Table 1.
Characteristics of Patients in the Three Types of Post-Discharge Home Healthcare
| General clinics | Conventional HCSCs | Enhanced HCSCs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 1009 | N = 4681 | N = 6703 | ||
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | p-value | |
| Age category (years)* | 0.03 | |||
| 65–74 | 35 (3.5) | 205 (4.4) | 317 (4.7) | |
| 75–79 | 47 (4.7) | 327 (7.0) | 467 (7.0) | |
| 80–84 | 160 (15.9) | 764 (16.3) | 1164 (17.4) | |
| 85–90 | 331 (32.8) | 1455 (31.1) | 1972 (29.4) | |
| 90–94 | 281 (27.9) | 1277 (27.3) | 1870 (27.9) | |
| 95–99 | 123 (12.2) | 541 (11.6) | 725 (10.8) | |
| ≥100 | 32 (3.2) | 112 (2.4) | 188 (2.8) | |
| Sex: male | 306 (30.3) | 1458 (31.2) | 2231 (33.3) | 0.02 |
| Etiology of heart failure | ||||
| Ischemic | 501 (49.7) | 2202 (47.0) | 3293 (49.1) | 0.06 |
| Hypertensive | 837 (83.0) | 3948 (84.3) | 5675 (84.7) | 0.37 |
| Valvular | 210 (20.8) | 902 (19.3) | 1404 (21.0) | 0.08 |
| Arrhythmia | 479 (47.5) | 2074 (44.3) | 3053 (45.6) | 0.14 |
| Other | 143 (14.2) | 695 (14.9) | 1077 (16.1) | 0.10 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 491 (48.7) | 2136 (45.6) | 3052 (45.5) | 0.17 |
| Lower respiratory tract disease | 778 (77.1) | 3551 (75.9) | 5038 (75.2) | 0.35 |
| Joint diseases | 686 (68.0) | 3091 (66.0) | 4447 (66.3) | 0.49 |
| Dementia | 397 (39.4) | 1928 (41.2) | 2887 (43.1) | 0.03 |
| Parkinson’s disease | 64 (6.3) | 256 (5.5) | 388 (5.8) | 0.51 |
| Diabetes | 394 (39.1) | 1886 (40.3) | 2701 (40.3) | 0.74 |
| Vision or hearing impairment | 53 (5.3) | 322 (6.9) | 453 (6.8) | 0.16 |
| Fractures | 197 (19.5) | 1055 (22.5) | 1568 (23.4) | 0.02 |
| Cancer | 168 (16.7) | 794 (17.0) | 1280 (19.1) | 0.007 |
| Anemia | 434 (43.0) | 2004 (42.8) | 2887 (43.1) | 0.96 |
| Renal failure | 261 (25.9) | 1094 (23.4) | 1555 (23.2) | 0.17 |
| Medical procedures or medication during hospitalization | ||||
| Respirator/NPPV | 89 (8.8) | 440 (9.4) | 654 (9.8) | 0.58 |
| Oxygen therapy | 765 (75.8) | 3615 (77.2) | 5134 (76.6) | 0.55 |
| Admission to the ICU | 83 (8.2) | 509 (10.9) | 734 (11.0) | 0.03 |
| Coordination with community care | 35 (3.5) | 291 (6.2) | 535 (8.0) | <0.001 |
| Diuretic | 888 (88.0) | 4134 (88.3) | 6005 (89.6) | 0.06 |
| Vasodilator | 298 (29.5) | 1412 (30.2) | 1887 (28.2) | 0.06 |
| Vasoconstrictor agents | 195 (19.3) | 895 (19.1) | 1291 (19.3) | 0.98 |
| Medical procedures at home | ||||
| Self-injection | 16 (1.6) | 114 (2.4) | 223 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Central venous nutrition | 14 (1.4) | 140 (3.0) | 262 (3.9) | <0.001 |
| Home oxygen therapy | 141 (14.0) | 770 (16.5) | 1249 (18.6) | <0.001 |
| Use of ventilator/tracheostomy performed | 12 (1.2) | 101 (2.2) | 122 (1.8) | 0.10 |
| Pacemaker | 101 (10.1) | 468 (10.0) | 790 (11.8) | 0.007 |
HCSCs home care support clinics/hospitals, NPPV non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, ICU intensive care unit
*Patients aged 65–74 years and ≥100 years were grouped due to small numbers