Lander et al reported predictors of avoidable admissions for a patient with lung cancer. Attention to these can reduce unnecessary hospital stays. The authors are from Vanderbilt University.
Patient selection: lung cancer
Prevalence of avoidable admissions in the study: 15%
Common causes of avoidable admissions:
(1) cancer-related pain
(2) hypervolemia
(3) errors in medication reconciliation or distribution
Causes of Avoidable Admission
Outpatient Solutions
failure to enroll in hospice care
earlier hospice discussion
failure to reconcile medications after a hospital admission
pharmacist review of prescriptions
failure to control symptoms
aggressive symptom management
Hospitalization for many therapy-related adverse effects was generally unavoidable provided the drugs were used appropriately.
Other causes of unavoidable admissions:
(1) disease progression
(2) infection
(3) exacerbation of COPD
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