[Randomized controlled clinical trial of a home care unit intervention to reduce readmission and death rates in patients discharged from hospital following admission for heart failure].

INTRODUCTION AND
OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of a primarily educational intervention in heart failure (HF) patients implemented in a home care unit.
METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial involved 279 HF patients who were discharged from a tertiary-care hospital between February 2001 and June 2002. Patients with dementia, terminal non-cardiac disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were excluded. Data collected included the cause of cardiac decompensation. A primarily educational intervention was implemented in the patient's home for up to 15 days after hospital discharge. Treatment was adjusted during the first week if necessary. The primary outcome measure was the 1-year cumulative incidence of readmission or death. Secondary measures were the incidence of readmission, mortality, and emergency department admission. Telephone interviews were carried out 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge, and clinical records were updated when necessary. Emergency department admission in the first 6 months was monitored.
RESULTS: At 1-year follow-up, 62 of the 137 patients (45.3%) in the intervention group had been readmitted or died, compared with 75 of the 142 (52.8%) in the control group, (relative risk=0.86, P=.232). Among patients who suffered decompensation because failure to adhere to treatment, 16 of the 45 (35.6%) in the intervention group were readmitted or died, compared with 34 of the 56 (60.7%) control group patients (relative risk=0.59, P=.016).
CONCLUSIONS: This intervention is feasible but, when applied indiscriminately to every discharged heart failure patient, the best that can be expected is only a modest reduction in readmission and death rates, which, in this study in particular, did not achieve statistical significance.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes