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- Cam, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of requests for medication-related follow-up after hospital discharge, and the relation to unplanned hospital revisits, in older patients : a multicentre retrospective chart review
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2318. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The discharge of older hospitalised patients is critical in terms of patient safety. Inadequate transfer of information about medications to the next healthcare provider is a known problem, but there is a lack of understanding of this problem in settings where shared electronic health records are used. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of patients for whom hospitals sent adequate requests for medication-related follow-up at discharge, the proportion of patients with unplanned hospital revisits because of inadequate follow-up requests, and the association between medication reviews performed during hospitalisation and adequate or inadequate follow-up requests.METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review. The study population was randomly selected from a cluster-randomised crossover trial which included patients 65 years or older who had been admitted to three hospitals in Sweden with shared electronic health records between hospital and primary care. Each patient was assessed with respect to the adequacy of the request for follow-up. For patients where the hospitals sent inadequate requests, data about any unplanned hospital revisits were collected, and we assessed whether the inadequate requests had contributed to the revisits. The association between medication reviews and adequate or inadequate requests was analysed with a Chi-square test.RESULTS: A total of 699 patients were included. The patients' mean age was 80 years; an average of 10 medications each were prescribed on hospital admission. The hospitals sent an adequate request for 418 (60%) patients. Thirty-eight patients (14%) had a hospital revisit within six months of discharge which was related to an inadequate request. The proportion of adequate or inadequate requests did not differ between patients who had received a medication review during hospitalisation and those who had not (p = 0.83).CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of patients for whom the hospitals sent adequate follow-up requests on discharge was low. More than one in every ten who had an inadequate request revisited hospital within six months of discharge for reasons related to the request. Medication reviews conducted during hospitalisation did not affect the proportion of adequate or inadequate requests sent. A communication gap still exists despite the usage of a shared electronic health record between primary and secondary care levels.
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| 2. |
- Cam, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Failure to Involve Older Hospitalised Patients in Medication Decisions : A Change of Approach is Called For
- 2024
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Ingår i: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. - : Elsevier. - 1551-7411 .- 1934-8150. ; 20:2, s. 216-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Patient involvement in medical-decision making is linked to improved patient outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.Objectives: The aim was to explore how hospitalised older patients are and wish to be involved in medication decisions affecting their medication therapy after hospital discharge.Methods: Naturalistic observations of consultations between healthcare professionals and hospitalised older patients who were about to be discharged were performed at in total three medical wards at two hospitals in Sweden. Subsequent semi-structured interviews with the patients were conducted within one week after discharge. The data were thematically analysed, guided by systematic text condensation.Results: Twenty patients were included (mean age: 81 (SD 8) years, 45 % female). Three themes were identified: 1) Predetermined authoritarian structures; describes that neither patients nor healthcare professionals expected patients to be involved in medication decisions. The medication decisions were frequently already taken by the healthcare professionals prior to the consultations, 2) Difficulties in finding the right time and setting; displays inhibitory factors in patient involvement in medication decisions when the consultations occur in hospital, and 3) Communication focusing on benefits over side-effects; demonstrates that newly prescribed medications were rarely accompanied with information about side-effects. Patients felt they lacked sufficient knowledge to take informed decisions about medications.Conclusions: There are structures limiting involvement of older patients in medication decisions prior to hospital discharge. A change in approach to consultations from both the patients and healthcare professionals is needed to provide patients with the knowledge they feel is needed to be sufficiently involved.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Cam, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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The complexities of communication at hospital discharge of older patients : a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' views
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1472-6963. ; 23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Hospital discharge of older patients is a high-risk situation in terms of patient safety. Due to the fragmentation of the healthcare system, communication and coordination between stakeholders are required at discharge. The aim of this study was to explore communication in general and medication information transfer in particular at hospital discharge of older patients from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) across different organisations within the healthcare system.Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using focus group and individual or group interviews with HCPs (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) across different healthcare organisations in Sweden. Data were collected from September to October 2021. A semi-structured interview guide including questions on current medication communication practices, possible improvements and feedback on suggestions for alternative processes was used. The data were analysed thematically, guided by the systematic text condensation method.Results: In total, four focus group and three semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 HCPs. Three main themes were identified: 1) Support systems that help and hinder describes the use of support systems in the discharge process to compensate for the fragmentation of the healthcare system and the impact of these systems on HCPs' communication; 2) Communication between two separate worlds depicts the difficulties in communication experienced by HCPs in different healthcare organisations and how they cope with them; and 3) The large number of medically complex patients disrupts the communication reveals how the highly pressurised healthcare system impacts on HCPs' communication at hospital discharge.Conclusions: Communication at hospital discharge is hindered by the fragmented, highly pressurised healthcare system. HCPs are at risk of moral distress when coping with communication difficulties. Improved communication methods at hospital discharge are needed for the benefit of both patients and HCPs.
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| 5. |
- Glans, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying older adults at increased risk of medication-related readmission to hospital within 30 days of discharge : development and validation of a risk assessment tool
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 13:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Developing and validating a risk assessment tool aiming to identify older adults (& GE;65 years) at increased risk of possibly medication-related readmission to hospital within 30 days of discharge.Design: Retrospective cohort study. SettingThe risk score was developed using data from a hospital in southern Sweden and validated using data from four hospitals in the mid-eastern part of Sweden.Participants: The development cohort (n=720) was admitted to hospital during 2017, whereas the validation cohort (n=892) was admitted during 2017-2018.Measures: The risk assessment tool aims to predict possibly medication-related readmission to hospital within 30 days of discharge. Variables known at first admission and individually associated with possibly medication-related readmission were used in development. The included variables were assigned points, and Youden's index was used to decide a threshold score. The risk score was calculated for all individuals in both cohorts. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (c-index) was used to measure the discrimination of the developed risk score. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were calculated using cross-tabulation.Results: The developed risk assessment tool, the Hospitalisations, Own home, Medications, and Emergency admission (HOME) Score, had a c-index of 0.69 in the development cohort and 0.65 in the validation cohort. It showed sensitivity 76%, specificity 54%, positive predictive value 29% and negative predictive value 90% at the threshold score in the development cohort.Conclusion: The HOME Score can be used to identify older adults at increased risk of possibly medication-related readmission within 30 days of discharge. The tool is easy to use and includes variables available in electronic health records at admission, thus making it possible to implement risk-reducing activities during the hospital stay as well as at discharge and in transitions of care. Further studies are needed to investigate the clinical usefulness of the HOME Score as well as the benefits of implemented activities.
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| 6. |
- Kempen, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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A case study of the implementation and sustainability of medication reviews in older patients by clinical pharmacists
- 2019
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Ingår i: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 1551-7411 .- 1934-8150. ; 15:11, s. 1309-1316
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Medication reviews have been introduced as healthcare interventions to decrease inappropriate polypharmacy in older patients, but implementation in practice is challenging.Objective: This case study aimed to explore the events, actions and other factors that were involved in the implementation and sustainability of medication reviews in older patients by clinical pharmacists in Region Uppsala, Sweden.Methods: A case study design informed by change management principles (Kotter) and normalization process theory, consisting of a review of published and grey literature, key informant interviews and focus group triangulation. Findings from additional literature review and interviews were integrated into a final thematic analysis. Ten healthcare professionals, managers and policy makers participated as key informants. The study included data up to 2015.Results: Factors were identified across all Kotter's principles and normalization process theory domains, ranging from the first evidence on inappropriate polypharmacy in the 1980s until the creation of permanent clinical pharmacist positions in recent years. Examples of facilitating factors were a national focus on quality of care for the elderly, multiprofessional teamwork, key individuals with different professions, education, financial support and local evidence. Barriers included an unclear allocation of tasks and responsibilities, a lack of time and continuity, and a lack of a national plan for implementation, monitoring and evaluation.Conclusions: Multiple factors across the full range of change management and implementation principles were involved in the implementation and sustainability. A systems approach, including these factors, should be considered in similar future initiatives, both in Sweden and settings in other countries.
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| 7. |
- Kempen, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment tool for hospital admissions related to medications : development and validation in older patients
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. - : SPRINGER. - 2210-7703 .- 2210-7711. ; 41:1, s. 198-206
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Medication-related hospital admissions (MRAs) are frequently used to measure outcomes in studies involving medication reviews. The process of identifying MRAs is subjective and time-consuming, and practical, validated alternatives are required.Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a practical tool to identify MRAs. Setting Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden.Method: We reviewed existing literature on methods to identify MRAs. The tool AT-HARM10 was developed using an iterative process including content validity and feasibility testing. The tool's inter-rater reliability (IRR) and criterion-related validity (CRV) were assessed: four pairs of either final-year undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy students applied the tool to one of two batches of 50 older patients' hospital admissions. Assessment of the same 100 admissions by two experienced clinicians acted as gold standard.Main outcome: measure Cohen's and Fleiss' kappa for IRR, and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value for CRV. Results AT-HARM10 consists of ten closed questions to distinguish between admissions that are unlikely to be and those that are possibly medication-related. The IRR was moderate to substantial (Cohen's kappa values were 0.45-0.75 and Fleiss' kappa values were 0.46 and 0.58). The sensitivity and specificity values were 70/86% and 74/70%, positive and negative predictive values were 73/74% and 71/83% respectively. Both AT-HARM10 and the gold standard identified approximately 50% of the admissions as MRAs.Conclusion: AT-HARM10 has been developed as a practical tool to identify MRAs and the tool is valid for use in older patients by final-year undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students.
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| 10. |
- Kempen, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Hospital-Based Comprehensive Medication Reviews Including Postdischarge Follow-up on Older Patients' Use of Health Care : A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial
- 2021
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Ingår i: JAMA Network Open. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2574-3805. ; 4:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Importance: Suboptimal use of medications is a leading cause of health care–related harm. Medication reviews improve medication use, but evidence of the possible benefit of inpatient medication review for hard clinical outcomes after discharge is scarce.Objective: To study the effects of hospital-based comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs), including postdischarge follow-up of older patients’ use of health care resources, compared with only hospital-based reviews and usual care.Design, Setting, and Participants: The Medication Reviews Bridging Healthcare trial is a cluster randomized crossover trial that was conducted in 8 wards with multiprofessional teams at 4 hospitals in Sweden from February 6, 2017, to October 19, 2018, with 12 months of follow-up completed December 6, 2019. The study was prespecified in the trial protocol. Outcome assessors were blinded to treatment allocation. In total, 2644 patients aged 65 years or older who had been admitted to 1 of the study wards for at least 1 day were included. Data from the modified intention-to-treat population were analyzed from December 10, 2019, to September 9, 2020.Interventions: Each ward participated in the trial for 6 consecutive 8-week periods. The wards were randomized to provide 1 of 3 treatments during each period: CMR, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up, and usual care without a clinical pharmacist.Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome measure was the incidence of unplanned hospital visits (admissions plus emergency department visits) within 12 months. Secondary outcomes included medication-related admissions, visits with primary care clinicians, time to first unplanned hospital visit, mortality, and costs of hospital-based care.Results: Of the 2644 participants, 7 withdrew after inclusion, leaving 2637 for analysis (1357 female [51.5%]; median age, 81 [interquartile range, 74-87] years; median number of medications, 9 [interquartile range, 5-13]). In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, 922 patients received CMR, 823 received CMR plus postdischarge follow-up, and 892 received usual care. The crude incidence rate of unplanned hospital visits was 1.77 per patient-year in the total study population. The primary outcome did not differ between the intervention groups and usual care (adjusted rate ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.89-1.22] for CMR and 1.15 [95% CI, 0.98-1.34] for CMR plus postdischarge follow-up). However, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up was associated with an increased incidence of emergency department visits within 12 months (adjusted rate ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.59) compared with usual care. There were no differences between treatment groups regarding other secondary outcomes.Conclusions and Relevance: In this study of older hospitalized patients, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up did not decrease the incidence of unplanned hospital visits. The findings do not support the performance of hospital-based CMRs as conducted in this trial. Alternative forms of medication reviews that aim to improve older patients’ health outcomes should be considered and subjected to randomized clinical trials.
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