National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
51 to 75 of 193 Research Studies DisplayedEvans E, Gutman R, Resnik L
Successful community discharge among older adults with traumatic brain injury in skilled nursing facilities.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to identify patient, injury, and functional status characteristics associated with successful discharge to the community following a skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay among older adults hospitalized following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries admitted to an SNF after hospitalization for TBI. Findings showed that among older adults with TBI who discharge to an SNF, sociodemographic and functional status characteristics are associated with successful discharge and may be useful to clinicians for discharge planning.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Evans E, Gutman R, Resnik L .
Successful community discharge among older adults with traumatic brain injury in skilled nursing facilities.
J Head Trauma Rehabil 2021 May-Jun;36(3):E186-e98. doi: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000638..
Keywords: Elderly, Brain Injury, Transitions of Care, Nursing Homes
Fekieta R, Rosenberg A, Jenq GY
A new tool to assess clinician experience with patient care transitions.
The authors developed a brief survey to gauge clinician experience with patient care transfers that occur within a hospital. They found that, overall, the survey was feasible to implement and was built to optimize content, construct, and response process validity. Survey results drove practical improvement work, such as informing a verbal transfer protocol to improve nursing preparedness to receive patients on general medicine units. They concluded that, as a practical tool, the survey and its results can help hospital administrators to focus on categories of transfer activities that are most problematic for clinicians and to track trends for quality improvement.
AHRQ-funded; HS023554.
Citation: Fekieta R, Rosenberg A, Jenq GY .
A new tool to assess clinician experience with patient care transitions.
Qual Manag Health Care 2021 Apr-Jun;30(2):87-96. doi: 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000290..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Provider: Clinician, Provider
Misra-Hebert AD, Rothberg MB, Fox J
Healthcare utilization and patient and provider experience with a home visit program for patients discharged from the hospital at high risk for readmission.
This retrospective cohort study assessed the association of home visits by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and paramedics with healthcare utilization and mortality of patients released home after hospital discharge The authors looked at adult medical patients discharged to home from November 2017-September 2019. They assessed outcomes for home visit vs. matched comparison patients at 30, 90, and 180 days, including hospital admission, emergency department (ED) use, and death using two phases. Phase 1 was defined as APRN or paramedic visits assigned by geographic location and Phase 2 defined as APRN and paramedic visit teams assigned to patients. They also compared patients who declined home visits with those accepting them. Phase 1 outcomes showed no differences in readmissions, ED visits, or death at 30,90, and 180 days. Phase 2 showed patients who had home visits had fewer 30-day readmissions and no differences in other outcomes. Patients who accepted home visits had lower odds of readmission compared to patients who declined. Forty-four interviews were also conducted, and themes of Medication Understanding, Knowledge Gap after Discharge, Patient Medical Complexity, Social Context, and Patient Engagement/Need for Reassurance emerged.
AHRQ-funded; HS024128.
Citation: Misra-Hebert AD, Rothberg MB, Fox J .
Healthcare utilization and patient and provider experience with a home visit program for patients discharged from the hospital at high risk for readmission.
Healthc 2021 Mar;9(1):100518. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100518..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Transitions of Care, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions
Hass Z, Woodhouse M, Arling G
Using a semi-Markov Model to estimate Medicaid cost savings due to Minnesota's Return to Community Initiative.
This simulation estimated the level of uncertainty for Medicaid cost savings due to Minnesota’s Return to Community Initiative (RTCI). This statewide program assists private paying nursing home residents with discharge to the community. Prior analysis estimated that approximately 1 in 9 residents targeted for transition by the program would not have returned to the community without the RTCI. Data from 30,234 private pay nursing home residents admitted during 2011 to 378 facilities and followed for 4 years postadmission for outcomes and time to event was used. The simulation was run 1000 times with and without the RTCI impact to estimate change in Medicaid nursing home days. Program savings was estimated at $4.1 million per year over a 4-year accumulation period. This is a modest Medicaid cost savings more than the annual program budget of $3.5 million.
AHRQ-funded; HS020224.
Citation: Hass Z, Woodhouse M, Arling G .
Using a semi-Markov Model to estimate Medicaid cost savings due to Minnesota's Return to Community Initiative.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 Mar;22(3):642-47.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.07.016..
Keywords: Medicaid, Nursing Homes, Healthcare Costs, Transitions of Care
Sather J, Littauer R, Finn E
A multimodal intervention to improve the quality and safety of interhospital care transitions for nontraumatic intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Regionalization of care has increased interhospital transfers (IHTs) of nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) to specialized centers yet exposes patients to the latent risks inherent to IHT. In this study, the researchers examined how a multimodal quality improvement intervention affected quality and safety measures for patients with ICH or SAH exposed to IHT.
AHRQ-funded; HS023554.
Citation: Sather J, Littauer R, Finn E .
A multimodal intervention to improve the quality and safety of interhospital care transitions for nontraumatic intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2021 Feb;47(2):99-106. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.10.003..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Care Coordination
Gonzalez MR, Junge-Maughan L, Lipsitz LA
ECHO-CT: an interdisciplinary videoconference model for identifying potential postdischarge transition-of-care events.
In this paper, data collected through the Extension for Community Health Outcomes- Care Transitions (ECHO-CT) model were used to identify and classify transition-of-care events (TCEs). Findings showed that the TCEs identified highlight areas in which providers can work to reduce issues arising during the course of discharge to post-acute care facilities. Recommendations included standardized processes to identify, record, and report TCEs in order to provide high-quality, safe care for patients as they move across care settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS025702.
Citation: Gonzalez MR, Junge-Maughan L, Lipsitz LA .
ECHO-CT: an interdisciplinary videoconference model for identifying potential postdischarge transition-of-care events.
J Hosp Med 2021 Feb;16(2):93-96. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3523..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospital Discharge, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Fernandes-Taylor S, Yang DY, Schumacher J
Factors associated with Interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients from emergency departments.
This study looked at the factors contributing to transfer of emergency general surgery (EGS) patients to another hospital. Data from the AHRQ Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) from 2010-2014 was analyzed. The transfer rate during that time was 1.9%. Patients with Medicare or other insurance had higher odds of transfer compared to patients with private health insurance. Odds of transfer increased with a greater number of comorbid conditions as well as resuscitation, intestinal obstruction, and conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Transfers were more likely to originate from rural hospitals or Level I or II trauma centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Fernandes-Taylor S, Yang DY, Schumacher J .
Factors associated with Interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients from emergency departments.
Am J Emerg Med 2021 Feb;40:83-88. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.12.012..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Surgery, Emergency Department, Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery
Ingraham A, Reinke CE
Optimizing safety for surgical patients undergoing interhospital transfer.
This article discusses the need for standardization and improvement of the interhospital transfer process. The authors advocate studying and adapting quality improvement efforts directed at other transitions of care so that care will improve for surgical patients transferred between acute care institutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Ingraham A, Reinke CE .
Optimizing safety for surgical patients undergoing interhospital transfer.
Surg Clin North Am 2021 Feb;101(1):57-69. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2020.09.002..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Surgery, Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Holden RJ, Abebe E
Medication transitions: vulnerable periods of change in need of human factors and ergonomics.
The authors present a novel view of transitions from the lens of patient ergonomics which posits that patients and other nonprofessionals experience many changes during patient work transitions toward health-related goals. Medication transitions are particularly vulnerable. Two cases of medication transitions; new and medication deprescribing are described in which the patient work lens reveals many accompanying changes, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for human factors and ergonomics.
AHRQ-funded; HS024384.
Citation: Holden RJ, Abebe E .
Medication transitions: vulnerable periods of change in need of human factors and ergonomics.
Appl Ergon 2021 Jan;90:103279. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103279..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient and Family Engagement, Transitions of Care, Patient Safety
Zmora R, Statz TL, Birkeland RW
Transitioning to long-term care: family caregiver experiences of dementia, communities, and counseling.
Previous analyses of interventions targeting relationships between family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and residential long-term care (RLTC) staff showed modest associations with caregiver outcomes. This analysis aimed to better understand interpersonal and contextual factors that influence caregiver-staff relationships and identify targets for future interventions to improve these relationships.
AHRQ-funded; HS022836.
Citation: Zmora R, Statz TL, Birkeland RW .
Transitioning to long-term care: family caregiver experiences of dementia, communities, and counseling.
J Aging Health 2021 Jan;33(1-2):133-46. doi: 10.1177/0898264320963588..
Keywords: Elderly, Caregiving, Dementia, Transitions of Care, Long-Term Care, Chronic Conditions
Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Wiegmann D
Evaluation of intraoperative hand-off frequency, duration, and context: a mixed methods analysis.
The authors sought a better understanding of the coordination and impact of intraoperative hand-offs. They found that intraoperative hand-offs were frequent and not well coordinated with intraoperative events including counts and other hand-offs. Anchoring and announced hand-offs occurred in a small proportion of cases. They recommended that future work focus on optimizing timing, content, and participation in intraoperative hand-offs.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Wiegmann D .
Evaluation of intraoperative hand-off frequency, duration, and context: a mixed methods analysis.
J Surg Res 2020 Dec;256:124-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.06.007..
Keywords: Surgery, Transitions of Care, Communication, Teams
Makam AN, Nguyen OK, Miller ME
Comparative effectiveness of long-term acute care hospital versus skilled nursing facility transfer.
This study compared the effectiveness of long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) use versus skilled nursing facility (SNF) transfer after hospitalization. Medicare claims linked to electronic health record (EHR) data from six Texas hospitals between 2009 and 2010 were used to conduct a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients transferred to either an LTACH or SNF and followed for one year. Out of 3505 patients, 18% were transferred to an LTACH and overall were younger, less likely to be female, and white, but sicker than transfers to an SNF. Patients transferred to an LTACH were less likely to survive (59 vs. 65%) or recover (62.5 vs 66%). Adjusting for demographic and clinical confounders found in Medicare claims and EHR data, transfer location was not significantly associated with differences in mortality but was associated with greater Medicare spending.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Makam AN, Nguyen OK, Miller ME .
Comparative effectiveness of long-term acute care hospital versus skilled nursing facility transfer.
BMC Health Serv Res 2020 Nov 11;20(1):1032. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05847-6..
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Long-Term Care, Elderly, Medicare, Transitions of Care, Nursing Homes, Hospitals
Tremblay ES, Ruiz J, Buccigrosso T
Health care transition in youth with type 1 diabetes and an A1C >9%: qualitative analysis of pre-transition perspectives.
The purpose of this training was to explore expectations for transition to adult care and experiences with transition planning among adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes and an A1C >9% at a tertiary care U.S. pediatric center. The investigators concluded that a lack of transition preparation and anxiety about transition and adult care among youth with type 1 diabetes and elevated A1C.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Tremblay ES, Ruiz J, Buccigrosso T .
Health care transition in youth with type 1 diabetes and an A1C >9%: qualitative analysis of pre-transition perspectives.
Diabetes Spectr 2020 Nov;33(4):331-38. doi: 10.2337/ds20-0011..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Young Adults, Diabetes, Chronic Conditions, Transitions of Care, Patient Experience
Nijhawan AE, Bhattatiry M, Chansard M
HIV care cascade before and after hospitalization: impact of a multidisciplinary inpatient team in the US South.
Hospitalization represents an opportunity to re-engage out-of-care individuals, improve HIV outcomes, and reduce health disparities. The authors reviewed electronic health records of HIV-positive individuals hospitalized at an urban, public hospital between September 2013 and December 2015. They found that hospitalized patients with HIV had low rates of engagement in care, retention in care, and virologic suppression, though all three outcomes improved after hospitalization. A multidisciplinary transitions team improved care engagement and virologic suppression in those who received the intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Nijhawan AE, Bhattatiry M, Chansard M .
HIV care cascade before and after hospitalization: impact of a multidisciplinary inpatient team in the US South.
AIDS Care 2020 Nov;32(11):1343-52. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2019.1698704.
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Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Transitions of Care, Inpatient Care, Teams, Hospitalization, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice
Shannon EM, Schnipper JL, Mueller SK
Identifying racial/ethnic disparities in interhospital transfer: an observational study.
Interhospital transfer (IHT) is often performed to provide patients with specialized care. Racial/ethnic disparities in IHT have been suggested but are not well-characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and IHT. The investigators found that Black and Hispanic patients had lower odds of IHT, largely explained by a higher likelihood of being hospitalized at urban teaching hospitals. Racial/ethnic disparities in transfer were demonstrated at community hospitals, in certain geographic regions and among patients with specific diseases.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Shannon EM, Schnipper JL, Mueller SK .
Identifying racial/ethnic disparities in interhospital transfer: an observational study.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Oct;35(10):2939-46. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06046-z..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Care Coordination
Ma AL, Cohen RS, Lee HC
Learning from wildfire disaster experience in California NICUs.
The authors’ objective was to learn how personnel working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of California hospitals handled issues of neonatal transfer during wildfire disasters in recent years; their ultimate goal was to share lessons learned with healthcare teams on disaster preparedness. They found that while describing disaster preparedness, equipment (such as bassinets and backpacks), ambulance access/transport and documentation/charting were noted as important and essential. They concluded that teamwork, willingness to do other tasks that are not part of typical job descriptions, and unconventional strategies contributed to the success of keeping NICU babies safe when California wildfire strikes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023506.
Citation: Ma AL, Cohen RS, Lee HC .
Learning from wildfire disaster experience in California NICUs.
Children 2020 Oct;7(10):E155. doi: 10.3390/children7100155..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Transitions of Care, Emergency Preparedness, Teams, Healthcare Delivery
Saleh SN, Makam AN, Halm EA,
Can we predict early 7-day readmissions using a standard 30-day hospital readmission risk prediction model?
Despite focus on preventing 30-day readmissions, early readmissions (within 7 days of discharge) may be more preventable than later readmissions (8-30 days). In this study, the investigators assessed how well a previously validated 30-day EHR-based readmission model predicted 7-day readmissions and compared differences in strength of predictors. They suggested that improvements in predicting early 7-day readmissions will likely require new risk factors proximal to day of discharge.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Saleh SN, Makam AN, Halm EA, .
Can we predict early 7-day readmissions using a standard 30-day hospital readmission risk prediction model?
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2020 Sep 15;20(1):227. doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-01248-1..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Risk, Transitions of Care, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Terp S, Seabury SA, Axeen S
The association between hospital characteristics and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act citation events.
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law enacted in 1986 prohibiting patient dumping (refusing or transferring patients with emergency medical conditions without appropriate stabilization), and discrimination based upon ability to pay. In this study, the investigators evaluated hospital-level features associated with citation for EMTALA violation. They concluded that for-profit ownership was associated with increased odds of EMTALA citations after adjusting for other characteristics.
AHRQ-funded; HS025281.
Citation: Terp S, Seabury SA, Axeen S .
The association between hospital characteristics and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act citation events.
Med Care 2020 Sep;58(9):793-99. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001360..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitals, Policy, Transitions of Care
Keeney T
Physical therapy in the COVID-19 pandemic: forging a paradigm shift for rehabilitation in acute care.
This point-of-view article discusses the importance of physical therapy for COVID-19 survivors in home and community-based settings as well as in post-acute care facilities, concluding that it is necessary to react to new and difficult circumstances with growth and self-advocacy in order to forge a future characterized by intensive skilled rehabilitation services in the inpatient setting, simultaneously benefiting the health care systems and the patient populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Keeney T .
Physical therapy in the COVID-19 pandemic: forging a paradigm shift for rehabilitation in acute care.
Phys Ther 2020 Aug 12;100(8):1265-67. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzaa097..
Keywords: Rehabilitation, COVID-19, Transitions of Care, Home Healthcare, Healthcare Delivery
Philip JL, Yang DY, Wang X
Effect of transfer status on outcomes of emergency general surgery patients.
This study looked at outcomes of transferred (TRAN) versus directly admitted (DA) emergency general surgery (EGS) patients. Patients with a diagnosis of EGS were identified from the 2008-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Outcomes included were in-hospital mortality and morbidity. They identified 274,145 TRAN and 10,456,100 DA encounters. Morbidity and mortality were both higher in TRAN patients than DA. TRAN patients were more likely to have greater comorbidity scores, have Medicare insurance, and reside in an area with a lesser median household income compared to DA patients. Morbidity among TRAN patients were primarily due urinary-, gastrointestinal-, and pulmonary-related complications. Median stay and median cost at the hospital were greater for TRAN patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224; HS022694.
Citation: Philip JL, Yang DY, Wang X .
Effect of transfer status on outcomes of emergency general surgery patients.
Surgery 2020 Aug;168(2):280-86. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2020.01.005..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Surgery, Transitions of Care, Mortality, Outcomes, Healthcare Costs, Hospitals
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Wojciechowicz C
Incorporating home healthcare nurses' admission information needs to inform data standards.
Patient transitions into home health care (HHC) often occur without the transfer of information needed for critical clinical decisions and the plan of care. Owing to a lack of universally implemented standards, there is wide variation in information transfer. In this study, the investigators sought to characterize missing information at HHC admission. They conducted a mixed methods study with 3 diverse HHC agencies.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Wojciechowicz C .
Incorporating home healthcare nurses' admission information needs to inform data standards.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Aug;27(8):1278-86. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa087..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Transitions of Care, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Abrahamson K, Hass Z, Arling G
Shall I stay or shall I go? The choice to remain in the nursing home among residents with high potential for discharge.
This study examines why private-pay nursing home (NH) residents who expressed a desire for discharge and had relatively low-care needs chose to remain in the NH. The Minnesota Return to Community Initiative (RTCI) is a program that assists those residents to return to the community. Those who remained were more likely to beolder, more cognitively impaired, unmarried, had behavior problems, or diagnosed with dementia. At a 90-day assessment, residents who remained in the facility had a small decline in cognitive status, their continence improved, and they become more independent in activities of daily living (ADLs). Seventy-four percent of those remaining reported a perception of health barriers to discharge.
AHRQ-funded; HS020224.
Citation: Abrahamson K, Hass Z, Arling G .
Shall I stay or shall I go? The choice to remain in the nursing home among residents with high potential for discharge.
J Appl Gerontol 2020 Aug;39(8):863-70. doi: 10.1177/0733464818807818..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Transitions of Care, Shared Decision Making
Amar-Dolan LG, Horn MH, O'Connell B B
"This is how hard it is". family experience of hospital-to-home transition with a tracheostomy.
This study explores the experience of family caregivers of children and young adults with a tracheostomy during the transition from hospital to home care. Researchers sought to identify the specific unmet needs of families to direct future interventions. Using semi-structured interviews, they found a need for family-centered discharge processes including coordination of care and teaching focused on emergency preparedness.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Amar-Dolan LG, Horn MH, O'Connell B B .
"This is how hard it is". family experience of hospital-to-home transition with a tracheostomy.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2020 Jul;17(7):860-68. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201910-780OC..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Home Healthcare, Caregiving, Patient Experience, Care Coordination, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Children/Adolescents, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Zhu W, Patterson BW, Smith M
A Markov chain model for transient analysis of handoff process in emergency departments.
Transfer of care between multiple units or facilities is of significant importance for patient safety, care quality, and operation efficiency. Such transfers are often referred to as handoffs in hospitals, which need to be carried out timely, safely, and smoothly with accurate information. This paper introduced a Markov chain model to study the transients of handoff process in hospital emergency departments.
AHRQ-funded; HS026624.
Citation: Zhu W, Patterson BW, Smith M .
A Markov chain model for transient analysis of handoff process in emergency departments.
IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2020 Jul;5(3):4360-67. doi: 10.1109/lra.2020.2996066..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitals, Transitions of Care, Healthcare Delivery, Patient Safety
Musial A, Butts B, Loechtenfeldt A
Challenges following hospital discharge for children with medical complexity.
The transition from hospital to home is a period of risk, particularly for children with medical complexity. The aim of this prospective study was to identify and address discharge challenges through execution of postdischarge phone calls. The investigators found that discharge challenges were commonly identified by caregivers of children with medical complexity. The majority of postdischarge challenges were addressed, with some addressed by families themselves.
AHRQ-funded; HS025138.
Citation: Musial A, Butts B, Loechtenfeldt A .
Challenges following hospital discharge for children with medical complexity.
Hosp Pediatr 2020 Jun;10(6):531-36. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2019-0306..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care