Comparison of stress experienced by family members of patients treated in hospital at home with that of those receiving traditional acute hospital care

OBJECTIVES: To compare differences in the stress experienced by family members of patients cared for in a physician-led substitutive Hospital at Home (HaH) and those receiving traditional acute hospital care.
DESIGN: Survey questionnaire completed as a component of a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial of a substitutive HaH care model.
SETTING: Three Medicare managed care health systems and a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred fourteen community-dwelling elderly patients who required acute hospital admission for community-acquired pneumonia, exacerbation of chronic heart failure, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or cellulitis.
INTERVENTION: Treatment in a substitutive HaH model.
MEASUREMENTS: Fifteen-question survey questionnaire asking family members whether they experienced a potentially stressful situation and, if so, whether stress was associated with the situation while the patient received care.
RESULTS: The mean and median number of experiences, of a possible 15, that caused stress for family members of HaH patients was significantly lower than for family members of acute care hospital patients (mean ± standard deviation 1.7 ± 1.8 vs 4.3 ± 3.1, P <.001; median 1 vs 4, P <.001). HaH care was associated with lower odds of developing mean levels of family member stress (adjusted odds ratio=0.12, 95% confidence interval=0.05–0.30).
CONCLUSION: HaH is associated with lower levels of family member stress than traditional acute hospital care and does not appear to shift the burden of care from hospital staff to family members.     

Substitutive "hospital at home" versus inpatient care for elderly patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a prospective randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate hospital readmission rates and mortality at 6-month follow-up in selected elderly patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
DESIGN: Prospective randomized, controlled, single-blind trial with 6-month follow-up.
SETTING: San Giovanni Battista Hospital of Torino.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred four elderly patients admitted to the hospital for acute exacerbation of COPD were randomly assigned to a general medical ward (GMW, n=52) or to a geriatric home hospitalization service (GHHS, n=52).
MEASUREMENTS: Measurements of baseline sociodemographic information; clinical data; functional, cognitive, and nutritional status; depression; and quality of life were obtained.
RESULTS: There was a lower incidence of hospital readmissions for GHHS patients than for GMW patients at 6-month follow-up (42% vs 87%, P <.001). Cumulative mortality at 6 months was 20.2% in the total sample, without significant differences between the two study groups. Patients managed in the GHHS had a longer mean length of stay than those cared for in the GMW (15.5±9.5 vs 11.0±7.9 days, P =.010). Only GHHS patients experienced improvements in depression and quality-of-life scores. On a cost per patient per day basis, GHHS costs were lower than costs in GMW ($101.4±61.3 vs $151.7±96.4, P =.002).
CONCLUSION: Physician-led substitutive hospital-at-home care as an alternative to inpatient care for elderly patients with acute exacerbations of COPD is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of hospital readmission at 6 months, lower healthcare costs, and better quality of life.     

Satisfaction with end-of-life care for nursing home residents with advanced dementia

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with satisfaction with care for healthcare proxies (HCPs) of nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Thirteen NHs in Boston. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-eight NH residents aged 65 and older with advanced dementia and their formally designated HCPs. MASUREMENTS: The dependent variable was HCPs' score on the Satisfaction With Care at the End of Life in Dementia (SWC-EOLD) scale (range 10-40; higher scores indicate greater satisfaction). Resident characteristics analyzed as independent variables were demographic information, functional and cognitive status, comfort, tube feeding, and advance care planning. HCP characteristics were demographic information, health status, mood, advance care planning, and communication. Multivariate stepwise linear regression was used to identify factors independently associated with higher SWC-EOLD score. RESULTS: The mean ages+/-standard deviation of the 148 residents and HCPs were 85.0+/-8.1 and 59.1+/-11.7, respectively. The mean SWC-EOLD score was 31.0+/-4.2. After multivariate adjustment, variables independently associated with greater satisfaction were more than 15 minutes discussing advance directives with a care provider at the time of NH admission (parameter estimate=2.39, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.16-3.61, P<.001), greater resident comfort (parameter estimate=0.10, 95% CI=0.02-0.17, P=.01), care in a specialized dementia unit (parameter estimate=1.48, 95% CI=0.25-2.71, P=.02), and no feeding tube (parameter estimate=2.87, 95% CI=0.46-5.25, P=.02). CONCLUSION: Better communication, greater resident comfort, no tube feeding, and care in a specialized dementia unit are modifiable factors that may improve satisfaction with care in advanced dementia.     

Cost‐Effectiveness of a Barcelona Home Care Program for Individuals with Multimorbidity

To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care and optimize healthcare resources, a home healthcare program was created for individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 261 individuals (mean age 84) included in the program from its inception in 2011 through 2013 (mean stay in the program 203 ± 192 days) were prospectively analyzed. The number of hospital admissions, length of stay, and costs for individuals admitted to the program were compared for two time periods: the 6 months before admission to the program and their stay in the program. After admission to the program, the number of hospital admissions and the hospital length of stay per person per month decreased from 0.36 ± 0.21 to 0.19 ± 0.52 (P < .001) and from 3.5 to 1 day (P < .001), respectively. Surveys of randomly selected patients and caregivers showed high satisfaction with the program. Costs per person per day decreased from €54.65 (US$73.12) to €17.91 (US$23.96), a reduction of 67.1%. Fewer admissions and shorter hospital stays enabled the hospital to eliminate five acute beds for every 50 individuals admitted to the program. In conclusion, home care for individuals with chronic illness with multimorbidity reduced the number of hospital admissions and length of stay, resulting in good patient satisfaction and lower costs.     

Satisfaction with ambulatory care of persons with AIDS

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation of patient characteristics and site of care to the perception of ambulatory care quality by persons with AIDS (PWAs). DESIGN: Patient surveys and medical record review were used to determine PWAs’ perceptions of their ambulatory care, self-perceived health status, primary care relationships, sociodemographic characteristics, and severity of illness. SETTING: A public-hospital HIV clinic, an academic group practice, and a staff-model health maintenance organization (HMO) that together care for 20% of all Massachusetts PWAs. PATIENTS: All active patients as of February 12, 1990, and all new AIDS patients at each of the three sites during the subsequent 13 months. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN BESULTS: The primary outcome measure was a six-item scale of patient-rated quality of care (PRQC), a newly developed measure that combined patients’ ratings of their physician care, nursing care, involvement in medical decisions, and overall quality of care. Multiple logistic regression was carried out with low PRQC (lowest quart He) as the dependent variable, to identify correlates of patient perceptions of poor quality. Patients who had a primary nurse were significantly less likely to have low PRQC scores (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.26 to 0.97). Black patients and patients who used injection drugs were significantly more likely to rate their care in the lowest quartile (OR=2.22, 95% CI=1.04 to 4.78; and OR=2.43, 95% CI=1.13 to 5.23, respectively), as were those who had lower self-perceived health status, after controlling for confounders; no association was found by site or severity. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that primary nursing may be an important determinant of how PWAs rate the quality of their ambulatory care. Furthermore, PWAs who are black or who are injection drug users are less satisfied than are others with the quality of their ambulatory AIDS care. Presented in part at the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine, April 30, 1993, Arlington, Virginia. Supported by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, grant number HS06239.     

Quality of care of nursing home residents hospitalized with heart failure

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the quality of heart failure (HF) care of hospitalized nursing home (NH) residents is different from that of patients admitted from other locations. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Nursing home residents discharged from hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Subjects were discharged with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF in Alabama in 1994. They were categorized as having been admitted from a NH or other locations. Bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for left ventricular function (LVF) evaluation and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use for NH residents relative to nonresidents. Multivariate generalized linear models were developed to determine independence of associations. RESULTS: Subjects (N = 1,067 years) had a mean age +/- standard deviation of 79 +/- 7.4, 60% were female, and 18% were African Americans. Fewer NH residents (n = 95) received LVF evaluation (39% vs 60%, P <.001) and ACE inhibitors (50% vs 72%, P =.111). NH residents had lower odds for LVF evaluation (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.27-0.64). The odds for ACE inhibitor use, although of similar magnitude, did not reach statistical significance (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.12-1.28). After adjustment of patient and care characteristics, admission from a NH was significantly associated with lower LVF evaluation (adjusted OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.49-0.82) but not with ACE inhibitor use (adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.16-2.14). CONCLUSIONS: Quality of HF care received by hospitalized NH residents was lower than that received by others. Further studies are needed to determine reasons for the lack of appropriate evaluation and treatment of NH patients with HF who are admitted to hospitals.     

Factors enabling home death of the elderly in an institution specializing in home medical care: Analysis of apprehension of the bereaved family

Aim:   To determine the factors enabling home death despite caregiver apprehension about home medical care.
Methods:   This study was an anonymous mailed survey of bereaved family members (the caregiver) of patients who died in a home medical care setting provided by an institution specializing in home medical care in Japan (home death rate, ∼80%). We analyzed the relationships between caregiver apprehension about home medical care, overall satisfaction with home medical care and the place of death.
Results:   Higher caregiver apprehension about home medical care and lower overall satisfaction with home medical care were significantly associated with dying in a hospital. In addition, the home death group with apprehension about home medical care significantly rated higher overall satisfaction with home medical care than the hospital death group. Meanwhile, there was no difference in the overall satisfaction with home medical care between those with or without apprehension about home medical care in the home death group. Factors influencing overall satisfaction with home medical care in the home death group with apprehension about home medical care were: (i) being free from pain or symptoms (partial regression coefficient: 0.83); and (ii) fulfilled medical care service system (partial regression coefficient: 0.40).
Conclusion:   These results suggest that caregiver satisfaction with home medical care is an essential factor to enable home death of the patient despite the caregiver apprehension about home medical care.     

To the hospital and back home again: a nurse practitioner-based transitional care program for hospitalized homebound people

Homebound older adults may receive suboptimal care during hospitalizations and transitions home or to postacute settings. This 2-year study describes a nurse practitioner (NP)-led transitional care program embedded within an existing home-based primary care (HBPC) program. The transitional care pilot program was designed to improve coordination and continuity of care, reduce readmissions, garner positive provider feedback, and demonstrate financial benefits through shorter length of stay, lower cost of inpatient stay, and better documentation of patient complexity. A detailed mixed-methods evaluation was conducted to characterize the hospitalized homebound population and investigate provider feedback and program feasibility, effectiveness, and costs. Length of stay (LOS), case-mix index, and admission-related financial costs were compared before and after the intervention using a pre-post design. Structured focus groups were conducted with inpatient and primary care providers to collect feedback on the usefulness of and satisfaction with the program. The program improved communication between home-based primary care providers and inpatient providers of all disciplines and facilitated the timely and accurate transfer of critical patient information. The intervention failed to decrease hospital LOS and readmission rate significantly for people who were hospitalized. The financial implications were reassuring, although future studies are necessary. This model of a NP-led program may be feasible for enhancing inpatient management and transitional care for older adults in HBPC programs and should be considered to augment the HBPC care model.     

Measuring the quality of hospital care: an inventory of indicators

Background: Development of indicators to measure health-care quality has progressed rapidly. This development has, however, rarely occurred in a systematic fashion, and some aspects of care have received more attention than others. The aim of this study is to identify and classify indicators currently in use to measure the quality of care provided by hospitals, and to identify gaps in current measurement.
Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify indicator sets. Indicators were included if they related to hospital care and were clearly being collected and reported to an external body. A two-person independent review was undertaken to classify indicators according to aspects of care provision (structure, process or outcome), dimensions of quality (safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient-centredness and equity), and domain of application (hospital-wide, surgical and non-surgical clinical specialities).
Results: 383 discrete indicators were identified from 22 source organizations or projects. Of these, 27.2% were relevant hospital-wide, 26.1% to surgical patients and 46.7% to non-surgical specialities, departments or diseases. Cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and mental health were the specialities with greatest coverage, while nine clinical specialities had fewer than three specific indicators. Processes of care were measured by 54.0% of indicators and outcomes by 38.9%. Safety and effectiveness were the domains most frequently represented, with relatively few indicators measuring the other dimensions.
Conclusion: Despite the large number of available indicators, significant gaps in measurement still exist. Development of indicators to address these gaps should be a priority. Work is also required to evaluate whether existing indicators measure what they purport to measure.