Failure events in transition of care for surgical patients.
Helling TS, Martin LC, Martin M, et al. Failure events in transition of care for surgical patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2014;218(4):723-31. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2013.12.026.
Wide variation in hospital surgical mortality rates have been attributed to failure to rescue patients when postoperative complications occur. This study identified the clinical factors associated with unplanned transfers to the intensive care unit after surgery and found that failure to detect severity of illness was one factor related to delays in escalating care when necessary.