Decreasing Trauma Readmission Rates by Implementing a Callback Program.

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Decreasing hospital lengths of stay can increase the post-discharge burden on trauma patients.
• Effective discharge planning and follow-up are crucial for preventing adverse events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a post-discharge callback protocol on trauma patient readmission rates.
• To assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing such a protocol.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective quality improvement study compared trauma patients before and after a post-discharge callback protocol implementation (2012-2016).
• Data analyzed included demographics, injury severity, and readmission rates.
• Statistical analyses included Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and independent-samples t tests.

Main Results:

• The callback program group showed a significant decrease in readmission rates (1.42% vs. 0.81%, p = .04).
• Patients with unplanned readmissions had higher injury severity scores and longer initial hospital stays.
• The callback protocol was achieved for 27.9% of patients, with an average call time of 5.8 minutes, equating to 0.2 FTE.

Conclusions:

• A post-discharge callback protocol is an effective strategy for reducing trauma patient readmissions.
• The program's cost is offset by the reduction in readmissions, supporting the dedicated callback position.