Early Expected Discharge Date Accuracy During Hospitalization: A Multivariable Analysis.

Introduction: Accurate estimation of an expected discharge date (EDD) early during hospitalization impacts clinical operations and discharge planning.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients discharged from six general medicine units at an academic medical center in Boston, MA from January 2017 to June 2018. We retrieved all EDD entries and patient, encounter, unit, and provider data from the electronic health record (EHR), and public weather data.

Lessons Learned in Implementing a Chronic Opioid Therapy Management System.

Objectives: Opioid misuse has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality in the United States, and safer opioid use represents an important challenge in the primary care setting. This article describes a research collaborative of health service researchers, systems engineers, and clinicians seeking to improve processes for safer chronic opioid therapy management in an academic primary care center. We present implementation results and lessons learned along with an intervention toolkit that others may consider using within their organization.

Evaluation of electronic health record-integrated digital health tools to engage hospitalized patients in discharge preparation.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of electronic health record (EHR)-integrated digital health tools comprised of a checklist and video on transitions-of-care outcomes for patients preparing for discharge.

Materials And Methods: English-speaking, general medicine patients (>18 years) hospitalized at least 24 hours at an academic medical center in Boston, MA were enrolled before and after implementation. A structured checklist and video were administered on a mobile device via a patient portal or web-based survey at least 24 hours prior to anticipated discharge.

Interactive Digital Health Tools to Engage Patients and Caregivers in Discharge Preparation: Implementation Study.

Background: Poor discharge preparation during hospitalization may lead to adverse events after discharge. Checklists and videos that systematically engage patients in preparing for discharge have the potential to improve safety, especially when integrated into clinician workflow via the electronic health record (EHR).

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the implementation of a suite of digital health tools integrated with the EHR to engage hospitalized patients, caregivers, and their care team in preparing for discharge.

Assessing the cognitive and work load of an inpatient safety dashboard in the context of opioid management.

For health information technology to realize its potential to improve flow, care, and patient safety, applications should be intuitive to use and burden neutral for frontline clinicians. We assessed the impact of a patient safety dashboard on clinician cognitive and work load within a simulated information-seeking task for safe inpatient opioid medication management. Compared to use of an electronic health record for the same task, the dashboard was associated with significantly reduced time on task, mouse clicks, and mouse movement (each p < 0.

Use, Perceived Usability, and Barriers to Implementation of a Patient Safety Dashboard Integrated within a Vendor EHR.

Background: Preventable adverse events continue to be a threat to hospitalized patients. Clinical decision support in the form of dashboards may improve compliance with evidence-based safety practices. However, limited research describes providers' experiences with dashboards integrated into vendor electronic health record (EHR) systems.

Lessons learned implementing a complex and innovative patient safety learning laboratory project in a large academic medical center.

Objective: The objective of this paper is to share challenges, recommendations, and lessons learned regarding the development and implementation of a Patient Safety Learning Laboratory (PSLL) project, an innovative and complex intervention comprised of a suite of Health Information Technology (HIT) tools integrated with a newly implemented Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendor system in the acute care setting at a large academic center.

Materials And Methods: The PSLL Administrative Core engaged stakeholders and study personnel throughout all phases of the project: problem analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Implementation challenges and recommendations were derived from direct observations and the collective experience of PSLL study personnel.

Systems engineering and human factors support of a system of novel EHR-integrated tools to prevent harm in the hospital.

We established a Patient Safety Learning Laboratory comprising 2 core and 3 individual project teams to introduce a suite of digital health tools integrated with our electronic health record to identify, assess, and mitigate threats to patient safety in real time. One of the core teams employed systems engineering (SE) and human factors (HF) methods to analyze problems, design and develop improvements to intervention components, support implementation, and evaluate the system of systems as an integrated whole. Of the 29 participants, 19 and 16 participated in surveys and focus groups, respectively, about their perception of SE and HF.

Screening for Adverse Drug Events: a Randomized Trial of Automated Calls Coupled with Phone-Based Pharmacist Counseling.

Background: Medication adverse events are important and common yet are often not identified by clinicians. We evaluated an automated telephone surveillance system coupled with transfer to a live pharmacist to screen potentially drug-related symptoms after newly starting medications for four common primary care conditions: hypertension, diabetes, depression, and insomnia.

Methods: Cluster randomized trial with automated calls to eligible patients at 1 and 4 months after starting target drugs from intervention primary care clinics compared to propensity-matched patients from control clinics.

Nurse, Patient, and Care Partner Perceptions of a Personalized Safety Plan Screensaver.

A patient safety plan dashboard was developed that captures disparate data from the electronic health record that is then displayed as a personalized bedside screensaver. The dashboard aligns all care team members, including patients and families, in the safety plan. The screensaver content includes icons that pertain to common geriatric syndromes.

Lemierre's syndrome resulting from streptococcal induced otitis media and mastoiditis: a case report.

Introduction: Lemierre's syndrome is an extremely rare and almost universally fatal disease characterized as thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular venous system with subsequent metastatic infection. Fusobacterium necrophorum is the most common organism implicated in causation of Lemierre's syndrome. Group A Streptococcus has mainly been observed as a polymicrobial organism in the syndrome.

Recurrence risk of oculorespiratory syndrome after influenza vaccination: randomized controlled trial of previously affected persons.

Background: Oculorespiratory syndrome (ORS) after influenza vaccination has many features of an allergic reaction.

Methods: The objective of the study was to estimate the recurrence rate of ORS after receipt of either of 2 influenza vaccines available in Canada for the 2002-2003 influenza season in individuals who experienced ORS in 2000 or 2001. We designed a randomized, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which patients received the vaccine and the placebo 7 days apart.