Improving transitions of care for patients with thromboembolic disease.

Patients with or at risk for thromboembolic disease have many transitional interactions within the healthcare system. Transitions of care--when patients move between or within sites of care, or transition from inpatient to outpatient status--create repeated and diverse opportunities for medication errors, rehospitalization, and other adverse events that may increase costs. Although effective antithrombotic therapies are available, these therapies are complex, underprescribed, and frequently suboptimally managed, a situation further exacerbated by poor patient adherence to therapy.

The clinical practice guideline for falls and fall risk.

Falling is a significant cause of injury and death in frail older adults. Residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities fall for a variety of reasons and are more likely to endure injuries after a fall than those in the community The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) Clinical Practice Guideline is written to give LTC staff an understanding of risk factors for falls and provide guidance for a systematic approach to patient assessment and selection of appropriate interventions. It is intended to help facilities establish processes for evaluating, managing, and preventing falls.

Proceedings of the AMDA Assisted Living Consensus Conference, Washington, DC October 24, 2006.

Objectives: Assisted living (AL) residents are older and frailer than the patient population industry first envisioned they would be. As a result, these individuals require stronger medical care by the industry. It is believed that there is inadequate clinical guidance, systems, and protocols for these clinically complex residents.