Abstract
Background: An effective care transition plan at the time of a stroke discharge impacts risk factor control, readmissions, and patient satisfaction. In our Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC), we assigned a registered nurse to be our Stroke Nurse Navigator (SNN). The SNN meets with patients and caregivers prior to discharge to address care transition needs and answers the Stroke Nurse Helpline to provide assistance after discharge. Purpose: To assess the impact of the SNN in meeting care transition needs of patients discharged home from a CSC Methods: Stroke patients in our CSC are called within 72 hours after home discharge, and a standard questionnaire is used to assess satisfaction with the discharge process. We compared post-discharge callback data from stroke patients during a 6-month period before (1/1/18 to 6/30/18) and after (7/1/18 to 12/31/18) designation of the SNN. Results: Among 413 stroke patients who completed questionnaires, 207 were pre-SNN and 206 were post-SNN, representing 55% and 47% of home discharges respectively. There was a 46% decrease in all concerns: 74% in non-clinical concerns, 70% in complaints about hospital experience, and 45% in reported early admissions (Table 1). There were fewer reported concerns about activity restrictions and assistive devices (100% decrease), outpatient therapy (76% decrease), prescriptions (75% decrease), outpatient testing (60% decrease), and other discharge information (29%). There were more concerns related to clinical symptoms after hospitalization (36% increase), establishing care with primary provider or neurologist (36% increase), and understanding home medications. Conclusion: SNNs may play a role in meeting care transition needs of stroke patients by providing assistance before and early after a home discharge. SNNs may foster heightened awareness among stroke patients and caregivers about following through on recommended post-hospital care for better recovery outcomes.
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