Multicenter randomized trial of a comprehensive hospital discharge and outpatient heart failure management program

• Published in: European journal of heart failure 2004-08, Vol.6 (5), p.643-652
• Main Authors: Atienza, Felipe, Anguita, Manuel, Martinez-Alzamora, Nieves, Osca, Joaquín, Ojeda, Soledad, Almenar, Luis, Ridocci, Francisco, Vallés, Federico, de Velasco, José A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambulatory Care; Continuity of Patient Care; Disease Management; Disease management programs; Disease-Free Survival; Heart failure; Heart Failure - drug therapy; Heart Failure - mortality; Heart Failure - therapy; Heart failure clinic; Humans; Mortality; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Patient Discharge; Patient Readmission; Quality of Life; Readmissions; Spain
• ISSN: 1388-9842; 1879-0844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejheart.2003.11.023

Aims: Disease management programs can reduce hospitalizations in high‐risk heart failure (HF) patients, but generalizability to the population hospitalized for HF remains to be proven. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a discharge and outpatient management program in a non‐selected cohort of patients hospitalized for HF. Methods and results: Patients admitted with decompensated HF were randomized to receive usual care (n=174) or an intervention (n=164) consisting of a comprehensive hospital discharge planning and close follow‐up at a HF clinic. After a median of 509 days, there were fewer events (readmission or death) in the intervention as compared with the control group (156 vs. 250), which represents 47% (95%CI: 29–65; P