Evaluating a Telehealth Follow-up Program for Cardiology Patients Using Administrative Data

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Hospital readmissions for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and heart failure (HF) represent a significant burden on healthcare systems.
• Effective post-discharge interventions are crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
• Telehealth has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance post-discharge care and mitigate readmission risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a telehealth follow-up intervention on 1-year readmission rates for patients discharged with ACS or HF.
• To determine if telehealth can significantly decrease the likelihood of readmission in these patient populations.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients discharged from Saskatoon Health Region cardiology units with ACS or HF.
• Readmission rates within 1 year post-discharge were compared between periods before and after the implementation of a telehealth follow-up intervention.
• Statistical analyses, including hazard ratios (HR) and their confidence intervals (CI), were used to assess the intervention's effect.

Main Results:

• For ACS patients, the 1-year readmission rate decreased slightly from 27.4% pre-telehealth to 25.2% post-telehealth, with an insignificant HR of 1.07 (95% CI: [0.97, 1.18], P=0.1899).
• For HF patients, the 1-year readmission rate changed from 50.3% pre-telehealth to 47.9% post-telehealth, with an insignificant HR of 1.04 (95% CI: [0.83, 1.26], P=0.6882).
• The telehealth intervention demonstrated no statistically significant effect on reducing 1-year readmission rates for either ACS or HF patients.

Conclusions:

• The implemented telehealth follow-up intervention did not yield a significant reduction in 1-year readmission rates for cardiology patients with ACS or HF.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative telehealth strategies or patient-specific approaches to effectively reduce readmissions in these populations.
• Current telehealth protocols may require optimization to demonstrate a measurable impact on readmission prevention for ACS and HF patients.