RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Enhanced neurotrauma services: physician input into traumatic brain injury care
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 566
OP 569
DO 10.7861/clinmed.2022-0290
VO 22
IS 6
A1 Callum M Harris
A1 Kumi Okamura
A1 Lucy-Jessica Stevens
A1 Damian R Jenkins
YR 2022
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/22/6/566.abstract
AB Elderly trauma victims whose care is shared between surgeons and physicians have improved clinical outcomes and shorter hospital lengths of stay (LOS). To test whether a similar benefit can be gained for patients suffering traumatic brain injury (TBI), a quality improvement project (QIP) was run in which a neurologist was enrolled into the pre-existing neurotrauma team. Mortality rates, LOS and rates of readmission within 30 days of discharge were compared between two cohorts of TBI patients: 80 admittedly prior to the QIP and 80 admitted during the QIP. The two cohorts were well matched for age, gender, mechanism of injury, Glasgow coma score and types of injury. The QIP was not associated with a reduction in mortality but was associated with a significant reduction in mean LOS (from 25.7 days to 17.5 days; p=0.04) and a reduction in readmissions (from seven to zero patients; p=0.01).