Browsing by Person "MacLullich, Alasdair M. J."

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Decisions affecting discharge from hospitals directly to care homes
(EMAP, 2017-05-31) Harrison, Jennifer Kirsty; MacArthur, Juliet; Garcia Garrido, Azucena; Logan, Gemma; Rhynas, Sarah J.; MacLullich, Alasdair M. J.; Shenkin, Susan
Admission to care homes following acute hospital admission is common, despite being contrary to UK health policy. Care home admission from hospital is also a care trajectory that is under-researched and poorly understood. A retrospective cohort study reviewed the case notes of 100 people who had experienced this transition, what happened during their hospital stay, and what led to the life changing decision to discharge them to a care home. Only 37% of individuals were documented as having been involved in the decision-making process. This article describes the study methods, highlights some salient results, and makes recommendations for practice.
New institutionalisation following acute hospital admission: A retrospective cohort study
(Oxford University Press, 2016-10-15) Harrison, Jennifer Kirsty; Garcia Garrido, Azucena; Rhynas, Sarah J.; Logan, Gemma; MacLullich, Alasdair M. J.; MacArthur, Juliet; Shenkin, Susan
Background: institutionalisation following acute hospital admission is common and yet poorly described, with policy documents advising against this transition. Objective: to characterise the individuals admitted to a care home on discharge from an acute hospital admission and to describe their assessment. Design and setting: a retrospective cohort study of people admitted to a single large Scottish teaching hospital. Subjects: 100 individuals admitted to the acute hospital from home and discharged to a care home. Methods: a single researcher extracted data from ward-based case notes. Results: people discharged to care homes were predominantly female (62%), widowed (52%) older adults (mean 83.6 years) who lived alone (67%). About 95% had a diagnosed cognitive disorder or evidence of cognitive impairment. One-third of cases of delirium were unrecognised. Hospital stays were long (median 78.5 days; range 14–231 days) and transfers between settings were common. Family request, dementia, mobility, falls risk and behavioural concerns were the commonest reasons for the decision to admit to a care home. About 55% were in the acute hospital when the decision for a care home was made and 44% of that group were discharged directly from the acute hospital. Conclusions: care home admission from hospital is common and yet there are no established standards to support best practice. Decisions should involve the whole multidisciplinary team in partnership with patients and families. Documentation of assessment in the case notes is variable. We advocate the development of interdisciplinary standards to support the assessment of this vulnerable and complex group of patients.