Study: Single step reduces readmissions by 25%
A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that integrating informal, unpaid caregivers into the discharge process can cut readmission rates by a quarter. The study found that by using these caregivers when discharging elderly patients, they were able to reduce readmissions 25% over 90 days. The study reviewed 4,361 patient cases and 10,715 scientific publications to come up with its results. The study found that:
• 66% of the caregivers were female
• 61% were a spouse or partner
• 35% were adult children
The study also found that informal caregivers significantly reduced time-to-readmission, rehospitalization lengths, and costs of post-discharge care.
"Due to medical advances, shorter hospital stays, and the expansion of home care technology, caregivers are taking on considerable care responsibilities for patients," said lead author Juleen Rodakowski, OTD, MS, OTR/L, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, in a statement.
"This includes increasingly complex treatment, such as wound care, managing medications, and operating specialized medical equipment. With proper training and support, caregivers are more likely to be able to fulfill these responsibilities and keep their loved ones from having to return to the hospital."
"While integrating informal caregivers into the patient discharge process may require additional efforts to identify and educate a patient's family member, it is likely to pay dividends through improved patient outcomes and helping providers avoid economic penalties for patient readmissions," said senior author A. Everette James, JD, MBA, director of the University of Pittsburgh's Health Policy Institute, in a statement.
Caregiver statistics aggregated from the AARP, the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) reveal that:
• More than 34 million unpaid caregivers provide care to someone age 18 and older who is ill or has a disability (AARP, 2008)
• Unpaid caregivers provide an estimated 90% of the long-term care (IOM, 2008)
• The majority (83%) are family caregivers—unpaid persons such as family members, friends, and neighbors of all ages who are providing care for a relative (FCA, 2005)
• The typical caregiver is a 46-year-old woman with some college experience and provides more than 20 hours of care each week to her mother (NAC, 2004)
See the full article at HealthLeaders Media and read previous Accreditation Insiderarticles for more on readmissions: