An analysis of unplanned readmissions after head and neck microvascular reconstructive surgery.

The 30-day readmission rate is a highly scrutinized metric of quality surgical care, because readmission is costly and perceived to be avoidable with planning and patient education. Head and neck surgery patients generally have multiple risk factors for readmission, as readmitted patients are generally older, with more co-morbidities, lower socio-economic status, and a history of multiple emergency department visits and readmissions. A retrospective cohort study was implemented to determine the incidence and etiology of 30-day readmission after microvascular head and neck reconstructive surgery, focusing on social risk factors.

A comparison of patient, family, and nurse evaluations of the usefulness of intensive care.

As patient advocates, critical care nurses need to be cognizant of which treatments the patients and their families prefer. Therefore, we conducted a study to compare how nurses, their critically ill patients, and their families evaluate the usefulness of intensive care. A group of former medical intensive care patients (n = 72), or their family members if the patient had died, were asked how willing they would be to undergo (or to subject their relative to) intensive care again, if necessary.