Subacute Care Research Articles

Effectiveness of an infection prevention strategy to limit exposure of high-risk patients to COVID-19 in a hospital-based subacute unit: a descriptive report.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has put unprecedented stress on hospitals as well as skilled nursing facilities, where reside some of the most vulnerable individuals at high risk of mortality and complications of this infection. This report highlights the strategy and success of hospital infection prevention efforts to protect the residents of an in-hospital subacute unit with 24 at-risk patients with chronic pulmonary disease in northern California. Specific efforts are detailed, with results of surveillance testing reported, including both viral PCR and serological IgG assays. Implications for other long-term subacute care facilities are discussed, as well as advantages and specific challenges for 'distinct part' versus 'free-standing' subacute care units.

Cost comparison of two approaches to chiropractic care for patients with acute and sub-acute low Back pain care episodes: a cohort study

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) imposes a costly burden upon patients, healthcare insurers, and society overall. Spinal manipulation as practiced by chiropractors has been found be cost-effective for treatment of LBP, but there is wide variation among chiropractors in their approach to clinical care, and the most cost-effective approach to chiropractic care is uncertain. To date, little has been published regarding the cost effectiveness of different approaches to chiropractic care. Thus, the current study presents a cost comparison between chiropractic approaches for patients with acute or subacute care episodes for low back pain.MethodsWe employed a retrospective cohort design to examine costs of chiropractic care among patients diagnosed with acute or subacute low back pain. The study time period ranged between 07/01/2016 and 12/22/2017. We compared cost outcomes for patients of two cohorts of chiropractors within health care system: Cohort 1) a general network of providers, and Cohort 2) a network providing conservative evidence-based care for rapid resolution of pain. We used generalized linear regression modeling to estimate the comparative influence of demographic and clinical factors on expenditures.ResultsA total of 25,621 unique patients were included in the analyses. The average cost per patient for Cohort 2 (mean allowed amount $252) was lower compared to Cohort 1 (mean allowed amount $326; 0.77, 95% CI 0.75–0.79, p < .001). Patient and clinician related factors such as health plan, provider region, and sex also significantly influenced costs.ConclusionsThis study comprehensively analyzed cost data associated with the chiropractic care of adults with acute or sub-acute low back pain cared by two cohorts of chiropractic physicians. In general, providers in Cohort 2 were found to be significantly associated with lower costs for patient care as compared to Cohort 1. Utilization of a clinical model characterized by a patient-centered clinic approach and standardized, best-practice clinical protocols may offer lower cost when compared to non-standardized clinical approaches to chiropractic care.

PND16 PILOT Study to Assess the Economic Burden of Ischemic Stroke in Romania

The aim of this study was to estimate the economic burden of first-ever acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the first year of the disease. A retrospective cost of illness study was developed around AIS patients treated in 2019 at the Emergency Clinical Hospital Cluj-Napoca, the only center performing thrombolytic therapy in this county. A mixed approach using new index AIS cases was used to calculate medical (acute care, subacute, and chronic care, neurorehabilitation) and non-medical (morbidity and mortality-related productivity loss, medical leave, state subsidies, overhead) costs, based on a first-year patient pathway. Input information was drawn from openly available resource utilization databases, anonymized hospital records, and additional public sources. Identifying acute ischemic stroke patients was extremely challenging due to both intentional and inadvertent ICD-10 miscoding. Stakeholder consultations and preliminary database queries helped identify codes routinely used for AIS in Romania. Initial results were consolidated with qualitative, string format information present in patient records, using the wildcard term filtering technique of Tableau Prep software. Index stroke selection was based on individual medical histories. Patients who resided outside Cluj County at the time of admission, as well as individuals associated with extreme treatment costs that were not attributable to AIS were were excluded from the main analysis. A total 782 first-ever AIS cases were identified. The average cost per patient during the first year in 2019 was €7,945 (total cost = €5,4 million), the equivalent of €7.37 per capita, of which 28% medical and 72% non-medical costs. Thrombolysis costed approximately €640 per patient (8% of total cost per patient). This is one of the first studies to explore the cost of AIS in Romania. Results should incentivize the development of a national cost of stroke study to support advancements in the country’s rather stagnant reform of Health Technology Assessment.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving Hospital at Home Services in the South West of Sydney

BackgroundHospital at home (HaH) provides acute or subacute care in a patient’s home, that normally would require a hospital stay. HaH has consistently been shown to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. The characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving HaH care across the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) has not been well described. This project aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of HaH services across the SWSLHD.MethodsThe characteristics of patients referred to HaH between January 2017 and December 2019, the indications for HaH, and representation rates to hospital emergency department (ED) will be presented.ResultsBetween January 2017 and December 2019 there was 7118 referrals to the local health district’s (LHD) HaH services, among 6083 patients (3094 females, 51%), median age 56 years (Interquartile range (IQR), 40–69). The majority of indications for HaH were for intravenous venous (IV) medications (78%, n = 5552), followed by post-operative drain management (11%, n = 789), rehab in the home (RiTH) (5%, n = 334), bridging anticoagulant therapy (4%, n = 261), and intraperitoneal medications (1%, n = 100). The requirement for presentation to an ED for care, while receiving HaH only occurred on 172 (2%) of occasions. The average length of HaH treatment was 7-days (IQR 4–16). Rates of presentation to ED for HaH patients have decreased since 2017, 3.4% (95% CI 2.7–4.2%), 2018 2.1% (95% CI 1.5–2.8%), and 2019 1.8% (95% CI 1.3–2.4%), p-value for trend < 0.001.ConclusionHospital at Home is well established, diverse, and safe clinical service to shorten, or avoid hospitalisation, for many patients. Importantly, avoidance of hospitalisation can avoid many risks that are associated with being cared for in the hospital setting.

The Constants of LTC: What’s Not Changing in the Next Decade

The Constants of LTC: What’s Not Changing in the Next Decade

Lineamientos del Colegio Colombiano de Terapia Ocupacional para la atención hospitalaria aguda y subaguda de pacientes con COVID-19

El amplio espectro clínico de la enfermedad COVID-19 tiene importantes implicaciones funcionales para el cuidado hospitalario agudo y subagudo en unidades de cuidado intensivo. Ante la emergencia sanitaria desencadenada por esta enfermedad, el Colegio Colombiano de Terapia Ocupacional convocó a un grupo de profesionales expertas en el área para proveer lineamientos para terapeutas ocupacionales que participan en la rehabilitación temprana de pacientes con COVID-19 en Colombia. Se realizó una revisión de literatura sobre la clasificación y las manifestaciones clínicas de la enfermedad, la efectividad de la rehabilitación temprana adulta, pediátrica y neonatal, y el rol y la experiencia de profesionales en Terapia Ocupacional en el uso de guías de salud existentes. Un consenso de expertas determinó la aplicabilidad de los lineamientos al contexto colombiano. Terapia Ocupacional, como parte del equipo de rehabilitación temprana, juega un papel fundamental en la restauración y el mantenimiento de la independencia funcional; la adaptación del ambiente y el acondicionamiento holístico gradual de las funciones respiratorias, cardiovasculares, sensoriomotoras y cognitivas durante las actividades básicas cotidianas, y la prevención del deterioro físico, mental, espiritual y social de la persona hospitalizada y su familia. Estos lineamientos constituyen un recurso técnico y educativo relevante para la Terapia Ocupacional hospitalaria.

Lineamientos del Colegio Colombiano de Terapia Ocupacional para la rehabilitación hospitalaria de usuarios con COVID-19

Hasta el momento, la enfermedad COVID-19 ha demostrado tener implicaciones funcionales a corto, y en ocasiones, a largo plazo. Ante la emergencia sanitaria desencadenada por esta enfermedad, el Colegio Colombiano de Terapia Ocupacional convocó a un grupo de profesionales expertas en el área para proveer lineamientos para terapeutas ocupacionales involucradas en la rehabilitación intrahospitalaria y ambulatoria de usuarios con COVID-19 en Colombia. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura sobre el rol y la efectividad de la Terapia Ocupacional en la rehabilitación hospitalaria, las complicaciones reportadas en usuarios con COVID-19, y su manejo terapéutico en la rehabilitación intrahospitalaria y ambulatoria. Un consenso de expertas determinó la aplicabilidad de los lineamientos al contexto colombiano. La Terapia Ocupacional, como parte del equipo de rehabilitación, incide de manera directa en el nivel de independencia, la autonomía y la futura reincorporación a las actividades dentro de la sociedad; adicionalmente, facilitando y promoviendo actividades cognitivas, psicosociales y de ocio, aporta al mantenimiento del equilibrio ocupacional para prevenir la aparición de disfunciones de índole sensoriomotor, perceptivo y psicosocial a corto, mediano y largo plazo. Estos lineamientos constituyen un recurso técnico y educativo relevante para la Terapia Ocupacional hospitalaria.

A Case-Control Study of the Sub-Acute Care for Frail Elderly (SAFE) Unit on Hospital Readmission, Emergency Department Visits and Continuity of Post-Discharge Care

ObjectivesIn Canada, alternate-level-of-care (ALC) beds in hospitals may be used when patients who do not require the intensity of services provided in an acute care setting are waiting to be discharged to a more appropriate care setting. However, when there is a lack of care options for patients waiting to be discharged, it contributes to prolonged hospital stays and bottlenecks in the health care system manifested as “hallway medicine.” We examined the effectiveness of a function-focused transitional care program, the Sub-Acute care for Frail Elderly (SAFE) Unit, in reducing the length of stay (LOS) in hospital, as well as post-discharge acute care use and continuity of care. DesignCase-control study. Setting and ParticipantsA 450-bed nursing home located in Ontario, Canada, where the SAFE Unit is based. The study population included frail, older patients aged 60 years and older who received care in the SAFE Unit between March 1, 2018, and February 28, 2019 (n = 153) to controls comprising of other hospitalized patients (n = 1773). MethodsWe linked facility-level to provincial health administrative databases on hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits, and the Ontario Health Insurance Plan claims database for physician billings to investigated the LOS during the index hospitalization, 30-day odds of post-discharge ED visits, hospital readmission, and follow-up with family physicians. ResultsSAFE patients had a median hospital LOS of 13 days [interquartile range (IQR): 8–19 days], with 75% having fewer than 1 day in an ALC bed. In comparison, the median LOS in the control group was 15 days (IQR: 10–24 days), with one-third of those days spent in an ALC bed (median: 5 days, IQR: 3–10 days). SAFE patients were more likely (64.1%) to be discharged home than control patients (46.3%). Both groups experienced similar 30-day odds of ED visits, hospital readmission and follow-up with a family physician. Conclusions and ImplicationsFrail older individuals in the SAFE Unit experienced shorter hospital stays, were less likely to be discharged to settings other than home and had similar 30-day acute care outcomes as control patients post-discharge.

Analysis of the impact of sub-acute care activities on consumption of hospital resources in Milan

Abstract Background In 2011, a new health service called 'sub-acute care activities' (SA) has been provided by Lombardy. It is a protected hospitalization of patients, especially elderlies, suffering for clinical issues following an acute disease or for non-complex clinical failures due to a chronic pathology. This is a hospitalization area between the hospital and home, created to reduce the number of post-acute hospitalized patients who can't be discharged. The goal of this study is the analysis of the hospitalizations in the SA setting within medical structures located in the Metropolitan area of Milan. Methods The data extracted from the hospital discharge card database, is focused on hospitalizations in SA that occurred from 2016 to 2019. The analysis describes yearly production, the characteristics of hospitalizations and patients, finally some trends. Results 16,395 hospitalizations in SA were analyzed (0.7% of the total). Some data are constant in time: hospitalizations (1%), age (average 79), days of hospitalization (average 26). Patients coming from public hospitals (from 28% to 22%) are decreasing while those coming from other in-patient admission typologies within the same organization (from 44% to 54%) are increasing. The major diagnostic categories are related to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Over the 85% of hospitalizations are paid with the highest daily rate among those allowed by law. Talking about discharge typologies, 57% of patients return home, 20% are re-transferred to the acute ward, 16% are sent to rehabilitation/long-term care while 7% have died. Conclusions The use of the highest daily tariff and the high number of patients who need to be re-transferred to the acute ward place, gives many doubts on how appropriate is allocation of resources and about the accuracy of admissions in the SA unit during the patient care path. We're planning to return to these issues with further targeted studies. Key messages The analysis showed constant characteristics of SA activities during the four years. Data showed that there may be management issues in the appropriate use of resources in SA assistence.

Ethical medical repatriation of guest workers: Criteria and challenges.

Healthcare facilities in receiving countries regularly encounter guest workers whose need for acute or subacute care triggers the prospect of termination of employment and repatriation. In these scenarios, country-specific migration and employment policies and norms of medical professionalism and ethics offer some guidance, but also create tensions. It is not clear under what conditions such medical repatriation is ethically permissible. This paper analyses the application of a previously articulated criteria for the ethical medical repatriation of undocumented immigrants, to the situation of documented guest workers, with focus on the context of Singapore. We examine how these standards could be adapted and applied to the provision of care for guest workers, and argue that healthcare institutions and medical professionals have a duty to intervene in employers' decisions to repatriate guest workers for medico-economic reasons when repatriation essentially amounts to 'patient dumping'. Barriers and challenges in implementing the criteria, and their possible solutions will be discussed.

Perspectives about dignity during acute care for older people and their relatives: A qualitative study.

The aim of the study was to enhance understanding about dignified care from older peoples' and their carers' perspectives. The information will contribute to the development of a tool to measure older peoples' dignity during hospitalisation. Older people are a vulnerable cohort at risk of loss of dignity during acute hospitalisation arising from environmental, behavioural and patient factors. It is not clear how older people and their relatives define dignified care in acute care settings. An interpretative descriptive method was used. A purposive sample of older people (at least 65years) who had been hospitalised in acute care and subsequently transferred to sub-acute care, and their relatives, were invited to participate. The study was undertaken in one sub-acute ward in a regional healthcare organisation in Victoria, Australia. Individual interviews were audio-recorded then transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The COREQ checklist was used to document reporting of the study. Individual interviews were conducted: 24 patients and 12 relatives. Three main themes were identified: "Involve me in decisions about my care and treatment," "Keep me safe when I am vulnerable" and "Treat me as an individual and with respect." Older people want to be involved in decisions about their care and treatment and to receive adequate, suitable information. They feel vulnerable during hospitalisation and want to feel safe when speaking up about concerns. Individual acknowledgement is an important aspect of dignity. Older people and their relatives identified specific elements of care that uphold or threaten dignity during acute hospitalisation. Nurses play a major role in upholding dignity for older people in hospital. Clinicians may benefit from systematic dignity-related training. Specific strategies to enhance older persons' dignity, including communication skills training and continence management need to be developed, implemented and evaluated.

Demographics and management of outpatient concussion visits among neurologists and non-neurologists: 2006-2016.

Aim:Describe the patient demographics and management of outpatient concussion visits, focusing on neurologists.Materials & methods:We used the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to provide national estimates on the demographics and clinical decisions of concussion visits from 2006 to 2016, which were identified with International Classification of Disease-9/10 codes.Results:From 2006 to 2016, there were an estimated 11 million visits nationally. Neurologists saw significantly more patients over 18 years old and more nonacute care compared with non-neurologists. Neurologists performed imaging and prescribed new medications at similar rates as non-neurologists. Non-neurology subspecialties had a significant increase in visits during the study period.Conclusion:Neurologists saw older patients and more subacute patient care with similar rates prescribing new medications and imaging. Non-neurology subspecialists are more involved in concussions than previously.

Direct Admission from the Emergency Department to a Subacute Care Ward: An Alternative to Acute Hospitalization

In recent years, subacute care units (SCUs) have emerged as alternatives to acute hospitalization for selected emergency department (ED) patients who might benefit from a short period of inpatient stay within a less acute setting. We developed a new protocol to directly admit selected older patients from our acute hospital's (AH) ED to the SCU of a partner community hospital, making use of our ED's short-stay ward as a transit area to overcome administrative, financial, and clinical barriers. The new protocol has removed the need for intervening stays of longer than 24 hours at our AH, reduced overall length of stay across both institutions, decreased hospital admissions, and reduced the number of patient hand-offs.

Australian clinical consensus guideline for the subacute rehabilitation of childhood stroke.

Childhood stroke results in long-term, multifaceted difficulties, affecting motor, cognitive, communication, and behavioral domains of function which impact on participation and quality of life. The Childhood Stroke Consensus Rehabilitation Guideline was developed to improve the care of children with stroke by providing health professionals with recommendations to assist in their rehabilitative treatment. Clinical questions were formulated to inform systematic database searches from 2001 to 2016, limited to English and pediatric studies. SIGN methodology and the National Health and Medical Research Council system were used to screen and classify the evidence. The Grade of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to grade evidence as strong or weak. Where evidence was inadequate or absent, a modified Delphi consensus process was used to develop consensus-based recommendations. The guideline provides 56 recommendations (1 evidence-based recommendation and 55 consensus recommendations). These relate to the framework of rehabilitation service delivery as well as domain-specific rehabilitation treatment strategies for each domain of function. It is anticipated that this guideline will provide health professions with recommendations to improve the subacute care of children with stroke both in Australia and internationally.

Development of an Ordinal Scale Treatment Endpoint for Adults Hospitalized With Influenza.

An obstacle in influenza therapeutics development is the lack of clinical endpoints, especially in hospitalized patients. A single time-point binary outcome measure is limited by patients' diverse clinical trajectories and low event rates. A 6-point ordinal scale with ascending clinical status severity (scoring: discharged; subacute care; acute care without/with respiratory failure; intensive care unit [ICU]; death) was proposed to study outcomes of adults hospitalized with influenza. Individual patient data from 2 active surveillance cohorts' datasets (2015/2016-2017/2018; Edmonton, Hong Kong) was used for evaluation. The impact of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on longitudinal ordinal outcome changes over 30 days was analyzed using mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression and group-based trajectory models. Patient (n = 1226) baseline characteristics included age (mean 68.0 years), virus-type (A 78.1%, B 21.9%), respiratory failure (57.2%), ICU admittance (14.4%), and NAI treatment within 5 days of illness (69.2%). Outcomes at 30 days included discharged (75.2%), subacute care (13.7%), acute care (4.5%), and death (6.6%). Two main clinical trajectories were identified, predictive by baseline scoring (mean ± SD, 4.3 ± 0.6 vs 3.5 ± 0.6, P < .001). Improved outcomes with NAI treatment within 5 days were indicated by significantly lower clinical status scores over time (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], .41-.69; P < .001; adjusted OR, 0.62; 95% CI, .50-.77; P < .001, for baseline score, age, and within-patient correlations). In subanalysis, influenza vaccination was also associated with lower scores (adjusted OR, 0.67; 95% CI, .50-.90; P = .007). Analyses of binary endpoints showed insignificant results. The ordinal outcome scale is a potentially useful clinical endpoint for influenza therapeutic trials, which could account for the diverse clinical trajectories of hospitalized patients, warranting further development.

Evaluating an inpatient deprescribing initiative at a rural community hospital in Ontario.

Deprescribing is an effective means to reduce polypharmacy in elderly patients. However, geriatric day care deprescribing services are challenging to implement in rural regions. In this study, we examined whether a subacute care unit of a rural hospital could deliver a comprehensive and multidisciplinary intervention to promote deprescribing in patients and whether this intervention would succeed in achieving significant and lasting deprescribing results. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a deprescribing program at a rural hospital in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Participants were 11 patients, aged 65 or older, who were admitted to the hospital's medical/surgical unit or who presented to the emergency department. Clinicians followed a structured, comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach designed to facilitate deprescribing, which concluded with an outcome evaluation at discharge and follow-up phone calls. Outcomes included the frequency and total number of medications successfully removed, reduced, substituted and restarted after discharge and emergency department visits and hospitalizations 6 months before and after the intervention. Of a total 57 deprescribed medications, 38 were eliminated, 8 were switched to a safer alternative, and 11 were dose reduced. Postdischarge deprescribing reversal occurred in only 5 of 57 deprescribed medications. Among the study population, a 59.2% reduction was observed in the combined number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations 6 months after deprescribing. This feasibility study was successful in showing the potential added value for offering a rehabilitative, subacute care, inpatient, comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach toward patients with complex deprescribing needs. It also showed proof of concept in reducing polypharmacy-induced adverse health outcomes. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2020:153:xx-xx.

Experiences and perceptions of nurses working night shift: a qualitative systematic review protocol

The objective of this qualitative systematic review is to examine the available evidence on the experiences of nurses working the night shift within any specialty in the acute care, subacute, or long-term care setting. Nurses are required for round-the-clock patient care, and night shift nurses can experience detrimental effects as a result of their work hours. Understanding nurses' experiences when working night shift will facilitate the development of strategies to minimize the potential negative effects of working at night. In examining nurses' perceptions of working night shift, there is scope to explore how to improve night shift nurses' practice environment and job satisfaction, which will then translate to improved patient outcomes. This review will consider qualitative studies that include registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who work night shift or rotate between day and night shift. Night supervisors and advanced practice nurses will be excluded due to the potential for dissimilar experiences and resources within those groups. The search will be limited to studies published in English from 1983 to the present. The search strategy is designed to locate both published and unpublished qualitative studies by searching academic databases for published studies, gray literature, and hand searching reference lists. The study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and synthesis for this systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. PROSPERO CRD42019135294.

Rehabilitation Response in Pandemics.

The WHO declared a pandemic due to the serious health risk posed by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The number of infected cases is on the rise globally with escalating human, economic and societal costs. COVID-19 survivors may suffer a range of clinical, functional and psychological impairments, resulting in disabilities. Many are amenable to rehabilitation intervention. The current focus of COVID-19 management is on public health measures and acute management. As patients transfer to sub-acute care or discharged to the community, rehabilitation services need to have a number of organizational and operational models in place to provide safe effective care for patients and health professionals.There is need for global action by professional organizations in developing a structured rehabilitation approach for international response to disasters, including pandemics. This report proposes development of a ‘Rehabilitation Response Plan’ to enable the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, to provide crucial leadership and governance role in liaison and coordination with the WHO (and other stakeholders), to provide rehabilitation input during current and future pandemics. The key considerations include following categories: Governance, Coordination, Communication, Evaluation, and Care-continuum. These will strengthen rehabilitation, assist in the effective delivery of services, provide advocacy, and an international coordinated perspective.

Vital sign abnormalities as predictors of clinical deterioration in subacute care patients: A prospective case-time-control study

Emergency interhospital transfers from inpatient subacute care to acute care occur in 8% to 17.4% of admitted patients and are associated with high rates of acute care readmission and in-hospital mortality. Serious adverse events in subacute care (rapid response team or cardiac arrest team calls) and increased nursing surveillance are the strongest known predictors of emergency interhospital transfer from subacute to acute care hospitals. However, the epidemiology of clinical deterioration across sectors of care, and specifically in subacute care is not well understood. To explore the trajectory of clinical deterioration in patients who did and did not have an emergency interhospital transfer from subacute to acute care; and develop an internally validated predictive model to identify the role of vital sign abnormalities in predicting these emergency interhospital transfers. This prospective, exploratory cohort study is a subanalysis of data derived from a larger case-time-control study. Twenty-two wards of eight subacute care hospitals in five major health services in Victoria, Australia. All subacute care hospitals were geographically separate from their health services' acute care hospitals. All patients with an emergency transfer from inpatient rehabilitation or geriatric evaluation and management unit to an acute care hospital within the same health service were included. Patients receiving palliative care were excluded. Study data were collected between 22 August 2015 and 30 October 2016 by medical record audit. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test and bivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare cases with controls and to account for health service clustering effect. Data were collected on 603 transfers (557 patients) and 1160 controls. Adjusted for health service, ≥2 vital sign abnormalities in subacute care (adjusted odds ratio=8.81, 95% confidence intervals:6.36-12.19, p<0.001) and serious adverse events during the first acute care admission (adjusted odds ratio=1.28, 95% confidence intervals:1.08-1.99, p=0.015) were the clinical factors associated with increased risk of emergency interhospital transfer. An internally validated predictive model showed that vital sign abnormalities can fairly predict emergency interhospital transfers from subacute to acute care hospitals. Serious adverse events in acute care should be a key consideration in decisions about the location of subacute care delivery. During subacute care, 15.7% of cases had vital signs fulfilling organisational rapid response team activation criteria, yet missed rapid response team activations were common suggesting that further consideration of the criteria and strategies to optimise recognition and response to clinical deterioration in subacute care are needed.

Alternative Care Sites: An Option in Disasters.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the limited surge capacity of the healthcare system is being quickly overwhelmed. Similar scenarios play out when an institution’s systems fail, or when local or regional disasters occur. In these situations, it becomes necessary to use one or more alternative care sites (ACS). Situated in a variety of non-healthcare structures, ACS may be used for ambulatory, acute, subacute, or chronic care. Developing alternative care facilities is the disaster-planning step that moves communities from talking to doing. This commitment pays real dividends if a disaster of any magnitude strikes. This paper discusses the basic criteria for selecting, establishing and ultimately closing an ACS, difficulties of administration, staffing, security, and providing basic supplies and equipment.