Thromboprophylaxis Management in Surgical Patients: The Efficacy of a Protocol in the Electronic Prescription Program.

Background And Objective: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) continues to be a problem in surgical patients, but thromboprophylactic measures are not always implemented. This study aimed to evaluate thromboprophylaxis practice in surgical patients at our institution by assessing appropriateness during admission and discharge; 60-day clinical outcomes are analyzed, and finally further interventions are discussed for continued improvement.

Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in patients undergoing orthopedic and abdominal surgical procedures.

Readmission Due to Exacerbation of COPD: Associated Factors.

Objectives: To compare characteristics of patients readmitted after discharge by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation with those who were not readmitted and to identify factors associated with readmission risk.

Patients And Methods: We randomly selected a group of 40 COPD patients with high frequency of readmissions (HFR), who had ≥ 2 admissions by COPD exacerbation within 30 days after the last admission in 2015, and another group of 40 COPD patients with low frequency of readmissions (LFR), with 0-1 admissions in that period.

Results: Patients of the HFR group, compared to those in LFR group, were more frequently males (p = 0.

[Detection of adverse events using trigger tools in 2hospital units in Spain].

Introduction: Adverse events (AE) related to health care are frequent due to the nature of this activity, and for this reason, it is necessary to develop methods to detect them and prevent their recurrence. One of these methods uses what are called trigger tools, which are markers that allow AE to be identified retrospectively for subsequent analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of a trigger tools system to detect AE related to patient safety in Internal Medicine and General Surgery units of a tertiary referral hospital.

Impact of a clinical pathway in patient care following surgery on laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of clinical pathway (CP) implementation in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) has had on patient care and clinical evolution after discharge.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-six patients were included in 2 groups: first group was composed of patients operated since the new technique (LRP) was used until the CP was implemented (26 patients operated in 2002) and, second group, with 60 patients, followed the CP during 2004 and 2005.

Results: The operative time was reduced from 377.