Table 6: Readmission Rates with Comprehensive Discharge Planning Plus Postdischarge Support Compared with Usual Care.
| Author, Year | Intervention Events/Patients (%) | Control Events/Patients (%) | Absolute Risk Reduction, % | Relative Risk Reduction (95% CI) | P Value for Heterogeneity | Single or Combination (for “and/or” interventions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Home Visit | ||||||
| Stewart et al, 1998 (45) | 24/49 (49) | 31/48 (65) | 16 | 0.76 (0.53–1.08) | NA | |
| Stewart et al, 1999 (46) | 40/100 (40) | 51/100 (51) | 11 | 0.78 (0.58–1.07) | NA | |
| Jaarsma et al, 1999 (19) | 31/84 (37) | 47/95 (49) | 12 | 0.75 (0.53–1.05) | NA | |
| Subtotal | 95/233 (41) | 129/243 (53) | 12 | 0.76 (0.63–0.93) | 0.97 | |
| Increased Clinic Follow-up and/or Frequent Telephone Contact | ||||||
| Cline et al, 1998 (47) | 22/80 (28) | 43/110 (39) | 13 | 0.70 (0.46–1.08) | Clinic only | |
| Rainville, 1999 (26) | 4/17 (24) | 10/17 (59) | 35 | 0.40 (0.16–1.03) | Telephone only | |
| Oddone et al, 1999 and Weinberger et al. 1996 (44;48) | 124/222 (56) | 97/221 (44) | 12+ | 1.27 (1.05–1.54) | Combination | |
| McDonald et al, 2002 (49) | 1/51 (2) | 11/47 (23) | 21 | 0.08 (0.01–0.62) | Telephone only | |
| Subtotal | 151/370 (41) | 161/395 (41) | 0 | 0.64 (0.32–1.28) | < 0.001 | |
| Home Visits and/or Frequent Telephone Contact | ||||||
| Naylor et al, 1994 (24) | 16/72 (22) | 23/70 (33) | 11 | 0.68 (0.39–1.17) | Combination | |
| Naylor et al, 1999 (50) | 18/52 (35) | 26/56 (46) | 11 | 0.75 (0.47–1.19) | Combination | |
| Serxner et al, 1998 (51) | 15/55 (27) | 27/54 (50) | 23 | 0.55 (0.33–0.91) | Telephone only | |
| Blue et al, 2001 (52) | 47/84 (56) | 49/81 (60) | 4 | 0.92 (0.71–1.20) | Combination | |
| Riegel et al, 2002 (53) | 56/130 (43) | 114/228 (50) | 7 | 0.86 (0.68–1.09) | Telephone only | |
| Krumholz et al, 2002 (54) | 16/44 (36) | 23/44 (52) | 16 | 0.69 (0.43–1.13) | Telephone only | |
| Subtotal | 168/437 (38) | 262/533 (49) | 11 | 0.79 (0.69–0.91) | 0.59 | |
| Extended Home Care Services | ||||||
| Rich et al, 1993 (40) | 21/63 (33) | 16/35 (46) | 12 | 0.73 (0.44–1.02) | NA | |
| Rich et al, 1995 (41) | 41/142 (29) | 59/140 (42) | 13 | 0.69 (0.50–0.95) | NA | |
| Harrison et al, 2002 (29) | 21/92 (23) | 31/100 (31) | 8 | 0.74 (0.46–1.19) | NA | |
| Laramee et al, 2003 (32) | 49/141 (35) | 46/146 (32) | 3+ | 1.10 (0.79–1.53) | NA | |
| Subtotal | 132/438 (30) | 152/421 (36) | 6 | 0.82 (0.68–1.00) | 0.19 | |
| Day Hospital Services (with specialized HF unit)(49) | ||||||
| Capomolla et al, 2002 (55) | 9/112 (8) | 37/122 (30 | 22 | 0.25 (0.15–0.44) | NA | |
| Total | 555/1590 (35) | 741/1714 (43) | 8 | 0.75 (0.64–0.88) | < 0.001 | |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HF, heart failure; RCT, randomized controlled trial; RR, relative risk; +, increased risk. Source: Phillips et al, 2004 (11)