Survival Improvement Tactics

We seek to understand and improve mortality both in and out of the hospital setting. To that end, we partner with clinical teams across Duke Health to utilize case reviews, data analytics, and project management in the following areas:

DUHS Mortality Review. We systematically review mortalities to identify opportunities to improve our systems of care. Resources:

Survival Improvement Initiatives. We have led ongoing initiatives to improve clinical outcomes, specifically to: reduce in-hospital delirium, prevent aspiration, identify and manage sepsis and clinical deterioration, and facilitate care transitions between settings. More recently, we have focused on improving end-of-life care delivery. Our initiatives include:

Enhancing inpatient advance care planning. Using a machine-learning model, we identify patients at high-risk for mortality, engage them in discussions about end-of-life care, and document their preferences, which are accessible by the whole care team. Resources:

Optimizing patient pathways to hospice and end-of-life care. Hospice care helps patients and their caregivers manage terminal illness more effectively and face the end of life with dignity and comfort. We seek to identify patients who would benefit from hospice care and ease the transition to that care. Resources:

Contacts
Yvonne Acker, RN, BSN, CPHQ, Program Manager, DUHS Survival Improvement. Contact: yvonne.acker@duke.edu
Dr. Pooh Setji, Medical Director, DUHS Mortality Review, DUH Hospital Medicine. Contact: noppon.setji@duke.edu