Doctors analyzing x-ray

Misdiagnosis Resulted in 34 Percent of Malpractice Cases Involving Serious Harm

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) released new research that found inaccurate or delayed diagnoses are the most common, most catastrophic and most costly of medical errors. The study was published in the journal Diagnosis. Researchers found that about one in three (34 percent) of malpractice cases resulted in serious harm is due to an inaccurate or delayed …

Nurse Placing armband on patient

30-Day All Cause Hospital Readmission Study

Angie SzumlinskiNews, Studies

Several national initiatives, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Readmissions Program (HHRP) and the Partnership for Patients (PfP), are dedicated to reducing the number of preventable readmissions in US hospitals. HRRP accomplishes this by incentivizing Hospitals to decrease readmission using a system that links funding with readmission metrics. Meanwhile, PfP has constructed an interconnected set of collaborative …

Restorative Nursing

Restorative Nursing: A Win-Win

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Training

A strong restorative services program can boost resident outcomes and independence. By Angie Szumlinski, LNHA, RN-BC, RAC-CT, BS and Erica Holman, BA, LMSW, LNHA, CDP At a local skilled nursing center, the administrator asks staff for assistance to enhance their restorative program. Fortunately, the center had both a therapy director and restorative nurse who expressed a desire to work together …

Frailty and falls in the elderly

Frailty and Falls in the Elderly

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

Angie SzumlinskiDirector, HealthCap Risk Management Services Resident falls continue to challenge our communities, it is the highest cause of rehospitalizations, negative outcomes, immobility and claims in long-term/post-acute care. There are many products on the market that appear to have some promise in early identification of fall risk including the use of assessment tools to measure the level of frailty. The …

Oral Care

SNF Patients Dependent on Staff for Oral Care Have Lower Oral Hygiene Scores

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program targets pneumonia as a critical disease because it has the highest mortality and morbidity rates of all hospital-acquired infections and a major threat to patients in long term care facilities. Many of the risk factors for pneumonia involve oral hygiene and oral care, including pathogens in the oral cavity and trouble swallowing properly. Aspiration pneumonia, …

National Incidence of Adverse Events Among Medicare Beneficiaries in Long-Term-Care Hospitals

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, News, Studies

The Inspector General performed an in-depth review of adverse events on a subset of people receiving care. A summary of their findings and recommendations is as follows: The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that 21 percent of Medicare patients in Long-Term-Care Hospitals (LTCH) experienced adverse events, which are particularly serious instances of patient harm resulting from medical care.  The …

Social Knowledge Networking and Meaningful Use of EHR Medication Reconciliation

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

Many health systems across the USA face a scenario of low physician engagement in, and limited use of, Electronic Health Record Medication Reconciliation (EHR Med Rec) leading to high rates of medication discrepancies and low accuracy of the patient’s active medication list, during transitions of care. A Social Knowledge Networking system was implemented to create an increase in meaningful use …

Depression in Dementia with Lewy Body

Dementia with Lewy Bodies is associated with higher scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale than Alzheimer’s disease

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

Several reports have suggested a higher morbidity of depression in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies than those with Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, those results have not been consistently duplicated. The psychiatric symptoms of dementia, such as depression, are important for its diagnosis and management. As a result, this study aimed to clarify the qualities of the depressive symptoms in DLB …

Caretaker Burnout

Burnout: The Caretaker’s Disease

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment at work that results in overwhelming symptoms of fatigue, exhaustion, cynical detachment, and feelings of ineffectiveness. It is by and large a result of systematic issues, not personal issues or psychological makeup. This syndrome is found to affect 20% of all staff in one study, while …

Oral Care

Care Program Released for Oral Hygiene for Cognitively and Physically Impaired

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

UNC’s Center for Health Services Research has unveiled Mouth Care without a Battle, a care guide available in two versions. One for In-Service training, and another for in-depth training, especially concerning program and nursing implementation. The program highlights the many health risks of poor oral hygiene. It also focuses on best practices such as the use of interdental brushes instead …