Background: Following passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, 30-day hospital readmissions have come under greater scrutiny. Excess readmissions for certain medical conditions and procedures now result in penalizations on all Medicare reimbursements. We examined the risk factors, outcomes, and costs of 30-day readmissions after colorectal surgery (CRS). Methods: The University HealthSystem Consortium database was queried for adults (≥ 18 years) who underwent colorectal resection for cancer, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or benign tumors between January 2008 and December 2011. Our outcomes of interest were readmission within 30-days of the patient’s index discharge, hospital readmission outcomes, and total direct hospital costs. Results: A total of 70,484 patients survived the index hospitalization after CRS during the years under study, 13.7% (9,632) of which were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The strongest independent predictors of readmission were: LOS ≥4 days (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.32-1.57), stoma (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.45-1.61), and discharge to skilled nursing (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.49-1.76) or rehabilitation facility (OR 2.93; 95% CI 2.54-3.40). Of those readmitted, half occurred within 7 days of the index admission, 13% required ICU care, 6% had a reoperation, and 2% died during the readmission stay. The median combined total direct hospital cost was over twice as high ($26,917 v. $13,817) for readmitted than for nonreadmitted patients. Conclusions: Readmissions following colorectal resection occur frequently and incur a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. Future studies aimed at targeted interventions for high-risk patients may reduce readmissions and curb escalating healthcare costs. Categorization: Outcomes research; Cost analysis; Colon and Rectal Surgery

Heart failure (HF) is a serious public health problem associated with high mortality rates, hospital readmissions, and health care costs. Transitional care has emerged as a disease management model used to reduce readmissions for hospital-discharged patients with HF. However, the efficacy of an advanced practice nurse (APN)-led transitional care program (TCP) in readmission reduction is under debate. The practice question for this project examined the extent to which an APN-led TCP was effective in reducing 30-day all-cause readmissions for hospital-discharged HF patients. The logic model was the framework guiding this program evaluation. An analysis of quality improvement HF data from September 2015 to August 2016 was reviewed for one hospital in southern California. The APN-led TCP included 47 patients and had 7 patients with 30-day readmissions. The physicians' group included 298 patients and had 53 patients with 30-day readmissions. The results of chi-square analysis revealed a nonsignificant association between 30-day readmissions and post-discharge care providers [Ï? 2 (1, N = 345) = 0.236, p = 0.627], and the HF 30-day readmission rates were the same between two groups. The APN-led TCP served a large proportion of Medi-Cal patients (48.94%) who had less primary care access, while the majority of patients in the physicians' group were Medicare (51%) who had primary care providers. This project highlights the positive social changes that advanced practice nurses affect via their critical leadership and clinical roles in increasing care access for the low-income population. Further studies on payer sources and readmissions are recommended on the efficacy of APN-led TCP in readmission reduction.

Objectif : Estimer la contribution statistique des caractéristiques des hôpitaux et des caractéristiques liés aux patients sur la probabilité de réadmission des patients qui ont subi une PCNL, une procédure endoscopique à haut risque de morbidité, dans les hôpitaux aux États-Unis en 2014 et évaluer les prédicteurs des taux de réadmissions d’une PCNL. Méthode : Nous avons identifié tous les patients qui ont subi une PCNL dans les hôpitaux aux États-Unis en 2014 (janvier-novembre) en utilisant la banque de données nationale de réadmission (NRD). L’issue d’intérêt était une réadmission non planifiée 30 jours après une PCNL. À l’aide d’un modèle multi-niveaux à effets mixtes, nous avons estimé l’association statistique entre les caractéristiques hospitalières ainsi que les caractéristiques individuelles liés aux patients sur la probabilité de réadmission. Un effet aléatoire associée à l'hôpital a été utilisé pour estimer le taux de réadmission au niveau hospitalier. Un pseudo R-carré a été calculé pour évaluer la contribution de chaque catégorie de variables sur les taux de réadmission. Résultats : Notre échantillon pondérée était constitué de 6 974 personnes ayant subi une PCNL dans 485 hôpitaux aux États-Unis en 2014. Le taux de réadmission à 30 jours était de 8,5 % (IC à 95 % 7,4 – 9,7). Après ajustement, les caractéristiques hospitalières n’étaient pas associées à une probabilité accrue de réadmission. Le sexe féminin était associé à une diminution de la probabilité de réadmission (IC à 95% 0.54 – 0.93). Les hôpitaux individuelles n’ont contribué qu’à une infime partie à la probabilité d’être réadmis de leurs patients. Les caractéristiques liés aux patients expliquaient davantage la variabilité dans la probabilité de réadmission que les caractéristiques hospitalières (pseudo-R2 9.50% vs 0.03%). Conclusion : Le risque d’être réadmis après une PCNL varie énormément entre les hôpitaux. Une fraction minime de cette variabilité peut être expliqué par les caractéristiques hospitalières contrairement aux caractéristiques des patients. Ces résultats soulignent les limites potentielles de l’utilisation des réadmissions comme mesure de la qualité des soins. / Objective: Estimate the relative contribution of hospital and patient factors to readmission after a typical high-risk endoscopic procedure, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Methods: We utilized the Nationwide Readmission Database to identify the patients who underwent PCNL in the United States hospitals in 2014 (January-November). The main outcome was unplanned 30-day readmission following a PCNL. Using a multilevel mixed-effects model, we estimated the statistical association between patient and hospital characteristics and readmission. A hospital-level random effects term was added to estimate hospital-level readmission. To assess the relative contribution of each group of variables on readmission rates, a pseudo-R2 was calculated to assess the contribution of hospital effects to the model of readmission. Results: We identified a weighted sample of 6,974 individuals who underwent PCNL at 485 hospitals in the United States in 2014. The 30-day readmission rate was 8.5% (95% CI 7.4 – 9.7). In our adjusted model, hospital characteristics were not associated with increased likelihood of readmission. Female sex was the only characteristic associated with decreased likelihood of readmission (95% CI 0.54 – 0.93). Individual hospitals contributed marginally to their patients probability of readmission. Patient level characteristics explained far more of the variability in readmissions than hospital characteristics (pseudo-R2 9.50% vs 0.03%). Conclusion: The risk of readmission after a PCNL is highly variable in between hospitals. The statistical contribution of individual hospitals and hospital characteristics to the probability of readmission following a PCNL was minimal compare to patient characteristics. These findings underscore the potential limitations of using 30-day post-discharge readmissions as a hospital-level quality metric.

Contexte. Bien que les conséquences de la malnutrition après la sortie de l'hôpital soient bien documentées chez l’adulte, il est nécessaire d'évaluer les résultats des enfants hospitalisés dénutris lors de leur retour en communauté. Objectif. Cette étude prospective multicentrique vise à évaluer si le risque et le statut nutritionnel des enfants hospitalisés sont associés aux complications post-congé et aux réadmissions à l'hôpital. Méthodologie. Les données ont été recueillies dans 5 centres pédiatriques tertiaires canadiens entre 2012 et 2016. Le risque et le statut nutritionnel ont été mesurés à l'admission à l'hôpital par des outils validés et des mesures anthropométriques. Trente jours après la sortie, la survenue de complications après la sortie et les réadmissions à l'hôpital ont été documentées. Des tests du chi carré de Pearson et des régressions logistiques ont été réalisés pour explorer les relations entre les variables. Résultats. Un total de 360 participants a été inclus dans l'étude (âge médian, 6,07 ans ; durée médiane du séjour, 5 jours). Après la sortie de l'hôpital, 24,1 % ont connu des complications et 19,5 % ont été réadmis à l'hôpital. Les complications après la sortie étaient associées à un risque nutritionnel élevé (26,4 % ; χ2=4,663 ; p<0,05), à un état de malnutrition (32,2 % ; χ2=5,834 ; p<0,05) et à un faible niveau d'appétit (47,5 % ; χ2=12,669 ; p<0,001). Un risque nutritionnel élevé triplait presque les chances de complications (OR, 2,85 ; IC 95 %, 1,08-7,54 ; p=0,035) tandis qu'être mal nourri doublait la probabilité de développer des complications (OR, 1,92 ; IC 95 %, 1,15-3,20 ; p=0,013) et de réadmission à l'hôpital (OR, 1,95 ; IC 95 %, 1,12-3,39 ; p=0,017). Les raisons documentées de la réadmission comprenaient des infections aiguës (32,8 %) et des complications variées (31,4 %), telles que des symptômes gastro-intestinaux et/ou une aggravation de l'état de santé. Conclusion. Les enfants dénutris qui sortent d'un centre pédiatrique connaissent plus de complications que leurs homologues bien nourris, principalement des infections aiguës. Ces complications sont associées à une réadmission à l'hôpital. L'amélioration des soins et des services nutritionnels à la sortie de l'hôpital et dans la communauté est essentielle pour maintenir l'optimisation de l'état nutritionnel. / Context. While the consequences of malnutrition post-discharge are well-documented in adults, there is a need to assess the faith of malnourished inpatient children when returning in the community. Objective. This prospective multi-centered study aims to evaluate whether nutritional risk and status measured at admission are associated with post-discharge complications and hospital readmissions in children. Study design. Data was collected from 5 Canadian tertiary pediatric centers between 2012 and 2016. Nutritional risk and status were evaluated at hospital admission with validated tools and anthropometric measurements. Thirty days after discharge, occurrence of post-discharge complications and hospital readmission were documented. Pearson’s chi-squared tests and logistic regressions were used to explore the relationships between variables. Results. A total of 360 participants were included in the study (median age, 6.07 years; median length of stay, 5 days). Following discharge, 24.1% experienced complications and 19.5% were readmitted to the hospital. Post-discharge complications were associated with a high nutritional risk (26.4%; χ2=4.663; p<0.05), a malnourished status (32.2%; χ2=5.834; p<0.05) and a poor appetite level (47.5%; χ2=12.669; p<0.001). A high nutritional risk nearly tripled the odds of complications (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.08-7.54; p=0.035) while being malnourished doubled the likelihood of developing complications (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.15-3.20; p=0.013) and of hospital readmission (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.12-3.39; p=0.017). The reasons documented for readmission included acute infections (32.8%) and varied complications (31.4%), such as gastrointestinal symptoms and/or worsening of medical condition. Conclusion. Complications post-discharge are common as are readmissions, however malnourished children are more likely to experience worst outcomes than their well-nourished counterparts. Enhancing nutritional care during admission, at discharge and in the community may be an area of outcome optimization.

The rate of Emergency Department (ED) visits due to mental health and drug abuse among children and youth has been increasing for more than a decade and is projected to become the leading cause of ED visits. Identifying high-risk patients well before an ED visit will enable mental health care providers to better predict ED resource utilization, improve their service, and ultimately reduce the risk of a future ED visit. Many studies in the literature utilized medical history to predict future hospitalization. However, in mental health care, the medical history of new patients is not always available from the first visit and it is crucial to identify high risk patients from the beginning as the rate of drop-out is very high in mental health treatment. In this study, a new approach of creating a text representation of questionnaire data for deep learning analysis is proposed. Employing this new text representation has enabled us to use transfer learning and develop a deep Natural Language Processing (NLP) model that estimates the possibility of 6-month ED visit among children and youth using mental health patient reported outcome measures (PROM). The proposed method achieved an Area Under Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve of 0.75 for classification of 6-month ED visit. In addition, a novel method was proposed to identify the words that carry the highest amount of information related to the outcome of the deep NLP models. This measurement of word information using Entropy Gain increases the explainability of the model by providing insight to the model attention. Finally, the results of this method were analyzed to explain how the deep NLP model achieved a high classification performance. / Dissertation / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / In this document, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach for predicting 6-month Emergency Department (ED) visits is proposed. In this approach, the questionnaires gathered from children and youth admitted to an outpatient or inpatient clinic are converted to a text representation called Textionnaire. Next, AI is utilized to analyze the Textionnaire and predict the possibility of a future ED visit. This method was successful in about 75% of the time. In addition to the AI solution, an explainability component is introduced to explain how the natural language processing algorithm identifies the high risk patients.

The IDSA Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Guideline recommends ceftriaxone in combination with doxycycline as an alternative to combination therapy with ceftriaxone and azithromycin for non-intensive care unit (ICU) patients hospitalized with CAP. This is an attractive alternative regimen due to recent concerns of increased cardiovascular risk associated with azithromycin. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of azithromycin and doxycycline each in combination with ceftriaxone for non-ICU Veterans hospitalized with CAP.

This thesis analyzes the ignored humanitarian concerns in the development of the EU Asylum Policy. As a result of the strict migration control concerns, EU has engaged in forming a new regional refugee protection system which is tacitly based on limiting the access of protection seekers to the EU territories. In that context, the thesis aims to assess the scope and impact of the externalizing tendencies in the EU asylum policy development and thereby aims to attract the attention to the contradiction that EU falls in its human rights and refugee protection commitments while trying to prevent refugees from arriving to the Union&rsquo / s territories. To this aim, after giving a general account of the development of EU Asylum competence, the thesis will extensively deal with the pre-entry and the post-entry access prevention measures which act to serve to this access prevention strategy. Under pre-entry access prevention measures, the thesis will deal with the visa requirement, carrier sanctions and other complementary tools which prevent the protection seekers from ever arriving at the EU territory. Under the post-entry access prevention mechanisms the thesis will analyze the &lsquo / safe third country&rsquo / and &lsquo / host third country&rsquo / implementations and readmission agreements which aim to divert the protections seekers summarily out of the EU territories. In analyzing these policies, the thesis will try to demonstrate how EU Member States try to shirk their non-refoulment obligation, which is the heart of the refugee protection regime, through applying legitimate deemed means.

Essa dissertação de mestrado apresenta um estudo com os trabalhadores demitidos de uma Empresa Pública, na década de 1990, por força da implementação de medidas neoliberais no Brasil. Apesar dos inúmeros impactos gerados a esses trabalhadores, após esta decisão do Estado, a proposta é analisar os impactos objetivos, sofridos pelos trabalhadores, originários da perda repentina de um contrato de trabalho formal e consequentemente, da perda de salários diretos, de salários indiretos, com a ausência de políticas sociais corporativas, e de direitos garantidos enquanto trabalhadores protegidos. As estratégias de sobrevivência adotadas por estes trabalhadores foram as mais variadas, porém, a grande maioria teve o trabalho por conta própria como a principal alternativa de reprodução social, saindo completamente do ramo de produção em que trabalhavam. Insatisfeitos com a demissão, esse grupo de trabalhadores lutou para retornar ao quadro de empregados da Corporação. Após cerca de uma década e meia, os trabalhadores conquistaram o direito de retornar e ser admitido pela Empresa V, uma das que compõem a Corporação, tendo em vista a extinção daquelas a que pertenciam. Com essa decisão, os trabalhadores e suas famílias estavam novamente assegurados pelas políticas corporativas e com novas possibilidades. No entanto, a adequação aos novos requisitos da Empresa V, fez com que alguns indivíduos não atendessem ao novo perfil de trabalhador exigido pela instituição e pelo mercado de trabalho, devido à idade e ao tipo de qualificação. Assim, ao mesmo tempo em que o retorno lhes trouxe novas possibilidades, com o acesso a um salário mensal e políticas empresariais de qualidade, por outro lado, também trouxe grandes desafios para alguns trabalhadores, devido a sua dificuldade de inserção nos processos de trabalho e nas normas da empresa. Conclui-se então, que o retorno à Corporação, após mais de uma década de luta, foi para esse grupo de trabalhadores, um processo contraditório, pois, ao mesmo tempo em que tiveram diversos direitos assegurados, alguns não conseguiram desenvolver suas atividades nos moldes do atual modo de produção. / This thesis describes a study of workers dismissed from a public company, in the 1990s, under the implementation of neoliberal measures in Brazil. Despite the numerous impacts generated by these workers after the decision of the State, the proposal is to analyze the impacts goals, suffered by workers originating in a sudden loss of formal employment contract and therefore the loss of direct salaries, wages indirect with the absence of corporate social policies, and guaranteed rights as workers protected. The survival strategies adopted by these workers were the most varied, however, most had self-employment as the main alternative of social reproduction and completely out of the industry in which they worked. Dissatisfied with the dismissal, this group of workers struggled to return to the staff of the Corporation. After about a decade and a half, workers won the right to return and be accepted by the Company V, which composes the Corporation in view the extinction of those to which they belonged. With this decision, workers and their families were again assured by corporate policies and new possibilities. However, the adaptation to the new requirements of Company V, meant that some individuals did not meet the new worker profile required by the institution and the labor market. Thus, while the return gave them new opportunities, with access to a monthly salary and company policy of quality, however, also brought great challenges to some workers, due to their difficulty of insertion in the work processes and the standards of the company. It follows then, that the return to the Corporation, after more than a decade of struggle, it was for this group of workers, an adversarial process, because while they had different legal rights, some failed to develop its activities in the manner the current mode of production.

Essa dissertação de mestrado apresenta um estudo com os trabalhadores demitidos de uma Empresa Pública, na década de 1990, por força da implementação de medidas neoliberais no Brasil. Apesar dos inúmeros impactos gerados a esses trabalhadores, após esta decisão do Estado, a proposta é analisar os impactos objetivos, sofridos pelos trabalhadores, originários da perda repentina de um contrato de trabalho formal e consequentemente, da perda de salários diretos, de salários indiretos, com a ausência de políticas sociais corporativas, e de direitos garantidos enquanto trabalhadores protegidos. As estratégias de sobrevivência adotadas por estes trabalhadores foram as mais variadas, porém, a grande maioria teve o trabalho por conta própria como a principal alternativa de reprodução social, saindo completamente do ramo de produção em que trabalhavam. Insatisfeitos com a demissão, esse grupo de trabalhadores lutou para retornar ao quadro de empregados da Corporação. Após cerca de uma década e meia, os trabalhadores conquistaram o direito de retornar e ser admitido pela Empresa V, uma das que compõem a Corporação, tendo em vista a extinção daquelas a que pertenciam. Com essa decisão, os trabalhadores e suas famílias estavam novamente assegurados pelas políticas corporativas e com novas possibilidades. No entanto, a adequação aos novos requisitos da Empresa V, fez com que alguns indivíduos não atendessem ao novo perfil de trabalhador exigido pela instituição e pelo mercado de trabalho, devido à idade e ao tipo de qualificação. Assim, ao mesmo tempo em que o retorno lhes trouxe novas possibilidades, com o acesso a um salário mensal e políticas empresariais de qualidade, por outro lado, também trouxe grandes desafios para alguns trabalhadores, devido a sua dificuldade de inserção nos processos de trabalho e nas normas da empresa. Conclui-se então, que o retorno à Corporação, após mais de uma década de luta, foi para esse grupo de trabalhadores, um processo contraditório, pois, ao mesmo tempo em que tiveram diversos direitos assegurados, alguns não conseguiram desenvolver suas atividades nos moldes do atual modo de produção. / This thesis describes a study of workers dismissed from a public company, in the 1990s, under the implementation of neoliberal measures in Brazil. Despite the numerous impacts generated by these workers after the decision of the State, the proposal is to analyze the impacts goals, suffered by workers originating in a sudden loss of formal employment contract and therefore the loss of direct salaries, wages indirect with the absence of corporate social policies, and guaranteed rights as workers protected. The survival strategies adopted by these workers were the most varied, however, most had self-employment as the main alternative of social reproduction and completely out of the industry in which they worked. Dissatisfied with the dismissal, this group of workers struggled to return to the staff of the Corporation. After about a decade and a half, workers won the right to return and be accepted by the Company V, which composes the Corporation in view the extinction of those to which they belonged. With this decision, workers and their families were again assured by corporate policies and new possibilities. However, the adaptation to the new requirements of Company V, meant that some individuals did not meet the new worker profile required by the institution and the labor market. Thus, while the return gave them new opportunities, with access to a monthly salary and company policy of quality, however, also brought great challenges to some workers, due to their difficulty of insertion in the work processes and the standards of the company. It follows then, that the return to the Corporation, after more than a decade of struggle, it was for this group of workers, an adversarial process, because while they had different legal rights, some failed to develop its activities in the manner the current mode of production.

Submitted by Fabiana Gonçalves Pinto (benf@ndc.uff.br) on 2015-10-13T20:00:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LUANA CARDOSO PESTANA [DISSERTAÇÃO 2012].pdf: 1216169 bytes, checksum: 3dc793ff9d802cd1780b06aede4494a7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-13T20:00:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LUANA CARDOSO PESTANA [DISSERTAÇÃO 2012].pdf: 1216169 bytes, checksum: 3dc793ff9d802cd1780b06aede4494a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Mestrado Acadêmico em Ciências do Cuidado em Saúde / Trata-se de um estudo com abordagem quantitativa, com delineamento descritivo retrospectivo e transversal, tendo como objetivo caracterizar idosos em situação de readmissão hospitalar, associar tais características ao desfecho readmissão hospitalar e discutir as implicações para a Enfermagem Gerontológica. A pesquisa foi realizada em um hospital universitário, localizado em Niterói, RJ. Os sujeitos foram 94 pacientes com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos que, entre janeiro e dezembro de 2010, sofreram readmissão hospitalar em enfermarias de clínica médica. A média de idade foi de 72,3 ± 10,7 anos, idosos do sexo masculino, procedentes do Município de Niterói, RJ; casados, com média de 2,8 ± 2,4 filhos e composição familiar de 2,8 ± 1,1 pessoas, aposentados e com cuidador familiar. As doenças prevalentes foram cardiovasculares, gastrointestinais, neoplásicas e respiratórias. A maioria dos idosos apresentou até 2 comorbidades; o tempo de permanência hospitalar foi de 19,9 ± 18,8 dias; a média de internações em 4 anos foi de 2 internações, ocorrendo, em geral, nos últimos 12 meses precedentes a última internação; a maioria dos idosos apresentou dependência parcial ou total dos cuidados de Enfermagem, não recebeu orientações de Enfermagem para a alta hospitalar, realizou acompanhamento através do ambulatório hospitalar e utilizou serviços de emergência entre as internações. A referida população exige mais cuidados de Enfermagem e por consequência, maior conhecimento do processo do envelhecimento e das peculiaridades do cuidado ao idoso com múltiplas patologias. Os fatores de risco para readmissão entre idosos identificados foram internação prévia no último ano e tempo de permanência hospitalar de 8 a 30 dias. Os resultados desta investigação fornecem subsídios para o planejamento de programas de atenção à saúde do idoso no contexto hospitalar e para acompanhamento comunitário. Recomenda-se a capacitação dos profissionais de saúde e implantação de programas de planejamento de alta hospitalar, com base em ações educativas que promovam o autocuidado, bem como orientações aos cuidadores, de forma integrada junto aos demais níveis de atenção. Tais intervenções têm o propósito de otimizar a assistência prestada, os recursos investidos sejam eles humanos, materiais ou financeiros, diminuir as readmissões hospitalares e promover melhoria na qualidade de vida do idoso e sua família / It is a study with quantitative approach, with retrospective descriptive and transversal profile, having as objective to characterize elders in situation of hospital readmission, to associate such characteristics to closing of readmission and to discuss the implications to the Gerontology Nursing. The research was performed at a university hospital, located in Niterói, RJ. The subjects were 94 patients who were 60 years old or more and that, between January and December 2010, had experienced hospital readmission in medical clinical wards. The age average was 72.3 ± 10.7 years, male elderly patients, from the Niterói/ RJ; married, with an average of 2.8 ± 2.4 sons and family composition of 2.8 ± 1.1 persons, retired and with family caretaker. The prevailing illnesses were cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neoplastic and respiratory. Most of the elders had up to 2 comorbidities; the time of hospital stay was of 19.9 ± 18.8 days; institutionalization average in 4 years was of 2 institutionalizations, generally occurring in last 12 months preceding the last institutionalization; most of elders presented partial or total dependency of the Nursing cares, did not received guidelines from the Nursing for the hospital discharging, had follow-up through the hospital ambulatory and used emergency services between the institutionalizations. The mentioned population requires more Nursing care and, therefore, a better knowledge of the aging process and singularities of the multiple-pathology elders care-taking. Risk factors of the readmission among identified elders have been previous institutionalization in the last year and the term of hospital stay from 8 up to 30 days. The results of this investigation provide subsidies to the planning of health attention programs to the elders in the hospital context and to community follow up. It is recommended the qualification of health professionals and implantation of hospital discharge, based in educative actions that promote self-care, as well as guidelines to the care-takers, in an integrated way in relation to the other levels of care-taking. Such interventions have the objective to optimize the assistance offered and the resources invested – being humane, material or financial -, to reduce hospital readmissions and to promote the improvement in life quality of elders and their families