This paper reviews the reliability and validity of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment, which is being used increasingly in Canadian nursing homes and continuing care facilities. The central issues that surround the development and implementation of a standardized assessment such as the MDS are presented, including implications for health care managers in how to approach data quality concerns. With other sectors such as home care and inpatient psychiatry using MDS for national reporting, these issues have importance in and beyond residential care management.

Opioids increase the risk of injury in older adults, particularly codeine combinations.

ContextComputerized drug alerts for psychotropic drugs are expected to reduce fall-related injuries in older adults. However, physicians over-ride most alerts because they believe the benefit of the drugs exceeds the risk.ObjectiveTo determine whether computerized prescribing decision support with patient-specific risk estimates would increase physician response to psychotropic drug alerts and reduce injury risk in older people.DesignCluster randomized controlled trial of 81 family physicians and 5628 of their patients aged 65 and older who were prescribed psychotropic medication.InterventionIntervention physicians received information about patient-specific risk of injury computed at the time of each visit using statistical models of non-modifiable risk factors and psychotropic drug doses. Risk thermometers presented changes in absolute and relative risk with each change in drug treatment. Control physicians received commercial drug alerts.Main outcome measuresInjury risk at the end of follow-up based on psychotropic drug doses and non-modifiable risk factors. Electronic health records and provincial insurance administrative data were used to measure outcomes.ResultsMean patient age was 75.2 years. Baseline risk of injury was 3.94 per 100 patients per year. Intermediate-acting benzodiazepines (56.2%) were the most common psychotropic drug. Intervention physicians reviewed therapy in 83.3% of visits and modified therapy in 24.6%. The intervention reduced the risk of injury by 1.7 injuries per 1000 patients (95% CI 0.2/1000 to 3.2/1000; p=0.02). The effect of the intervention was greater for patients with higher baseline risks of injury (p<0.03).ConclusionPatient-specific risk estimates provide an effective method of reducing the risk of injury for high-risk older people.Trial registration numberclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00818285.

Doctor scores on qualifying examinations are significant predictors of quality-of-care problems based on regulatory, practice-based peer assessment.

BackgroundMedication reconciliation at admission, transfer and discharge has been designated as a required hospital practice to reduce adverse drug events. However, implementation challenges have resulted in poor hospital adherence. The aim of this study was to assess the processes required to carry out medication reconciliation: the health professionals involved, the tasks and time devoted to medication reconciliation in general hospital settings.MethodsA time-and-motion study design was used. Using a systematic sample of patients admitted and discharged from geriatric, medical and surgical units in two academic centers, health professionals involved in medication reconciliation were observed and timed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the number of professionals involved, tasks performed, and mean time devoted.ResultsUp to 3 professionals from 2 disciplines (medicine and pharmacy) were involved in the medication reconciliation process. Geriatric reconciliations took the most time to complete at admission (mean: 92.2 minutes (SD = 44.3)) and discharge (mean: 29.0 minutes (SD = 23.8)), followed by internal medicine at admission (mean: 46.2 minutes (SD = 21.1)) and 19.4 (SD = 11.7) minutes at discharge) and general surgery minutes at discharge (mean: 9.9 minutes (SD = 18.2)). Considerable differences in order, type and number of tasks performed were noted between and within units. Tasks independent of direct patient interaction took more than twice the time required to complete than tasks requiring patient interaction.ConclusionLack of coordination, specialized training and agreement on the roles and responsibilities of professionals are among the most probable reasons for work-flow inefficiencies, possibly variability in quality, and time required for the current medication reconciliation process. A better understanding of the admission processes in general surgery is required. Standardization and use of electronic tools could improve efficiency and hospital adherence.