Do post discharge phone calls improve care transitions? A cluster-randomized trial.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The transition from hospital to home can expose patients to adverse events during the post discharge period. Post discharge care including phone calls may provide support for patients returning home but the impact on care transitions is unknown.

Objective

To examine the effect of a 72-hour post discharge phone call on the patient's transition of care experience.

Design

Cluster-randomized control trial.

Setting

Urban, academic medical center.

Participants

General medical patients age 18 and older discharged home after hospitalization.

Main outcomes and measures

Primary outcome measure was the Care Transition Measure (CTM-3) score, a validated measure of the quality of care transitions. Secondary measures included self-reported adherence

SUBMITTER: Soong C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4227814 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature