Introduction
The purpose of every healthcare institution is to provide cost-effective, quality care that is accessible and convenient for patients. To attain this goal, there are various performance measurement tools such as the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) that identify opportunities for reducing costs and improving the efficiency of care. There are hundreds of healthcare performance measures that institutions can track across HEDIS’ six domains of care, but one of the most essential that quantifies the effectiveness of care is readmission rates within thirty days. A high frequency of unplanned readmissions may signify substandard care and that providers are ignoring relevant patient data or signs of complications. Three nurse-led interventions can be implemented to reduce readmission rates and thus improve the effectiveness of care: educational brochures, medication interventions, and telephone follow-up calls.
Educational Brochures
Firstly, brochures containing visual aids and personal testimonies written below or at a sixth-grade reading level about the relevant medical issue should be hand-delivered to each patient during their appointment. Information presented through the lens of a personal narrative is easier to grasp and would lend patients a sense of empowerment, improve their health literacy, and increase treatment adherence. People with limited health literacy have a poorer ability to interpret health messages and manage chronic conditions on a day-to-day basis, and thus consistently higher rates of hospitalization (Wittink & Ooosterhaven, 2018). Patients often feel overwhelmed by medical jargon or standardized questions, thus decreasing their outcome expectations and aptitude for self-management. Furthermore, unlike verbal instructions delivered by a physician, printed materials are not vulnerable to forgetfulness or memory distortion. The solution is to provide an understandable guide to patients that can be accessed at any time on a universal basis. The brochure should explain the meaning of their diagnosis, possible symptoms, treatment plan, and why each step is vital to their recovery. Patients would learn how to monitor and self-manage their symptoms, leading to reduced readmission rates, improved outcomes, and cost savings for the practice. The outcome of the brochure would be measured through online and in-person surveys asking patients to rate its comprehensibility and effectiveness.
Medication Intervention
Secondly, nurses should conduct a short, face-face-face medication consultation immediately after the appointment with the primary care physician to improve patient understanding and compliance. Excellent medication adherence results in decreased morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, and patient frustration (Conn & Ruppar, 2017). Nurses should explain the purpose, method, and possible side effects of each medication in an accessible, easy-to-understand manner. This intervention ensures that patients understand why adherence is important, and which medication side effects should be immediately reported to the physician. The nurse should document that the consultation took place, and assess the quality of the patient’s attitude to the intervention and comprehension of the information presented. The performance outcome of medication consultations will be measured by evaluating the frequency of readmissions for patients who displayed a higher level of involvement and comprehension compared to those who did not.
Telephone Follow-up Calls
Thirdly, nurses should monitor self-care management and provide advice to patients by telephone call three days after the appointment. This allows patients to voice any concerns or questions that they may feel hesitant about calling their primary care physician about and confirms their understanding of treatment. Nurses should aim to provide a personalized, empathic approach rather than run through a routine of standardized questions. Telephone follow-up is a low-cost, time-efficient tool to provide advice, improve medicine engagement, and help with symptom management (Odeh et al., 2019). It has been shown to reduce the length of hospital stay and increase the time to subsequent readmission, which translates to cost savings and increased patient satisfaction (Odeh et al., 2019). The call attempt, patient’s health status, problems, and follow-up actions should be documented by the nurse during or immediately after the call. The performance outcome of the telephone follow-up calls would be measured by comparing the frequency of readmission rates when the call attempt was successful to unsuccessful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, educational brochures, medication interventions, and telephone follow-up calls are a few of the most effective ways to reduce readmission rates and thus improve the effectiveness of care. Brochures that contain visual aids and personal testimonies, explaining the implications and treatment plan for the relevant diagnosis, should be hand-delivered hand-delivered to each patient during their primary care physician appointment. A medication consultation should be conducted after that by a nurse to clarify the purpose, proper procedure, and possible side effects of each prescribed medication. Three days after the appointment, a nurse should make a follow-up telephone call to monitor patient self-management and answer any potential questions. The performance outcomes will be measured through online and in-person surveys, as well as evaluating the readmission rates for patients who participated in the intervention compared to those who did not. In tandem, these three low-cost interventions will hopefully improve patient adherence to treatment, and thus reduce readmission rates and save costs for the practice.
References
Conn, V. S. & Ruppar, T. M. Medication adherence outcomes of 771 intervention trials: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine, 99, 269-276.
Odeh, M., Scullin, C., Fleming, G., Scott, M. G., Horne, R & McElnay, J. C. (2019). Ensuring continuity of patient care across the healthcare interface: Telephone follow-up post-hospitalization. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 85(3), 616-625.
Wittink, H. & Oosterhaven, J. (2019). Patient education and health literacy. Muscoskeletal Science and Practice, 38, 120-127.