Three studies proposed strategies for hospitals to reduce 30-day readmission rates, according to Medscape.
A JAMA Internal Medicine study analyzed 12 medical centers to pinpoint factors leading to readmissions.
Here are five insights:
1. Poor communication between hospitals and outpatient providers contributed to readmissions.
2. Patients' lack of access to primary care physicians following discharge proved a factor in readmissions.
3. Some patients did not know who to contact in case of an emergency following discharge.
4. Researchers found emergency departments tended to readmit patients who did not need hospitalized care.
5. The study found 27 percent of hospital readmissions may be preventable.
A Medical Care study focused on follow-ups with 11,985 adult patients with heart failure diagnoses, who were discharged without hospice care.
Here are three highlights:
1. Patients either received follow-ups through outpatient clinic visits or phone calls with hospital nurses or pharmacists.
2. Researchers found follow-ups with patients within seven days of discharge reduced readmission rates.
3. Each intervention associated with 19 percent lower adjusted odds of readmission for heart failure patients.
A third Pediatrics study analyzed prescription intervention's effect for pediatric asthma patients. Boston Medical Center ensured patients received their ordered postdischarge prescription before going home.
Here are three key notes:
1. The intervention increased the number of patients receiving medications before discharge from 0 percent to 75 percent.
2. A pharmacist delivers the medicine to a patients' hospital room.
3. Researchers found these interventions resulted in fewer readmissions and emergency department visits.
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