BACKGROUND Early discharge of stable preterm infants still requiring gavage feeds offers the benefits of uniting families sooner and reducing healthcare and family costs compared with discharge home when on full sucking feeds. Potential disadvantages of early discharge include increased care burden for the family and risk of complications related to gavage feeding. OBJECTIVES To determine the...

INTRODUCTION Early discharge from the ICU is desirable because it shortens time in the ICU and reduces care costs, but can also increase the likelihood of ICU readmission and post-discharge unanticipated death if patients are discharged before they are stable. We postulated that, using eICU® Research Institute (eRI) data from >400 ICUs, we could develop robust models predictive of post-discharg...

OBJECTIVE To know the specific health problems referred as ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) and to identify the primordial interventions of primary health care (PHC) in reducing hospitalisations due to ACSC. DESIGN Descriptive study of hospital discharges generated in Catalonia during 1998-1999, and a Delphi study to reach information about PHC primordial interventions. MEASURES ...

AIMS The OEDIPE trial examined the safety and efficacy of an abbreviated hospitalization after implantation or replacement of dual-chamber pacemakers (PM) using a telecardiology-based ambulatory surveillance programme. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients were randomly assigned to (i) an active group, discharged from the hospital 24 h after a first PM implant or 4-6 h after replacement, and followed ...

Women with breast disorders often present first to their internists for evaluation. A delay in accurate diagnosis could often result in worsening of prognosis for the patient. Common diagnostic problems include evaluation of a breast lump, nipple discharge and breast pain. Internist now has a choice of several diagnostic modalities to evaluate breast disorders. An evidence-based approach to com...

Eighty patients who had undergone routine meniscectomy were divided into two groups for postoperative management. The first 40 patients were treated by the traditional method of a compression bandage with a backsplint, followed by a 10-day stay in hospital. In the other 40 patients a compression bandage was applied, reinforced by a plaster cylinder. Weight-bearing was allowed with the aid of cr...

Factors associated with early asthma readmission have not been fully studied. To identify predictors of early readmission, we performed a matched case-control study of children discharged with primary diagnosis of asthma. Cases were readmitted with asthma within 30 days of discharge. Controls were not readmitted. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used. History of asthma hospitalizati...

BACKGROUND Post-discharge care remains a challenge because continuity of care is often interrupted and adverse events frequently occur. Previous studies have focused on early readmission but few have investigated emergency department (ED) visit after discharge. METHODS This retrospective observational study was conducted between April 2011 and March 2012 in a referral center in Taiwan. Patien...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of early discharge from hospital after surgery for breast cancer on physical and psychological illness. DESIGN Randomised controlled trial comparing discharge two days after surgery (before removal of drain) with standard management (discharge after removal of drain). SETTING Regional breast unit. SUBJECTS 100 women with early breast cancer undergoing mas...