Over 90 Total Lots Up For Auction at One Location - WA 04/08

Q&A with Dr. Christine D. Jones

by Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | April 07, 2015
Courtesy of University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus
Poor communication and disparities in information-sharing strategies are hampering the coordination of care between hospital clinicians and primary-care physicians (PCPs), according to a new study conducted by the School of Medicine of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz). That can potentially lead to an increase in missed test results and hospital readmissions.

DOTmed News had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Christine D. Jones, the study’s corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Hospital Medicine Group of the Care Transitions Program, about this issue and what hospitals and practices can do to solve it.

DOTmed News: What problems arise as a result of poor communication and gaps in information strategies between hospital clinicians and PCPs?
stats
DOTmed text ad

New Fully Configured 80-slice CT in 2 weeks with Software Upgrades for Life

For those who need to move fast and expand clinical capabilities -- and would love new equipment -- the uCT 550 Advance offers a new fully configured 80-slice CT in up to 2 weeks with routine maintenance and parts and Software Upgrades for Life™ included.

stats
Dr. Christine D. Jones: Multiple problems can arise from poor communication between hospital and primary care clinicians. One example would be when test results are pending at the time of a patient’s discharge.

The hospital clinician may have documented the need for the primary care clinician to follow up this test in their discharge documentation, yet if discharge documentation is not received by the patient’s primary care physician, it is possible that neither clinician is following up on this test result. One can imagine how this could lead to patient harm if, for example, the test is a biopsy to evaluate for cancer.

Another problem that multiple clinicians described resulted from not having clearly defined roles for hospital clinicians and primary care clinicians when patients are receiving skilled home health care services.

Home health care services are ordered for patients who need additional support following discharge to aid in their recovery, such as therapy or intravenous antibiotics. For example, a home health care nurse requires physician orders to remove a long-term central intravenous line for a patient who has completed a course of home intravenous antibiotics.

The hospital clinician assumes that the primary care clinician is managing the patient, but the primary care clinician either is not aware the patient was in the hospital or hasn’t seen the patient yet after the hospitalization so the PCP is unable to write home health care orders.

This can be problematic for the patient, because the longer a central line is in place, the more of a chance it has to cause infections or blood clots.

You Must Be Logged In To Post A Comment