Patterns of scheduled follow-up appointments following hospitalization for heart failure: insights from an urban medical center in the United States
Key result
Just over half of 796 patients hospitalized for heart failure had a scheduled follow-up appointment upon discharge, with age ≥65 years inversely associated with having an appointment scheduled.
Why the study?
What are the real-world patterns and predictors of scheduled follow-up appointments among adult patients discharged after a heart failure hospitalization?
Population
796 adults hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of congestive heart failure between January 1, 2013, and…
Comparison
Scheduled postdischarge outpatient follow-up… vs No scheduled follow-up appointment
Design
Cohort
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
May indicate gaps in discharge planning for older heart failure patients; leaves open whether age-targeted protocols improve follow-up scheduling.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=796)
Multicenter
No
Structured PICO
What are the real-world patterns and predictors of scheduled follow-up appointments among adult patients discharged after a heart failure hospitalization?
P
Population
796 adults hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of congestive heart failure at a single US urban academic center.
E
Exposure
Scheduled postdischarge outpatient follow-up appointment
C
Comparator
No scheduled follow-up appointment
O
Outcome
Presence of a scheduled follow-up appointment upon hospital discharge
Only about half of patients hospitalized for heart failure have a scheduled follow-up appointment at discharge, with older adults (≥65 years) being less likely to have one scheduled despite higher comorbidity burdens.
Cite This Study
Goyal et al. (2016) conducted a cohort in congestive heart failure (n=796). Age ≥65 years vs. Younger adults was evaluated on Scheduled postdischarge outpatient follow-up appointment. Just over half of 796 patients hospitalized for heart failure had a scheduled follow-up appointment upon discharge, with age ≥65 years inversely associated with having an appointment scheduled.