There is a paucity of evidence on transitional care interventions, giving hospitals little guidance on preventing post-discharge adverse events, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers reviewed literature on hospital-initiated care transition strategies to prevent clinical adverse events, emergency department visits and readmissions after discharge. They did not find evidence of a post-discharge strategy that was effective across all studies. While some studies showed reduced readmissions or ED visits from a "bridging" strategy with a dedicated transition provider, the evidence was not strong.
The authors concluded, "Although hospitals may be penalized for excessive readmission rates, strategies to improve the quality of care transitions at hospital discharge for general medical patients remain undefined."
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Researchers reviewed literature on hospital-initiated care transition strategies to prevent clinical adverse events, emergency department visits and readmissions after discharge. They did not find evidence of a post-discharge strategy that was effective across all studies. While some studies showed reduced readmissions or ED visits from a "bridging" strategy with a dedicated transition provider, the evidence was not strong.
The authors concluded, "Although hospitals may be penalized for excessive readmission rates, strategies to improve the quality of care transitions at hospital discharge for general medical patients remain undefined."
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