PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to identify demographic, clinical, physical, and psychosocial factors affecting discharge delay in lumbar spinal surgery patients who were treated according to a critical pathway.
METHODS
A sample of 170 patients with lumbar spinal surgery agreed to participate in the study, between April 1, 2014 and August 30, 2015. Data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, t-test, χ2-test, ANCOVA, and logistic regression analysis using SPSS 22.0 program.
RESULTS
Approximately fifty-nine percent of the participants was delayed discharge. On logistic regression analysis, female gender (OR=2.63, 95% CI=1.40~4.94), age (OR=1.03, 95% CI=1.01~1.05), spondylolisthesis (OR=4.49, 95% CI=1.90~10.61), and spinal fusion operation (OR=4.14, 95% CI=1.89~9.05) were significant factors predicting discharge delay of the participants. However, discharge delay was not related with pain, physical function, depression, or family support.
CONCLUSION
An analysis of discharge delay may assist in evaluating and revising critical pathway for optimal care. In addition, nurses need to understand the factors affecting discharge delay of the given population who were treated according to a critical pathway.

Citations

• Evaluation of the Critical Pathway for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy from the Perspective of Pain Course
  Seon Hwa Kim, Jin Hong Lim, Hyung Sun Kim
  Quality Improvement in Health Care.2024; 30(2): 50.     CrossRef
• Discharge Transition Experience for Lumbar Fusion Patients: A Qualitative Study
  Jeoung Hee Kim, Yong Soon Shin
  Journal of Neuroscience Nursing.2021; 53(6): 228.     CrossRef
• Effects of Functions of Daily Living, Depression, and Anxiety on Catastrophizing Pain among Patients Undergoing Lumbar Spinal Surgery
  Jeong Eun Yoon, Ok-Hee Cho
  Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing.2020; 27(3): 289.     CrossRef
• Development and Effects of Early Exercise Program for Lumbar Spine Surgery Patients
  Geun Jin Kim, Hye Young Kim
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2018; 30(3): 245.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
Purposes of this study were to develop a reliable and valid checklist to assess and manage post-stroke dysphagia and to identify its utilization.
METHODS
The first step was to develop checklist through systematic literatures reviews, to test the content validity from 11 clinical experts, and to test the construct validity and the internal consistency from 97 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. The second step was to identify clinical use of the checklist from the same 97 patients.
RESULTS
A total of 18 items compromised the assessment checklist and 64 items for intervention checklist. Internal consistencies of assessment checklist and intervention checklist were .84 and .98, respectively. In both checklists, level of utilization of general appearance was the highest, while that of early signs of aspiration was the lowest. The utilization levels of two checklists were significantly higher among patients who were less than 60 years old, and had liquid diet, facial paralysis, and previous history of aspiration pneumonia.
CONCLUSION
We found that the checklists were reliable and valid. Further study is needed to develop specific strategies to improve nurses' use of assessment and intervention checklists for post-stroke dysphagia.