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Secondary care usage and characteristics of hospital inpatients referred to a UK homeless health team: a retrospective service evaluation.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:UK "Pathway" teams offer specialist hospital care coordination for people experiencing homelessness. Emergency healthcare use is high among homeless people, yet "homelessness" is not routinely coded in National Health Service (NHS) data. Pathway team records provide an opportunity to assess patterns in admissions and outcomes for inpatients identified as homeless. METHODS:Retrospective analysis of patients referred to "Pathway" homelessness teams in seven UK hospitals to explore the patterns of hospital admission, morbidity, secondary healthcare utilisation and housing status. Each patient was individually identified as experiencing homelessness. Within a six-month period, demographic data, reason for admission, morbidity, mortality and secondary care hospital usage 120-days before and 120-days after the index admission was collected. RESULTS:A total of 1009 patients were referred, resulting in 1135 admissions. Most admissions had an acute physical health need (94.9%). Co-morbid mental illness and/or substance misuse was common (55.7%). Reasons for admission included mental and behavioral disorders (overdose, alcohol withdrawal or depression, 28.3%), external causes of morbidity and mortality (assault or trauma, 18.7%), and injury, poisoning and external causes (head injury, falls and fractures, 12.4%). Unplanned Emergency Department attendances reduced after index admission and unplanned hospital admissions increased slightly. Planned admissions doubled and total bed days increased. Housing status was maintained or improved for over 60% of inpatients upon discharge. Within 12?months of index admission, 50 patients (5%) died, 15 deaths (30%) occurred during the index admission. CONCLUSIONS:Disengagement with health services is common among homeless people. Many deaths are due to treatable medical conditions (heart disease, pneumonia, cancer). Observed increases in planned admissions suggests intervention from Pathway teams facilitates necessary investigations and treatment for homeless people. Equity, parity of care, and value should be inbuilt interventions for inclusion health groups and evaluations need to move beyond simply seeking cost reductions.

SUBMITTER: Field H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6868755 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Secondary care usage and characteristics of hospital inpatients referred to a UK homeless health team: a retrospective service evaluation.

Field Hannah H Hudson Briony B Hewett Nigel N Khan Zana Z

BMC health services research 20191121 1

<h4>Background</h4>UK "Pathway" teams offer specialist hospital care coordination for people experiencing homelessness. Emergency healthcare use is high among homeless people, yet "homelessness" is not routinely coded in National Health Service (NHS) data. Pathway team records provide an opportunity to assess patterns in admissions and outcomes for inpatients identified as homeless.<h4>Methods</h4>Retrospective analysis of patients referred to "Pathway" homelessness teams in seven UK hospitals t ...[more]

PMID: 31752857

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Project description:OBJECTIVES:Homeless people lack a secure, stable place to live and experience higher rates of serious illness than the housed population. Studies, mainly from the USA, have reported increased use of unscheduled healthcare by homeless individuals.We sought to compare the use of unscheduled emergency department (ED) and inpatient care between housed and homeless hospital patients in a high-income European setting in Dublin, Ireland. SETTING:A large university teaching hospital serving the south inner city in Dublin, Ireland. Patient data are collected on an electronic patient record within the hospital. PARTICIPANTS:We carried out an observational cross-sectional study using data on all ED visits (n=47?174) and all unscheduled admissions under the general medical take (n=7031) in 2015. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:The address field of the hospital's electronic patient record was used to identify patients living in emergency accommodation or rough sleeping (hereafter referred to as homeless). Data on demographic details, length of stay and diagnoses were extracted. RESULTS:In comparison with housed individuals in the hospital catchment area, homeless individuals had higher rates of ED attendance (0.16 attendances per person/annum vs 3.0 attendances per person/annum, respectively) and inpatient bed days (0.3 vs 4.4 bed days/person/annum). The rate of leaving ED before assessment was higher in homeless individuals (40% of ED attendances vs 15% of ED attendances in housed individuals). The mean age of homeless medical inpatients was 44.19 years (95% CI 42.98 to 45.40), whereas that of housed patients was 61.20 years (95% CI 60.72 to 61.68). Homeless patients were more likely to terminate an inpatient admission against medical advice (15% of admissions vs 2% of admissions in homeless individuals). CONCLUSION:Homeless patients represent a significant proportion of ED attendees and medical inpatients. In contrast to housed patients, the bulk of usage of unscheduled care by homeless people occurs in individuals aged 25-65 years.

Project description:People who smoke make up a significant number of those admitted to hospital (NICE 2014). Being admitted to hospital can present a unique opportunity to attempt to stop smoking. Many smokers find quitting very difficult (Rigotti et al 2007), in large part due to them living and working in environments that contain many cues and triggers associated with nicotine consumption and smoking behaviours. Hospitals generally do not contain such environmental prompts to smoke. In the community, smokers have access to numerous types of support including GP's, pharmacies and Stop Smoking Services (SSS). Once admitted to hospital access to such support is significantly diminished. Given that many patients may be highly motivated to attempt to stop smoking due to heightened concerns about their health and being in an environment not associated with their smoking habits, it seems prudent to ensure there is access to all the levels of smoking cessation support available outside of the hospital. Not providing such support neglects implementing an evidence based, cost-effective health intervention in a major health setting (NICE 2014). A SSS pathway was designed that enabled existing hospital healthcare staff to be trained to identify patients that smoke, ask if the patient is considering quitting or abstaining whilst in hospital. If motivated to quit or abstain, to complete an assessment. This being based around dependence to nicotine and motivation to quit. Access to all available stop smoking medications should be included. Medication should only be provided alongside some level of motivational support up to discharge. Training core staff was felt to be the best option. They are available outside of office hours and access hospital systems such as pharmacy more readily than satellite staff. On discharge the patient is 'handed over' to SSS for continued contact and support once at home. Over 200 staff are trained to complete the assessment and support inpatients to stop or abstain. Approximately 30-35 referrals are made to the local SSS each month, the quit rate at 4 weeks averaging around 40-45%. Most referrals are seen from cardiology and respiratory. All hospital departments should identify staff to be trained to offer cessation support to their patients .

Project description:It has been suggested that doctors in their first year of post-graduate training make a disproportionate number of prescribing errors.This study aimed to compare the prevalence of prescribing errors made by first-year post-graduate doctors with that of errors by senior doctors and non-medical prescribers and to investigate the predictors of potentially serious prescribing errors.Pharmacists in 20 hospitals over 7 prospectively selected days collected data on the number of medication orders checked, the grade of prescriber and details of any prescribing errors. Logistic regression models (adjusted for clustering by hospital) identified factors predicting the likelihood of prescribing erroneously and the severity of prescribing errors.Pharmacists reviewed 26,019 patients and 124,260 medication orders; 11,235 prescribing errors were detected in 10,986 orders. The mean error rate was 8.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 8.6-9.1) errors per 100 medication orders. Rates of errors for all doctors in training were significantly higher than rates for medical consultants. Doctors who were 1 year (odds ratio [OR] 2.13; 95 % CI 1.80-2.52) or 2 years in training (OR 2.23; 95 % CI 1.89-2.65) were more than twice as likely to prescribe erroneously. Prescribing errors were 70 % (OR 1.70; 95 % CI 1.61-1.80) more likely to occur at the time of hospital admission than when medication orders were issued during the hospital stay. No significant differences in severity of error were observed between grades of prescriber. Potentially serious errors were more likely to be associated with prescriptions for parenteral administration, especially for cardiovascular or endocrine disorders.The problem of prescribing errors in hospitals is substantial and not solely a problem of the most junior medical prescribers, particularly for those errors most likely to cause significant patient harm. Interventions are needed to target these high-risk errors by all grades of staff and hence improve patient safety.

Project description:BackgroundIncreasing numbers of older people are receiving support with medicines management from community nursing services (CNSs) to enable them to live in their own homes. Little is known about these people and the support they receive.ObjectivesTo explore the characteristics of older people referred for medicines management support, type of support provided, medication errors and adverse medication events (AMEs).MethodsA retrospective observational study of a random sample of 100 older people referred to a large non-profit CNS for medicines management support over a 3-month period was conducted. Measures were: demographics, referral source, current medical problems, medicines, medication aids, types of medication authorisations used by nurses, frequency of nurse visits and type of support provided, medication errors, AMEs and interdisciplinary teamwork among community nurses, general practitioners and pharmacists.ResultsOlder people (median 80 years) were referred for medicines support most often by hospitals (39 %). Other referrals were from families/carers, case-managers, palliative care services and general practitioners. Multiple health conditions (median 5) and medicines (median 10) were common; 66 % used ≥5 medicines; 48 % used ≥1 high-risk medicines-most commonly opiates, anticoagulants and insulin. Medication aids were frequently used, mostly multi-compartment dose administration aids (47 %). Most people received regular community nurse visits (≥4 per week) to administer medicines or monitor medicine-taking. Only 16 % had a medication administration chart; for other clients nurses used medicine lists or letters from doctors for medication authorisation. Medication errors occurred in 41 % of people and 13 % had ≥1 AME requiring medical consultation or hospitalisation; 9/13 (64 %) AMEs were potentially preventable. There was little evidence of interdisciplinary teamwork or medication review.ConclusionCNS clients had multiple risk-factors for medication misadventure. Deficiencies in medicines management were identified, including low use of medication charts and interdisciplinary medication review. Strategies are needed to improve medicines management in the home-care setting.

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Secondary care usage and characteristics of hospital inpatients referred to a UK homeless health team: a retrospective service evaluation.

Publications

Secondary care usage and characteristics of hospital inpatients referred to a UK homeless health team: a retrospective service evaluation.

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