TABLE 2.
Characteristics of Studies Included in Systematic Review
| Author/Date | Setting (Country/Ward/Hospital Type/Sample Size + High-Risk Selection, If Applicable) | Outcome a | Time | Effect (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Rashed et al., 200258 | GBR/elderly ward/general hospital/83 patients | Readmissions | 15-22 days | ↓62 |
| Readmissions | 3 months | ↓80 | ||
| Barker et al., 201237 | AUS/all wards/teaching hospital/114 CHF patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↑41 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↑18 | ||
| Bolas et al., 200438 | GBR/medical admission ward/general hospital/162 acutely admitted patients | Readmissions (emergency) | 3 months | NR |
| Dudas et al., 200136 | USA/general medicine ward/academic hospital/145 patients | Readmissions | 30 days | ↓40 |
| ED visits | 30 days | ↓58 | ||
| Englander et al., 20146 | USA/general medicine & cardiology wards/academic hospital/382 patients | Mortality | 30 days | ↓100 |
| Readmissions | 30 days | ↓11 | ||
| ED visits | 30 days | ↓24 | ||
| Farris et al, 201459 | USA/a general medicine, family medicine, cardiology, or orthopedics ward/academic hospital/936 patients with a predefined chronic condition | Readmissions (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | 30 days | ↑14 |
| Readmissions (inpatient intervention) | 30 days | ↓8 | ||
| Readmissions (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↑9 | ||
| Readmissions (inpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↑9 | ||
| ED visits (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | 30 days | ↓24 | ||
| ED visits (inpatient intervention) | 30 days | ↓7 | ||
| ED visits (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↓7 | ||
| ED visits (inpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↓13 | ||
| ADEs (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | on admission | ↓15 | ||
| ADEs (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | at discharge | ↑36 | ||
| ADEs (inpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↓8 | ||
| ADEs (inpatient & outpatient intervention) | 90 days | ↓5 | ||
| Gillespie et al., 200910 | SWE/internal medicine ward/academic hospital/368 acutely admitted patients | Mortality | 12 months | ↑3 |
| Readmissions | 12 months | ↓3 | ||
| Readmissions (drug related) | 12 months | ↓80 | ||
| ED visits | 12 months | ↓47 | ||
| Composite RE | 12 months | ↓16 | ||
| Gwadry-Sridhar et al., 200512 | CAN/acute medical & surgical wards/teaching hospital/134 CHF patients | Composite REM | 12 months | ↓10 |
| Hawes et al., 201460 | USA/family medicine ward/academic hospital/61 patients with a predefined chronic condition | Readmissions (intention to treat) | 30 days | ↓100 |
| Readmissions (per protocol) | 30 days | ↓100 | ||
| ED visits (intention to treat) | 30 days | ↓100 | ||
| ED visits (per protocol) | 30 days | ↓100 | ||
| Composite RE (intention to treat) | 30 days | ↓100 | ||
| Composite RE (per protocol) | 30 days | ↓100 | ||
| Holland et al., 200539 | GBR/all wards/several general hospitals/829 acutely admitted patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↓22 |
| Readmissions (emergency) | 6 months | ↑31 | ||
| Holland et al., 200740 | GBR/all wards/3 general hospitals/291 acutely admitted CHF patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↑25 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↑20 | ||
| Jack et al., 200941 | USA/all wards/academic hospital/738 patients | Readmissions | 30 days | ↓28 |
| ED visits | 30 days | ↓32 | ||
| Composite RE | 30 days | ↓30 | ||
| Koehler et al., 200942 | USA/hospital-medicine ward/academic hospital/41 patients more than 3 chronic conditions | Composite RE | 3 months | ↓74 |
| Composite RE | 6 months | ↑300 | ||
| Kripalani et al., 201213 | USA/cardiology ward/2 academic hospitals/851 CHF patients | ADEs (preventable) | 30 days | ↑8 |
| ADEs (potential) | 30 days | ↓20 | ||
| Lipton and Bird, 199443 | USA/all wards (except psychiatry)/general hospital/706 patients | Readmissions (emergency) | 1 months | NR |
| Readmissions (emergency) | 3 months | NR | ||
| Readmissions (emergency) | 6 months | NR | ||
| Lisby et al., 201044 | DNK/internal medicine ward/general hospital/99 acutely admitted patients | Mortality | 3 months | ↑60 |
| Readmissions | 3 months | ↓20 | ||
| ED visits | 3 months | ↔0 | ||
| López Cabezas et al., 200645 | ESP/cardiology & internal medicine wards/2 general hospitals/134 CHF patients | Mortality | 2 months | ↓83 |
| Mortality | 6 months | ↓50 | ||
| Mortality | 12 months | ↓53 | ||
| Readmissions | 2 months | ↓68 | ||
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓57 | ||
| Readmissions | 12 months | ↓50 | ||
| Makowsky et al., 200946 | CAN/acute internal medicine & family medicine wards/3 teaching hospitals/451 patients with a predefined chronic condition | Readmissions | 3 months | ↓20 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓10 | ||
| Naunton et al., 200347 | AUS/all medical wards/teaching hospital/121 patients with more than 2 medication-requiring chronic conditions | Mortality | 3 months | ↓38 |
| Readmissions | 3 months | ↓38 | ||
| Nazareth et al., 200148 | GBR/geriatric medicine ward/4 general hospitals/347 patients | Mortality | 3 months | ↑116 |
| Mortality | 6 months | ↑28 | ||
| Readmissions | 3 months | ↔0 | ||
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓2 | ||
| Rainville, 199949 | USA/all wards/tertiary hospital/34 CHF patients | Readmissions (HF related) | 12 months | ↓60 |
| Composite REM (HF related) | 12 months | ↓64 | ||
| Schmader et al., 200450 | USA/all wards/11 Veterans Affairs hospitals/834 patients meeting frailty criteria | ADEs (all, inpatient intervention) | at discharge | ↑222 |
| ADEs (serious, inpatient intervention) | at discharge | ↑80 | ||
| ADEs (all, inpatient intervention) | 12 months | ↓18 | ||
| ADEs (serious, inpatient intervention) | 12 months | ↓19 | ||
| ADEs (all, outpatient intervention) | 12 months | ↓1 | ||
| ADEs (serious, outpatient intervention) | 12 months | ↓37 | ||
| Schnipper et al., 200651 | USA/general medicine ward/teaching hospital/152 patients | Composite RE | 30 days | ↔0 |
| Composite RE (drug related) | 30 days | ↓50 | ||
| Composite RE (preventable drug related) | 30 days | ↓88 | ||
| ADEs (preventable) | 30 days | ↓88 | ||
| Schnipper et al., 200952 | USA/general medicine ward/2 general hospitals/322 patients | Composite RE | 30 days | ↓17 |
| ADEs (potential) | at discharge | ↓26 | ||
| Scullin et al., 200753 | GBR/2 medical wards/3 general hospitals/762 patients | Mortality | 12 months | ↓8 |
| Readmissions | 12 months | ↓17 | ||
| Spinewine et al., 200711 | BEL/geriatric medicine ward/academic hospital/186 patients | Mortality | 12 months | ↓25 |
| Readmissions | 12 months | ↓3 | ||
| ED visits | 12 months | ↓34 | ||
| Stewart et al., 199855 | AUS/all wards/tertiary hospital/762 patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↓59 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓22 | ||
| ED visits | 6 months | ↓25 | ||
| Composite RM | 6 months | ↓29 | ||
| Stewart et al., 199854 | AUS/all wards/tertiary hospital/97 CHF patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↓50 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓23 | ||
| ED visits | 6 months | ↓45 | ||
| Composite RM | 6 months | ↓43 | ||
| Stowasser et al., 200256 | AUS/all acute wards & orthopedics ward/2 general hospitals/240 patients | Mortality | 30 days | ↓25 |
| Readmissions | 30 days | ↓74 | ||
| Readmissions (emergency) | 30 days | ↓38 | ||
| Triller et al., 200757 | USA/all wards/2 general hospitals/154 CHF patients | Mortality | 6 months | ↑21 |
| Readmissions | 6 months | ↓9 |
Note: Italicized entries indicate P < 0.05.
a Outcomes reported as all-cause if not stated otherwise.
ADEs = adverse drug events; AUS = Australia; BEL = Belgium; CAN = Canada; CHF = congestive heart failure; DNK = Denmark; ED = emergency department; ESP = Spain; GBR = United Kingdom; HCP = health care provider; HF = heart failure; RE = readmissions and ED visits; REM = readmissions, ED visits, and mortality; NR = not reported; RM = readmissions and mortality; SWE = Sweden; USA = United States of America.