Cardiac surgical patients' telephone calls use of a decision-making algorithm

CARDIAC SURGERY, ALTHOUGH becoming relatively common, still poses a significant life stress for patients. As a result of managed care contracting, length of stay has decreased to an average of 4-6 days. The Transitional Care Model was the framework used in identifying a way to bridge the gap between home and hospital. Providing patients with the unit's telephone number and encouraging them to call with questions was the means established toward this end. Algorithms were developed around the seven most frequently occurring problems so that nurses would be able to offer interventions consistent with our program. Approximately 300 telephone calls have been logged in annually. Weekly review of the log revealed compliance with the algorithms and appropriate recommendations made by nurses.