H ospital discharges frequently occur in the afternoon or evening hours. 1-5 Late discharges can adversely affect patient flow throughout the hospital, 3,6-9 which, in turn, can result in delays in care, 10-16 more medication errors, 17 increased mortality, 18-20 longer lengths of stay, 20-22 higher costs, 23 and lower patient satisfaction. 24 Various interventions have been employed in the attempts to find ways of moving discharge times to earlier in the day, including preparing the discharge paperwork and medications the previous night, 25 using checklists, 1,25 team huddles, 2 providing real-time feedback to unit staff, 1 and employing multidisciplinary teamwork. 1,2,6,25,26 The purpose of this study was to identify and determine the relative frequency of barriers to writing discharge orders in the hopes of identifying issues that might be addressed by targeted interventions. We also assessed the effects of daily team census, patients being on teaching versus nonteaching services, and how daily rounds were structured at the time that the discharge orders were written. METHODS Study Design, Setting, and Participants We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional survey of housestaff and attending physicians on general medicine teaching and nonteaching services from November 13, 2014, through

Background: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 was recently developed to assess physical and mental health and provide an estimated EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) score. This instrument needs to be validated for specific patient cohorts such as those with rotator cuff pathology. Hypothesis: There is moderate to high correlation between the PROMIS Global-10 and legacy patient-reported outcome measures; PROMIS Global-10 will not show ceiling effects; and estimated EQ-5D scores will show good correlation and low variance with actual EQ-5D scores. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 323 patients with rotator cuff disease were prospectively enrolled before treatment. Each patient completed the PROMIS Global-10, EQ-5D, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) shoulder assessment form, and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and those with known rotator cuff tears completed the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC). Spearman correlations were calculated. Bland-Altman agreement tests were conducted between estimated EQ-5D scores from the PROMIS and actual EQ-5D scores. Ceiling and floor effects were assessed, defined as ≥15% respondents with highest or lowest possible score. Results: Correlation between the PROMIS Global-10 and EQ-5D was excellent (0.70, P < .0001). Correlation of the PROMIS physical scores was excellent-good with the ASES (0.62, P < .0001), good with the WORC (0.47, P < .0001), and good with the SANE (0.41, P < .0005). Correlation between the PROMIS mental scores was poor with the ASES (0.34, P < .0001), the WORC (0.32, P = .0016), and the SANE (0.24, P < .0001). No floor or ceiling effects were found. Agreement analysis showed substantial variance in individual scores, despite the overall similarity in mean scores between the estimated and actual EQ-5D scores, indicating poor agreement. Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement for estimated EQ-5D scores ranged from 34% below to 31% above actual EQ-5D scores. Conclusion: Physical function scores of the PROMIS Global-10 show high correlation with legacy patient-reported outcome instruments, suggesting that it is a reliable tool for outcome assessment in a population with rotator cuff pathology. The large variability in 95% limit of agreement suggested that the estimated EQ-5D scores from the PROMIS Global-10 cannot replace traditional EQ-5D scores.

People who are homeless use more hospital-based care than average, yet little is known about how hospital and shelter use are interrelated. We examined the timing of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations relative to entry into and exit from New York City homeless shelters, using an analysis of linked health care and shelter administrative databases. In the year before shelter entry and the year following shelter exit, 39.3 percent and 43.3 percent, respectively, of firsttime adult shelter users had an ED visit or hospitalization. Hospital visits-particularly ED visits-began to increase several months before shelter entry and declined over several months after shelter exit, with spikes in ED visits and hospitalizations in the days immediately before shelter entry and following shelter exit. We recommend cross-system collaborations to better understand and address the co-occurring health and housing needs of vulnerable populations.

Introduction: Identifying patient factors that affect length of stay (LOS) and discharge disposition after shoulder arthroplasty is key in managing patient expectations. In this systematic review, we identify patient-specific covariates that correlate with increased LOS and need for discharge to a facility. Methods: We searched biomedical databases to identify associations between patient-specific factors and LOS and discharge disposition after shoulder arthroplasty. We included all studies involving hemiarthroplasty, anatomic shoulder arthroplasty, and reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Reported patient and provider factors were evaluated for their association with increased LOS and discharge to a facility. Results: Twenty-two studies were identified. Age >65 years, female sex, obesity, and reverse shoulder arthroplasty were associated with extended LOS and correlated with discharge to a facility. Greater hospital and surgeon volume were associated with decreased LOS and decreased risk of discharge to a facility. Local injection of liposomal bupivacaine combined with intravenous dexamethasone was associated with reduced LOS. Discussion: Patient factors affecting LOS and likelihood of discharge to a facility include age >65 years, female sex, diabetes, obesity, and reverse shoulder arthroplasty. These factors can be used to develop studies to preoperatively predict outcomes after shoulder arthroplasty and to help identify patients who may be at risk of prolonged postoperative admission. Level of Evidence: Prognostic level IV