scholarly journals Cognitive Biases Influence Decision-Making Regarding Postacute Care in a Skilled Nursing Facility

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 22-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E Burke ◽  
Chelsea Leonard ◽  
Marcie Lee ◽  
Roman Ayele ◽  
Ethan Cumbler ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Decisions about postacute care are increasingly important as the United States population ages, its use becomes increasingly common, and payment reforms target postacute care. However, little is known about how to improve these decisions. OBJECTIVE: To understand whether cognitive biases play an important role in patient and clinician decision-making regarding postacute care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and identify the most impactful biases. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of 105 semistructured interviews with patients, caregivers, and clinicians. SETTING: Three hospitals and three SNFs in a single metropolitan area. PATIENTS: Adults over age 65 discharged to SNFs after hospitalization as well as patients, caregivers, and multidisciplinary frontline clinicians in both hospital and SNF settings. MEASUREMENTS: We identified potential cognitive biases from prior systematic and narrative reviews and conducted a team-based framework analysis of interview transcripts to identify potential biases. RESULTS: Authority bias/halo effect and framing bias were the most prevalent and seemed the most impactful, while default/status quo bias and anchoring bias were also present in decision-making about SNFs. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive biases play an important role in decision-making about postacute care in SNFs. The combination of authority bias/halo effect and framing bias may synergistically increase the likelihood of patients accepting SNFs for postacute care. As postacute care undergoes a transformation spurred by payment reforms, it is increasingly important to ensure that patients understand their choices at hospital discharge and can make high-quality decisions consistent with their goals.

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Legg, PhD, RN-BC, CNHA, GNP-BC, CTRS, FACHCA ◽  
Sharon A. Nazarchuk, PhD, MA, MHA, RN

In an earlier study, the authors attempted to determine which professional activity group (the certified therapeutic recreation therapist vs certified activity director) received fewer survey deficiencies in the skilled nursing facility. The original study was unable to provide an answer to this question due to low-survey participant response rate. The study was further limited in terms of geographic scope, as it was confined to a single state. The current study replicates that earlier study with an increased sample size and nationwide geographic distribution of participants.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2019-010660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Chatterjee ◽  
Mingyu Qi ◽  
Rachel Werner

BackgroundHospitals and health systems worldwide have adopted value-based payment to improve quality and reduce costs. In the USA, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are now financially penalised for higher-than-expected readmission rates. However, the extent to which SNFs contribute to, and should thus be held accountable for, readmission rates is unknown. To compare the relative contributions of hospital and SNF quality on readmission rates while controlling for unobserved patient characteristics.MethodsRetrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries, 2010–2016. Acute care hospitals and SNFs in the USA. Medicare beneficiaries with two hospitalisations followed by SNF admissions, divided into two groups: (1) patients who went to different hospitals but were discharged to the same SNF after both hospitalisations and (2) patients who went to the same hospital but were discharged to different SNFs. Hospital-level and SNF-level quality, using a lagged measure of 30-day risk-standardised readmission rates (RSRRs). Readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge.ResultsThere were 140 583 patients who changed hospitals but not SNFs, and 183 232 who changed SNFs but not hospitals. Patients who went to the lowest-performing hospitals (highest RSRR) had a 0.9% higher likelihood of readmission (p=0.005) compared with patients who went to the highest-performing hospitals (lowest RSRR). In contrast, patients who went to the lowest-performing SNFs had a 2% higher likelihood of readmission (p<0.001) compared with patients to went to the highest-performing SNFs.ConclusionsThe association between SNF quality and patient outcomes was larger than the association between hospital quality and patient outcomes among postacute care patients. Holding postacute care providers accountable for their quality may be an effective strategy to improve SNF quality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A Prusynski ◽  
Allison M Gustavson ◽  
Siddhi R Shrivastav ◽  
Tracy M Mroz

Abstract Objective Exponential increases in rehabilitation intensity in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) motivated recent changes in Medicare reimbursement policies, which remove financial incentives for providing more minutes of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Yet there is concern that SNFs will reduce therapy provision and patients will experience worse outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize current evidence on the relationship between therapy intensity and patient outcomes in SNFs. Methods PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, PEDro, and COCHRANE databases were searched. English-language studies published in the United States between 1998 and February 14, 2020, examining the relationship between therapy intensity and community discharge, hospital readmission, length of stay (LOS), and functional improvement for short-stay SNF patients were considered. Data extraction and risk of bias were performed using the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Classification of Evidence scale for causation questions. AAN criteria were used to assess confidence in the evidence for each outcome. Results Eight observational studies met inclusion criteria. There was moderate evidence that higher intensity therapy was associated with higher rates of community discharge and shorter LOS. One study provided very low-level evidence of associations between higher intensity therapy and lower hospital readmissions after total hip and knee replacement. There was low-level evidence indicating higher intensity therapy is associated with improvements in function. Conclusions This systematic review concludes, with moderate confidence, that higher intensity therapy in SNFs leads to higher community discharge rates and shorter LOS. Future research should improve quality of evidence on functional improvement and hospital readmissions. Impact This systematic review demonstrates that patients in SNFs may benefit from higher intensity therapy. Because new policies no longer incentivize intensive therapy, patient outcomes should be closely monitored to ensure patients in SNFs receive high-quality care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Albert ◽  
Kristi Lieb ◽  
Laramie Mack ◽  
Kathleen Unroe

Background/Objective: Older adults such as skilled nursing facility residents have increased risk of serious SARS-CoV-2 infection and comprise a large proportion of the COVID-19 pandemic’s deceased—the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report 232,831 cases and 38,518 resident deaths to date. Recent case reports reveal, as in other diseases, older adults may experience atypical symptomology, complicating identification of ill residents and efforts to slow transmission. While a few facility outbreaks have been characterized epidemiologically, little research exists regarding clinical timelines and trajectories which residents experience during COVID-19 illness.   Methods: From May 9, 2020-June 1, 2020, daily notes on each COVID-19 positive resident’s status (n = 69) were taken by the medical director of a central Indiana nursing facility. Combined with a retrospective resident chart review of this same period, these notes were examined for COVID-19 infection symptoms and illness timelines to descriptively categorize a number of common illness trajectories and symptoms seen in residents with SARS-CoV-2 infection.  Results: Residents fit four descriptive clinical timelines: concurrent symptom load with quick death (Avg 5.6 days) (n = 5), accumulating symptom load with gradual decline (Avg. 13.9 days) (n = 9), prolonged active symptom load with periods of stabilization and symptom reoccurrence (n = 42), and asymptomatic or atypical symptom load (n = 12). Most common symptoms were fever, hypoxia, anorexia, and fatigue/malaise. Of the 14 residents who died (20.3% of infected), 8 died in the facility and 6 died in the hospital.  Conclusion and Implications: This retrospective case study adds to literature describing the presentation and symptomology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in residents of skilled nursing facilities and aids efforts to evaluate resident presentation, prognosis, and disease course. Robust descriptions of expected clinical courses may support realistic expectations of disease progression for residents and their family members experiencing future outbreaks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-753
Author(s):  
Brian E. McGarry ◽  
David C. Grabowski ◽  
Lin Ding ◽  
J. Michael McWilliams

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S769-S770
Author(s):  
Daniel Stadler

Abstract Reducing Avoidable Facility Transfers (RAFT) is a Dartmouth-developed program that identifies and honors “what matters most” to patients residing in skilled nursing facilities in a value-based, sustainable way. RAFT aims to reduce avoidable facility transfers of older adults from long-term care and post-acute care facilities to emergency departments (ED). Key components of RAFT presently include (1) systematically eliciting goals of care for all skilled nursing facility residents, (2) translating these goals into orders using the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form, (3) documenting patient wishes about hospitalization, and (4) ensuring that these wishes inform decision-making during acute crises. Data from a pilot program, begun in 2016 with three rural skilled nursing facilities in collaboration with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center geriatric practice, showed a 35% reduction in monthly ED transfers, a 30.5% reduction in monthly hospitalizations, and a 50.7% reduction in monthly ED and hospitalization-related charges.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089198872094424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Gilmore-Bykovskyi ◽  
Melissa Hovanes ◽  
Jacquelyn Mirr ◽  
Laura Block

Provided the complexity of managing dementia-related neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), accurate communication about these symptoms at hospital discharge is critical to facilitating safe and effective transitions, particularly transitions from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities (SNF), which are often poorly managed. Skilled nursing facilities providers have cited undercommunication regarding NPS as a major challenge that contributes to poor outcomes including rehospitalization. This multisite retrospective cohort study identified omission rates for NPS and associated management strategies in discharge communication as compared to medical record documentation in the 72 hours preceding discharge among hospitalized patients with dementia. High rates of omission were found across NPS and management strategies: anxiety (94%), agitation/aggression (77%), hallucinations (85%), 1:1 supervision (90%), high fall risk (89%), use of restraints (91%). Omission rate for new or modified antipsychotic medication was 12.9%. Findings underscore the need for additional research on cross-setting communication regarding care needs of patients with dementia—who often cannot communicate these needs on their own—in facilitating high-quality transitions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S73-S74
Author(s):  
Massimo Pacilli ◽  
Hira Adil ◽  
Kelly Walblay ◽  
Shannon N Xydis ◽  
Whitney Clegg ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Emerging CPO in the Chicago area poses clinical and infection control challenges across the spectrum of care. Since November 2013, CPO are reportable to the Illinois’ Extensively Drug-resistant Organism (XDRO) registry. We examined trends in mechanism of resistance (MOR) among CPO reported through December 2018. Methods MOR reported into the XDRO registry were identified by clinical laboratories performing molecular methods on routine clinical cultures, by public health laboratories during point prevalence surveys (PPS) in response to clusters and as part of a project to assess CPO prevalence in high-risk Chicago area healthcare settings. Chicago patients with known MOR other than Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) are investigated by Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to implement containment strategies and identify risk factors within 6 months of culture date. Results MOR was identified in 40% (1,216/3,587) of CPO-positive specimens collected from unique Chicago patients; 87% were KPC, 7% New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM), 5% Verona integron-mediated metallo-β-lactamase (VIM), 0.6% OXA-48-type carbapenemases, and 0.01% Imipenemase metallo-β-lactamase (IMP) (figure). Since 2017, 15 patients with CPO expressed more than one MOR; 14 were identified during PPS at ventilator capable skilled nursing facilities (vSNF) or long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH), and one was hospitalized in India. Among 156 patients with non-KPC CPO, the median age was 64 years (range, 20–97), 107 (69%) were identified from rectal screening and 49 (31%) were from clinical specimens, most of which were urine 23 (47%) or blood 6 (12%). Among 134 patients with risk factor history, 64% had history of tracheostomy (Table 1). Among 113 patients without documented travel outside of the United States, all stayed overnight at an Illinois healthcare facility; 62% stayed in a vSNF and 24% in an LTACH within 6 months of identification (Table 2). Conclusion We have increasingly detected non-KPC CPO in Chicago; however, estimates of prevalence are limited by lack of systematic surveillance and molecular testing. The high proportion of CPO patients without travel who stayed in vSNF or LTACH underscores the need for infection control training and surveillance in these settings. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.


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