Patients who self-discharge against medical advice (DAMA) are susceptible to life-threatening consequences. By understanding the factors associated with DAMA, healthcare centres can build strategies to assist patients to receive optimal medical care and prevent unfavourable outcome. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with DAMA from the Emergency Department (ED) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). This was a prospective unmatched case control study conducted over a 4-month period. For every DAMA episode, two patients who were admitted on the same day were randomly selected as control. Following patient consent, data was collected using a standardized questionnaire. Patients were contacted by the investigator for information regarding hospitalization within two weeks of DAMA. Ninety three patients were recruited; 31 DAMA patients and 62 admitted patients. Payment method was significantly associated with DAMA (OR 3.17 95% CI 1.29-7.98; p=0.01). The likelihood of self-paying patients to take DAMA was three times higher than those who had a guarantor letter from their employer or insurance provider. Other factors which influence DAMA were family obligations (OR 4.08 95% CI 1.09- 15.26; p = 0.03) and work problems (OR 3.83 95% CI 1.13-12.94; p=0.03). A total of 19.4% of DAMA patients left following symptomatic pain relief. A total of 80.6% DAMA patients were admitted to hospital within two weeks of the DAMA episode. Payment method significantly influences DAMA. Payment planning, social welfare services, non-governmental organization funds and the introduction of a national health policy scheme may aid hospital payment, alleviate financial limitation of patients and reduce DAMA episodes.
Patient Discharge

Nurses ; Patient Discharge

Survivors of sepsis still face high risks of secondary infection and mortality after hospital discharge. Meanwhile, the persistent cognitive, psychological, and physical disorders affect their long-term outcomes and life qualities. In the current review, we analyze the factors for the poor outcomes and discuss the beneficial rehabilitation strategies to improve the long-term outcomes of patients after sepsis, including psychological intervention, early mobility, nutrition support, and immune modulation, etc.
Humans ; Patient Discharge ; Quality of Life ; Sepsis ; Survivors

An 8 year-old female consulted at our institution due to left ear discharge. 6 months prior to consulting, the patient developed infraorbital swelling and erthema after she hit a metal post. The site of trauma eventually developed into a 2 x 2 cm abscess, which spontaneously ruptured. She was given cloxacillin for 7 days with no improvement of symptoms. 4 months prior to consulting, she developed foul-smelling left ear discharge, not associated with pain. She was given unrecalled otic drops and oral medications with no improvement. She eventually developed left facial paresis. Due to the persistence of ear discharge, she was brought to a local clinic where she was diagnosed to have chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and referred to our institution. The patient also had an 8-month history of a recurrent cough and weight loss of 10% over 3 months. She had no history of fever, seizure, or change in sensorium. She has an older sibling who is an ongoing 2nd month of anti-tuberculosiis treatment. She was given BCG vaccination at birth. Her nutritional status is poor, with meals consisting usually of instant noodles, rice, bread, and cookies.
Body Fluids ; Pneumonia ; Patient Discharge ; Ulcer ; Child

Humans ; Patient Discharge ; Patient Readmission ; Risk Factors ; Technology

Asians ; China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Patient Discharge ; Patient Readmission

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the nutritional recovery status of children with moderate or severe malnutrition during hospitalization after discharge. METHODS: The children with moderate or severe malnutrition were given nutrition support during hospitalization. They received a regular follow-up and nutrition guidance after discharge. The weight-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores reaching above -2 SD were considered the nutrition criterion for ending follow-up. RESULTS: Among the 298 children with moderate or severe malnutrition, 174 (58.4%) reached the criterion for ending follow-up, 100 (33.6%) were lost to follow-up, 18 (6.0%) died, and 6 (2.0%) did not reach the criterion for ending follow-up after 18 months of follow-up. The children with malnutrition in the department of surgery had a significantly higher proportion of children reaching the criterion for ending follow-up than those in the department of internal medicine (P<0.05). The children with severe malnutrition had a significantly higher loss to follow-up rate than those with moderate nutrition (P<0.05). The majority of children with emaciation reached the criterion for ending follow-up at month 3 after discharge, while those with growth retardation reached such the criterion at months 3-6 after discharge. Up to 1 year after discharge, more than 80% of the children with different types of malnutrition reached the nutrition criterion for ending follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Most of the children with malnutrition who adhere to follow-up can reach the expected nutrition criterion within 1 year after discharge. The children with growth retardation have slower nutritional recovery than those with emaciation.
Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Nutritional Status ; Patient Discharge

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Treatment with flumazenil results in rapid reversal from sedation. In addition, the use of flumazenil can prevent accidents or memory loss after endoscopy. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of flumazenil according to dose. METHODS: A total of 150 consecutive outpatients were randomly allocated into three groups: patients given normal saline (control group), patients given 0.25 mg flumazenil (0.25 mg flumazenil group) and patients given 0.5 mg flumazenil (0.5 mg flumazenil group). Flumazenil or normal saline was injected 10 minutes after the completion of endoscopy. We evaluated the recovery time, time to discharge, patient satisfaction, and memory loss after discharge. RESULTS: The control group consisted of 44 subjects, the 0.25 mg flumazenil group consisted of 46 subjects and the 0.5 mg flumazenil group consisted of 45 subjects. The recovery time was significantly shorter in the two flumazenil groups as compared to the control group (28.5+/-15.0 min, 13.8+/-3.7 min, 12.4+/-1.7 min for the control group, 0.25 mg flumazenil group and 0.5 mg flumazenil group, respectively)(p<0.001). The time to discharge after an examination was shorter in the flumazenil groups and showed dose-dependency (41.2+/-20.5 min, 22.1+/-10.9 min, 16.4+/-2.2 min for the control group, 0.25 mg flumazenil group and 0.5 mg flumazenil group, respectively) (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction among the three groups. The degree of memory recall was better in the 0.5 mg flumazenil group than in the other two groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Flumazenil reversal of midazolam sedative endoscopy results in fast recovery and is helpful to minimize memory loss after an examination without interference of satisfaction.
Endoscopy ; Flumazenil ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory Disorders ; Midazolam ; Outpatients ; Patient Discharge ; Patient Satisfaction

Interprofessional education (IPE) fosters effective team-based collaborative practice among members of different health care professions to advance high-quality and safe patient care. Although the importance of IPE has been recognized and IPE initiatives have expanded rapidly in the past decades, substantial difficulties in IPE assessment still exist. At present, a lack of consensus on the optimal approach to IPE assessment contributes to uncertainty about the level of attainment of collaborative team performance. This paper aims to provide an overview of the benefits and current challenges associated with IPE assessment. Furthermore, a multifactor model with an assessment matrix and assessment blueprints from a recent study is briefly discussed. We also provide examples of assessment blueprints for the team management of stroke patient discharge covering a competency examination at the levels of individuals, the team, and the task.
Consensus ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Patient Care ; Patient Discharge ; Stroke ; Uncertainty

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify nursing intervention performed by nurses on gynecological nursing units. METHODS: The instrument in this study is based on the fifth edition of Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) (2008). Data was collected by Electronic Medical record from August, 2010 to October, 2010 at one hospital and analyzed by using frequencies in the Microsoft Excel 2010 program. RESULTS: Of a total of 82 NIC, domains of the nursing interventions showed higher percentages for physiological: basic (36.3%) and physiological: complex (34.5%). The classes of nursing interventions showed higher percentage for health system mediation (12.1%), perioperative care (10.0%), and drug management (8.6%). The most frequently used top interventions were Discharge Planning. The thirty least used interventions was environmental management. Top thirty most frequently used interventions belonged to the domain of physiological: basic (37.9%), physiological: complex (31.1%), and behavioral (5.4%). CONCLUSION: These findings will help in the establishment of a standardized language for gynecological nursing units and enhance the quality of nursing care.
Electronic Health Records ; Gynecology ; Negotiating ; Nursing Care ; Patient Discharge ; Perioperative Care