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Can home visits help reduce hospital readmissions? Randomized controlled trial
Author(s) -
Wong Frances Kam Yuet,
Chow Susan,
Chung Loretta,
Chang Katherine,
Chan Tony,
Lee WaiMan,
Lee Rance
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04631.x
Subject(s) - medicine , randomized controlled trial , patient satisfaction , hospital readmission , emergency medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , health care , physical therapy , family medicine , nursing , economics , economic growth
Title. Can home visits help reduce hospital readmissions? Randomized controlled trialAim. This paper is a report of a study to determine whether home visits can reduce hospital readmissions. Background. The phenomenon of hospital readmission raises concerns about the quality of care and appropriate use of resources. Home visits after hospital discharge have been introduced to help reduce hospital readmission rates, but the results have not been conclusive. Method. A randomized controlled trial was carried out from 2003 to 2005 . The control group ( n = 166) received routine care and the study group ( n = 166) received home visits from community nurses within 30 days of hospital discharge. Data were collected at baseline before discharge and 30 days after discharge. Findings. Patients in the study group were statistically significantly more satisfied with their care. There were no statistically significant differences in other outcomes, including readmission rate, ADL score, self‐perceived life satisfaction and self‐perceived health. Regression analysis revealed that self‐perceived life satisfaction, self‐perceived health and disease category other than general symptoms were three statistically significant variables predicting hospital readmissions. Conclusion. Preventive home visits were not effective in reducing hospital readmissions, but satisfaction with care was enhanced. Subjective well‐being is a key variable that warrants attention in the planning and evaluation of postdischarge home care.