Checklist to Reduce Readmissions Published

June 5, 2012

Following the release of two patient safety checklists to reduce medical errors during patient transport, the AARC is proud to announce the release of a third checklist aimed at identifying patients at greatest risk for readmission to the ICU following discharge.

This checklist is available for free download to AARC members and will reside online in the Resources section of the AARC website. A story on the checklist, which highlights the important role of the respiratory therapist in minimizing ICU recidivism will be published in the July edition of the AARC Times.

“One of the foremost reasons patients are readmitted to the intensive care unit is due to respiratory complications. Placing the respiratory therapist in a prominent position to more formally triage and evaluate patients prior to discharge will ‘red flag’ those patients at greatest risk for a respiratory readmission,” says Charles G. Durbin, Jr. MD, FAARC, FCCM, and physician representative to the AARC Committee that formulated the checklist. “Once those patients at greatest risk are identified, RTs should be encouraged to deliver protocol driven care with the hopes to minimize costly readmissions to the ICU.”

“The AARC knows that when readmissions to the ICU are reduced, so to are mortality rates and hospital length of stay,” says Thomas J. Kallstrom MBA, RRT, FAARC, AARC Executive Director. “Using this tool will allow for more value-added roles by RTs, which is a must in today’s ever-changing health care environment.”

A webcast titled; “The Role of Checklists in Reducing Critical Care Readmissions” will be presented by Dr. Durbin on Wed., June 6, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. EST and will be worth 1.0 CRCE. Members unable to attend the live version of the webcast will be able to view the archived version.

The development of this checklist was supported through an educational grant by the Masimo Corporation.