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Visiting Nurse Association risk reduction project
Home Health Care Services Quarterly
|January 5, 1987
Summary
Ongoing monitoring for frail elders, including monthly nursing visits, significantly reduced hospital readmissions compared to telephone check-ins. This approach improves care quality and lowers healthcare costs.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing Research
Background:
- Hospital readmissions are a significant concern for frail elderly populations.
- Effective interventions are needed to reduce rehospitalization rates and improve patient outcomes.
- The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Risk Reduction Project aimed to address this challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing monitoring in reducing rehospitalization rates among previously hospitalized frail elders.
- To compare the impact of monthly nursing visits versus bi-monthly volunteer telephone calls on patient outcomes.
- To assess the cost-effectiveness and quality of care improvements associated with different monitoring strategies.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 261 previously hospitalized patients.
- Two intervention groups: monthly nursing monitoring visits and approximately twice-monthly volunteer telephone calls.
- Data collection focused on hospitalization rates and length of stay.
Main Results:
- The nursing group, with at least two visits, experienced fewer hospitalizations than the telephone group.
- Both groups had similar lengths of hospital stay.
- Ongoing monitoring demonstrated a positive impact on reducing readmissions.
Conclusions:
- Monthly nursing monitoring is an effective strategy for reducing rehospitalization in frail elders.
- This approach has the potential to lower healthcare costs.
- Implementing ongoing monitoring can enhance the quality of care for vulnerable elderly patients.