Kalo, Eric, Sheriff, Nashwa, Isaac, Marina, Baig, Asma, Read, Scott, and Ahlenstiel, Golo (2022) A Call for Implementation of an Evidence-Based, Quality Improvement, Decompensated Cirrhosis Discharge Care Bundle in Australia. Livers, 2 (2). pp. 97-104.

Preview

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (228kB) | Preview

Abstract

A growing body of research suggests that evidence-based interventions can tackle high rates of hospital readmissions among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Care bundles are a prime example of an evidence-based intervention to reduce hospital readmissions through documentation and communication. In this pilot study, a comprehensive baseline audit of electronic medical records of 497 discharges for 175 patients was conducted to assess the current standards of care on discharge from Blacktown Hospital, Australia, and the scope for introducing a care bundle. Our results demonstrated suboptimal discharge communication in a number of areas: Only 54% of decompensated cirrhosis patients had a follow-up appointment pre-scheduled at discharge. Despite alcohol being identified as a key cause of cirrhosis in 60% of patients, a review by alcohol services was conducted on only 24.9% of patients. Moreover, a general lack of focus on patient education and health literacy was identified. In conclusion, our pilot study has highlighted areas for improvement in the standard of care provided to this cohort of patients. Implementation of a standardized care bundle could address the current shortfalls, improve the standard of care and refocus discharge planning to address health literacy and education in patients admitted with a decompensated liver.

Item ID:	86138
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2673-4389
Keywords:	decompensated cirrhosis; discharge; care bundle; quality improvement; continuity of care; clinical practice; standardization; readmissions
Related URLs:	https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/2/2/7
Copyright Information:	© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2025 23:29
FoR Codes:	32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3202 Clinical sciences > 320209 Gastroenterology and hepatology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2002 Evaluation of health and support services > 200205 Health policy evaluation @ 20% 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200104 Prevention of human diseases and conditions @ 80%
Downloads:	Total: 2 Last 12 Months: 2
	More Statistics