JAMA Surgery: Cross-Disciplinary Program Improves Surgical Outcomes for Older Patients
JAMA Surgery has published a paper, "Association of Integrated Care Coordination With Postsurgical Outcomes in High-Risk Older Adults: The Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) Initiative," by Shelley McDonald, D.O., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Duke, 2014 and 2015 Center of Excellence Scholar, and colleagues.
The goal of POSH is to set the stage for a safe surgical experience and a smooth recovery for older patients. In an overview of the research on the POSH program, the researchers report that redesigning care resulted in shorter hospitals stays, lower readmission rates and a greater likelihood that patients would be discharged directly home without a nursing home stay or need for home health care. Patients in the POSH program also had overall fewer complications during their hospitalization.
The study was funded in part through The John A. Hartford Foundation Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine program.
To read the press release, click here.
To read the JAMA Surgery abstract, click here.