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Few quality-of-care initiatives have been linked to improved patient outcomes. In the current prospective study, investigators evaluated the effect of a quality-improvement protocol on reducing 30-day readmissions among patients with cirrhosis admitted to an inpatient hepatology unit.
The intervention comprised two phases and was designed to promote prompt antibiotic prophylaxis in those with an episode of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and use of a goal-directed regimen of lactulose and universal rifaximin use in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). In the first phase, clinicians used a handheld checklist during daily rounds for 470 newly admitted patients during a 10-month period. In the second phrase, lasting 3 months, the …