Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling Reveals Nonlinear Airway Stress during Trachea Development.

Normative trachea dimensions and aerodynamic information during development was collected to establish clinical benchmarks and showed that airway development seems to outpace respiratory demands. Infants and toddlers' trachea exhibit higher aerodynamic stress that significantly decreases by teenage years. This implies large airway pathology in younger children may have a more substantial clinical impact.

Evidence of Nasal Cooling and Sensory Impairments Driving Patient Symptoms With Septal Deviation.

Objectives/hypothesis: About 260,000 septoplasties are performed annually in the US to address nasal septal deviation (NSD). Yet, we do not consistently understand what aspects of NSD result in symptoms.

Study Design: Blinded cohort study.

A project to reengineer discharges reduces 30-day readmission rates.

A Texas hospital achieves improvement in its readmission rate by implementing Project RED.

A community-wide quality improvement project on patient care transitions reduces 30-day hospital readmissions from home health agencies.

Approximately 1 in 5 Medicare patients are rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge. The Harlingen Hospital Referral Region, an area defined by the Dartmouth Atlas as 35 ZIP codes in South Texas, reduced 30-day hospital readmission rates and associated costs through its participation in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Care Transitions project. The project emphasized a community-wide focus on 4 quality improvement areas: (a) the problem of rehospitalization, (b) improving cross-setting collaboration, (c) access to performance data, and (d) implementation of best practice interventions to reduce avoidable hospitalizations.

Home healthcare nurse recruitment and retention: tips for retaining nurses: one state's experience.

During March 2006, a series of statewide conferences was held to discuss home care outcomes, with a special emphasis on strategies for retaining home care nurses. Administrators and owners of home care agencies in one state with high staff retention and a low rate of turnover participated in four panel discussions to share best practices. The discussions were sponsored by TMF Health Quality Institute, the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO).