Articles Tagged With: decision-making
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Solo Agers Are a Growing Demographic in Health Systems Nationwide
A rising proportion of older patients are solo agers — adults who live alone. This phenomenon leads to challenges for case managers as they try to find safe places to transition patients who lack caregivers and family support. A Pew Research Center study in 2020 found that 27% of U.S. adults older than age 60 years live solo.
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Is Diagnosis Uncertain in the ED? Clear Communication Is Needed
Patients likely expect to leave the emergency department with a definite understanding of what is wrong. Yet many patients are discharged or admitted with an uncertain diagnosis.
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Artificial Intelligence Could Help Case Managers Improve Efficiency and Outcomes
Artificial intelligence is poised to take over the fields of media and marketing, banking, legal services, and programming. It also is used in the healthcare field, including case management. That poses the question: Will artificial intelligence replace case managers?
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Informed Consent Practices for Acute Stroke Treatment Vary
Currently, the two cornerstones of acute ischemic stroke treatment are intravenous thrombolysis and, for patients with large vessel occlusions, endovascular thrombectomy. For treating clinicians, the question becomes: How do clinicians ensure that patients (or their surrogate decisionmakers) make an informed decision while avoiding treatment delays that can result in worse outcomes?
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Ethical Decision-Making with Deprescribing for Older Adults
Physicians must consider multiple ethical issues when making decisions on deprescribing for older adults with dementia, a recent study found.
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Ethicists Find that Empathy, Accurate Information Defuse Conflicts
Families may interpret the word “futile” to mean that clinicians are just giving up, that the patient is not important enough to continue the current level of care, or even that clinicians are trying to clear the bed for a more deserving patient.
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What Is Futile Care? Clinicians, Families Have Different Views
Many ethics consults involve conflicts between clinicians and families about end-of-life care. After speaking with the various parties, ethicists sometimes realize that the root of the issue is differing views of what constitutes “futile” care.
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Do Clinicians Follow Ethics Recommendations? Relationships Are Important Factor
Ethicists often make recommendations after a consult — but does anyone actually follow them?
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Five-Year TAVR vs. SAVR Data Show Encouraging Results, but Do Not Move the Needle for Clinical Decision-Making
The PARTNER 3 trial randomized low-risk patients to transcatheter aortic valve replacement vs. surgical aortic valve replacement. Five-year data show no significant differences in the composite endpoint of death, stroke, or rehospitalization.
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Case Managers Can Prepare Families for Memory Care Placement
When patients with memory care needs are hospitalized, case managers often are the first — and sometimes only — point of contact to discuss transition options. When the transition includes moving into a memory care community, it is important for patients and their families to know what to expect.