Access to heart failure care post emergency department visit: Do we meet established benchmarks and does it matter?
| Autor: | Francois R. Grondin, Nadia Giannetti, Caroline Michel, Julie Des Lauriers, Serge Lepage, Martine Montigny, Richard Sheppard, Thao Huynh, Marc Frenette, Hassan Behlouli, Viviane Nguyen, Louise Pilote, Debbie Ehrmann Feldman |
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| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Office Visits Lower risk Quality of life medicine Humans Adverse effect Aged Heart Failure business.industry Proportional hazards model Hazard ratio Quebec Emergency department Guideline Continuity of Patient Care medicine.disease Benchmarking Heart failure Emergency medicine Female Medical emergency Emergencies Emergency Service Hospital Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine business |
| Zdroj: | American Heart Journal. 165:725-732 |
| ISSN: | 0002-8703 |
| Popis: | Background The Canadian Cardiology Society recommends that patients should be seen within 2 weeks after an emergency department (ED) visit for heart failure (HF). We sought to investigate whether patients who had an ED visit for HF subsequently consult a physician within the current established benchmark, to explore factors related to physician consultation, and to examine whether delay in consultation is associated with adverse events (AEs) (death, hospitalization, or repeat ED visit). Methods Patients were recruited by nurses at 8 hospital EDs in Quebec, Canada, and interviewed by telephone within 6 weeks of discharge and subsequently at 3 and 6 months. Clinical variables were extracted from medical charts by nurses. We used Cox regression in the analysis. Results We enrolled 410 patients (mean age 74.9 ± 11.1 years, 53% males) with a confirmed primary diagnosis of HF. Only 30% consulted with a physician within 2 weeks post-ED visit. By 4 weeks, 51% consulted a physician. Over the 6-month follow-up, 26% returned to the ED, 25% were hospitalized, and 9% died. Patients who were followed up within 4 weeks were more likely to be older and have higher education and a worse quality of life. Patients who consulted a physician within 4 weeks of ED discharge had a lower risk of AEs (hazard ratio 0.59, 95% CI 0.35-0.99). Conclusion Prompt follow-up post-ED visit for HF is associated with lower risk for major AEs. Therefore, adherence to current HF guideline benchmarks for timely follow-up post-ED visit is crucial. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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