Objective: The Parkinson’s Foundation made another significant step toward its vision to eliminate preventable harm and promote higher reliability in care with the launch of its Hospital Care Learning Collaborative, a peer-learning group for professionals from twenty leading healthcare systems who are independently working to implement quality improvement projects focused on improving hospital safety for people with PD.

Background: The Parkinson’s Foundation is committed to leading the national effort to improve hospital care and drive systemic change. In April 2023, in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, Henry Ford Health, and University of Florida Health Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, the Foundation released the Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Care Recommendations to address major gaps in hospital safety for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Recommendations introduce five clinical care standards in areas frequently associated with preventable harm: medication management, mobility, and swallowing function.

Method: For one year, participants met bi-monthly to share strategies to address one of the five hospital care standards.

Results: Strategies included:

Customize All Medication Orders – Allan Wu, MD shared a framework to work with IT to request EHR optimizations, including the ability to customize PD medication orders.

Prevent Medication Delays – Hooman Azmi, MD, FAANS shared how quality improvement programs led by multidisciplinary teams have advanced safer care including sustained improvements in timely medication administration.

Avoid Contraindicated Medications – Ryan Schell, PharmD, MMHC shared a nuanced alert for contraindicated medications that offers alternative prescriptions as approved by the Pharmaceutical & Therapeutics committee.

Prioritize Regular Movement – Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM reviewed ways to tap into existing ambulation and mobility goals to improve PD mobilization practices.

Address Risk of Dysphagia and Aspiration – Benjamin Walter, MD, MBA reviewed strategies to mitigate medication delays in the event of safety concerns due to dysphagia, including the administration of crushed medication and use of an automated trigger for SLP evaluation during bedside nursing screens.

Conclusion: Find the complete Recommendations along with information and tools for providers and hospital systems at: Parkinson.org/HospitalCare

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/hospital-care-learning-collaborative-sharing-strategies-to-address-the-parkinsons-foundation-inpatient-clinical-care-standards/