Unanticipated Hospitalizations (UH) continue to be the most frequent MUI opened in Summit County each year. Find out what’s behind these numbers and how you can help prevent Unanticipated Hospitalizations.

In 2023, we had 408 total Unanticipated Hospitalizations MUIs.

• 76% of these UH MUIs (311) were due to medical issues
• 24% (97) were due to psychiatric issues.

Historically speaking, admits due to respiratory illness are among the leading causes of medically related UH MUIs.

Prevention, Communication and Follow-up

Getting buy-in from caregivers, individuals and families is key to reducing the number of UH MUIs. Here are a few tips to help keep those we serve safe and healthy:

Prevention

• Preventative care: Ensure that those we serve are keeping up with regular doctor appointments
• Get vaccinated: Vaccines for Influenza, Pneumonia, RSV, COVID, etc. can help protect those with a higher risk of respiratory illness
• Distance: Avoid close contact with others who may be ill
• Practice good hygiene: Be sure to encourage handwashing, surface cleaning, sneezing into elbow, etc. to help prevent the spread of germs
• Healthy habits: Staying hydrated, eating balanced meals, and getting enough sleep can help strengthen the immune system
• Stay home: If staff or individuals served are feeling ill, they should remain home until their symptoms subside

Communication:

• Real-time information: Staff, administrators, and teams should communicate if someone is not feeling well and seek evaluation or treatment in a prompt manner
• Timely reporting: Incident reports (UIs/MUIs) completed and followed up on in a timely manner

Follow up:

• Follow through: If an individual is admitted, be sure that there are clear instructions on care before they are discharged, and ensure any prescriptions are received from the doctor/hospital
• Know who is responsible for what: Each party should know what duties they are responsible for (filling or picking up scripts, are refills needed, scheduling follow up appts, etc.). Staff should be trained on their roles with follow-up care
• Monitor: If the individual is not recovering, or are symptoms reoccurring, seek evaluation/treatment promptly

Additional resources

Johns Hopkins has an easy-to-understand Guide on understanding various respiratory illnesses and how to address them. More info from Johns Hopkins can be found here.