Kelly Cunningham Sponsler

I. Definitions and background Factitious disorder Factitious disorder is a condition in which a patient falsifies symptoms of illness for the purpose of assuming the sick role. Factitious disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis, and according to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV-TR), patients must meet the following…

I. Problem/Challenge. Improving the quality of care transitions is a priority among hospitalists and healthcare organizations. One of the most important, and often most complex, patient transitions is the hospital discharge. With hospital length of stay having decreased over time, patients are now being discharged before they are fully recovered from their acute illness, i.e.…