Journal for Healthcare Quality最新文献

Abstract: Smoking is a preventable cause of death and morbidity. A department-wide quality improvement initiative was implemented to increase smoking cessation counseling and referral rates as part of a composite metric, which was tied to a faculty incentive. Eligible individuals were current smokers seen in any of 52 internal medicine clinics for a 12-month period. An infographic, a quality improvement newsletter, and outreach to leadership were used to increase awareness about the metric to stakeholders and to provide example workflows. To satisfy the metric, clinic staff offered a nicotine cessation clinic referral to tobacco users at the time of rooming in. If patients agreed, a referral order was pended for the provider to sign. If patients did not agree, literature on smoking cessation was appended to a patient's after-visit summary. Smoking cessation counseling was then documented in the electronic medical record. Rates were serially monitored at the individual clinic and health system level on a centralized, cloud-based dashboard. For a 12-month period, the composite of smoking cessation counseling and referral rates rose from a baseline of 8.6% to 25.6%. Referrals to nicotine cessation clinics increased during the first half of the period but did not during the second half.

Objective: In 2022, our pediatric and women's medical center observed a 166.67% increase in central line bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in the pediatric population. A quality-focused group was initiated to implement changes to reduce CLABSIs.

Methods: Hand hygiene compliance, creating resource tools, implementing CLABSI prevention competencies, and CLABSI bundle audits were used as interventions.

Results: Our institution's CLABSI rate decreased 71% from 1.59 CLABSIs per 1,000 central line days in 2022 to 0.46 CLABSIs per 1,000 central line days in 2023.

Conclusions: A multifaceted approach with unit focus allowed our institution to decrease the number of CLABSIs in the pediatric and neonatal units.

Introduction: Minimally invasive innovations enhance procedural technology. However, healthcare quality demands addressing mental and physical workloads. This study analyzes flow disruptions uncovering specialty-specific patterns and systemic weaknesses, to enhance quality, processes, and patient safety.

Methods: Twenty-five cardiovascular, 40 orthopedic, 65 trauma care, and 30 neurosurgical cases were examined. The data were categorized using human factor taxonomy, and descriptive statistics were applied.

Results: Comparing the four specialties using RIPCORD TWA taxonomy, cardiovascular and trauma care were translated into one disruption every 2.2 minutes, followed by neurosurgery with one disruption every 2.7 minutes and orthopedics with one disruption every 3.7 minutes. Interruptions were the highest percentage for cardiovascular and orthopedics, with 54% and 46% of flow disruptions. Trauma care was heavily affected by communication flow disruption with 33%. Layout and coordination issues accumulate 26% of flow disruptions in neurosurgery.

Conclusions: Cardiovascular, orthopedics, trauma care, and neurosurgery each feature distinct workflows, risks, and teamwork dynamics, demanding tailored process improvements. By analyzing flow disruptions and systemic weaknesses, this study highlights patterns unique to each specialty, advocating for tailored interventions to enhance communication, coordination, layout optimization, and equipment usability for improved surgical safety and quality.

Abstract: High-quality documentation is vital for efficient patient care. This study aimed to enhance documentation clarity in the acute medical unit (AMU) at our local institution and to improve job completion rates and reduce missed jobs per patient per day (JPD). From January 26 to April 10, 2024, we collected data on 606 patients and 2,298 jobs. Four collaborators documented patient plans using either Standard Documentation or a novel Role-Specific Documentation. Standard Documentation used a single "Plan" heading, while Role-Specific Documentation used specific headings for "Doctors," "Nurses," and "MDT" (Multidisciplinary Team). Data were analyzed using Student t-test (p < .05). Standard Documentation group documented 1,291 jobs for 345 patients; Role-Specific Documentation group documented 1,007 jobs for 261 patients. Role-Specific Documentation had fewer missed jobs (147 vs. 294, p = .0002) and a higher percentage of completed jobs (85.74% vs. 77.99%, p = .0003). Although total job completion showed no significant difference, Role-Specific Documentation had more completed JPD (3.47 vs. 2.94, p = .0052). The Role-Specific Documentation system improved job completion and reduced missed JPD. Despite fewer patients, the new system proved more efficient, suggesting potential for wider adoption. Future studies should explore the documentation methods' impact on clinical outcomes and operational metrics.

Abstract: This study aims to identify if there are significant differences in hospital quality measures between hip fracture patients who were treated under the management of a dedicated Hip Fracture Care Coordinator (HFCC) and those who were not. An institutional review board-approved hip fracture registry was queried for patients who were admitted at an orthopedic hospital under the care of HFCC from October 2021 to April 2023 (2.5 years). A comparison cohort of patients was obtained from reviewing patients in the 2.5 years (April 2019-October 2021) before the hiring of the HFCC. Univariable comparisons and multivariable regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of the HFCC on outcomes such as hospital quality measures, inpatient complications, discharge location, and readmission and mortality rates. One thousand fifty-six hip fracture patients were identified: 532 (50.4%) without-HFCC and 524 (49.6%) HFCC. When controlling for covariates using binary logistic regression, the presence of an HFCC was associated with a higher likelihood of home discharge (odds ratio = 2.481, p < .001). Regression analyses demonstrated similar benefits of the HFCC with outcome variables such as intensive care unit stay (p < .001) and time to surgery (p < .001). This study demonstrates an association between the HFCC and improved outcomes for both patients and the hospital system.

Inroduction: To outline why access to care should be central to quality improvement efforts across health systems while identifying patient-centric strategies that could be used.

Methods: This study was designed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols statement. A literature search of original peer-reviewed publications was undertaken to identify studies pertaining to the benefits of healthcare access in the setting of patient care. Articles published from January 2013 to January 2023 were included. An interpretive synthesis was then presented.

Results: A total of 61 peer-reviewed studies were identified and differed significantly in their clinical design, methods, and endpoints. The core themes could be broadly categorized into the following: health outcomes (N = 32), patient satisfaction or experience (N = 15), operational efficiency (N = 7), and cost containment (N = 7). Twelve publications focused at least in part on equity issues, structural racism, and/or implicit bias; and five publications addressed disparities in education and/or technical literacy.

Conclusions: Access to healthcare affects quality of care, impacts the patient experience, and influences health outcomes and is a fundamental stalwart of value-based medicine.

Introduction: Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total hip and knee arthroplasty (TJA) is a major cause of morbidity in orthopedics. Fully specified quality measures for PJI diagnosis are lacking. We aimed to specify and evaluate electronic clinical quality measures (eCQM) across different healthcare institutions.

Methods: Measures were specified using an iterative process through which elements in the measures were identified and evaluated, and their capture optimized in the electronic health record (EHR). Measures were then retrospectively tested at three institutions. Performance on the measures at each institution, and across surgeons at one, was also assessed. Qualitative interviews with each institution identified technical, structural, and clinical reasons for poor performance on the measures.

Results: Four of the five eCQMs could be implemented within the EHRs. Wide variations were found in measure performance. Qualitative interviews revealed differences in EHR coding, data not being shared within institutions, and focus on specific tests within the testing set as reasons for poor performance.

Conclusions: Significant variability in posthetic joint infection eCQMs exists, driven both by variations in data availability and clinical practice. Electronic clinical quality measures hold significant potential to enhance diagnostic quality measurement, but successful implementation is highly dependent on process standardization, data accuracy, and adaptation of measures across healthcare settings.

Abstract: Patient throughput issues are of significant concern for U.S. hospitals and have serious implications for patient care quality and safety as well as hospital finances. In 2021, leaders of a community hospital commissioned a quality improvement team to address a bottleneck of patients in the emergency department (ED). The bottleneck was causing significant increases in the number of hours patients were held in the ED because of a lack of available inpatient beds. The team used the DMAIC improvement framework to analyze patient flow challenges across the hospital, design an evidence-based set of interventions, and measure improvements. Analysis revealed problems with communication breakdowns and workflow silos, discharge predictability, readiness of patients for discharge, timeliness of discharges, and lack of standardization in patient hand-offs and documentation processes. Addressing these issues resulted in patient throughput improvements including a reduction of greater than 75% in monthly ED hold hours after implementation.

Introduction: Risk of stroke is greater in patients with atrial fibrillation. Anticoagulation is effective at decreasing risk, yet 40-50% of eligible patients are not prescribed anticoagulation and seem to have a concerning gap in care quality. This quality improvement initiative implemented a pharmacist-led approach to identify, verify, and close apparent anticoagulation treatment gaps.

Methods: We included adult primary care patients with diagnosis of atrial fibrillation; congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years (doubled), diabetes, stroke/transient ischemic attack (doubled), vascular disease, age 65-74 years, and sex (female) (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc) score of at least 2, and no current anticoagulant use. We identified patients using claims and electronic health record data and evaluated explanations through chart review and provider contact. A provider outreach protocol was developed and implemented to address opportunities for anticoagulation.

Results: Of 242 patients with an apparent gap, 84% had a verified treatment gap. However, 86% of verified treatment gaps were explained through pharmacist chart review and outreach to providers, and they did not require further action. Explanations included spontaneous resolution of atrial fibrillation, patient declining treatment, completion of a procedure to correct atrial fibrillation or mitigate stroke risk, and high bleeding risk.

Conclusions: Relying solely on claims- and electronic health record-based algorithms may substantially overestimate gaps in care quality.

Abstract: Since 2011, hospitals in the United States have used the Total Harm Rate as a metric to address and enhance patient safety by mitigating harmful events. However, upon evaluation, it was concluded that this tool had lost its validity and was not widely used as an effective measure to prevent harm to patients. There are no similar comparative data in the literature to which we can compare our results with others. The Quality Management Performance Improvement team began to develop a composite safety score that would be used to reflect the environment of patient safety and promote improvement opportunities.