Transition
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a post-discharge telephone call to general medical patients discharged home will improve quality of care and adherence, and reduce hospital readmission.
Detailed description
Currently, discharge from hospital in many institutions is a confusing process for patients filled with uncertainty and potential for harm. For instance, 1 in 5 discharges results in a post discharge adverse event, many of which are related to medication errors. These may lead to serious harm and possibly require readmission to hospital. Telephone follow-up calls after discharge has been studied in small single-center trials and as a part of a coordinated, multi-layered discharge process but its direct effectiveness is not known. Understanding the impact of this simple intervention on patient outcomes is an important step towards improving patients' discharge from hospital.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Admission to internal medicine ward * Discharged to home * Must have telephone access
Exclusion criteria
* Discharged to care facility * Lack of telephone access
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Care Transition Measure-3 score (CTM-3) | 30-days post discharge |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Hospital readmission | 30-day post discharge |
| Emergency department visit | 30-days post discharge |
| Patient satisfaction | 30-days post discharge |
| Treatment plan adherence | 30-days post discharge |
| Outpatient provider follow-up rates | 30-days post discharge |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed