Discharge Recommendation Research Articles

Consistency of Physical Therapist Discharge Recommendations in Acute Care

Introduction: Physical therapists assist with discharge planning for hospitalized patients by making recommendations regarding a patient’s optimal discharge location and ongoing rehabilitation needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the consistency of discharge recommendations made by physical therapists with experience working in an acute care setting, when provided with a set of clinical vignettes describing hospitalized patients. Review of Literature: Considering the complex/multifactorial nature of making discharge recommendations, one would expect there to be inconsistencies among physical therapists. However, we are not aware of a previous study examining the level of consistency for discharge recommendations made by physical therapists, when reviewing a set of clinical vignettes. Subjects: Nineteen physical therapists working in an acute care setting. Methods: The physical therapists were provided with 10 clinical vignettes describing hospitalized patients via an electronic survey distributed across three rehabilitation departments. Each vignette described the patient’s medical condition, past medical history, prior level of function, living situation, key examination findings, and other general characteristics. After independently reviewing each case, the physical therapists selected a discharge recommendation from a list of standard options. Fleiss’ kappa was examined to assess the level of agreement among the physical therapists. Results: Overall, Fleiss’ kappa was 0.28, which reflects fair agreement among the physical therapists. Discussion and Conclusion: The 19 physical therapists who participated in this study only exhibited fair agreement with respect to their discharge recommendations. This relatively low level of agreement suggests that efforts to improve the consistency of discharge recommendations should be explored.

Therapists Predict Discharge Destination More Accurately Than the AM-PAC “6 Clicks” at Evaluation and Discharge for Patients With Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Background: Clinicians and hospital care coordinators seek effective tools to assist with reducing length of stay, delivering appropriate postacute care services, and reducing readmissions for patients following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Objective: To evaluate whether the discharge recommendation by the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) “6 Clicks” Inpatient Basic Mobility and Daily Activity Short Forms agreed with therapists' recommendation and actual discharge disposition for patients who underwent isolated CABG. Methods: Physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) recorded their respective AM-PAC “6 Clicks” score on a cohort of consecutive patients admitted for isolated CABG between March and April 2020. The level of agreement was compared between AM-PAC-projected discharge disposition, therapists' recommendation, and actual discharge disposition. Results: There were 58 patients who received discharge recommendations from PTs and OTs following isolated CABG. Upon PT initial evaluation, the AM-PAC “6 Clicks” Basic Mobility tool recommended postacute placement in all 58 (100%) cases, whereas PTs recommended postacute placement for only 1 (2%). Similarly, the AM-PAC “6 Clicks” Daily Activity tool recommended postacute placement in all 58 (100%) cases, whereas OTs recommended discharge to home for 44 (76%) cases and recommended further assessment of discharge needs on the remaining 14 (24%). At the final session, the AM-PAC “6 Clicks” Basic Mobility tool recommended postacute placement in 56 (98%) cases and PTs recommended discharge to home in all 58 (100%) cases. The AM-PAC “6 Clicks” Daily Activity tool recommended postacute placement for 25 (43%) cases, whereas OTs recommended discharge to home for 55 (95%) cases. Nearly all (56; 97%) patients were discharged to home, with the remaining 2 (3%) discharged to postacute placement. The 30- day readmission rate was 2%. Conclusion: We found the PT/OT recommendations were strongly associated with discharge disposition, but that the AM-PAC “6 Clicks” scores had poor agreement with therapists' recommendations and with actual discharge dispositions for patients with isolated CABG. The utility of this tool should be explored in other cardiac patient populations, such as valve replacements with and without sternotomy, and heart failure, to corroborate the results.

Factors associated with febrile seizures among children

ObjectiveFebrile seizures are usually benign and are not presented with neurological manifestation. However, complex febrile seizures are presented with recurrence and might require meticulous management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters of children with febrile seizures and the correlation between these factors. MethodsIn this retrospective study, children presented with febrile seizure in 2019 presented (XXX) were included. Data based on their history, physical examination, and laboratory tests and discharge recommendations were recorded in a checklist. Data were computerized and statistically analyzed using SPSSv25. ResultsOf 77 patients were studied, the mean age of the patients was 29.4 ± 17.6. The mean duration of seizures was 5.09 ± 3.78 min and the mean temperature during seizures was 38.41 ± 0.83 °C. In 44 (57.14%) patients no cause of the fever was recorded. 10 (12.99%) patients had multiple seizures within 24 h 70 (90.91%) seizures ended without medication, and 5 (6.49%) patients were treated with diazepam. The gender of the patients was only correlated with white blood cells, p = 0.014. Other laboratory parameters did not show significant correlation with the gender, p > 0.05. The discharge recommendation was significantly correlated with recurrence within 24 h and type of seizure, p < 0.001, respectively. Lab parameters were significantly associated with family history, p = 0.036 and post-seizure drug, p = 0.005. ConclusionOur study showed that biochemical findings may not be suggestive of febrile seizures and recurrence of seizures and family history is associated with the course of treatment in terms of drugs and imaging.

Differences in Postacute Rehabilitation Recommendations by Ethnicity at an Urban Comprehensive Stroke Center.

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in postacute rehabilitation discharge recommendations, actual disposition, and rehabilitation duration by ethnicity at an urban Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center. This was a retrospective cohort study of adult acute stroke hospital admissions between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019 (n = 1717) who were discharged to home with or without outpatient therapy, inpatient rehabilitation facility, or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Lognormal and multinomial regressions were used to create statistical models evaluating ethnicity-related differences in discharge recommendation and disposition as well as rehabilitation duration while controlling for age, stroke type and severity, insurance type, and medical comorbidities; non-Hispanic white (NHW) patients served as the comparison group. Hispanic patients were less likely to have therapy recommendations of SNF, with a trend toward significance (P = 0.06), yet statistically more likely to have the actual disposition of SNF (P = 0.01) than NHW patients. There were no statistically significant differences comparing disposition rates for black and Asian patients to NHW patients for both inpatient rehabilitation facility and SNF. There was no statistically significant difference in rehabilitation duration for black or Hispanic patients compared with NHW patients. Hispanic patients were less likely to have therapy recommended SNF disposition, with a trend toward significance, but significantly more likely to have actual SNF disposition compared with NHW patients after acute stroke.

Abstract 58: Adherence To Discharge Rehabilitation Recommendations May Decrease Unplanned Care And Improve Patient Outcomes

Adherence to Discharge Rehabilitation Recommendations May Decrease Unplanned Care and Improve Patient Outcomes Introduction Unplanned episodes of care result in increased cost to patients and institutions. Minimal data exist correlating discharge recommendation by rehabilitation specialists to patient outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the discharge recommendation of rehabilitation team (physiatry, occupational and physical therapies) versus actual discharge location and their relationship of unplanned episodes of care and ninety day outcomes. Method: A single center retrospective analysis of Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) patients discharged from January to September 2020. We excluded those that were discharged to hospice and expired during the initial encounter. Our primary outcome was to examine unplanned care episodes in comparison to the adherence of the rehabilitation team’s discharge recommendation. The secondary outcome examined the 90 day modified Rankin Score in comparison to the discharge recommendations. Stepwise logistic regression and ordinal regression models were utilized to analyze primary and secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 544 patients were evaluated. After exclusions we included 385 patients; 301 (78.2%) followed the discharge recommendation. Agreement on discharge location between physiatry and therapy modalities was 85.7%. When physiatrist final recommendations were unavailable, agreement between occupational and physical therapy decreased to 83.9%. Patients who adhered to rehabilitation recommendations were less likely to experience unplanned care compared to patients who did not (23.7% vs. 28.6%), although the difference was not statistically significant; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.63 [95%CI, 0.36 - 1.10], p = 0.10. Similarly, patients adhering to recommendations experienced less disability at 90 days compared to those who did not, although the difference was not statistically significant; aOR = 0.64 [95%CI, 0.39 - 1.06], p = 0.08. Conclusion: When the patients followed the recommendations of the rehabilitation team, a trend was found towards a decrease in unplanned care and better outcomes. Findings suggest additional research is warranted.

Impact of Patient's Pain and Fatigue on Decision of Discharge After Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer.

PurposeHospital stays after laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer tend to be much shorter than those after conventional open surgery. Many factors, including surgical outcomes and complications, are associated with patient discharge planning. However, few studies have analyzed the impact of patient subjective discomfort (including pain and fatigue) on the decision to discharge after surgery. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how patient pain and fatigue play a role in the decision to discharge after laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.MethodsBetween March 2014 and February 2015, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 91 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer to estimate the expectation criteria for discharge and patient subjective discomfort at that time. Patients were divided into the following 2 groups: group A, those who complied with the medical professional’s decision to discharge; and group B, those who refused discharge despite the medical professional’s decision. The participants’ subjective factors were analyzed.ResultsPreoperatively, 78 of 91 patients (85.7%) identified activity level, amount of food (tolerance), and bowel movements as important factors that should be considered in the decision to discharge a patient postoperatively. Postoperatively, 17 patients (18.7%) refused discharge despite a discharge recommendation. Subjective pain and fatigue were significantly different in linear-by-linear association between the group of patients who agreed to be discharge and those who disagreed. Despite this difference, there was no significant difference in mean length of hospital stay between the 2 groups.ConclusionA patient’s subjective feelings of pain and fatigue can impact their decision regarding hospital discharge.

Does discharging asthma patients after one hour of treatment if clinically well affect emergency department length of stay.

Asthma is a major contributor to direct and indirect health-care costs and resource use. In May 2015, the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) amended its clinical practice guideline for acute asthma management from discharging patients if the anticipated salbutamol requirement was every 3-4 h to discharging patients who were clinically well at 1 h after initial treatment. Our objective was to examine the impact of the new discharge recommendation on emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), rates of admission and representation. We retrospectively audited the case notes of children presenting with mild or moderate asthma to the RCH ED over the equivalent 2-week periods in winter 2014 (pre-implementation of the new guideline) and 2015 (post-implementation). A total of 105 patients in 2014 and 92 patients in 2015 were included. In both years, all patients who initially presented with mild or moderate asthma either improved or stayed within the same severity classification at the 1-h assessment. For patients who were clinically well by the 1-h assessment, there was a significant reduction in admissions between 2014 and 2015 (40 vs. 10%, P = 0.001). There was also a reduction for these patients in median LOS from 3 h 13 min in 2014 to 2 h 31 min in 2015 (P = 0.03). In both years, all patients who were moderate at 1 h were admitted. There was no difference in the rate of representation or subsequent deterioration in those patients who were discharged at 1 h between the 2 years. Early discharge of patients who are clinically well 1 h after initial therapy may be associated with a reduction in LOS and admission rate without an apparent compromise in patient safety. Further evaluation of this intervention is required to determine whether this is a true causal relationship.

Rehab Concepts and Discharge Dispositions: Workshop for Medical Students.

Safe transitions of care are an essential component of safety and quality for the patient community. It is imperative that providers choose appropriate discharge settings to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions. Additionally, providers must also ensure that the multifaceted needs of each patient are met with every discharge recommendation. There is often a lack of formal instruction in medical school on the various discharge dispositions, indications for rehab, and clinical indications for each setting. This is problematic for new interns who are tasked with entering discharge orders and relaying critical information between lead physicians and the interprofessional team. A 60-minute workshop with both didactic and experiential components provided medical students with opportunities to gain an overview of discharge dispositions while also exercising critical thinking using case examples. The workshop was part of a 2-week Transition to Residency course at a single institution. Twenty-two fourth-year medical students participated in the workshop. Following the workshop, 100% of the participants stated that they had learned something new and that they intended to use the content in practice as interns. Subjective responses indicated that workshop content ought to be incorporated earlier in medical training. These results suggest that a 60-minute workshop including didactic instruction as well as experiential and inquiry-based learning can impact medical student knowledge and intent for practice change in regard to providing safe transitions of care for the patient community.

Providing Culturally Competent Acute Care Physical Therapy for a Complex Medical Patient of Amish Heritage

Background and Purpose: Health care providers, including physical therapists, should identify and incorporate sociocultural, educational, and environmental factors in their clinical decisions for patients of various cultural backgrounds—specifically Amish heritage as illustrated in this case report. The purpose of this case report is to describe how cultural beliefs affected acute care physical therapy (PT) and discharge planning for an older adult of Amish heritage. Case Description: The patient was a 65-year-old woman of Amish heritage 2 days post thoracic aortic aneurysm dissection surgery with an unexpected subsequent stroke. Due to their Amish beliefs, the patient and the family declined the physical therapist's initial postacute care discharge recommendation to an off-site skilled nursing facility. Significant discussion with multiple family members throughout the entire therapy process emphasized continued skilled services in accord with Amish cultural beliefs to promote safe reintegration into the Amish community. PT interventions primarily focused on culturally sensitive patient and family education and functional mobility to encourage safe patient resumption of activities of daily living and role in society. Outcomes: By the end of 2 weeks of PT (1 initial examination and 8 intervention sessions), the patient demonstrated improvements in all aspects of functional mobility and total Functional Independence Measure scores (21/126 to 86/126). On postoperative day 14, the patient transitioned to an on-site inpatient rehabilitation facility. After completing only 4 days in the inpatient rehabilitation facility, the family firmly advocated that the patient be discharged home with assistance from the family and Amish community. Discussion: Physical therapists may be unfamiliar with patients of Amish heritage due to the infrequency of PT services used by these individuals. This case report demonstrates a physical therapist's sensitivity to and acceptance of the Amish cultural beliefs, which ensured appropriate clinical decisions and positive patient- and family-centered outcomes. Engaging the patient's family in dialogue about realistic discharge options early in the acute care stay allowed the family time to understand the complexity of the patient's diagnoses and challenges of the health care environment as well as align decisions with their cultural beliefs.

Short term adherence with discharge recommendation for insulin treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Simulated Interprofessional Education Discharge Planning Meeting to Improve Skills Necessary for Effective Interprofessional Practice.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (Sim-IPE) discharge planning learning experience using simulated patients (SPs), to explore the ability for students to communicate with each other and to a patient/caregiver, and to use clinical thinking to make a safe and appropriate interprofessional discharge recommendation. Educational institution; university simulation center. A Sim-IPE was performed with students from physical therapy (N = 46), nursing (N = 25), and social work (N = 11). Students were placed into interprofessional teams. Presimulation, each student was expected to complete a survey and review several items including the patient case, a communication strategy, and community resources. The team then interacted with SPs portraying the patient and the family member. Postsimulation, facilitators led a debriefing session and students completed a post-IPE survey. The Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) was completed pre- and postexperience. Most students reported that they strongly or somewhat agreed that the experience improved their clinical thinking skills (67%; n = 55), improved awareness of the patient voice in shared decision-making (72.8%; n = 59), improved ability to prioritize patient's list of impairments (75.3%; n = 61), and improved confidence with discharge planning (69.1%; n = 56). Discharge planning is inherently an interprofessional process. Utilizing a simulation as a method to practice discharge planning may have a positive impact on future clinical practice. Completing the ICCAS may not be the appropriate assessment when evaluating change before and after an IPE experience based on the high scores noted preexperience. The use of a simulated discharge planning meeting may improve skills necessary for effective interprofessional practice.

Fair hearing outcomes of patients recommended discharge from methadone maintenance

A system known as fair hearings is a due process opportunity for patients who are involuntarily discharged from methadone maintenance treatment to challenge the discharge recommendation. We know very little about the processes and outcomes of fair hearings. For this study, we used a mixed methods approach to retrospectively analyze 73 fair hearing reports that were documented from a California methadone maintenance treatment program between 2000 and 2014. The aims of the study were to identify the reasons for involuntary discharge recommendation from methadone maintenance, describe the factors involved when fair hearing outcomes decided in favor of the clinic, and describe the factors involved when fair hearing outcomes decided in favor of the patient. We found that patient attendance at the fair hearing meeting was significantly related to the outcome ruling in favor of the patient. We organized the reasons for discharge recommendations into five categories: 1) suspected diversion, 2) behavioral/interpersonal, 3) repeated, unexcused absences, 4) co-occurring substance use, and 5) multiple sources of opioids. For each category, we use excerpts from fair hearing reports to provide context to the circumstances involved in an outcome favoring the patient or the clinic.

Discharge recommendation based on a novel technique of homeostatic analysis.

We propose a computational framework for integrating diverse patient measurements into an aggregate health score and applying it to patient stability prediction. We mapped retrospective patient data from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care (MIMIC) II clinical database into a discrete multidimensional space, which was searched for measurement combinations and trends relevant to patient outcomes of interest. Patient trajectories through this space were then used to make outcome predictions. As a case study, we built AutoTriage, a patient stability prediction tool to be used for discharge recommendation. AutoTriage correctly identified 3 times as many stabilizing patients as existing tools and achieved an accuracy of 92.9% (95% CI: 91.6-93.9%), while maintaining 94.5% specificity. Analysis of AutoTriage parameters revealed that interdependencies between risk factors comprised the majority of each patient stability score. AutoTriage demonstrated an improvement in the sensitivity of existing stability prediction tools, while considering patient safety upon discharge. The relative contributions of risk factors indicated that time-series trends and measurement interdependencies are most important to stability prediction. Our results motivate the application of multidimensional analysis to other clinical problems and highlight the importance of risk factor trends and interdependencies in outcome prediction.

Descriptive data analysis examining how standardized assessments are used to guide post-acute discharge recommendations for rehabilitation services after stroke.

Use of standardized assessments in acute rehabilitation is continuing to grow, a key objective being to assist clinicians in determining services needed postdischarge. The purpose of this study was to examine how standardized assessment scores from initial acute care physical therapist and occupational therapist evaluations contribute to discharge recommendations for poststroke rehabilitation services. A descriptive analysis was conducted. A total of 2,738 records of patients admitted to an acute care hospital with a diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack were identified. Participants received an initial physical therapist and occupational therapist evaluation with standardized assessments and a discharge recommendation of home with no services, home with services, inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), or skilled nursing facility (SNF). A K-means clustering algorithm determined if it was feasible to categorize participants into the 4 groups based on their assessment scores. These results were compared with the physical therapist and occupational therapist discharge recommendations to determine if assessment scores guided postacute care recommendations. Participants could be separated into 4 clusters (A, B, C, and D) based on assessment scores. Cluster A was the least impaired, followed by clusters B, C, and D. In cluster A, 50% of the participants were recommended for discharge to home without services, whereas 1% were recommended for discharge to an SNF. Clusters B, C, and D each had a large proportion of individuals recommended for discharge to an IRF (74%-80%). There was a difference in percentage of recommendations across the clusters that was largely driven by the differences between cluster A and clusters B, C, and D. Additional unknown factors may have influenced the discharge recommendations. Participants poststroke can be classified into meaningful groups based on assessment scores from their initial physical therapist and occupational therapist evaluations. These assessment scores, in part, guide poststroke acute care discharge recommendations.

75-Year-Old Man With Abdominal Pain and Reflux

75-Year-Old Man With Abdominal Pain and Reflux

Abstract NS22: Stroke Length of Stay: Life in the FAST Lane

The length of stay for stroke (ischemic &amp; hemorrhagic stroke DRGs combined) was 7.04 days in a major university teaching hospital, compared to the national average of 3-5 days. The purpose was to decrease length of stay (LOS) for the stroke patient population by implementing multidisciplinary LOS guidelines. Discharge planning starts with admission, and research shows a correlation between initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and discharge disposition. Patients with NIHSS = 0-5 most likely go home; 6-15 most likely go to a rehabilitation facility; and 16-42 most likely will go to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or Long Term Acute Care Facility (LTAC) (Schlegel et. al., 2004; Schlegel et al., 2003). We formed a multidisciplinary team, including nursing, social work (SW), care coordination (CC), medical hospitalists, neurologist, and physical medicine staff working specifically with the stroke patient population. Each discipline developed length of stay guidelines, depicting crucial points in the care of a stroke patient on a day-to-day basis (Wojner &amp; Alexandrov, 2000). Each specialty was included in the teaching plan, and we held educational sessions for all disciplines, including 100+ members of the medical hospitalist team. Through this education, Nursing began communicating admission NIHSS in daily huddles. Palliative care screenings were included for patients with NIHSS &gt;25. Speech Therapy (ST) recommendations for PEG tube placement were communicated daily, and physicians were notified directly. PT/OT/ST coordinated one discharge recommendation by day 2, with variances communicated immediately to the CC. For physicians, PEG scheduling was centralized since specific GI MDs were only available on certain days. Through implementation, our length of stay for all stroke patients went from 7.04 to 5.23 days. The LOS guidelines are now used to orient new team members from all disciplines.

On “Physical therapists make accurate and appropriate discharge recommendations…” Smith BA, Fields CJ, Fernandez N. Phys Ther. 2010;90:693–703.

The retrospective study by Smith et al1 reported an odds ratio (OR) of 2.9 for the association between hospital readmission and the predictor variable mismatch with services lacking (ie, the physical therapist's discharge recommendation was not implemented and follow-up services were lacking). The authors are correct in the interpretation of …

Physical therapists make accurate and appropriate discharge recommendations for patients who are acutely ill.

Acute care physical therapists contribute to the complex process of patient discharge planning. As physical therapists are experts at evaluating functional abilities and are able to incorporate various other factors relevant to discharge planning, it was expected that physical therapists' recommendations of patient discharge location would be both accurate and appropriate. This study determined how often the therapists' recommendations for patient discharge location and services were implemented, representing the accuracy of the recommendations. The impact of unimplemented recommendations on readmission rate was examined, reflecting the appropriateness of the recommendations. This retrospective study included the discharge recommendations of 40 acute care physical therapists for 762 patients in a large academic medical center. The frequency of mismatch between the physical therapist's recommendation and the patient's actual discharge location and services was calculated. The mismatch variable had 3 levels: match, mismatch with services lacking, or mismatch with different services. Regression analysis was used to test whether mismatch status, patient age, length of admission, or discharge location predicted patient readmittance. Overall, physical therapists' discharge recommendations were implemented 83% of the time. Patients were 2.9 times more likely to be readmitted when the therapist's discharge recommendation was not implemented and recommended follow-up services were lacking (mismatch with services lacking) compared with patients with a match. Limitations This study was limited to one facility. Limited information about the patients was collected, and data on patient readmission to other facilities were not collected. This study supports the role of physical therapists in discharge planning in the acute care setting. Physical therapists demonstrated the ability to make accurate and appropriate discharge recommendations for patients who are acutely ill.

Recommendation of Low-Salt Diet and Short-term Outcomes in Heart Failure with Preserved Systolic Function

Background Dietary sodium indiscretion frequently contributes to hospitalizations in elderly heart failure patients. Animal models suggest an important role for dietary sodium intake in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved systolic function. The documentation and effects of hospital discharge recommendations, particularly for sodium-restricted diet, have not been extensively investigated in heart failure with preserved systolic function. Methods We analyzed 1700 heart failure admissions to Michigan community hospitals. We compared documentation of guideline-based discharge recommendations between preserved systolic function and systolic heart failure patients with chi-squared testing, and used logistic regression to identify predictors of 30-day death and hospital readmission in a prespecified follow-up cohort of 443 patients with preserved systolic function. We hypothesized that patients who received a documented discharge recommendation for sodium-restricted diet would have lower 30-day adverse event rates. Results Heart failure patients with preserved systolic function were significantly less likely than systolic heart failure patients to receive discharge recommendations for weight monitoring (33% vs 43%) and sodium-restricted diet (42% vs 53%). Upon propensity score-adjusted multivariable analysis, patients with preserved systolic function who received a documented sodium-restricted diet recommendation had decreased odds of 30-day combined death and readmission (odds ratio 0.43, 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.79; P = .007). No other discharge recommendations predicted 30-day outcomes. Conclusions Clinicians document appropriate discharge instructions less frequently in heart failure with preserved systolic function than systolic heart failure. Selected heart failure patients with preserved systolic function who receive advice for sodium-restricted diet may have improved short-term outcomes after hospital discharge.

Sekundärprävention der koronaren Herzkrankheit in der Arztpraxis

There is little information about adherence with secondary preventive medication by patients with coronary artery disease (CHD) shortly after hospital discharge. History, coronary risk factors, antithrombotic and medication for secondary prevention were recorded on 4643 outpatients (mean age 66 [59 - 72] years, 70 % males) on a two-page case form when attending their general practitioner within four weeks of discharge from hospital. The patients had stable CHD (33 % of patients), ST elevation myocardial infarction (25 %) or a non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (42 %). The discharge recommendation given to them by the hospital had the greatest influence on the decision to take medications for secondary prevention. Dual antiplatelet therapy was planned for 3 - 6 months in 35 % of the patients and for 9 - 12 months in another 35 %. Beta-blockers were given to 83 %, ACE-inhibitors to 71 %, AT1 inhibitors to 22 % and statins to 84 %. Gender and diabetes had a significant impact on the intensity of secondary preventive measures. Secondary preventive measures were largely adhered to in ambulatory patients with CHD within 4 weeks after hospital discharge. However, there is room for improvement, especially in women.