Re-engineering the post-discharge appointment process for general medicine patients

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Care Management
• Ambulatory Care

Background:

• Patients face significant risks navigating healthcare systems post-hospitalization.
• Post-discharge clinic appointments are crucial for mitigating these risks.
• Effective scheduling is key to ensuring patients attend these vital appointments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of pre-discharge appointment scheduling on patient attendance rates.
• To determine if active patient engagement in scheduling improves post-discharge care access.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort pilot study comparing an intervention group with a historical control group.
• Patients were proactively contacted in hospital to schedule post-discharge appointments.
• Primary outcome measured was the rate of attendance at scheduled ambulatory care appointments.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a significantly higher attendance rate (78.3%) compared to the control group (59.5%).
• No significant differences were observed in emergency department return or 14-day readmission rates between groups.
• The patient-centered scheduling process improved appointment adherence.

Conclusions:

• Proactively scheduling post-discharge appointments before hospital release enhances patient attendance.
• This patient-centered strategy improves access to essential ambulatory care services.
• Facilitating appointment scheduling improves continuity of care and patient outcomes.