What interventions are effective at reducing readmission rate for patients with heart failure recently discharged from the hospital?

DynaMed
Heart Failure Structured Management and Education topic
Evidence regarding interventions to reduce readmission include

Systematic review of 8 RCTs compared multidisciplinary education and post-discharge follow-up intervention to usual care by physician after discharge and found that readmission rates were significantly reduced (38.4% v. 49.2%) but did not significantly reduce mortality.
Arch Intern Med 2004 Nov 22;164(21):2315

Systematic review of 18 RCTs compared programs of comprehensive discharge planning v. standard; pooled data over average of 8 months showed readmission in 34.9% of study group v. 43.2% of controls.
JAMA 2004 Mar 17;291(11):1358

Systematic review of studies of varying quality on self-management interventions
BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2006 Nov 2;6:43

Small (n=206) trial of heart failure patients randomized to nurse-run post-discharge follow-up plan versus standard post-discharge care showed reduction in readmission rate for the study group (39% v 54%) – other randomized trials showed no significant difference in readmission between control groups and nurse-management groups

Another systematic review of 21 randomized trials concluded that structured, multidisciplinary post-discharge interventions do affect readmission rate.

Other interventions covered in this DynaMed topic include telephone case management and home visits by nurses and pharmacists.  See DynaMed topic above for full summary.

JBI+ COnNECT
(searched heart failure and readmission)

Systematic review of 16 RCTs evaluating effect of care transition interventions on readmission rate

Systematic review of 3 RCTs and 2 quasi-experimental studies evaluating effect of telephone interventions

Systematic review of 10 RCTs evaluating effect of specifically telephone post-discharge nursing care

For studies published since these reviews

PubMed:  (“Heart Failure”[Majr]) AND “Patient Readmission”[Majr] AND prevention

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