Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36083613›Full record

ReviewThe American surgeon2023

Post-Trauma Discharge Instructions: Are We Dropping the Ball?

J Alford Flippin, Belinda S DeMario, Victoria J Adomshick, Samuel P Stanley, Evelyn I Truong, Sarah Hendrickson, Mark A Kalina, Alaina M Lasinski, Vanessa P Ho

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in The American surgeon, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Risk factors for rehospitalization after trauma: a follow-up study.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

J Alford FlippinDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Belinda S DeMarioDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Victoria J AdomshickDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Samuel P StanleyDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Evelyn I TruongDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Sarah HendricksonCommunity Trauma Institute, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Mark A KalinaCommunity Trauma Institute, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Alaina M LasinskiDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Vanessa P HoDepartment of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Funding

Institutional Career Development CoreKL2TR002547 · NCATS · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · PI DWEIK, RAED A. · 2018 to 2022
$7.7M
NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR002547
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionComplex follow-up plans for polytrauma patients are compiled at the end of hospitalization into discharge instructions. We sought to identify how often patient discharge instructions incorrectly communicated specialist recommendations. We hypothesized that patients with more complex hospitalizations would have more discharge instruction errors (DI-errors).

methodsWe reviewed adult trauma inpatients (March 2017-March 2018), excluding those who left against medical advice or were expected to follow up outside our system. Complex hospitalizations were represented using injury severity (ISS), hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit length of stay (iLOS), and number of consultants (NC). We recorded the type of consultant (surgical or nonsurgical), and consultant recommendations for follow-up. DI-errors were defined as either follow-up necessary but omitted or follow-up not necessary yet present on the instructions. Patients with DI-errors were compared to patients without DI-errors. Groups were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum or chi-square (alpha <.05).

resultsWe included 392 patients (median age 45 [IQR 26-58], ISS 14 [10-21], LOS 6 [3-11]). 55 patients (14%) had DI-errors. Factors associated with DI-errors included the total number of consultants and use of nonsurgical consultants. ISS, LOS, iLOS, were not associated with DI-errors.

conclusionCommon measures of admission complexity were not associated with DI-errors, although the number and type of consultants were associated with DI-errors. Non-surgical specialty consultant recommendations were more likely to be omitted. It is crucial for patients to receive accurate discharge instructions, and systematic processes are needed to improve communication with the patients at discharge.

Indexed as

Multiple TraumaPatient DischargeAdultHospitalizationHumansLength of StayMiddle AgedRetrospective Studiesadherencecoordination of carefollowuptrauma

Identifiers

PMID36083613
PMCPMC10829078

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.