Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

28 PATIENT EXPERIENCE Some US hospitals allowing drug users to go homewith IV lines By Anuja Vaidya P atients who need antibiotic treatment delivered intravenously in the weeks or months aer being discharged from the hospital are typically allowed to go home with a medication pump and an open IV tube — and for the first time some U.S. hospitals are allowing drug users to do the same, according to NPR. Patients leaving the hospital who need more medi- cation via the IV are given a peripherally inserted or percutaneous indwelling central catheter, or a PICC line, which looks like a flexible IV tube. Patients can use the pump and IV tube to give themselves medica- tion at home. However, those who have a history of addiction were not allowed to use this option, as caregivers were afraid they might use the open IV line to inject drugs. But now a few U.S. hospitals, including Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital, are changing that protocol. ose with addiction issues also tend to be particularly susceptible to infection, requiring antibi- otics delivered through an IV, NPR reported. Brigham and Women's only offers this option to patients who: • Take an addiction treatment medication or are willing to start one. • Attend a weekly check-in. • Have stable housing and are living with someone. Brigham and Women's began offering the option to complete IV treatment at home to current and former drug users in 2018, and so far, 40 people have taken advantage of the program. Of the 40 people in Brigham and Women's pro- gram, 21 were drug users. ey completed the program without any complications, and although three relapsed, none of them used the PICC line to take drugs. "I think we've shown, through this pilot, that it is safe and feasible for certain patients," Christin Price, MD, director of the Brigham and Women's Bridge Clinic in Boston where the program was implemented, told NPR. Brigham and Women's physicians plan to publish results of the pilot program in a medical journal, NPR reported. n Patients say portals have biggest impact on engagement, KLAS finds By Jackie Drees M ost patients consider patient portals as the engagement technolo- gy that best simplifies their experience and helps them participate in their care, according to a KLAS Research report. Online patient portals allow patients to engage in their care journey in multiple ways, whether viewing their health information, communicating with a provider or paying bills. For its Patient Engagement 2020 report, KLAS surveyed more than 300 patients about which patient engagement technologies have been most impactful to them. Here are the participants' responses: 1. Patient portal: 58 percent 2. Provider communication: 24 percent 3. Appointment reminders: 12 percent 4. Self-scheduling: 12 percent 5. Self-registration/check-in: 6 percent 6. Education: 5 percent 7. Prescription refill requests: 5 percent 8. Online bill pay: 4 percent 9. Telehealth: 4 percent 10. Care team collaboration: 3 percent n The victory playlist: Songs hospitals play to celebrate COVID-19 wins By Anuja Vaidya H ospitals nationwide are burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic, often in extreme and unexpected ways, but that doesn't mean they aren't counting their wins. Several hospitals have selected songs to play when COVID-19 patients are released from their care, ranging from tunes recorded by Journey to The Beatles. At Montefiore Nyack (N.Y.) Hospital, staff play The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" when patients are discharged, and at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, staff play it when patients are taken off ventilators and can breathe on their own, according to The New York Times. Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y., plays Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2 AM)" when patients come off ventilators, and at Mather Hospital in Port Jeffer- son, N.Y., it's The Police's "Every Breath You Take," according to the Times. St. Luke's University Health Network in Allentown, Pa., plays "Gonna Fly Now," made famous by the movie "Rocky," when COVID-19 patients are discharged, lehighvalleylive.com reported. And so does Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., according to WWLP, a dual NBC/CW+-affiliate TV station. Henry Ford Health System, which discharged more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in April, opts to play Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," according to WXYZ-TV, an ABC affiliate. n

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