Screening elder cardiac patients to identify need for social work services.
Present screening methods to identify older patients in need of posthospital care planning are overly sensitive and lack specificity, with the rate of false-positive screenings reaching 65 percent. Research was undertaken to develop a computerized screening mechanism to identify elderly cardiac patients at high risk for posthospital care needs. Using the data from the Medicus Nursing Productivity and Quality of Patient Care Classification System (NPAQ) as potential predictive factors, the false-positive screening rate was reduced to 26 percent. Early and accurate identification of these patients may prove beneficial to patients and their families and to social workers and hospital administrators. It can improve social worker efficiency in developing and implementing an adequate posthospital care plan, thus enhancing patient recovery.
Berkman
B
B
Social Service Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Millar
S
S
Holmes
W
W
Bonander
E
E
D000359:Aftercare; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009732:Nursing Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010361:Patients / Q000145:classification; D012947:Social Work