Tools to reduce hospitalizations
Communication and clinical practice tools were given to nursing homes (NHs) to help them reduce the number of avoidable hospitalizations over a 15-month period. NH staff were favorable to the tools, but they did not fully implement all of them. This was not a controlled study and was a pilot with small numbers, but the tools tested show promise for the future avoidance of unnecessary hospitalizations. (Free abstract only.) Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (11/2009)