The effect of a nurse-managed CHF clinic on patient readmission and length of stay

Home Healthc Nurse. 1996 May;14(5):351-6. doi: 10.1097/00004045-199605000-00004.

Abstract

Hospital readmission for exacerbation of symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a major home healthcare problem and expense. To address this problem and curb the increasing expense and patient lifestyle disruption, a group of staff nurses at the Medical University of South Carolina Medical Center developed a nurse-managed clinic to follow all patients with CHF after discharge. Within 6 months of the clinic's operation, readmissions of these patients decreased by 4%, and the length of stay decreased by 1.6 days.

MeSH terms

  • Aftercare / organization & administration*
  • Critical Pathways
  • Heart Failure / nursing*
  • Home Care Services, Hospital-Based / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay*
  • Patient Readmission*
  • Program Evaluation