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Background: The Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) is a care plan to guide emergency treatment when the person cannot contribute. ReSPECT is important in supporting adults at risk of decline., Aim: To implement, evaluate and embed ReSPECT conversations to improve patient safety out of hours and support involvement of patients and their families., Methods: A quality improvement design underpinned by normalisation process theory (NPT) undertaken in a 35-bed community hospital ward between May 2022 and September 2023. Organisational prioritisation, facilitators, and champions supported the plan. Evaluation analysed ReSPECT plans, observations and a follow-up focus group., Results: ReSPECT conversations increased by 43% over 1 year (23 to 32 patients), and in quality (from 15/23 patients with a do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decision recorded and no ReSPECT plan to 32/35 with an individualised ReSPECT plan)., Conclusions: ReSPECT could be implemented in community hospitals with facilitators and champions to deliver and embed change. The implementation plan is informing wider rollout across community hospital wards for adults with frailty and multiple conditions.

Background: Although a significant number of cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) are managed at non-referral community hospitals, the impact of a bundle-of-care intervention in this setting has not yet been explored., Methods: We performed a quasi-experimental before-after study with the implementation of a bundle of care for the management of SAB at five non-referral community hospitals and a tertiary care university hospital. Structured recommendations for the five indicators selected to assess quality of care were provided to investigators before the implementation of the bundle and monthly thereafter. Primary endpoints were adherence to the bundle intervention and treatment failure, defined as death or relapse at 90 days of follow-up., Results: One hundred and seventy patients were included in the pre-intervention period and 103 in the intervention period. Patient characteristics were similar in both periods. Multivariate analysis controlling for potential confounders showed that performance of echocardiography was the only factor associated with improved adherence to the bundle in the intervention period (adjusted OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.13-4.02). Adherence to the bundle, performance of follow-up blood cultures, and adequate duration of antibiotic therapy for complicated SAB presented non-significant improvements. The intervention was not associated with a lower rate of 90 day treatment failure (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.70-1.77)., Conclusions: A bundle-of-care intervention for the management of SAB at non-referral community hospitals increased adherence to quality indicators, but did not significantly reduce rates of 90 day mortality or relapse., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians are at risk for burnout, which can be driven by depersonalization. Photographs of patients in their baseline state of health before ICU admission may enhance the connection between clinicians and patients. The use of patient photographs has not been evaluated in an urban community teaching hospital., Objective: To evaluate whether an interprofessional group of clinicians perceive that patient photographs in the ICU help them connect with patients and enhance empathy., Methods: A prospective observational quality improvement study was performed in the medical ICU of an urban community teaching hospital. Patients' families could display patients' photographs in the unit. Registered nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, and patient care associates completed anonymous surveys., Results: Families of 21 patients provided photographs; 82 clinicians (47 physicians, 25 nurses, 5 respiratory therapists, and 5 patient care associates) completed surveys. Most clinicians (83%) agreed that the patient's personality and character were emphasized by photographs, 77% agreed that photographs facilitated communication with the patient and/or family, 89% agreed that patient photographs helped them relate to the patient as an individual, and 76% were not upset by comparing the photograph with the patient. Responses did not significantly differ by clinician type. Survey comments highlighted themes of humanization, fulfillment, and hope., Conclusion: Patient photographs may enhance connections between clinicians and patients in the ICU, potentially reducing depersonalization and burnout., (©2024 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

This study investigated the molecular characteristics of urinary carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (n = 194) in Gauteng, South Africa, using simple, cost-effective PCR methodologies. Extensively drug resistant (XDR) ST307 with bla OXA-181 on IncX3 plasmids was endemic in Gauteng community hospitals leaving limited options for treating in- and outpatient urinary tract infections. High-level ceftazidime/avibactam resistance was detected among isolates harbouring bla OXA-48-like including bla OXA-181 . These findings highlighted the need for genomic methodologies suitable for lower- and middle-income countries to track XDR clones and plasmids in community hospitals. Such results will aid with treatment and stewardship strategies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Many complex abdominal hernias are referred to tertiary academic institutions for evaluation and treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes from complex abdominal hernia repairs and abdominal wall reconstructions at a community hospital vs high volume academic centers participating in Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC)., Methods: Patients undergoing elective complex abdominal hernia repair were identified in our community setting and treated between 2016 and 2019. These results were then compared to Academic centers in the ACHQC database. Complex hernia definition was limited to those who have undergone any myofascial advancement procedure for homogeneity. Informed consent was obtained, and study was IRB approved. All data was de-identified., Results: A total of 180 patients underwent complex abdominal hernia repair at our community hospital. The ACHQC database identified 6299 patients meeting criteria at participating academic centers. Demographics were similar between the two groups including hernia grade, size and wound class. Academic centers tended to have patients with previous component separations (25.7% vs 10.6%) and immunosuppressed (7.2% vs 2.8%), while the community hospital patients included more patients with tobacco use (18.9% vs 12.1%) and hypertension (65% vs 54.9%). Operative times were significantly less at the community hospital, patients requiring >240 minutes of time for repair at academic centers (39.6% vs 5%). Postoperatively length of stay was significantly shorter at the community hospital group averaging 3.7 days vs academic centers of 6 days ( P < .05). Although overall complications were less in the community hospital group (26.5% vs 19.4%). Readmission within 30 days was nearly twice as frequent in the community hospital group (14.4% vs 7.7%)., Conclusion: Community hospitals can provide comparable care and surgical expertise as major academic centers in regard to complex hernias in a large majority of cases. There is a need for dedicated care coordination and continuous review of supporting staff and outcomes is necessary to assure quality care. There is still a need to identify which patients would benefit from treatment at an academic center as opposed to a community hospital in order to maximize patient access and outcomes at both types of hospital setting. Further investigation needs to be performed regarding criteria for which patients should be transferred to academic centers for their complex hernia care. Identifying patients who would benefit from treatment at Academic Centers as opposed to Community hospitals should continue to be investigated., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Central venous catheters (CVCs) have many benefits in patient care but are associated with increasing risks with catheter duration. A level II trauma-certified community hospital sought to decrease CVC duration utilizing a daily assessment algorithm in the critical care unit. After implementation, CVC days decreased from 490 CVC days per 1,000 patient days to 452 (odds ratio 0.86, P < .01) and catheter duration decreased from 7.71 days to 6.57 (P = .19)., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: The Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN) is a validated overcrowding score shown to correlate well with staff assessment of adult emergency department (ED) overcrowding and the potential need for diversion. It derives from the number of staffed ED beds, attending physicians on duty, patients within each triage category, and admitted patients. To date, no study has validated EDWIN in a pediatric community ED setting. We aim to determine if EDWIN correlates with established overcrowding measures and provider perception of overcrowding within a freestanding, community-based pediatric ED., Methods: In this prospective observational study at a freestanding, community-based pediatric ED, EDWIN was calculated hourly over 8 weeks throughout the year. EDWIN was compared with other objective and previously established ED metrics of overcrowding, including rates of patients who left without being seen (LWBS), average time from arrival to ED room, average length of stay (LOS), ED occupancy rates, and number of patients in the waiting room. Furthermore, EDWIN was compared with provider perception of overcrowding by surveying providers 6 times a day during the study period using novel, real-time, longitudinal, electronic health record-based survey distribution methodology. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to characterize the associations between EDWIN vs provider perception and EDWIN vs ED metrics. ANOVA and Tukey HSD were used to compare means of ED metrics of overcrowding across EDWIN severity categories., Results: Five hundred eleven provider perception survey responses were collected from July 2022 through January 2023. EDWIN directly correlated with all measures of overcrowding, including provider perception of crowdedness (rho = 0.67), LWBS rates (rho = 0.44), average time from arrival to ED room (rho = 0.74), average LOS (rho = 0.70), ED occupancy rates (rho = 0.68), and number of patients in the waiting room (rho = 0.65). All findings were statistically significant ( P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that EDWIN is an accurate tool to measure overcrowding in a freestanding, community-based pediatric ED., Competing Interests: Disclosure: S.M.C. reports intramural grant money to Nationwide Children's Hospital to conduct research conceived and written by Sarah Chen from Nationwide Children's Hospital. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is growing attention to individual-level patient social needs such as unstable housing and food insecurity. Such considerations, however, have historically been the purview of public health and have not been a priority of more traditional health care delivery organizations, such as acute care hospitals., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the presence of patient and family advisory boards (PFABs) among acute care community hospitals was associated with screening for and programs to address patient social needs., Methods: We used a secondary data set derived from the American Hospital Association's 2020 and 2021 annual surveys, along with multinomial and negative binomial regression models to assess the relationship between the presence/absence of a PFAB and the likelihood of offering and the number of areas addressed by social needs screening programs., Results: More than half (55.9%) of all responding hospitals reported having a PFAB in 2020 (55.9%) and 2021 (52.7%). The presence of a PFAB among hospitals was significantly associated with patient social needs screening, more areas addressed by programs, and more types of partners to address these needs., Conclusions: Community hospitals with a PFAB have more robust programs and partnerships to address patient social needs., Practice Implications: Hospital leaders should consider going beyond simply establishing programs to address social needs but also consider comprehensiveness of these programs to recognize the intersectionality of social needs. One way to do this is to formally establish a PFAB to help hospitals better identify and prioritize the needs in local communities and design social needs programs/solutions that are patient- and family-centric., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study aimed to describe and evaluate the transition from a specialty service-based prospective order approval system to a computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) tool for apixaban dosing at a community teaching hospital. The primary objective was to assess the impact of the transition on the appropriateness of apixaban prescribing., Methods: A CCDS tool for apixaban dosing was developed and implemented using interprofessional collaboration. A retrospective chart review was conducted for apixaban orders placed before (preimplementation) and after (postimplementation) the CCDS transition. The primary outcome was the percent change in inappropriate apixaban orders, with secondary outcomes exploring percent change of apixaban orders with inappropriate dosing in different patient groups and indications per package insert., Results: Fifty orders were assessed in both arms, with 8% of orders preimplementation and 10% postimplementation deemed inappropriate. After accounting for questionable orders, overall appropriateness of prescribing was 88% preimplementation and 84% postimplementation ( P = 0.7). Challenges with implementation of CCDS included working with available information technology resources and facilitating acceptance of a new ordering process., Conclusions: The implementation of a CCDS tool for apixaban dosing at a community teaching hospital demonstrated comparable rates of appropriateness to the previous specialty service-based approval process. While the transition streamlined resources and improved efficiency, ongoing efforts are needed to address specific dosing challenges. Future research should explore the sustainability and generalizability of CCDS tools in diverse healthcare settings., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Post-discharge adverse events (AEs) are common and heralded by new and worsening symptoms (NWS). We evaluated the effect of electronic health record (EHR)-integrated digital tools designed to promote quality and safety in hospitalized patients on NWS and AEs after discharge., Materials and Methods: Adult general medicine patients at a community hospital were enrolled. We implemented a dashboard which clinicians used to assess safety risks during interdisciplinary rounds. Post-implementation patients were randomized to complete a discharge checklist whose responses were incorporated into the dashboard. Outcomes were assessed using EHR review and 30-day call data adjudicated by 2 clinicians and analyzed using Poisson regression. We conducted comparisons of each exposure on post-discharge outcomes and used selected variables and NWS as independent predictors to model post-discharge AEs using multivariable logistic regression., Results: A total of 260 patients (122 pre, 71 post [dashboard], 67 post [dashboard plus discharge checklist]) enrolled. The adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) for NWS and AEs were unchanged in the post- compared to pre-implementation period. For patient-reported NWS, aIRR was non-significantly higher for dashboard plus discharge checklist compared to dashboard participants (1.23 [0.97,1.56], P = .08). For post-implementation patients with an AE, aIRR for duration of injury (>1 week) was significantly lower for dashboard plus discharge checklist compared to dashboard participants (0 [0,0.53], P < .01). In multivariable models, certain patient-reported NWS were associated with AEs (3.76 [1.89,7.82], P < .01)., Discussion: While significant reductions in post-discharge AEs were not observed, checklist participants experiencing a post-discharge AE were more likely to report NWS and had a shorter duration of injury., Conclusion: Interventions designed to prompt patients to report NWS may facilitate earlier detection of AEs after discharge., Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05232656., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: We sought to examine outcomes of ultrafiltration in real world community-based hospital settings., Background: Ultrafiltration (UF) is an accepted therapeutic option for advanced decompensated heart failure (ADHF). the feasibility of UF in a community hospital setting, by general cardiologists in a start-up program had not been objectively evaluated., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the first-year cohort of ADHF patients treated with UF from 10/1/2019 to 10/1/2020, which totaled 30 patients, utilizing the CHF Solutions Aquadex FlexFlow™ System with active UF rate titration., Results: Baseline patient characteristics were similar to RCTs: mean age 63, 73 % male; 27 % female; 53 % Caucasian; 47 % African American; 77 % had LVEF ≤ 40. The baseline mean serum creatinine (Cr) was 1.84 ±0.62 mg/dL, mean GFR of 36.95 ±9.60 ml/min. HF re-admission rates were not significantly different than prior studies (17.2 % at 30 d, 23.3 % at 60 d, but in our cohort, per patient HF re-admission rates were reduced significantly by 60 d (0.30 p = 0.017)., Conclusion: Our analysis showed success with UF in mainstream setting with reproducible results of significant volume loss without adverse renal effect, mitigation of recurrent Hdmissions, and remarkable subjective clinical benefit., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: John L. Jefferies, MD, MPH, Oguz Akbilgic, DBA, PhD reports financial support was provided by Nuwellis. John L. Jefferies, MD, MPH reports a relationship with Nuwellis Inc that includes: consulting or advisory and speaking and lecture fees. Oguz Akbilgic, DBA, PhD reports a relationship with Nuwellis Inc that includes: consulting or advisory. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background:  Recognition of submucosal invasive colorectal cancer (T1 CRC) is difficult, with sensitivities of 35 %-60 % in Western countries. We evaluated the real-life effects of training in the OPTICAL model, a recently developed structured and validated prediction model, in Dutch community hospitals., Methods:  In this prospective multicenter study (OPTICAL II), 383 endoscopists from 40 hospitals were invited to follow an e-learning program on the OPTICAL model, to increase sensitivity in detecting T1 CRC in nonpedunculated polyps. Real-life recognition of T1 CRC was then evaluated in 25 hospitals. Endoscopic and pathologic reports of T1 CRCs detected during the next year were collected retrospectively, with endoscopists unaware of this evaluation. Sensitivity for T1 CRC recognition, R0 resection rate, and treatment modality were compared for trained vs. untrained endoscopists., Results:  1 year after e-learning, 528 nonpedunculated T1 CRCs were recorded for endoscopies performed by 251 endoscopists (118 [47 %] trained). Median T1 CRC size was 20 mm. Lesions were mainly located in the distal colorectum (66 %). Trained endoscopists recognized T1 CRCs more frequently than untrained endoscopists (sensitivity 74 % vs. 62 %; mixed model analysis odds ratio [OR] 2.90, 95 %CI 1.54-5.45). R0 resection rate was higher for T1 CRCs detected by trained endoscopists (69 % vs. 56 %; OR 1.73, 95 %CI 1.03-2.91)., Conclusion:  Training in optical recognition of T1 CRCs in community hospitals was associated with increased recognition of T1 CRCs, leading to higher en bloc and R0 resection rates. This may be an important step toward more organ-preserving strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that P. Siersema received grants or speaker's fees from Pentax Japan, The E-Nose Company The Netherlands, Microtech China, Lucid Diagnostics USA, Magentiq Eye Israel, Norgine UK/The Netherlands, and Motus GI USA; A. Masclee received research grants from the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF) and the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Innovation (ZonMW); L. Moons acts as a consultant for Boston Scientific. The other authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: To compare tumor margins and surgical outcomes between transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for large or malignant rectal adenomatous polyps. Methods: Single institution retrospective analysis of patients who underwent TAMIS or ESD surgery. Results: In total, 30 consecutive patients with similar demographics who underwent either TAMIS ( n = 19) or ESD ( n = 11) were included. The median (interquartile range, IQR) tumor distances from the anal verge for TAMIS and ESD were 5 cm (3.5-8) and 3 cm (2-4.25) ( P = 0.016). Four in TAMIS and two in ESD occupied more than half of the circumference of the bowel lumen. Five (four in situ and one stage 1) in TAMIS and two (one in situ and one stage 1) in ESD were malignant. The median specimen length, width, and height were 3.2 cm, 2.6 cm, and 1.0 cm and 3.5 cm, 2.0 cm, and 0.3 cm for TAMIS and ESD, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in tumor circumference, malignant ratios, or specimen sizes. Resection margins were involved in two of the ESD, while none of the TAMIS were involved ( P = 0.041). The median (IQR) operative time was 72 (62-89) minutes and 120 (90-180) minutes for TAMIS and ESD ( P = 0.005). The median (IQR) follow-up time was 3.3 (0.3-11.7) and 0.9 (0.3-15.4) months for TAMIS and ESD. There were no morbidities, no mortalities, or local recurrences among the two groups. Conclusions: Both TAMIS and ESD were found to be feasible and safe in community hospital practice. Operative time was shorter, and there were no involved margins in TAMIS (versus ESD).

Background: Community hospitals provide the majority of patient care in Canada but traditionally do not participate in clinical research. The disconnect between where most patients receive their health care and where health research is conducted leads to decreased study recruitment, reduced generalizability of study results, and inequitable patient access to novel therapies. A scoping review of the research activities of Ontario's large community hospitals (LCHs) between 2013 and 2015 reported an annualized output of 266 publications. In the last decade, efforts have been made to engage more community hospitals in research. In this updated scoping review, we provide a snapshot of the research activities of Ontario's LCHs between 2016 and 2022, describing the number and type of research publications as well as the frequency of collaboration within and between LCHs., Methods: Three medical databases (PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL) were searched for publications that included at least one author affiliated with one of Ontario's 47 LCHs, and for which the topic was hospital or health related. Screening and extraction occurred concurrently., Results: We identified 3,719 publications from 2016 to 22 with at least one Ontario LCH-affiliated author, representing an annualized output of 531 publications. The most frequent publication type was observational study (n = 1,654; 45%), quality improvement (n = 355; 10%), systematic reviews (n = 352; 9%) and randomized controlled trials (n = 325; 9%). The most common disciplines were outpatient care (n = 1,144; 31%), health systems research (n = 806; 22%), inpatient care (n = 437; 12%) and surgery (n = 403; 11%). LCH-affiliated first authors were identified in 997 (27%) publications, representing 755 unique authors, while LCH-affiliated senior authors were identified in 962 (26%) publications, representing 583 unique authors. Among the 1,565 studies with an LCH-affiliated first or senior author, 574 (37%) included collaborators from the same LCH and 86 (5%) included collaborators from other Ontario LCHs., Conclusions: Health research by LCH-affiliated clinicians and researchers increased significantly in 2016-2022 relative to 2013-2015. Participation in randomized controlled trials however, remains low, suggesting that further efforts are required to build clinical research infrastructure in LCHs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To outline the procedural implementation and optimization of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results for bloodstream infections (BSIs) and to evaluate the combination of RDTs with real-time antimicrobial stewardship team (AST) support plus clinical surveillance platform (CSP) software on time to appropriate therapy in BSIs at a single health system., Methods: Blood culture reporting and communication were reported for four time periods: (i) a pre-BCID [BioFire® FilmArray® Blood Culture Identification (BCID) Panel] implementation period that consisted of literature review and blood culture notification procedure revision; (ii) a BCID implementation period that consisted of BCID implementation, real-time results notification via CSP, and creation of a treatment algorithm; (iii) a post-BCID implementation period; and (iv) a BCID2 implementation period. Time to appropriate therapy metrics was reported for the BCID2 time period., Results: The mean time from BCID2 result to administration of effective antibiotics was 1.2 h (range 0-7.9 h) and time to optimal therapy was 7.6 h (range 0-113.8 h) during the BCID2 Panel implementation period. When comparing time to optimal antibiotic administration among patients growing ceftriaxone-resistant Enterobacterales, the BCID2 Panel group (mean 2.8 h) was significantly faster than the post-BCID Panel group (17.7 h; P = 0.0041)., Conclusions: Challenges exist in communicating results to the appropriate personnel on the healthcare team who have the knowledge to act on these data and prescribe targeted therapy against the pathogen(s) identified. In this report, we outline the procedures for telephonic communication and CSP support that were implemented at our health system to distribute RDT data to individuals capable of assessing results, enabling timely optimization of antimicrobial therapy., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.)

Background: Population screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) remains low, requiring alternative approaches for increasing participation. Opportunistic screening of hospitalized patients may aid in increasing uptake rates., Objective: To assess whether inpatients can be recruited for opportunistic CRC screening using fecal immunochemical testing (FIT)., Methods: Inpatient charts were prospectively reviewed for study eligibility on admission of patients to the medical wards of 3 hospitals in Winnipeg, Canada. Eligible patients were approached for participation and consent. Inoculated FIT specimen collection tubes were sent to the hospital laboratory for testing. Patients with positive FIT results received a follow-up colonoscopy., Results: In total, 1542 inpatient charts were screened for eligibility; 53 patients were identified for enrollment (51.9% were male; median age, 59 years), of whom 13 patients consented to participate but only 7 provided a stool specimen. One of those 7 patients had a positive FIT result. The overall screening rate was low, at 0.45%. The primary reason for exclusion of patients was age (outside of the range of 50-75 years), followed by patients having recent gastrointestinal bleeding and/or known intestinal diseases., Conclusions: Our data suggest that it is infeasible to recruit inpatients for opportunistic CRC screening in routine clinical practice., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pathology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: This prospective single-arm study was conducted to understand the expulsion rate of the gestational sac in the management of early pregnancy loss (EPL)., Methods: We recruited 441 participants; 188 met the eligibility criteria. Participants were 18 years of age and older who experienced a confirmed EPL (<12 weeks gestational age) defined by an intrauterine pregnancy with a non-viable embryonic or anembryonic gestational sac with no fetal heart activity. Participants were given 200 mg of mifepristone pre-treatment orally followed by 2 doses of misoprostol 800 μg vaginally after 24 and 48 hours. Participants were seen in follow-up on day 14 to confirm the absence of a gestational sac, classified as treatment success. For failed treatment (defined by retained gestational sac), we offered expectant management or a third dose of misoprostol and/or dilatation and curettage. We followed all participants for 30 days. We collected data on overtreatment for retained products of conception and hospital admissions for adverse events., Results: Overall, 181 participants followed the protocol and 169 (93.3%) participants had a complete expulsion of the gestational sac by the second visit (day 14). Twelve (6.6%) failed the treatment and 1 had an adverse event of heavy vaginal bleeding requiring dilatation and curettage. Despite the expulsion of the gestational sac, 29 cases (17.1%) at subsequent follow-up were diagnosed as retained products of conception based on ultrasound assessment of thickened endometrium., Conclusions: Pretreatment with mifepristone followed by 2 doses of misoprostol with a 14-day follow-up resulted in a high expulsion rate and is a safe management option for EPL., (Copyright © 2024 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid changes in healthcare delivery in the United States, including changes in the care of hospitalized children. The objectives of this study were to identify major changes in healthcare delivery for hospitalized children during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify lessons learned from these changes, and compare and contrast the experiences of children’s and community hospitals. Methods We purposefully sampled participants from both community and children’s hospitals serving pediatric patients in the six U.S. states with the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rates at the onset of the pandemic. We recruited 2–3 participants from each hospital (mix of administrators, front-line physicians, nurses, and parents/caregivers) for semi-structured interviews. We analyzed interview data using constant comparative methods to identify major themes. Results We interviewed 30 participants from 12 hospitals. Participants described how leaders rapidly developed new hospital policies (e.g., directing use of personal protective equipment) and how this was facilitated by reviewing internal and external data frequently and engaging all relevant stakeholders. Hospital leaders optimized communication through regular, transparent, multi-modal, and bi-directional communication. Clinicians increased use of videoconference and telehealth to facilitate physical distancing, but these technologies may have disadvantaged non-English speakers. Due to declining volumes of hospitalized children and surges of adult patients, clinicians newly provided care for hospitalized adults. This was facilitated by developing care teams supported by adult hospitalists, multidisciplinary support via videoconference, and educational resources. Participants described how the pandemic negatively impacted clinicians’ mental health, and they stressed the importance of mental health resources and wellness activities/spaces. Conclusions We identified several major changes in inpatient pediatric care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adoption of new hospital policies, video communication, staffing models, education strategies, and staff mental health supports. We outline important lessons learned, including strategies for successfully developing new policies, effectively communicating with staff, and supporting clinicians’ expanding scope of practice. Potentially important focus areas in pandemic recovery include assessing and supporting clinicians’ mental health and well-being, re-evaluating trainees’ skills/competencies, and adapting educational strategies as needed. These findings can help guide hospital leaders in supporting pandemic recovery and addressing future crises.

Purpose: To refine the admission criteria of the Acute Geriatric Community Hospital (AGCH) by defining its target group boundaries with (geriatric) hospital care and other bed-based intermediate care models in the Netherlands., Methods: A qualitative study consisting of a three-phase refinement procedure with case vignettes. Physicians, medical specialists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in hospitals (n = 10) or intermediate care facilities (n = 10) in the Netherlands participated. They collected case vignettes from clinical practice (phase one). The referral considerations and decisions for each case were then documented through surveys (phase two) and two focus groups (phase 3). For thematic data analysis, inductive and deductive approaches were used., Results: The combination of medical specialist care (MSC) and medical generalist care (MGC), is unique for the AGCH compared to other intermediate care models in the Netherlands. Compared to (geriatric) hospital care, the AGCH offers a more limited scope of MSC. Based on these findings, 13 refined admission criteria were developed such as 'The required diagnostic tests to monitor the effectiveness of treatment are available at the AGCH'. Besides admission criteria, additional clinical and organizational considerations played a role in referral decision-making; 10 themes were identified., Conclusion: This case vignette study defined the target group boundaries between the AGCH and other care models, allowing us to refine the AGCH admission criteria. Our findings may help to determine the required competencies of the interdisciplinary AGCH team and to develop triage instruments. The identified consideration themes can be used as conceptual framework in further research. The findings may also be of interests for healthcare systems outside the Netherlands who aspire to design integrated care for older people closer to home., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Approximately 10% of intraoperative cholangiograms identify choledocholithiasis (CDL), stones in the common bile duct. Choledocholithiasis management options include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) followed by cholecystectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) followed by ERCP (LC + ERCP), cholecystectomy with open common bile duct exploration, or laparoscopic cholecystectomy with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LC + LCBDE). The goal of these interventions is to clear the obstruction from CDL., Methods: Patients from a single-center community hospital undergoing LC with intraoperative cholangiogram (LC + IOC) progressing to LC + LCBDE from July 2020 to August 2022 were evaluated for hospital length of stay (LOS), operative times, and complications. These were compared to the prior standard practice of pre/post-operative ERCP., Results: The results were evaluated using ANOVA, Student-Newman-Keuls, and chi square analysis. In comparison of LC + CBDE to ERCP + cholecystectomy, LOS was reduced (1.8 vs 4.6 days P < .0001). No difference in LOS between LC + IOC and LC + CBDE (1.4 vs 1.8 days, P > .05) was found. No difference in complication rates was found. Mean operative time differed between LC + IOC and LC + CBDE (63 vs 113 minutes, P < .0001). Fifty-five attempts of LC + CBDE were performed with only 10 requiring post-operative ERCP., Discussion: Since implementation of LC + CBDE, there has been reduced LOS without increasing complication rates. Operative times are increased with LC + CBDE but offset by reduced LOS, additional anesthesia events, and procedures. Our institution will continue to pursue LC + CBDE when indicated with efforts to improve resource allocation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background and Objectives: Patient and family violent outbursts toward staff, caregivers, or through self-harm, have increased during the ongoing behavioral health crisis. These health care-associated violence (HAV) episodes are likely under-reported. We sought to assess the feasibility of using nursing notes to identify under-reported HAV episodes., Methods: We extracted nursing notes across inpatient units at 2 hospitals for 2019: a pediatric tertiary care center and a community-based hospital. We used a workflow for narrative data processing using a natural language processing (NLP) assisted manual review process performed by domain experts (a nurse and a physician). We trained the NLP models on the tertiary care center data and validated it on the community hospital data. Finally, we applied these surveillance methods to real-time data for 2022 to assess reporting completeness of new cases., Results: We used 70 981 notes from the tertiary care center for model building and internal validation and 19 332 notes from the community hospital for external validation. The final community hospital model sensitivity was 96.8% (95% CI 90.6% to 100%) and a specificity of 47.1% (39.6% to 54.6%) compared with manual review. We identified 31 HAV episodes in July to December 2022, of which 26 were reportable in accordance with the hospital internal criteria. Only 7 of 26 cases were reported by employees using the self-reporting system, all of which were identified by our surveillance process., Conclusions: NLP-assisted review is a feasible method for surveillance of under-reported HAV episodes, with implementation and usability that can be achieved even at a low information technology-resourced hospital setting., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Objective: We examined process-related quality metrics for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) depending on treating facility type across a health system and region., Study Design: Retrospective in accordance with Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines., Setting: Single health system and region., Methods: Patients with OSCC diagnosed between 2012 and 2018 were identified from tumor registries of 6 hospitals (1 academic and 5 community) within a single health system. Patients were categorized into 3 care groups: (1) solely at the academic center, (2) solely at community facilities, and (3) combined care at academic and community facilities. Primary outcome measures were process-related quality metrics: positive surgical margin rate, lymph node yield (LNY), adjuvant treatment initiation ≤6 weeks, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-guideline adherence., Results: A total of 499 patients were included: 307 (61.5%) patients in the academic-only group, 101 (20.2%) in the community-only group, and 91 (18.2%) in the combined group. Surgery at community hospitals was associated with increased odds of positive surgical margins (11.9% vs 2.5%, odds ratio [OR]: 47.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.2-275.86, P < .001) and lower odds of LNY ≥ 18 (52.8% vs 85.9%, OR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.07-0.33, P < .001) relative to the academic center. Compared with the academic-only group, odds of adjuvant treatment initiation ≤6 weeks were lower for the combined group (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.13-0.64, P = .002) and odds of NCCN guideline-adherent treatment were lower in the community only group (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.18-0.70, P = .003)., Conclusion: Quality of oral cancer care across the health system and region is comparable to or better-than national standards, indicating good baseline quality of care. Differences by facility type and fragmentation of care present an opportunity for bringing best in-class cancer care across an entire region., (© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes a variety of clinical infections in humans, including diarrhea, sepsis, and urinary tract infection. This bacterium is a common multidrug-resistant threat in community and hospital settings worldwide. This study examined the antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic relationship based on Clermont phylotyping and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR of 84 E. coli urinary isolates from provincial and community hospitals in Thailand. All isolates were susceptible to nitrofurantoin, and almost all isolates were susceptible to carbapenem, fosfomycin, and amikacin. High resistance rates to fluoroquinolone, ampicillin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were observed. Clermont phylogroup B2 was predominant (n = 58). Subtyping of the B2 phylogroup revealed diverse subgroups, of which subgroup V (n = 11), VII (n = 9), III (n = 6), and II (n = 6) were most prevalent. ERIC-PCR showed that the strains of the B2 subgroups III and V were spread between provincial and community hospitals and between hospital wards. This evidence suggests the need for comprehensive infection control monitoring, with strong active surveillance at all hospital levels.

Objective: This quality improvement initiative was conducted to determine if a provider in triage and split flow model could decrease the length of stay (LOS) of discharged patients seen in a community hospital emergency department (ED)., Background: Extended LOSs within the ED lead to delays in the care of patients, increase the number of patients who leave without being seen by a provider, decrease patient satisfaction, and cause a loss of revenue for health care organizations. Using a provider in triage and a split flow model, where patients can be seen and dispositioned without delays, can improve ED throughput and decrease the overall LOS., Methods: Through a structured, interdisciplinary approach using the Plan-Do-Study-Act Shewhart Cycle of Process Improvement, a provider was placed in triage, and an interior waiting room was used to evaluate emergency severity index level 3 and 4 patients to expedite diagnostic testing and perform procedures. This model allowed lower acuity patients to be cared for separately from higher acuity patients, who were being treated in the main ED. In addition, the median arrival to provider, arrival to bed, and LOS from arrival to departure of discharged patients were compared to the current departmental processes., Results: There was a significant improvement in the LOS of discharged patients and the time of arrival to triage, arrival to bed, and arrival to provider using a provider in triage and a split flow model compared to the current intake., Conclusion: Implementation of a provider in triage and a split flow model can demonstrate a decrease in the LOS of discharged patients along with other ED metrics and improve efficiencies in patient care within a community hospital., Competing Interests: Disclosure:The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends measuring A1c in all inpatients with diabetes if not performed in the prior three months. Our objective was to determine the impact of utilizing Lean Six Sigma to increase the frequency of A1c measurements in hospitalized patients., Methods: We evaluated inpatients with diabetes mellitus consecutively admitted in a community hospital between January 2016 and June 2021, excluding those who had an A1c in the electronic health record (EHR) in the previous three months. Lean Six Sigma was utilized to define the extent of the problem and devise solutions. The intervention bundle delivered between November 2017 and February 2018 included (1) provider education on the utility of A1c, (2) more rapid turnaround of A1c results, and (3) an EHR glucose-management tab and insulin order set that included A1c. Hospital encounter and patient-level data were extracted from the EHR via bulk query. Frequency of A1c measurement was compared before (January 2016-November 2017) and after the intervention (March 2018-June 2021) using χ 2 analysis., Results: Demographics did not differ preintervention versus postintervention (mean age [range]: 70.9 [18-104] years, sex: 52.2% male, race: 57.0% white). A1c measurements significantly increased following implementation of the intervention bundle (61.2% vs 74.5%, P < .001). This level was sustained for more than two years following the initial intervention. Patients seen by the diabetes consult service (40.4% vs 51.7%, P < 0.001) and length of stay (mean: 135 hours vs 149 hours, P < 0.001) both increased postintervention., Conclusions: We demonstrate a novel approach in improving A1c in hospitalized patients. Lean Six Sigma may represent a valuable methodology for community hospitals to improve inpatient diabetes care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsA.P.D. reports research funding from DexCom, Inc. M.Z. reports consulting for EMD Serono. These organizations had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. The other authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article

Objective: Complex endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair techniques have evolved over the last decade, yet patterns of physician and hospital system adoption of fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) remain poorly defined. We investigated clinical outcomes, use trends, and surgeon and hospital experience for FEVAR in a large community hospital system., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all FEVAR procedures within our 5-state hospital system between April 2012 and June 2021. AAA repair volumes (open, EVAR, and FEVAR) were captured at the hospital and surgeon levels using Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases codes. Clinical and outcomes data were collected for FEVAR patients. To consider if surgeon or hospital experience influenced outcomes, sequential case number was used to divide patients into surgeon experience and hospital experience groups. Inverse probability weighted and generalized linear mixed models, adjusted for demographics and comorbidities, were built to examine risk-adjusted outcomes for surgeon and hospital experience groups., Results: Of 3850 patients treated with AAA procedures of any kind between 2012 and 2021, 160 (4.2%) underwent FEVAR. FEVAR procedures were performed by 34 different surgeons at 12 hospitals, with intraoperative complications and unplanned adjunctive procedures occurring in 18.8% (n = 30) and 19.4% (n = 31) of patients, respectively. Among FEVAR patients, in-hospital mortality was 1.3% (n = 2) and postoperative morbidity was 16.9% (n = 27). Renal function decline occurred postoperatively in 5.1% of patients. Early (<30 day) postoperative endoleaks occurred in 15.3% of patients (n = 21). Target vessel patency was 95.6% on initial postoperative imaging. Surgeon and hospital experience had a small positive impact on outcomes after the first one to three cases. Significant decreases in operative time, fluoroscopy time, and estimated blood loss were observed with increased surgeon experience, relative to a surgeon's first case (P < .05). There were lower odds of intraoperative complications after a surgeon's first case (odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.77, for cases 2-3) or after a hospital's first one to three cases (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-0.89, for cases 4-8; OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.55 for cases 9-49)., Conclusions: Clinical outcomes of FEVAR across our hospital system compare favorably with previously published reports. Although system-wide FEVAR adoption increased 3-fold over the last decade, FEVAR continued to be performed by a minority of hospitals in our system. The results from this cohort demonstrate low rates of adverse events, high rates of technical efficiency, and a small impact of surgeon and hospital experience, thereby supporting this advanced endovascular technology as a safe, efficacious, and generalizable treatment alternative to open repair for patients with complex aortic anatomy., Competing Interests: Disclosures B.U. is a consultant for Medtronic, Cook Medical, and W. L. Gore & Associates., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Improper compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) in surgery is associated with an increased risk of surgical site infection (SSI), and impacts the efficiency of healthcare., Objective: Evaluate the impact of an intervention in compliance with AP in selected surgical procedures and its effect on antibiotic consumption and cost., Methods: A prospective interventional study was performed in a community hospital from January to December 2022. The baseline period was considered January-April 2022 and the intervention period May-December 2022. All patients who underwent cesarean section, appendectomies, hernia surgery, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), abdominoplasty, and cholecystectomy during the study period were selected. The intervention includes staff education, pharmacy interventions, monitoring the quality of prescriptions and feedback, and improved role of anesthesia staff, and department champions., Results: The study involved 192 and 617 surgical procedures in the baseline and intervention periods respectively. The compliance with timing, selection, dose, and discontinuation achieved 100%, 99.2%, and 97.6% from baseline figures of 92.7%, 95.8%, and 81.3%, respectively. The antibiotic consumption was reduced by 55.1% during the intervention with a higher contribution of other antibiotics (94.1% reduction) in comparison with antibiotics as per policy (31.2% reduction). The cost was reduced by 47.2% (antibiotic as per policy 31.9%, other antibiotics 94.2%)., Conclusion: The implemented strategy was effective in improving the quality of antibiotic prophylaxis with a significant impact in reducing antibiotic consumption and cost., (Copyright © 2024 FECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

High utilizers of acute care in nonurban settings are at risk for poor health outcomes. Much of Massachusetts is nonurban, with many residents experiencing limited access to health care providers, fragmented health care services, inadequate housing, and low health literacy. This study examines patient perspectives on the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation (CHART) investment program, a state-based grant program focused on advancing community hospitals toward value-based care. We found that CHART staff engaged patients in care coordination and patient advocacy, promoted patient agency and health literacy, and provided socioemotional support. These findings may help inform future program development around meeting the medical and social needs of high utilizers of health care services., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clinicians are encouraged to use the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services early management bundle for severe sepsis and septic shock (SEP-1); however, it is unclear whether this process measure improves patient outcomes., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether compliance with the SEP-1 bundle is a predictor of hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and intensive care unit LOS at a suburban community hospital., Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted., Results: A total of 577 patients were included in the analysis. Compliance with the SEP-1 bundle was not a significant predictor for patient outcomes., Conclusions: SEP-1 compliance may not equate with quality of health care. Efforts to comply with SEP-1 may help organizations develop systems and structures that improve patient outcomes. Health care leaders should evaluate strategies beyond SEP-1 compliance to ensure continuous improvement of outcomes for patients experiencing sepsis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: A community hospital reported 21 staff assaults with injuries and 242 emergency response code green (CG) calls for violent behaviors, resulting in a loss of time in the 2022 fiscal year. Evidence has shown that exposure to violent behavior can compromise effective patient care and lead to job dissatisfaction, high turnover, and higher healthcare costs., Purpose: This quality improvement project aims to develop and implement behavioral optimization and outcome support team (BOOST) in a medical-surgical telemetry unit to reduce patient-to-staff assaults/injuries., Methods: BOOST was piloted for 15 weeks; process data included staff knowledge and satisfaction with BOOST; outcome data included the number of BOOST and CG calls and staff assaults/injuries. The team members included registered psychiatric nurses, nursing supervisors, and security officers. Data were collected and analyzed weekly using a run chart., Results: The survey data demonstrated increased staff knowledge of the behavioral response team and staff satisfaction with the BOOST implementation. No staff injuries or assaults were reported during the BOOST implementation., Conclusions: Behavioral optimization and outcome support team was effective in de-escalating patients and the team provided support to nursing staff. BOOST utilization can effectively reduce assaults and injuries in the workplace., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 National Association for Healthcare Quality.)

Objectives: Psychological resilience is a crucial component of mental health and well-being for health care workers. It is positively linked to compassion satisfaction and inversely associated with burnout. The current literature on health care worker resilience has mainly focused on primary care and tertiary hospitals, but there is a lack of studies in post-acute and transitional care settings. Our study aims to address this knowledge gap and evaluate the factors associated with psychological resilience among health care professionals working in community hospitals., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting and Participants: Physicians, nurses, rehabilitation therapists (consisting of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists), pharmacists, dietitians, and social workers in 2 community hospitals in Singapore., Methods: Eligible health care workers were invited to fill in anonymous, self-reported questionnaires consisting of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and work-related factors together with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression were conducted to study the relationship between each factor and resilience scores., Results: A total of 574 responses were received, giving a response rate of 81.1%. The mean CD-RISC-10 score reported was 28.4. Multiple linear regression revealed that male gender (B = 1.49, P = .003), Chinese (B = -3.18, P < .001), active smokers (B = -3.82, P = .01), having perceived work crisis support (B = 2.95, P < .001), work purpose (B = 1.84, P = .002), job satisfaction (B = 1.01, P = .04), and work control (B = 2.53, P < .001) were significantly associated with psychological resilience scores among these health care workers., Conclusion and Implications: Our study highlights the importance of certain individual and organizational factors that are associated with psychological resilience. These findings provide valuable insight into developing tailored interventions to foster resilience, such as strengthening work purpose and providing effective work crisis support, thus reducing burnout among health care workers in the post-acute care setting., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infection leading to hospitalization and is often associated with gram-negative multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Clinicians overuse extended-spectrum antibiotics although most patients are at low risk for MDRO infection. Safe strategies to limit overuse of empiric antibiotics are needed., Objective: To evaluate whether computerized provider order entry (CPOE) prompts providing patient- and pathogen-specific MDRO risk estimates could reduce use of empiric extended-spectrum antibiotics for treatment of UTI., Design, Setting, and Participants: Cluster-randomized trial in 59 US community hospitals comparing the effect of a CPOE stewardship bundle (education, feedback, and real-time and risk-based CPOE prompts; 29 hospitals) vs routine stewardship (n = 30 hospitals) on antibiotic selection during the first 3 hospital days (empiric period) in noncritically ill adults (≥18 years) hospitalized with UTI with an 18-month baseline (April 1, 2017-September 30, 2018) and 15-month intervention period (April 1, 2019-June 30, 2020)., Interventions: CPOE prompts recommending empiric standard-spectrum antibiotics in patients ordered to receive extended-spectrum antibiotics who have low estimated absolute risk (<10%) of MDRO UTI, coupled with feedback and education., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was empiric (first 3 days of hospitalization) extended-spectrum antibiotic days of therapy. Secondary outcomes included empiric vancomycin and antipseudomonal days of therapy. Safety outcomes included days to intensive care unit (ICU) transfer and hospital length of stay. Outcomes were assessed using generalized linear mixed-effect models to assess differences between the baseline and intervention periods., Results: Among 127 403 adult patients (71 991 baseline and 55 412 intervention period) admitted with UTI in 59 hospitals, the mean (SD) age was 69.4 (17.9) years, 30.5% were male, and the median Elixhauser Comorbidity Index count was 4 (IQR, 2-5). Compared with routine stewardship, the group using CPOE prompts had a 17.4% (95% CI, 11.2%-23.2%) reduction in empiric extended-spectrum days of therapy (rate ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.77-0.89]; P < .001). The safety outcomes of mean days to ICU transfer (6.6 vs 7.0 days) and hospital length of stay (6.3 vs 6.5 days) did not differ significantly between the routine and intervention groups, respectively., Conclusions and Relevance: Compared with routine stewardship, CPOE prompts providing real-time recommendations for standard-spectrum antibiotics for patients with low MDRO risk coupled with feedback and education significantly reduced empiric extended-spectrum antibiotic use among noncritically ill adults admitted with UTI without changing hospital length of stay or days to ICU transfers., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03697096.

Purpose: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of two insulin regimens for inpatient hyperglycemia management: combination short-plus long-acting insulin (basal-bolus insulin regimen, BBIR) vs. short-acting insulin only (correctional insulin only regimen, CIOR)., Methods: Chart reviews identified noncritically ill patients with pre-existing type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving insulin injections. Study participants (N = 138) were divided into BBIR (N = 104) and CIOR (N = 34) groups. Data for the entire duration of each patient's stay were analyzed., Results: The primary outcome of percent hyperglycemic days was higher in BBIR vs. CIOR (3.97 ± 0.33% vs. 1.22 ± 0.38%). The safety outcome of percent hypoglycemic events was not different between BBIR and CIOR (0.78 ± 0.22% vs. 0.53 ± 0.37%). Regarding secondary outcomes, the percentage of euglycemic days was lower in BBIR vs. CIOR (26.74 ± 2.97% vs. 40.98 ± 5.91%). Overall blood glucose (BG) and daily insulin dose were higher in BBIR vs. CIOR (231.43 ± 5.37 vs. 195.55 ± 6.25 mg/dL and 41.36 ± 3.07 vs. 5.02 ± 0.68 units, respectively). Insulin regimen-associated differences in hyperglycemia and daily insulin dose persisted after adjusting for covariates., Conclusion: Our observations linking BBIR to worse glycemic outcomes differ from those reported in the randomized controlled Rabbit 2 and Rabbit 2 Surgery trials. This discrepancy can be partly explained by the fact that BBIR patients displayed worse glycemic baselines. Also, there was no diabetes stewardship team to monitor BG and modify insulin therapy, which is relevant since achieving euglycemia in BBIR patients requires more dose adjustments. This study highlights challenges with standard inpatient glycemic management and calls for further research assessing the benefits of pharmacist-led diabetes stewardship., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yang, Bourgeois, Delgado, Graham and Burmeister.)

Introduction: Although medical marijuana usage continues to become more socially acceptable and is increasingly regarded as a legitimate treatment alternative for certain medical conditions such as cancer and epilepsy, stigma remains., Methods: This study examined whether offering an educational session addressing several key aspects of medical marijuana (e.g., pharmacology, legality) to healthcare providers in a community hospital setting improved knowledge about and/or altered attitudes toward marijuana use. This information was collected through administration of pre- and post-education session surveys. Multiple choice questions were utilized to assess knowledge of marijuana pharmacotherapy, pharmacodynamic interactions, and regulations, whereas descriptive analyses via Likert-scale questions determined attitudes toward medical marijuana. A secondary outcome entailed analysis of drug interactions with marijuana users via retrospective chart review., Results: A total of 43 healthcare providers participated in the study. There were statistically significant increases in healthcare provider knowledge post-education session across multiple occupations (physician, P < .01; nurse, P < .001; pharmacist, P < .01; and nurse technician, P < .05). A total of 72 patients (83%) who self-reported marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes had a potential drug-drug interaction with marijuana., Conclusions: As both medical and recreational marijuana continue to become legalized across the United States, formal education surrounding marijuana use and laws becomes increasingly important for healthcare providers and can be highly effective in preventing misinformation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The Chandler Regional Medical Center (CRMC) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) began a phased implementation of Eat-Sleep-Console (ESC) for the management of those at risk for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)., Purpose: The purpose of this initiative is to track short-term outcomes as well as the program's effect on nursing workflow and job performance rating/satisfaction., Methods: A retrospective review of the ESC implementation process at CRMC from the years 2018-2020. The study consisted of 3 epochs: (1) traditional pharmacologic management; (2) parent-led ESC management; and (3) parent/nurse-led ESC management. Length of stay (LOS), treatment pathway assignment, and proportion of infants treated with pharmacologic agents were compared between epochs. In addition, a survey of NICU nursing staff was distributed to measure nurses' perceptions and attitudes towards the ESC program and the management of infants with NOWS., Results: The proportion of infants treated via ESC increased (0%, 53%, and 100%), with an associated decrease in LOS (18.4, 10.5, and 9.3 days) during each epoch of the study period. Thirty-seven nurses completed the survey, with 94% of nurses reporting being comfortable caring for ESC patients and 89% feeling supported in their ESC nursing assignments, with only 11% stating that caring for ESC patients significantly alters their other nursing care processes., Implications for Practice and Research: Implementation of an ESC treatment program for infants with NOWS significantly decreased LOS and the proportion of infants treated pharmacologically. This phased implementation process was not associated with self-reported negative nursing perceptions of the program and its treatment goals/outcomes., (Copyright © 2024 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

Background: Understanding the average time from surgery to discharge is important to successfully and strategically schedule cases planned for same day discharge (SDD) for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the average time to discharge following unilateral TKA performed in a community hospital and (2) describe patient characteristics and peri-operative factors that may impact SDD., Methods: This retrospective review included 75 patients having achieved SDD following unilateral TKA between March 2017 and September 2021 at a high-volume multi-specialty community hospital. Time to discharge was calculated from end of surgery, defined as completion of dressing application, to physical discharge from the hospital. Time surgery completed and association with time of discharge was also examined. Pearson's correlations were performed to evaluate the relationship between total time to discharge and patient demographics., Results: The average age for all patients was 66.6 ± 10.9 years (Range: 38 to 86) and average BMI of 29.9 ± 5.6 kg/m 2 (Range: 20.4 to 46.3). The average time to discharge was 5.8 ± 1.8 h (range: 2.2 to 10.5 h). Time to discharge was significantly longer for patients finishing surgery prior to noon (6.0 ± 1.8 h), than after noon (4.8 ± 1.4 h, p = 0.046). Total time to discharge was not correlated with age (r = 0.018, p = 0.881) or BMI (r=-0.158, p = 0.178), but was negatively correlated with surgical start time (r=-0.196, p = 0.094)., Conclusion: An average of six hours was required to achieve SDD following unilateral TKA performed in a community hospital. The time required for SDD was not found to be related to intrinsic patient factors but more likely due to extrinsic factors associated with time of scheduled surgery. To improve success of SDD, focus should be placed on the development of efficient discharge pathways rather than unchangeable intrinsic patient characteristics., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To determine whether removal of default duration, embedded in electronic prescription (e-script), influenced antibiotic days of therapy., Design: Interrupted time-series analysis., Setting: The study was conducted across 2 community hospitals, 1 academic hospital, 3 emergency departments, and 86 ambulatory clinics., Patients: Adults prescribed a fluoroquinolone with a duration <31 days., Interventions: Removal of standard 10-day fluoroquinolone default duration and addition of literature-based duration guidance in the order entry on December 19, 2017. The study period included data for 12 months before and after the intervention., Results: The study included 35,609 fluoroquinolone e-scripts from the preintervention period and 31,303 fluoroquinolone e-scripts from the postintervention period, accounting for 520,388 cumulative fluoroquinolone DOT. Mean durations before and after the intervention were 7.8 (SD, 4.3) and 7.7 (SD, 4.5), a nonsignificant change. E-scripts with a 10-day duration decreased prior to and after the default removal. The inpatient setting showed a significant 8% drop in 10-day e-scripts after default removal and a reduced median duration by 1 day; 10-day scripts declined nonsignificantly in ED and ambulatory settings. In the ambulatory settings, both 7- and 14-day e-script durations increased after default removal., Conclusion: Removal of default 10-day antibiotic durations did not affect overall mean duration but did shift patterns in prescribing, depending on practice setting. Stewardship interventions must be studied in the context of practice setting. Ambulatory stewardship efforts separate from inpatient programs are needed because interventions cannot be assumed to have similar effects.

Study Objective: We sought to initiate an emergency department (ED)-based ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) program in our community teaching hospital system. Here, we present our development process and protocol. We also sought to assess the types, indications, and associated adverse event rates for the UGRA procedures in this study., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected quality assurance data from a case series of patients who underwent an UGRA procedure in the ED. In August 2020, we developed an UGRA program for our community teaching hospital and its 2 affiliated freestanding EDs. For quality assurance purposes, we tracked all UGRA procedures performed in the ED, and we specifically assessed adverse events using structured follow-up. We subsequently obtained approval from our institutional review board to perform chart reviews of the patients in our dataset to abstract additional data and formally perform a research study. We determined the frequency with which different UGRA procedures were performed, and we calculated the adverse event rate., Results: Between August 24, 2020, and July 15, 2022, a total of 18 different sonographers performed and documented 229 UGRA procedures on 206 unique patients. This included 28 different types of procedures. Follow-up after disposition was successful in 82.0% of patients. In 2 cases, the patient reported no pain relief at all from the procedure, but no patients reported complications related to the procedure., Conclusion: We successfully initiated a robust ED-based UGRA program in our community teaching hospital system. Among patients with successful follow-up, no adverse events were identified., (Copyright © 2023 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The extent of practice setting's influence on transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) outcomes is not yet established. This study seeks to assess and compare TCAR outcomes in academic and community-based healthcare settings., Methods: Retrospective review of prospectively maintained, systemwide TCAR databases from 2 institutions was performed between 2015 and 2022. Patients were stratified based on the setting of surgical intervention (i.e., academic or community-based hospitals). Relevant demographics, medical conditions, anatomic characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative courses, and adverse events were captured for multivariate analysis., Results: We identified 973 patients who underwent TCAR, 570 (58.6%) were performed at academic and 403 (41.4%) at community-based hospitals. An academic facility was defined as a designated teaching hospital with 24/7 service-line coverage by a trainee-led surgical team. Baseline comorbidity between cohorts were similar but cases performed at academic institutions were associated with increased complexity, defined by high cervical stenosis (P < 0.001), prior dissection (P < 0.01), and prior neck radiation (P < 0.001). Intraoperatively, academic hospitals were associated with longer operative time (67 min vs. 58 min, P < 0.001), higher blood loss (55 mLs vs. 37 mLs, P < 0.001), and longer flow reversal time (9.5 min vs. 8.4 min, P < 0.05). Technical success rate was not statistically different. In the 30-day perioperative period, we observed no significant difference with respect to reintervention (1.5% vs. 1.5%, P ≥ 0.9) or ipsilateral stroke (2.7% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.51). Additionally, no difference in postoperative myocardial infarction (academic 0.7% vs. community 0.2%, P < 0.32), death (academic 1.9% vs. community 1.4%, P < 0.57), or length of stay (1 day vs. 1 day, P < 0.62) was seen between the cohorts., Conclusions: Cases performed at academic centers were characterized by more challenging anatomy, more frequent cardiovascular risk factors, and less efficient intraoperative variables, potentially attributable to case complexity and trainee involvement. However, there were no differences in perioperative outcomes and adverse events between the cohorts, suggesting TCAR can be safely performed regardless of practice setting., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Excessive carbapenem use has contributed to the spread of carbapenem-resistant bacteria. In response, Japan's revised National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2023-2027 set the goal of a 20 % reduction in carbapenem use. The aim of this study is to reveal the circumstances associated with carbapenem use in diagnosis procedure combination (DPC) community hospitals and fee-for-service hospitals, which account for the majority of the hospitals in Japan. We analyzed publicly available data from the Survey of Discharged Patients conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2020. We used multiple regression analysis to identify the factors associated with carbapenem use in small- to medium-sized hospitals. Considerable carbapenem use was observed in small- to medium-sized hospitals. There was a large difference in carbapenem use among curative care beds in both DPC community hospitals and non-DPC hospitals. Linear regression models showed the significant association of several major diagnostic categories (MDCs) with carbapenem use. In particular, rates of MDC No.02 (eye) and 05 (circulatory system) were potentially associated with excessive or inappropriate carbapenem use. A notable and novel study finding was that there was a large difference in carbapenem consumption as the number of curative care beds increased in both DPC community hospitals and non-DPC hospitals. This may contribute to the identification of carbapenem overuse and toward achieving the goal of the National Action Plan on AMR 2023-2027. Furthermore, identifying factors associated with carbapenem use helps in understanding disease-specific prescribing practices and detecting potential overuse., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid changes in healthcare delivery in the United States, including changes in the care of hospitalized children. The objectives of this study were to identify major changes in healthcare delivery for hospitalized children during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify lessons learned from these changes, and compare and contrast the experiences of children's and community hospitals. Methods: We purposefully sampled participants from both community and children's hospitals serving pediatric patients in the six U.S. states with the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rates at the onset of the pandemic. We recruited 2–3 participants from each hospital (mix of administrators, front-line physicians, nurses, and parents/caregivers) for semi-structured interviews. We analyzed interview data using constant comparative methods to identify major themes. Results: We interviewed 30 participants from 12 hospitals. Participants described how leaders rapidly developed new hospital policies (e.g., directing use of personal protective equipment) and how this was facilitated by reviewing internal and external data frequently and engaging all relevant stakeholders. Hospital leaders optimized communication through regular, transparent, multi-modal, and bi-directional communication. Clinicians increased use of videoconference and telehealth to facilitate physical distancing, but these technologies may have disadvantaged non-English speakers. Due to declining volumes of hospitalized children and surges of adult patients, clinicians newly provided care for hospitalized adults. This was facilitated by developing care teams supported by adult hospitalists, multidisciplinary support via videoconference, and educational resources. Participants described how the pandemic negatively impacted clinicians' mental health, and they stressed the importance of mental health resources and wellness activities/spaces. Conclusions: We identified several major changes in inpatient pediatric care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adoption of new hospital policies, video communication, staffing models, education strategies, and staff mental health supports. We outline important lessons learned, including strategies for successfully developing new policies, effectively communicating with staff, and supporting clinicians' expanding scope of practice. Potentially important focus areas in pandemic recovery include assessing and supporting clinicians' mental health and well-being, re-evaluating trainees' skills/competencies, and adapting educational strategies as needed. These findings can help guide hospital leaders in supporting pandemic recovery and addressing future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vancomycin treats methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in hospitalized patients, yet nephrotoxicity is a major risk. Dosing based on the ratio of vancomycin 24-hour area under the curve to minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) is preferred over a trough-only vancomycin dosing approach to minimize the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). This study compares the safety of AUC/MIC-guided and trough-only vancomycin dosing at a 255-bed hospital., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with stable renal function who received at least 3 days of intravenous vancomycin via either AUC/MIC or trough-only dosing was conducted. The primary outcome was AKI occurrence during treatment. Secondary outcomes included the frequencies of therapeutic, subtherapeutic, and supratherapeutic vancomycin troughs. Relative risk calculations were performed for all outcomes., Results: 600 patients from the trough-only group and 561 patients from the AUC/MIC group were included. 121 patients from the trough-only group and 87 patients from the AUC/MIC group experienced AKI during treatment (relative risk [RR], 0.769; 95% CI, 0.599-0.988; P = 0.0397). Compared with the trough-only group, the AUC/MIC group was significantly less likely to have supratherapeutic troughs (RR, 0.703; 95% CI, 0.611-0.809; P < 0.0001) and significantly more likely to have therapeutic troughs (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.069-1.211; P < 0.0001), with no significant between-group difference in subtherapeutic troughs (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.854-1.25; P = 0.74)., Conclusion: AUC/MIC dosing was associated with significantly lower risk of AKI, a lower risk of supratherapeutic trough levels, and a higher risk of therapeutic trough levels, with no significant difference in subtherapeutic troughs when compared to trough-only dosing. Limitations of this study included its retrospective nature and reliance on manual chart review., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are considered when patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) develop a contraindication to anticoagulation. Use of IVC filters is increasing, despite associated complications and lack of data on efficacy in reducing VTE-related mortality. We characterized the pattern of IVC filter use at a large community hospital between 2018 and 2022. Specifically, we assessed the indications for IVC filter insertion, filter removal rates, and filter-associated complications. Indications for IVC filters were compared to those outlined by current clinical practice guidelines. We reviewed 120 consecutive filter placement events. The most common indications included recent VTE and active bleeding (40.0%) or need for anticoagulation interruption for surgery (25.8%). Approximately one-third (30.0%) of IVC filters were inserted for indications either not supported or addressed by guidelines. Half (50.0%) of patients had successful removal of their IVC filter. At least 13 patients (10.8%) experienced a filter-related complication. In a large community-based practice, nearly one-third of IVC filters were inserted for indications not universally supported by current practice guidelines. Moreover, most IVC filters were not removed, raising the risk of filter-associated complications, and supporting the need for development of comprehensive guidelines addressing use of IVC filters, and post-insertion monitoring practices., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Detection and containment of hospital outbreaks currently depend on variable and personnel-intensive surveillance methods. Whether automated statistical surveillance for outbreaks of health care-associated pathogens allows earlier containment efforts that would reduce the size of outbreaks is unknown., Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in 82 community hospitals within a larger health care system. All hospitals followed an outbreak response protocol when outbreaks were detected by their infection prevention programs. Half of the hospitals additionally used statistical surveillance of microbiology data, which alerted infection prevention programs to outbreaks. Statistical surveillance was also applied to microbiology data from control hospitals without alerting their infection prevention programs. The primary outcome was the number of additional cases occurring after outbreak detection. Analyses assessed differences between the intervention period (July 2019 to January 2022) versus baseline period (February 2017 to January 2019) between randomized groups. A post hoc analysis separately assessed pre-coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and Covid-19 pandemic intervention periods., Results: Real-time alerts did not significantly reduce the number of additional outbreak cases (intervention period versus baseline: statistical surveillance relative rate [RR]=1.41, control RR=1.81; difference-in-differences, 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40 to 1.52; P=0.46). Comparing only the prepandemic intervention with baseline periods, the statistical outbreak surveillance group was associated with a 64.1% reduction in additional cases (statistical surveillance RR=0.78, control RR=2.19; difference-in-differences, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.99). There was no similarly observed association between the pandemic versus baseline periods (statistical surveillance RR=1.56, control RR=1.66; difference-in-differences, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.92)., Conclusions: Automated detection of hospital outbreaks using statistical surveillance did not reduce overall outbreak size in the context of an ongoing pandemic. (Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04053075. Support for HCA Healthcare's participation in the study was provided in kind by HCA.).

Purpose: Inpatient glycemic management typically involves use of point-of-care (POC) glucose measurements to inform insulin dosing decisions. This study evaluated a hybrid monitoring protocol using real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) supplemented with POC testing at a community hospital., Methods: Adult inpatients receiving POC glucose testing were monitored using rtCGM in a telemetry unit. The hybrid monitoring protocol required a once-daily POC test but otherwise primarily relied on rtCGM values for insulin dosing decisions. Outcomes assessment included surveillance error grid (SEG) and Clarke Error Grid (CEG) analysis results, the mean absolute relative difference (MARD) for available rtCGM-POC value pairs before and after study protocol application, the number of POC tests avoided, and the number of hypoglycemic events involving a blood glucose value of <70 mg/dL identified by rtCGM and POC values., Results: Data were collected from 30 inpatients (the mean age was 69.4 years, 77% were female, 80% had type 2 diabetes, and 37% were at-home insulin users). With the protocol applied, a total of 202 rtCGM-POC pairs produced a MARD of 12.5%. SEG analysis showed 2 pairs in the "moderate" risk category, with all other pairs in the "none" or "slight" risk categories. CEG analysis showed 99% of paired values to be in the clinically acceptable range. Six hypoglycemic events in 5 patients were resolved without incident. Three hundred three POC tests were avoided, a 60% reduction for the study duration., Conclusion: Use of a hybrid monitoring protocol of rtCGM and POC testing in a community hospital demonstrated sustained rtCGM accuracy and was found to reduce the frequency of POC testing to manage inpatient glycemia., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2023. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Electrical cardioversion, a well-established part of the rhythm control strategy, is probably underused in community settings. Here, we describe its use, safety, and effectiveness in a cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation treated in rural settings., Methods: It is a retrospective cohort study. Data on all procedures from January 1, 2016, till December 1, 2022, in Tarusa Hospital, serving mostly a rural population of 15,000 people, were extracted from electronic health records. Data on the procedure's success, age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, previous procedures, echocardiographic parameters, type and duration of arrhythmia, anticoagulation, antiarrhythmic drugs, transesophageal echocardiography, and settings were available., Results: Altogether, 1,272 procedures in 435 patients were performed during the study period. The overall effectiveness of the procedure was 92%. Effectiveness was similar across all prespecified subgroups. Electrical cardioversion was less effective in patients undergoing the procedure for the first time (86%, 95% CI: 82-90) compared to repeated procedures (95%, 95% CI: 93-96), OR 0.39 (95% CI: 0.26-0.59). Complications were encountered in 13 (1.02%) procedures but were not serious., Conclusions: Electrical cardioversion is an immediately effective procedure that can be safely performed in community hospitals, both in inpatient and outpatient settings. Further studies with longer follow-up are needed to investigate the rate of sinus rhythm maintenance in these patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a causative virus for the common cold worldwide and can result in hospitalisations and even death in patients with high-risk conditions and older adults. However, the relationship between RSV or other incidental respiratory infections and acute exacerbations of underlying conditions has not been well investigated. The primary objective of this study is to estimate RSV prevalence, risk factors for adverse outcomes or hospitalisation and their effect on the hospital course of patients with acute respiratory symptoms admitted from emergency departments. Furthermore, we evaluate the prevalence of other respiratory viruses associated with respiratory symptoms., Methods and Analysis: We are conducting a multicentre prospective cohort study in Japan. We plan to enrol 3000 consecutive patients admitted from emergency departments with acute respiratory symptoms or signs from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. A nasopharyngeal swab is obtained within 24 hours of admission and the prevalence of RSV and other respiratory viruses is measured using the FilmArray Respiratory 2.1 panel. Paired serum samples are collected from patients with suspected lower respiratory infections to measure RSV antibodies at admission and 30 days later. Information on patients' hospital course is retrieved from the electronic medical records at discharge, death or 30 days after admission. Furthermore, information on readmission to the hospital and all-cause mortality is collected 180 days after admission. We assess the differences in clinical outcomes between patients with RSV or other respiratory viruses and those without, adjusting for baseline characteristics. Clinical outcomes include in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, disease progression, laboratory tests and management of respiratory symptoms or underlying conditions., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of participating hospitals. Our study reports will be published in academic journals as well as international meetings., Trial Registration Number: NCT05913700., Competing Interests: Competing interests: TMorimoto reports lecturer's fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Japan Lifeline, Pfizer, Tsumura and UCB; manuscript fee from Pfizer; advisory board for GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Teijin. AC, MMdA, YH and LH are employees of, and hold stocks or stock options of GlaxoSmithKline. VPM and TMatsuki were employees of and held stocks or stock options in GlaxoSmithKline at the time of manuscript development., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)