Outpatient Clinics and Discharge

Outpatient clinics providing multidisciplinary heath care have been shown to reduce hospital readmission rates for CHF patients [39]. Attending these clinics can also significantly improve the quality of life of patient’s.

A successful hospital discharge should include the patient’s family, and should be conducted with the help of a multidisciplinary health professional team [40]. This is important because inadequate discharges have been linked with increased readmission rates within 90 days of discharge [37].

Discharge planning should consider the patients: [35]:

• Sociodemographics (home environment, and financial resources for medical care)

• Use of health and social services before hospitalization

• General health, function, mental and emotional status

• Knowledge of heart failure and related self-care

• Prehospitalization compliance with healthcare regimen

• Needs and expectations at discharge

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35. Grady KL, Dracup K, Kennedy G, Moser DK, Piano M, Stevenson LW, Young JB. Team Management of Patients with Heart Failure: A statemetn for healthcare professionals from the cardiovascular nursing council of the American Heart Association. Curculation 2000;102:2443-2456.

37. Vinson JM, Rich MW, Sperry JC, et al. Early readmission of elderly patients with congestive heart failure. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1990;38:1290-1295.

39. Ducharme A, Doyon O, White M, Rouleau JL, Brophy JM. Impact of care at a multidisciplinary congestive heart failure clinic: a randomized trial. CMAJ 2005;173(1):40-5.

40. Naylor M, Brooten D, Jones R, et al. Comprehensive discharge planning for the hospitalized elderly: a randomized clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 1994;120:999-1006.

All references for this section