A home based intervention reduced the frequency of hospital readmissions and out of hospital deaths after discharge
Question Can a home based intervention reduce the frequency of unplanned readmissions and out of hospital deaths in patients with a chronic condition who are discharged from hospital and prescribed medication?
Design
Randomised controlled trial with 6 months follow up.
Setting
A tertiary referral hospital in Adelaide, South Australia.
Patients
4100 patients, of whom 22% met eligibility criteria, were screened over 12 months. 762 medical and surgical inpatients (mean age 66 y, 50% women) who had been prescribed medication for a chronic condition and were about to be discharged home agreed to participate. Exclusion criteria were terminal malignancy or residence outside the hospital catchment area. Patients were designated at high risk for readmission if they had several of the following risk factors: ≥60 years of age; ≥2 prescription medications; an unplanned hospital admission …
