Hospital discharge: testing the “Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score” in a surgical department

Hospital discharge: testing the “Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score” in a surgical department

Authors

  • Sara Colognesi a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:14:"ASST Vimercate";}
  • Cristina Fagnani ASST Vimercate
  • Federica Panceri ASST Vimercate
  • Manuela Ruggero ASST Vimercate
  • Filomena Di Florio ASST Vimercate
  • Chiara Passoni ASST Vimercate
  • Valentina Fantini Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital
  • Patrizia Boracchi University of Milan
  • Annalisa Orenti University of Milan
  • Maria Adele Fumagalli ASST Vimercate
  • Marco Vergani ASST Vimercate

Keywords:

Discharge planning – BRASS Index – Validation study – Nursing care - Surgical nursing

Abstract

Background and aim of the work

Standardizing patients’ assessment to identify individuals at greater risk in encountering difficulties at discharge may help to assist healthcare professionals in clinical decision making and address the gaps in quality that negatively affect continuity of care. We analyzed the predictive validity and the test-retest reliability of the BRASS index in surgical inpatients. Moreover, we evaluated the association between other variables and length of stay or location at discharge.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted. Four hundred twenty-eight patients (≥18 years old) hospitalized in the surgical department of Vimercate hospital were recruited. Data were collected using BRASS index within 48 hours from admission and before discharge.

Results

We found a high specificity for BRASS in identifying patients discharged to their home with assistance or to residential care. The hospital stay for medium and high-risk patients was significantly longer than those in the low-risk group. There was no statistically significant difference of the BRASS scores during hospitalization. Type of admission, pressure ulcers, ASA score, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, medical complications and Intensive Unit Care stay showed a significant correlation with longer hospitalization and increased probability to be discharged to their home with assistance or to residential care.

Conclusions

The BRASS Index may support healthcare professionals to identify surgical inpatients requiring a discharge planning and needs to be completed just once at admission. The inclusion of other patient-specific factors in the assessment process could be valuable for targeting the at-risk population.

 

Author Biographies

Cristina Fagnani, ASST Vimercate

Surgical Department

Federica Panceri, ASST Vimercate

Surgical Department

Manuela Ruggero, ASST Vimercate

Surgical Department

Filomena Di Florio, ASST Vimercate

Surgical Department

Chiara Passoni, ASST Vimercate

Surgical Department

Valentina Fantini, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital

Gastroenterology-Pneumology

Patrizia Boracchi, University of Milan

Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, Laboratory of Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Biometrics  “G. A. Maccaro”

Annalisa Orenti, University of Milan

Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, Laboratory of Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Biometrics  “G. A. Maccaro”

Maria Adele Fumagalli, ASST Vimercate

Hospital Management of the Health Care Professions

Marco Vergani, ASST Vimercate

Hospital Management of the Health Care Professions

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Published

29-07-2021

Issue

Section

Original articles: Health Professions 2/2021

How to Cite

1.
Colognesi S, Fagnani C, Panceri F, Ruggero M, Di Florio F, Passoni C, et al. Hospital discharge: testing the “Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score” in a surgical department. Acta Biomed [Internet]. 2021 Jul. 29 [cited 2024 Jul. 17];92(S2):e2021039. Available from: https://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/actabiomedica/article/view/10761