 2010 0.1% of children were born outside medical facilities.Conclusions: The safety of home birth in still under the debate. While research confirms smaller number of obstetric interventions and some complications in mothers who give birth at home, the data regarding the neonatal and perinatal mortality and morbidity is still conflicting. This confirms the need for large multicentric trials in this field. Current home birth guidelines emphasize that women should be well informed regarding the possible advantages and disadvantages of home births. In addition, the emphasis is on definition of selection criteria for home birth, indications for intrapartal transfer to the hospital and appropriate education of birth attendants. 

  1. Nurses' reported thinking during medication administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenhauer, Laurel A; Hurley, Ann C; Dolan, Nancy

    2007-01-01

    To document nurses' reported thinking processes during medication administration before and after implementation of point-of-care technology. Semistructured interviews and real-time tape recordings were used to document the thinking processes of 40 nurses practicing in inpatient care units in a large tertiary care teaching hospital in the northeastern US. Content analysis resulted in identification of 10 descriptive categories of nurses' thinking: communication, dose-time, checking, assessment, evaluation, teaching, side effects, work arounds, anticipating problem solving, and drug administration. Situations requiring judgment in dosage, timing, or selection of specific medications (e.g., pain management, titration of antihypertensives) provided the most explicit data about nurses' use of critical thinking and clinical judgment. A key element was nurses' constant professional vigilance to ensure that patients received their appropriate medications. Nurses' thinking processes extended beyond rules and procedures and were based on patient data and interdisciplinary professional knowledge to provide safe and effective care. Identification of thinking processes can help nurses to explain the professional expertise inherent in medication administration beyond the technical application of the "5 rights."

  2. "I don't know what I was expecting": Home visits by neonatology fellows for infants discharged from the NICU.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobbs, Janice E; Tschudy, Megan M; Hussey-Gardner, Brenda; Jennings, Jacky M; Boss, Renee D

    2017-12-01

    When families transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to the home, they become responsible for their infant's daily medical needs. Though neonatology physicians prepare families for hospital discharge, it is unclear how much clinicians understand about how their teaching and instructions translate into home care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of a home visiting program on neonatology fellows' understanding of family needs soon after hospital discharge. Neonatology fellows conducted a home visit for an infant recently discharged. Before the visit, fellows reviewed their original discharge instructions, along with information about the family's neighborhood. During the home visit, fellows reviewed their discharge planning with families and discussed any challenges experienced. Afterwards, fellows completed a semi-structured interview; these transcriptions were manually coded for themes. Fellows identified several common women/family discharge challenges. These challenges fall into four domains: (1) inadequate discharge preparation, (2) medicalization of the home, (3) family adjustment to new "normal," and (4) the relevance of social context to discharge planning. Most (90%) fellows reported the home visit experience would affect their future NICU discharge practices and all agreed that home visits should be a part of neonatology training. Home visits allowed neonatology fellows to examine how their discharge preparation did, or did not, meet the family's needs. Incorporating home visits into neonatology training could help fellows learn about the relevance of social and community factors that are difficult to assess in the inpatient setting. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Identifying medication error chains from critical incident reports: a new analytic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huckels-Baumgart, Saskia; Manser, Tanja

    2014-10-01

    Research into the distribution of medication errors usually focuses on isolated stages within the medication use process. Our study aimed to provide a novel process-oriented approach to medication incident analysis focusing on medication error chains. Our study was conducted across a 900-bed teaching hospital in Switzerland. All reported 1,591 medication errors 2009-2012 were categorized using the Medication Error Index NCC MERP and the WHO Classification for Patient Safety Methodology. In order to identify medication error chains, each reported medication incident was allocated to the relevant stage of the hospital medication use process. Only 25.8% of the reported medication errors were detected before they propagated through the medication use process. The majority of medication errors (74.2%) formed an error chain encompassing two or more stages. The most frequent error chain comprised preparation up to and including medication administration (45.2%). "Non-consideration of documentation/prescribing" during the drug preparation was the most frequent contributor for "wrong dose" during the administration of medication. Medication error chains provide important insights for detecting and stopping medication errors before they reach the patient. Existing and new safety barriers need to be extended to interrupt error chains and to improve patient safety. © 2014, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  4. Exploring workplace violence among home care workers in a consumer-driven home health care program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakaishi, Lindsay; Moss, Helen; Weinstein, Marc; Perrin, Nancy; Rose, Linda; Anger, W Kent; Hanson, Ginger C; Christian, Mervyn; Glass, Nancy

    2013-10-01

    Nominal research has examined sexual harassment and workplace violence against home care workers within consumer-driven home care models such as those offered in Oregon. This study examined home care workers' experiences of violence while providing care to consumer employers, the patients who hire and manage home care workers. Focus groups and interviews were conducted in Oregon with 83 home care workers, 99 Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) employees, and 11 consumer employers. Home care workers reported incidents of workplace physical violence (44%), psychological abuse (65%), sexual harassment (41%), and sexual violence (14%). Further, three themes were identified that may increase the risk of workplace violence: (1) real and perceived barriers to reporting violence; (2) tolerance of violence; and (3) limited training to prevent violence. To ensure worker safety while maintaining quality care, safety policies and training for consumer employers, state DHS employees, and home care workers must be developed. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  5. Business continuity after catastrophic medical events: the Joplin medical business continuity report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlton, Paul K; Bringle, Dottie

    2012-01-01

    On May 22, 2011, The St Johns Mercy Medical Center in Joplin, MO, was destroyed by an F-5 tornado. There were 183 patients in the building at that time in this 367-bed Medical Center. The preparation and response were superbly done and resulted in many lives saved. This report is focused on the reconstitution phase of this disaster response, which includes how to restore business continuity. As 95 percent of our medical capacity resides in the private sector in the United States, we must have a proper plan for how to restore business continuity or face the reality of the medical business failing and not providing critical medical services to the community. A tornado in 2007 destroyed a medical center in Sumter County, GA, and it took more than 365 days to restore business continuity at a cost of $18M. The plan executed by the Mercy Medical System after the disaster in Joplin restored business continuity in 88 days and cost a total of $6.6M, with all assets being reusable. The recommendation from these lessons learned is that every county, state, and Federal Emergency Management Agency region has a plan on the shelf to restore business continuity and the means to be able to do so. The hard work that the State of Missouri and the Mercy Medical System did after this disaster can serve as a model for the nation in how to quickly recover from any loss of medical capability.

  6. Two nursing home outbreaks of respiratory infection with Legionella sainthelensi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loeb, M; Simor, A E; Mandell, L; Krueger, P; McArthur, M; James, M; Walter, S; Richardson, E; Lingley, M; Stout, J; Stronach, D; McGeer, A

    1999-05-01

    To describe outbreaks of infection caused by Legionella sainthelensi occurring in older residents of two nursing homes and to determine risk factors for the development of infection. Descriptive epidemiology and a case-control study. Two nursing homes (140 beds and 254 beds in nursing homes A and B, respectively) located in southern Ontario, Canada, experiencing outbreaks of respiratory tract infection in July and August 1994. Case-residents of the two nursing homes who met clinical and laboratory criteria for Legionella infection. Control-residents were defined as those who were in the homes during the outbreaks and were asymptomatic. Active surveillance was conducted in both nursing homes to identify symptomatic residents. Residents with fever or respiratory tract symptoms had nasopharyngeal swabs taken for viral antigen detection and culture, urine for Legionella antigen detection, and acute and convalescent serology for viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Legionella. Chest X-rays were performed, and an attempt was made to obtain blood and sputum cultures. Water samples from shower heads, faucets, and air conditioning units were collected for Legionella culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. A case-control study was done to assess possible risk factors for legionellosis. Twenty-nine cases -- 17 in nursing home A; 12 in nursing home B - were identified. Four (14%) case-residents had documented pneumonia and four case-residents died. Univariate analysis revealed that a history of stroke (odds ratio (OR) 2.3 (95% CI, 1.0-5.3)), eating pureed food (OR 4.6 (95% CI, 1.6-12.7)), and having fluids administered with medication (OR 2.5 (95% CI, 1.0-5.9)) were significant risk factors. Cases were less likely to wear dentures (OR .4 (95% CI, .2-.9)) or to eat solid food (OR .3, (95% CI, .1-.6)). Only eating pureed food remained significant in a multivariable analysis (OR 4.6 (95% CI, 1.6-13.0, P = .01)). This report describes outbreaks of

  7. Relationship between staff-reported culture change and occupancy rate and organizational commitment among nursing homes in South Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Minhong; Choi, Jae-Sung; Lim, Jinseop; Kim, Young Sun

    2013-04-01

    This study aims to examine culture change in nursing homes in South Korea and to identify the outcomes of culture change implementation. Data were taken from survey responses from 223 top- or mid-level staff among nursing homes in South Korea that were selected through a proportionate random-stratified sampling method from four regions nationwide. Culture change in nursing homes was operationalized by five person-directed care (PDC) constructs and three organizational environment constructs, and outcome quality was indicated by changes to occupancy rate and organizational commitment. After controlling for facility characteristics, the effect of staff-reported culture change on occupancy rate and organizational commitment was analyzed through the multiple-regression method. Consistent with previous research, this study revealed positive effects of culture change for nursing homes in South Korea. The study found that staff-reported culture change correlated with occupancy rate and organizational commitment. Given that culture change variables were significantly related to occupancy rate and organizational commitment, the findings of the study provide a persuasive argument that policies and/or programs to support culture change in nursing homes should be enhanced. Management-level workers in these facilities should have the skills and knowledge to foster more PDC and a more person-directed environment.

  8. Medication Exposure and Risk of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Community-Dwelling Older People and Nursing Home Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haran, John P; Bradley, Evan; Howe, Emily; Wu, Xun; Tjia, Jennifer

    2018-02-01

    It is unclear how medication exposures differ in their association with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI) in elderly nursing home (NH) residents and community-dwelling individuals. This study examined these exposures to determine whether the risk of rCDI differs according to living environment. Retrospective. Academic and community healthcare settings. Individuals aged 65 and older with CDI (N = 616). Information on participant characteristics and medications was extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR). We used separate extended Cox models according to living environment to identify the association between medication use and risk of rCDI. Of the 616 elderly adults treated for CDI, 24.1% of those living in the community and 28.1% of NH residents experienced recurrence within 1 year. For community-dwelling participants, the risk of rCDI was 1.6 times as high with antibiotic exposure and 2.5 times as high with acid-reducing medication exposure, but corticosteroid exposure was associated with a 39% lower risk of recurrence. For NH residents, the risk of rCDI was 2.9 times as high with acid-reducing medication exposure and 5.9 times as high with corticosteroid medication exposure. Antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of recurrence only in community-dwelling participants (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.63, 95% confidence interval = 1.00-2.67). Risk of rCDI is greater with acid-reducing medication use than antibiotic use after initial CDI treatment, although the risk varied depending on living environment. Corticosteroid use is associated with greater risk of recurrence in NH residents but lower risk in community-dwelling elderly adults. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

  9. Late-Life Depression in Home Healthcare

    OpenAIRE

    Pickett, Yolonda; Raue, Patrick J.; Bruce, Martha L.

    2012-01-01

    Major depression is disproportionately common among elderly adults receiving home healthcare and is characterized by greater medical illness, functional impairment, and pain. Depression is persistent in this population and is associated with numerous poor outcomes such as increased risk of hospitalization, injury-producing falls, and higher health care costs. Despite the need for mental health care in these patients, significant barriers unique to the home healthcare setting contribute to und...

  10. Changing Patterns of Glucose-Lowering Medication Use in VA Nursing Home Residents With Diabetes, 2005 to 2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sei J; Stijacic-Cenzer, Irena; Barnhart, Caroline; McClymont, Keelan; Steinman, Michael A

    2015-10-01

    Although nursing home (NH) residents make up a large and growing proportion of Americans with diabetes mellitus, little is known about how glucose-lowering medications are used in this population. We sought to examine glucose-lowering medication use in Veterans Affairs (VA) NH residents with diabetes between 2005 and 2011. Retrospective cohort study, using linked laboratory, pharmacy, administrative, and NH Minimum Dataset (MDS) 2.0 databases in 123 VA NHs. A total of 9431 long-stay (>90 days) VA NH residents older than 65 followed for 52,313 person-quarters. We identified receipt of glucose-lowering medications, including insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and others (alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, meglitinides, glucagonlike peptide-1 analogs, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and amylin analogs) per quarter. The rates of sulfonylurea use in long-stay NH residents dropped dramatically from 24% in 2005 to 12% in 2011 (P use (10% to 2%, P use in 2007 (4% to Metformin use was stable, ranging between 7% and 9% (P = .24). Insulin use increased slightly from 30% to 32% (P Use of other classes of glucose-lowering medications was stable (P = .22) and low, remaining below 1.3%. Between 2005 and 2011, there were dramatic declines in use of sulfonylureas and thiazolidinediones in VA NH residents, suggesting that prescribing practices can be quickly changed in this setting. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. Analysis of Inappropriate Admissions of Residents of Medicalized Nursing Homes to Emergency Departments: A Prospective Multicenter Study in Burgundy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manckoundia, Patrick; Menu, Didier; Turcu, Alin; Honnart, Didier; Rossignol, Sylvie; Alixant, Jean-Christophe; Sylvestre, Franck-Henry; Bailly, Vanessa; Dion, Michèle; Putot, Alain

    2016-07-01

    To determine the rate of inappropriate admissions to emergency departments (EDs) and to identify determinants of these admissions. Prospective multicenter study. Burgundy (France), EDs and medical nursing homes (MNHs). 1000 Burgundy MNH residents admitted to EDs, from April 17 to June 20, 2013. For each subject, a questionnaire was completed. Data included age, gender, type of health professional who referred the resident to the ED (THP), whether or not a medical dispatcher organized the transfer to the ED, transport mode, reason for admission to the ED, level of independence according to the Groupes Iso-Ressource score (GIRS), and diagnosis made in the ED. The French version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol grid was applied to each admission to the ED, and in some situations, the expert committee ruled on the appropriateness of the admission to the ED. MNH characteristics were also recorded. Two groups were constituted according to the appropriateness or not of admission to the ED. Mean age of the 1000 residents was 87. There were 706 women. Two-thirds were referred to the EDs by a physician, mainly a general practitioner. In 91.7%, the transfer to the ED was organized by a medical dispatcher, and 8.8% were transported by medicalized transport. More than 95% had a GIRS ≤4. Among the admissions to EDs, 18.1% were inappropriate. Female gender (P = .017), nonmedicalized transport (P = .002), public MNH (P = .044), and nonaccess to a geriatric opinion in an emergency (P = .043) were determinants of inappropriate admission to EDs. In this first study on admissions to EDs of MNH residents using French data, we found a lower rate of admissions to the ED than that reported in the literature. Female gender, nonmedicalized transport, public MNH, and nonaccess to a geriatric opinion in an emergency were associated with inappropriate admission to EDs. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier

  12. The use of Latin terminology in medical case reports: quantitative, structural, and thematic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lysanets, Yuliia V; Bieliaieva, Olena M

    2018-02-23

    This paper focuses on the prevalence of Latin terms and terminological collocations in the issues of Journal of Medical Case Reports (February 2007-August 2017) and discusses the role of Latin terminology in the contemporary process of writing medical case reports. The objective of the research is to study the frequency of using Latin terminology in English-language medical case reports, thus providing relevant guidelines for medical professionals who deal with this genre and drawing their attention to the peculiarities of using Latin in case reports. The selected medical case reports are considered, using methods of quantitative examination and structural, narrative, and contextual analyses. We developed structural and thematic typologies of Latin terms and expressions, and we conducted a quantitative analysis that enabled us to observe the tendencies in using these lexical units in medical case reports. The research revealed that the use of Latin fully complies with the communicative strategies of medical case reports as a genre. Owing to the fact that Latin medical lexis is internationally adopted and understood worldwide, it promotes the conciseness of medical case reports, as well as contributes to their narrative style and educational intentions. The adequate use of Latin terms in medical case reports is an essential prerequisite of effective sharing of one's clinical findings with fellow researchers from all over the world. Therefore, it is highly important to draw students' attention to Latin terms and expressions that are used in medical case reports most frequently. Hence, the analysis of structural, thematic, and contextual features of Latin terms in case reports should be an integral part of curricula at medical universities.

  13. A Comparison of Self-Reported Hearing Handicap and Audiometric Thresholds in Nursing Home Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nematolla Rouhbakhsh

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Self-reported and questionaire method for hearing impairment assessment allow us to study and to detect the invisible related issues, while They can not be done by traditional audiometry procedures. The purpose of this study is to compare measurement of hearing handicap using self-reported and staff version of NHHI and hearing thresholds in nursing home residents. Materials and Method: The study participants were 43 individuals, 23 males and 20 females, aged 45-95 years. Pure tone average were calculated after conventional Pure tone audiometry . the self- and staff- reported questionnaire were also fulfilled. Results: Nine (20.9% individuals have normal hearing, 6 (14% have slight, 10 (23.3% mild, 7 (16.3% moderate, 6 (16.3% moderate to severe, 4 (9.3% severe, and 1 (2.3% profound hearing loss. Mean score of self and of staff reported versions were 32.22 % +29.31 and 32.67% +30.98, respectively. According to Kruskal-wallis test, there were significant correlation between self-reported and hearing level and between staff-reported and hearing level. The Pierson coefficient variation test between self and staff-reported, and self-reported and hearing level, staff-reported and hearing level showed significant correlation. Conclusion: The NHHI self assessment associated with other equipments significantly improved the identification and assessment of adults and elderly hearing handicap in nursing home residents. According to the study condition, it may be concluded that the self and staff version of NHHI questionnaire are significantly identical and can be used instead.

  14. Evaluating the Impact of Information Technology Tools to Support the Asthma Medical Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matiz, L Adriana; Robbins-Milne, Laura; Krause, M Christine; Peretz, Patricia J; Rausch, John C

    2016-02-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the impact of information technology tools on the outcomes of children with asthma in the medical home. A registry was established for children aged 4 to 18 years with an ICD-9 code for asthma. Changes to the electronic health record included modifications to notes, care plans, and orders. A retrospective analysis of emergency department and in-patient utilization for a cohort of patients was conducted from July 2009 through June 2013. Of the study population (n = 1217), 65% had a classification of asthma severity and 63% were risk-stratified. Seventy percent had a control assessment at least once. Care plan use increased from 5% to 22% and enrollment in care coordination increased from 0.1% to 4%. After 3 years, there was a reduction of emergency department and inpatient admissions for asthma (P information technology tools was associated with improved asthma outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. Testing an app for reporting health concerns-Experiences from older people and home care nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Göransson, Carina; Eriksson, Irene; Ziegert, Kristina; Wengström, Yvonne; Langius-Eklöf, Ann; Brovall, Maria; Kihlgren, Annica; Blomberg, Karin

    2017-12-05

    To explore the experiences of using an app among older people with home-based health care and their nurses. Few information and communication technology innovations have been developed and tested for older people with chronic conditions living at home with home-based health care support. Innovative ways to support older people's health and self-care are needed. Explorative qualitative design. For 3 months to report health concerns, older people receiving home-based health care used an interactive app, which included direct access to self-care advice, graphs and a risk assessment model that sends alerts to nurses for rapid management. Interviews with older people (n = 17) and focus group discussions with home care nurses (n = 12) were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that a process occurs. Using the app, the older people participated in their care, and the app enabled learning and a new way of communication. The interaction gave a sense of security and increased self-confidence among older people. The home care nurses viewed the alerts as appropriate for the management of health concerns. However, all participants experienced challenges in using new technology and had suggestions for improvement. The use of an app appears to increase the older people's participation in their health care and offers them an opportunity to be an active partner in their care. The app as a new way to interact with home care nurses increased the feeling of security. The older people were motivated to learn to use the app and described potential use for it in the future. The use of an app should be considered as a useful information and communication technology innovation that can improve communication and accessibility for older people with home-based health care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Solid medical waste: a cross sectional study of household disposal practices and reported harm in Southern Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udofia, Emilia Asuquo; Gulis, Gabriel; Fobil, Julius

    2017-05-18

    Solid medical waste (SMW) in households is perceived to pose minimal risks to the public compared to SMW generated from healthcare facilities. While waste from healthcare facilities is subject to recommended safety measures to minimize risks to human health and the environment, similar waste in households is often untreated and co-mingled with household waste which ends up in landfills and open dumps in many African countries. In Ghana, the management of this potentially hazardous waste stream at household and community level has not been widely reported. The objective of this study was to investigate household disposal practices and harm resulting from SMW generated in households and the community. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 600 households was undertaken in Ga South Municipal Assembly in Accra, Ghana from mid-April to June, 2014. Factors investigated included socio-demographic characteristics, medication related practices, the belief that one is at risk of diseases associated with SMW, SMW disposal practices and reported harm associated with SMW at home and in the community. Eighty percent and 89% of respondents discarded unwanted medicines and sharps in household refuse bins respectively. A corresponding 23% and 35% of respondents discarded these items without a container. Harm from SMW in the household and in the community was reported by 5% and 3% of respondents respectively. Persons who believed they were at risk of diseases associated with SMW were nearly three times more likely to report harm in the household (OR 2.75, 95%CI 1.15-6.54). The belief that one can be harmed by diseases associated with SMW influenced reporting rates in the study area. Disposal practices suggest the presence of unwanted medicines and sharps in the household waste stream conferring on it hazardous properties. Given the low rates of harm reported, elimination of preventable harm might justify community intervention.

  17. Household storage of medicines and self-medication practices in south-east Islamic Republic of Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foroutan, B; Foroutan, R

    2014-10-12

    Self-medication and inappropriate storage of medicines at home are potential health risks. This crosssectional study in south-east Islamic Republic of Iran in 2010 aimed to determine where householders kept their medicines and to assess the frequency and determinants of self-medication. Householders from different parts of Birjand city (n = 500) were visited and completed a semi-structured questionnaire. Analgesics were the most common medicines stored at home, followed by adult cold remedies and antibiotics. The refrigerator was the most common place for storing medicines (50.6%). Most householders did not consult the package inserts. Many householders (53.6%) reported that they practised self-medication, and the frequency of reuse of physicianprescribed antibiotics was high. There was a significant association between self-medication and educational level but not with age, sex, martial status, occupation and type of insurance. Better public knowledge and information about storage and risks of reuse of prescription medications is needed.

  18. Health physics, safety and medical services report for 1989

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burt, A.K.; Bird, R.W.

    1990-09-01

    The Health Physics, Safety and Medical Services Report for Harwell Laboratory for 1989 includes data on the monitoring of the working environment, personnel monitoring, radiological incidents, disposal of radioactive waste and protection of the public. Work on emergency planning, non-radiological health and safety, occupational hygiene, operations support is also discussed. Finally the medical services available and the medical examinations performed are described. (UK)

  19. Contemporary Issues in Medicine--Medical Informatics and Population Health: Report II of the Medical School Objectives Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Academic Medicine, 1999

    1999-01-01

    The report of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Medical School Objectives Program presents the work of two expert panels. One, on medical informatics, identified five important physician roles: lifelong learner, clinician, educator, researcher, and manager. Another panel established a definition for "population health…

  20. Health Physics and Medical Services report for 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burt, A.K.; Bird, R.W.

    1987-09-01

    A Health Physics and Medical Services report is presented for Harwell Laboratory for 1986. Health physics aspects covered include safety policy and organisation, monitoring results for the working environment and personnel, an analysis of radiological incidents and radioactive waste disposal, and protection of the public. Other non-radiological aspects of health and safety are briefly considered. The section on Medical Services contains details of the staffing, the types of medical examinations performed, the treatments received, work on the safety of asbestos and manmade mineral fibres and training and education programmes. (UK)

  1. Report from the third international consensus meeting to harmonise core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME)

    OpenAIRE

    Chalmers, JR; Schmitt, J; Apfelbacher, C; Dohil, M; Eichenfield, LF; Simpson, EL; Singh, J; Spuls, P; Thomas, KS; Admani, S; Aoki, V; Ardeleanu, M; Barbarot, S; Berger, T; Bergman, JN

    2014-01-01

    Summary This report provides a summary of the third meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in San Diego, CA, U.S.A., 6?7 April 2013 (HOME III). The meeting addressed the four domains that had previously been agreed should be measured in every eczema clinical trial: clinical signs, patient-reported symptoms, long-term control and quality of life. Formal presentations and nominal group techniques were used at this working meeting, attended by 56 voting par...

  2. Home Care Providers to the Rescue: A Novel First-Responder Programme.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steen M Hansen

    Full Text Available To describe the implementation of a novel first-responder programme in which home care providers equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs were dispatched in parallel with existing emergency medical services in the event of a suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA.We evaluated a one-year prospective study that trained home care providers in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR and using an AED in cases of suspected OHCA. Data were collected from cardiac arrest case files, case files from each provider dispatch and a survey among dispatched providers. The study was conducted in a rural district in Denmark.Home care providers were dispatched to 28 of the 60 OHCAs that occurred in the study period. In ten cases the providers arrived before the ambulance service and subsequently performed CPR. AED analysis was executed in three cases and shock was delivered in one case. For 26 of the 28 cases, the cardiac arrest occurred in a private home. Ninety-five per cent of the providers who had been dispatched to a cardiac arrest reported feeling prepared for managing the initial resuscitation, including use of AED.Home care providers are suited to act as first-responders in predominantly rural and residential districts. Future follow-up will allow further evaluation of home care provider arrivals and patient survival.

  3. Home Care Providers to the Rescue: A Novel First-Responder Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Steen M.; Brøndum, Stig; Thomas, Grethe; Rasmussen, Susanne R.; Kvist, Birgitte; Christensen, Anette; Lyng, Charlotte; Lindberg, Jan; Lauritsen, Torsten L. B.; Lippert, Freddy K.; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Hansen, Poul A.

    2015-01-01

    Aim To describe the implementation of a novel first-responder programme in which home care providers equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were dispatched in parallel with existing emergency medical services in the event of a suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods We evaluated a one-year prospective study that trained home care providers in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an AED in cases of suspected OHCA. Data were collected from cardiac arrest case files, case files from each provider dispatch and a survey among dispatched providers. The study was conducted in a rural district in Denmark. Results Home care providers were dispatched to 28 of the 60 OHCAs that occurred in the study period. In ten cases the providers arrived before the ambulance service and subsequently performed CPR. AED analysis was executed in three cases and shock was delivered in one case. For 26 of the 28 cases, the cardiac arrest occurred in a private home. Ninety-five per cent of the providers who had been dispatched to a cardiac arrest reported feeling prepared for managing the initial resuscitation, including use of AED. Conclusion Home care providers are suited to act as first-responders in predominantly rural and residential districts. Future follow-up will allow further evaluation of home care provider arrivals and patient survival. PMID:26509532

  4. Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT System to Facilitate Self-Care of Patients with Chronic Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Finkelstein

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Successful patient self-management requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes regular patient assessment, disease-specific education, control of medication adherence, implementation of health behavior change models and social support. Existing systems for computer-assisted disease management do not provide this multidisciplinary patient support and do not address treatment compliance issues. We developed the Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT system for patients with different chronic health conditions to facilitate their self-care. The HAT system consists of a home unit, HAT server, and clinician units. Patients at home use a palmtop or a laptop connected with a disease monitor on a regular basis. Each HAT session consists of self-testing, feedback, and educational components. The self-reported symptom data and objective results obtained from disease-specific sensors are automatically sent from patient homes to the HAT server in the hospital. Any web-enabled device can serve as a clinician unit to review patient results. The HAT system monitors self-testing results and patient compliance. The HAT system has been implemented and tested in patients receiving anticoagulation therapy, patients with asthma, COPD and other health conditions. Evaluation results indicated high level of acceptance of the HAT system by the patients and that the system has a positive impact on main clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction with medical care.

  5. Remote Health Care Provision in Care Homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newbould, Louise; Mountain, Gail; Hawley, Mark; Ariss, Steve

    2017-01-01

    A survey was developed to map provision, knowledge, attitudes and views towards videoconferencing in care homes in Yorkshire and The Humber. The survey was sent to 859 care homes, with a 14% response rate. Twelve homes reported using videoconferencing. Non-users appeared skeptical, managers using the system reported improvements in outcomes.

  6. Report from the third international consensus meeting to harmonise core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chalmers, J. R.; Schmitt, J.; Apfelbacher, C.; Dohil, M.; Eichenfield, L. F.; Simpson, E. L.; Singh, J.; Spuls, P.; Thomas, K. S.; Admani, S.; Aoki, V.; Ardeleanu, M.; Barbarot, S.; Berger, T.; Bergman, J. N.; Block, J.; Borok, N.; Burton, T.; Chamlin, S. L.; Deckert, S.; DeKlotz, C. C.; Graff, L. B.; Hanifin, J. M.; Hebert, A. A.; Humphreys, R.; Katoh, N.; Kisa, R. M.; Margolis, D. J.; Merhand, S.; Minnillo, R.; Mizutani, H.; Nankervis, H.; Ohya, Y.; Rodgers, P.; Schram, M. E.; Stalder, J. F.; Svensson, A.; Takaoka, R.; Teper, A.; Tom, W. L.; von Kobyletzki, L.; Weisshaar, E.; Zelt, S.; Williams, H. C.

    2014-01-01

    This report provides a summary of the third meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative held in San Diego, CA, U.S.A., 6-7 April 2013 (HOME III). The meeting addressed the four domains that had previously been agreed should be measured in every eczema clinical trial:

  7. Final Scientific/Technical Report: Context-Aware Smart Home Energy Manager (CASHEM)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foslien, Wendy K. [Honeywell International Inc., Golden Valley, MN (United States); Curtner, Keith L. [Honeywell International Inc., Golden Valley, MN (United States)

    2013-01-15

    Because of growing energy demands and shortages, residential home owners are turning to energy conservation measures and smart home energy management devices to help them reduce energy costs and live more sustainably. In this context, the Honeywell team researched, developed, and tested the Context Aware Smart Home Energy Manager (CASHEM) as a trusted advisor for home energy management. The project focused on connecting multiple devices in a home through a uniform user interface. The design of the user interface was an important feature of the project because it provided a single place for the homeowner to control all devices and was also where they received coaching. CASHEM then used data collected from homes to identify the contexts that affect operation of home appliances. CASHEM's goal was to reduce energy consumption while keeping the user's key needs satisfied. Thus, CASHEM was intended to find the opportunities to minimize energy consumption in a way that fit the user's lifestyle.

  8. Facilitating home birth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finigan, Valerie; Chadderton, Diane

    2015-06-01

    The birth of a baby is a family experience. However, in the United Kingdom birth often occurs outside the family environment, in hospital. Both home and hospital births have risks and benefits, but research shows that, for most women, it is as safe to give birth at home as it is in hospital. Women report home-birth to be satisfying with lowered risks of intervention and less likelihood of being separated from their family. It is also more cost effective for the National Health Service. Yet, whilst midwives are working hard to promote home birth as an option, it remains controversial. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness of the safety of home birth and the needs of women and midwives when a home birth is chosen. It provides an overview of care required and the role of the midwife in the ensuring care is woman-centred and personalised.

  9. The determinants of home healthcare robots adoption: an empirical investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alaiad, Ahmad; Zhou, Lina

    2014-11-01

    Home healthcare robots promise to make clinical information available at the right place and time, thereby reducing error and increasing safety and quality. However, it has been frequently reported that more than 40% of previous information technology (IT) developments have failed or been abandoned due to the lack of understanding of the sociotechnical aspects of IT. Previous home healthcare robots research has focused on technology development and clinical applications. There has been little discussion of associated social, technical and managerial issues that are arguably of equal importance for robot success. To fill this knowledge gap, this research aims to understand the determinants of home healthcare robots adoption from these aspects by applying technology acceptance theories. We employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The participants were recruited from home healthcare agencies located in the U.S. (n=108), which included both patients and healthcare professionals. We collected data via a survey study to test a research model. The usage intention of home healthcare robots is a function of social influence, performance expectancy, trust, privacy concerns, ethical concerns and facilitating conditions. Among them, social influence is the strongest predictor. Monitoring vital signs and facilitating communication with family and medication reminders are the most preferable tasks and applications for robots. Sociotechnical factors play a powerful role in explaining the adoption intention for home healthcare robots. The findings provide insights on how home healthcare service providers and robot designers may improve the success of robot technologies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A description of medication errors reported by pharmacists in a neonatal intensive care unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawluk, Shane; Jaam, Myriam; Hazi, Fatima; Al Hail, Moza Sulaiman; El Kassem, Wessam; Khalifa, Hanan; Thomas, Binny; Abdul Rouf, Pallivalappila

    2017-02-01

    Background Patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are at an increased risk for medication errors. Objective The objective of this study is to describe the nature and setting of medication errors occurring in patients admitted to an NICU in Qatar based on a standard electronic system reported by pharmacists. Setting Neonatal intensive care unit, Doha, Qatar. Method This was a retrospective cross-sectional study on medication errors reported electronically by pharmacists in the NICU between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015. Main outcome measure Data collected included patient information, and incident details including error category, medications involved, and follow-up completed. Results A total of 201 NICU pharmacists-reported medication errors were submitted during the study period. All reported errors did not reach the patient and did not cause harm. Of the errors reported, 98.5% occurred in the prescribing phase of the medication process with 58.7% being due to calculation errors. Overall, 53 different medications were documented in error reports with the anti-infective agents being the most frequently cited. The majority of incidents indicated that the primary prescriber was contacted and the error was resolved before reaching the next phase of the medication process. Conclusion Medication errors reported by pharmacists occur most frequently in the prescribing phase of the medication process. Our data suggest that error reporting systems need to be specific to the population involved. Special attention should be paid to frequently used medications in the NICU as these were responsible for the greatest numbers of medication errors.

  11. Barriers to Medical Error Reporting for Physicians and Nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soydemir, Dilek; Seren Intepeler, Seyda; Mert, Hatice

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of the study was to determine what barriers to error reporting exist for physicians and nurses. The study, of descriptive qualitative design, was conducted with physicians and nurses working at a training and research hospital. In-depth interviews were held with eight physicians and 15 nurses, a total of 23 participants. Physicians and nurses do not choose to report medical errors that they experience or witness. When barriers to error reporting were examined, it was seen that there were four main themes involved: fear, the attitude of administration, barriers related to the system, and the employees' perceptions of error. It is important in terms of preventing medical errors to identify the barriers that keep physicians and nurses from reporting errors.

  12. Law, Ethics, and Conversations between Physicians and Patients about Firearms in the Home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCourt, Alexander D; Vernick, Jon S

    2018-01-01

    Firearms in the home pose a risk to household members, including homicide, suicide, and unintentional deaths. Medical societies urge clinicians to counsel patients about those risks as part of sound medical practice. Depending on the circumstances, clinicians might recommend safe firearm storage, temporary removal of the firearm from the home, or other measures. Certain state firearm laws, however, might present legal and ethical challenges for physicians who counsel patients about guns in the home. Specifically, we discuss state background check laws for gun transfers, safe gun storage laws, and laws forbidding physicians from engaging in certain firearm-related conversations with their patients. Medical professionals should be aware of these and other state gun laws but should offer anticipatory guidance when clinically appropriate. © 2018 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

  13. Enhanced risk prediction model for emergency department use and hospitalizations in patients in a primary care medical home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Paul Y; Heien, Herbert C; Sangaralingham, Lindsey R; Shah, Nilay D; Naessens, James M

    2016-07-01

    With the advent of healthcare payment reform, identifying high-risk populations has become more important to providers. Existing risk-prediction models often focus on chronic conditions. This study sought to better understand other factors to improve identification of the highest risk population. A retrospective cohort study of a paneled primary care population utilizing 2010 data to calibrate a risk prediction model of hospital and emergency department (ED) use in 2011. Data were randomly split into development and validation data sets. We compared the enhanced model containing the additional risk predictors with the Minnesota medical tiering model. The study was conducted in the primary care practice of an integrated delivery system at an academic medical center in Rochester, Minnesota. The study focus was primary care medical home patients in 2010 and 2011 (n = 84,752), with the primary outcome of subsequent hospitalization or ED visit. A total of 42,384 individuals derived the enhanced risk-prediction model and 42,368 individuals validated the model. Predictors included Adjusted Clinical Groups-based Minnesota medical tiering, patient demographics, insurance status, and prior year healthcare utilization. Additional variables included specific mental and medical conditions, use of high-risk medications, and body mass index. The area under the curve in the enhanced model was 0.705 (95% CI, 0.698-0.712) compared with 0.662 (95% CI, 0.656-0.669) in the Minnesota medical tiering-only model. New high-risk patients in the enhanced model were more likely to have lack of health insurance, presence of Medicaid, diagnosed depression, and prior ED utilization. An enhanced model including additional healthcare-related factors improved the prediction of risk of hospitalization or ED visit.

  14. There is no place like @home!: The value of home consultations in paediatric rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Maren-Suir, I; Ketelaar, M; Brouns, B; van der Sanden, K; Verhoef, M

    2018-07-01

    Family-centred services (FCS) is widely regarded as the best practice approach in early interventions. Creating a therapeutic environment, which also stimulates collaboration between parents and service professionals, is a way to conform to the principles of FCS. The present paper describes the project entitled @home, involving the implementation of home consultations by a specialized team working with children aged 0-5 years at our rehabilitation centre in the Netherlands. The objectives of this article are to (a) describe the development and implementation of home consultations as part of regular care and (b) share the experiences of parents and service providers with home consultations. The implementation process was divided into 3 steps: (1) interviewing experts, (2) adjusting current rehabilitation trajectories, and (3) service providers offering consultations to children at home. The experiences with the home consultations were immediately incorporated in the system, making the implementation an iterative process. In 82% of the 133 home conducted consultations, the service professionals reported that it was more valuable to offer home consultations than seeing the child at the rehabilitation centre. The semistructured interviews revealed that parents and service providers found that they received and provided more tailored advice, perceived a more equal partnership between service professionals and parents, and reported that the home consultations provided a good natural therapeutic environment where a child can be itself and where the child performs best. By using the @home system based on the 3 service models, home consultations are now part of the regular paediatric rehabilitation system at our rehabilitation centre. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Cost-effectiveness of the Australian Medical Sheepskin for the prevention of pressure ulcers in somatic nursing home patients: study protocol for a prospective multi-centre randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN17553857).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mistiaen, Patriek; Achterberg, Wilco; Ament, Andre; Halfens, Ruud; Huizinga, Janneke; Montgomery, Ken; Post, Henri; Francke, Anneke L

    2008-01-07

    Pressure ulcers are a major problem, especially in nursing home patients, although they are regarded as preventable and there are many pressure relieving methods and materials. One such pressure relieving material is the recently developed Australian Medical Sheepskin, which has been shown in two randomized controlled trials 12 to be an effective intervention in the prevention of sacral pressure ulcers in hospital patients. However, the use of sheepskins has been debated and in general discouraged by most pressure ulcer working groups and pressure ulcer guidelines, but these debates were based on old forms of sheepskins. Furthermore, nothing is yet known about the (cost-)effectiveness of the Australian Medical sheepskin in nursing home patients. The objective of this study is to assess the effects and costs of the use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin combined with usual care with regard to the prevention of sacral pressure ulcers in somatic nursing home patients, versus usual care only. In a multi-centre randomised controlled trial 750 patients admitted for a primarily somatic reason to one of the five participating nursing homes, and not having pressure ulcers on the sacrum at admission, will be randomized to either usual care only or usual care plus the use of the Australian Medical Sheepskin as an overlay on the mattress. Outcome measures are: incidence of sacral pressure ulcers in the first month after admission; sacrum pressure ulcer free days; costs; patient comfort; and ease of use. The skin of all the patients will be observed once a day from admission on for 30 days. Patient characteristics and pressure risk scores are assessed at admission and at day 30 after it. Additional to the empirical phase, systematic reviews will be performed in order to obtain data for economic weighting and modelling. The protocol is registered in the Controlled Trial Register as ISRCTN17553857.

  16. Medical tourism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leggat, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Medical tourism is a burgeoning industry in our region. It involves patients travelling outside of their home country for medical treatment. This article provides an outline of the current research around medical tourism, especially its impact on Australians. Patients are increasingly seeking a variety of medical treatments abroad, particularly those involving cosmetic surgery and dental treatment, often in countries in South-East Asia. Adverse events may occur during medical treatment abroad, which raises medico-legal and insurance issues, as well as concerns regarding follow-up of patients. General practitioners need to be prepared to offer advice, including travel health advice, to patients seeking medical treatment abroad.

  17. Report on a comprehensive research study (home welfare apparatus system - interface); Sogo chosa kenkyu (zaitaku fukushi kiki system - interface) hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    In the light of the increasing role of welfare at home with the advance of the aging society, the paper conducted an investigational study on the R and D of the home welfare apparatus system - interface. In the study, making the most of the leading home care apparatus systems (welfare technohouses) installed at seven places in the country, the paper carried out a stay experiment on how the life is in the welfare house into which home welfare apparatus is integrated, and an experiment to assess biological data on aged people. Especially as to the support apparatus used for smooth life motions in houses such as movement, excretion and bathing, examined were the linkage with house bodies, care apparatus used, mutual interface with welfare apparatus, etc. By the experiments to assess these home welfare apparatus, an analytical study was conducted on the points to be improved in welfare apparatus and housing equipment, and at the same time on the course of the research/development. Concerning a system for the research study, a research promotion committee was established in Technology Research Association of Medical and Welfare Apparatus, the members of which are learned persons from the industrial circle, the government and universities. 111 figs., 36 tabs.

  18. Assessing explicit error reporting in the narrative electronic medical record using keyword searching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Hui; Stetson, Peter; Hripcsak, George

    2003-01-01

    Many types of medical errors occur in and outside of hospitals, some of which have very serious consequences and increase cost. Identifying errors is a critical step for managing and preventing them. In this study, we assessed the explicit reporting of medical errors in the electronic record. We used five search terms "mistake," "error," "incorrect," "inadvertent," and "iatrogenic" to survey several sets of narrative reports including discharge summaries, sign-out notes, and outpatient notes from 1991 to 2000. We manually reviewed all the positive cases and identified them based on the reporting of physicians. We identified 222 explicitly reported medical errors. The positive predictive value varied with different keywords. In general, the positive predictive value for each keyword was low, ranging from 3.4 to 24.4%. Therapeutic-related errors were the most common reported errors and these reported therapeutic-related errors were mainly medication errors. Keyword searches combined with manual review indicated some medical errors that were reported in medical records. It had a low sensitivity and a moderate positive predictive value, which varied by search term. Physicians were most likely to record errors in the Hospital Course and History of Present Illness sections of discharge summaries. The reported errors in medical records covered a broad range and were related to several types of care providers as well as non-health care professionals.

  19. Effects of Pharmacist-Led Patient Education on Diabetes-Related Knowledge and Medication Adherence: A Home-Based Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Ee Pin; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Saleem, Fahad; Aljadhey, Hisham

    2016-01-01

    Objective: Patient education is key to the management of acute and chronic conditions. However, the majority of such educational interventions have been reported from health-care settings. In contrast, this study aims to evaluate whether a home-based intervention can result in better understanding about type 2 diabetes mellitus and can increase…

  20. Maximizing the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by Choosing Words Wisely.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Jenna; Etz, Rebecca S; Crocker, J Benjamin; Skinner, Daniel; Kelleher, Kelly J; Hahn, Karissa A; Miller, William L; Crabtree, Benjamin F

    2016-01-01

    Culture is transmitted through language and reflects a group's values, yet much of the current language used to describe the new patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a carryover from the traditional, physician-centric model of care. This language creates a subtle yet powerful force that can perpetuate the status quo, despite transformation efforts. This article describes new terminology that some innovative primary care practices are using to support the transformational culture of the PCMH. Data come from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded Working Conference for PCMH Innovation 2013, which convened 10 innovative practices and interdisciplinary content experts to discuss innovative practice redesign. Session and interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify patterns and explore their significance. Language innovations are used by 5 practices. Carefully selected terms facilitate creative reimagining of traditional roles and spaces through connotations that highlight practice goals. Participants felt that the language used was important for reinforcing substantive changes. Reworking well-established vernacular requires openness to change. True transformation does not, however, occur through a simple relabeling of old concepts. New terminology must represent values to which practices genuinely aspire, although caution is advised when using language to support cultural and clinical change. © Copyright 2016 by the American Board of Family Medicine.