Patient Sharing and Health Care Utilization Among Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

Area of Science:

• Pediatric to adult healthcare transitions
• Cardiology
• Health services research

Background:

• Young adults with chronic conditions face significant challenges transitioning from pediatric to adult care.
• Poor care transitions can lead to avoidable discontinuities in medical care.
• Effective communication between healthcare providers is crucial for successful transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether sustained patient-sharing relationships among providers reduce emergent hospital admissions in young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).
• To assess the impact of provider communication and care continuity on emergency admissions for young adults with CHD.

Main Methods:

• The study analyzed patient-sharing relationship measures within healthcare practices.
• Examined the association between these measures and emergent admissions for young adults with CHD.
• Compared outcomes for patients with severe CHD versus less severe CHD.

Main Results:

• An increase in practice-level patient-sharing relationships was associated with a decline in emergent admissions.
• For patients with severe CHD, a 5% increase in patient-sharing corresponded to a 4 to 10 percentage point decrease in emergent admissions.
• Findings suggest improved communication and continuity of care positively impact emergent admissions.

Conclusions:

• Sustained patient-sharing relationships among providers enhance communication and care continuity.
• This improved continuity of care is particularly beneficial in reducing emergent admissions for young adults with severe CHD.
• Optimizing provider collaboration is key to improving healthcare transitions for young adults with chronic conditions.