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Do post discharge phone calls improve care transitions? A cluster-randomized trial
Christine Soong1, Bochra Kurabi2, David Wells3
1Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Plos One
|November 12, 2014
Summary
A single post-discharge phone call showed a small improvement in care transition quality but did not reduce hospital use. Higher intensity support may be needed for better patient experiences after hospital discharge.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare management
- Patient care transitions
- Health services research
Background:
- Hospital to home transitions pose risks for adverse events.
- Post-discharge phone calls may offer support, but their impact on care transitions is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of a 72-hour post-discharge phone call on patients' care transition experience.
Main Methods:
- Cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in an urban academic medical center.
- Included general medical patients aged 18+ discharged home.
- Primary outcome: Care Transition Measure (CTM-3) score; Secondary outcomes: medication adherence, follow-up, 30-day ED visits/readmissions.
Main Results:
- A small, statistically significant difference in CTM-3 scores (1.87 points) was observed between groups (p=0.01).
- No significant differences were found in self-reported adherence, ED visits, or readmission rates between intervention and control groups.
Conclusions:
- A single post-discharge phone call had a minimal impact on care transition quality and no effect on hospital utilization.
- Enhanced, higher-intensity post-discharge support may be necessary to improve patient outcomes and experiences.
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