TIP OF THE WEEK
Roadmap to improvement in pain interfering with activity
HOW CAN IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN INTERFERING WITH ACTIVITY HELP REDUCE HOSPITALIZATIONS?
Pain is the most common reason individuals seek medical attention and frequently is the cause of their hospitalization. Recent findings have shown that 80% of patients with pain sought physician advice within the last 12 months; 14% of patients went to the ER; 11% had been hospitalized. Fifty million Americans are partially or totally disabled by pain. (www.ampainsoc.org)
WHAT CAN MY AGENCY DO?
- Use a comprehensive pain assessment form at the following intervals: start of care, resumption of care, recertification, discharge, and whenever the patient’s condition warrants. Resources include:
- Educate clinicians on accurate and consistent assessments. Resources:
- Provide updated information on agency status
- Encourage inter-disciplinary communication
WHAT CAN I DO?
- Accurately assess patients’ level and frequency of pain, type of pain, precipitating and associating factors.
- Consider the patient’s pain regimen in determining when pain interferes with activity or movement.
- Communicate patient information and Care Plan Objectives clearly to all team members.
- Consider non-pharmacological measures such as breathing and relaxation techniques in addition to pharmacological measures.
BEST PRACTICES: (MODIFY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUR PATIENT POPULATION)
- Patient pain assessments will include level of pain intensity, type/frequency of pain, location, precipitating/associating factors, as well as the pain regimen for relief, effectiveness, and patient compliance.
- SN will determine need for PT/OT to assess for weakness/endurance related to pain. Care plans will address interdisciplinary goals.
- Patients will be taught both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures for pain control.
- Home health aide care plans will include notification of SN when patient experiences pain during personal care visits.
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Home Health Pain Manual
A clinical resource manual for the Pain Quality Measure, containing screening tools, assessment checklists, and other pain resources.
To order, click here and select “Home Health” in the drop-down box. Then add the “Home Health Pain Manual” to your cart. Finally, proceed to checkout. All resources in the Ohio KePRO Shopping Bag are free of charge to Ohio healthcare providers. Please allow 10 business days to process your request.
REMINDER: Complete the 2007 Ohio Home Health Immunization Survey
Please take five minutes to complete the survey relating to your immunization practices. Ohio KePRO’s Home Health Team is re-measuring the immunization practices at Ohio home health agencies to compare with last year’s survey and we need your help. The results will be compared with last year’s survey to identify trends over time. Your answers are confidential.
IN THE NEWS
CONCERN MOUNTS OVER CAREGIVER SHORTAGE
June 14, 2007 -- Seattle Post Intelligencer -- There will be an enormous increase in America's elderly population in the next few decades, while the traditional labor pool for caregivers - women from their mid-20s to mid-50s - will scarcely grow at all, compounding problems for a work force already beset by low wages and high turnover. Read more >>
ATTENTION TRAINING MAY HELP OLDER ADULTS IMPROVE CONCENTRATION
June 14, 2007 -- Newswire -- Can a fitness program for your brain improve thinking and concentration the way lifting weights can increase muscle strength? Early results from a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study suggest that attention training can change brain activity so older adults can block out distractions and improve concentration. Read more >>
NURSING HOMES' $80 MILLION BONUS
June 15, 2007 -- Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Ohio's nursing home operators are set to receive $80 million more than Gov. Ted Strickland planned to give them unless he vetoes portions of the proposed state budget, which soon could be headed back to his desk. These dollars, combined with matching federal dollars, would be worth about $200 million in reimbursements to the nursing home industry, which has argued before legislators and in television ads that the money is needed to keep up with rising medical costs. Read more >>
NURSING HOME CARE IMPROVES UNDER WATCH OF OMBUDSMEN
June 19, 2007 -- Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Removing restraints. That is the biggest improvement nursing homes have made in the 30 years the Long Term Care Ombudsman program has monitored resident care, says Debby Allen, the program's director. "They used to be used on 60 percent of patients, and now it is down to 10 percent and many homes don't use them at all," she said. Read more >>
COMING ATTRACTIONS
HOME HEALTH QUALITY AFFAIR: CELEBRATION OF YOUR SUCCESS
June 27, 2007, 9:00am to 3:00pm
Northeast Conference Center, Westerville, Ohio
We will be spotlighting seven agencies that achieved remarkable improvement rates in 2006 in acute care hospitalizations, pain that interferes with activity, transferring, and/or oral medication management. Take this opportunity to renew and maximize your agency’s quality improvement efforts. Learn “what works best” and discuss successful strategies with your peers.
Keynote Speaker: Ronald A. Savrin, M.D., M.B.A., Medical Director, Ohio KePRO will discuss new healthcare transparency initiatives
Download the Event Flyer (PDF)
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE CONFERENCE CALLS
July 10, 2007, 9:00am -- Pain
July 10, 2007, 3:00pm -- Oral Meds
July 11, 2007, 9:00am -- Telehealth
July 12, 2007, 9:00pm -- Transferring
July 12, 2007, 3:00pm -- Acute Care Hospitalizations/Organizational Culture
Dial in: 1-877-326-2337
Conference ID: 2143198
