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One year's activity and outcome data from an ambulatory cardiology unit

Jill Byrne1, Damian McCall1

  • 1Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, UK.

Clinical Medicine (London, England)
|April 8, 2018
PubMed

Insights

A new ambulatory cardiology unit (ACU) pilot reduced cardiology bed admissions by 13.5% and demonstrated safe patient outcomes. This model can benefit other medical specialties.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Healthcare Management
  • Patient Flow Optimization

Background:

  • The Belfast Trust implemented a pilot ambulatory cardiology unit (ACU) in 2015.
  • The ACU aimed to alleviate pressure on Emergency Departments and reduce inpatient cardiology bed admissions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an ambulatory cardiology unit (ACU).
  • To assess the impact of the ACU on hospital admissions and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot ambulatory cardiology unit (ACU) was established.
  • Data on hospital admissions and patient readmissions at 30 days and 6 months were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

  • The ACU pilot successfully reduced inpatient admissions to cardiology beds by 13.5% over one year.
  • Patient outcomes were demonstrated to be safe, with only 1.7% of patients readmitted within 30 days and 6 months for the same or related complaints.

Conclusions:

  • The ambulatory cardiology unit (ACU) model is effective in reducing hospital admissions.
  • The ACU provides a safe and efficient care pathway, with potential for adoption across other medical specialties.

Keywords:
Ambulatory emergency careambulatory careemergency careoutcomes

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