Email-based care transition bundle improved patient care and communication

Researchers found that an email-based communication bundle developed and implemented to improve patient care transitions resulted in positive outcomes, according to findings presented at the Society of Hospital Medicine Annual Meeting.

Jack Chase, MD, FAAFP, University of California, San Francisco, and Karishma Oza, MPH, San Francisco General Hospital, developed and implemented the bundle to support care transitions for patients between a large public hospital and its partner community primary health care centers.

"Patient care increasingly involves collaborative, team-based approaches in both inpatient and outpatient settings," the researchers wrote in their abstract. "Optimal transitions of care between the community and the hospital require bidirectional communication and collaboration."

After evaluating the framework of current care transitions, the researchers formed a multidisciplinary group that utilized established evidence to develop and implement the novel bundle, designed to "facilitate communication, provide actionable patient information and schedule timely follow-up appointments based on estimated date of discharge." According to the researchers, the bundle connected inpatient and outpatient care providers in a "single, HIPPA-compliant communication loop" and included essential patient information, contact information for other providers and key dates.

Results showed that 7-day scheduled follow-up appointments increased by 17% and attended appointments increased by 14%. Compared with services at the same hospital that did not use the bundle, 8% more patients attended follow-up appointments within 7 days of being discharged when managed by the email-based bundle.

A survey of care team members indicated that both inpatient and outpatient care providers reported efficiency and care coordination efficacy. In addition, 93% of outpatient providers recommended that other areas of the hospital implement a similar communication system.

"A structured, multidisciplinary, email-based care transitions communication bundle improved rates of scheduled and attended post-discharge follow-up, standardized the method, content and timing of communication between inpatient and outpatient care teams, increased ease and quality of communication and improved provider satisfaction with collaborative care planning," the authors concluded. – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes

Reference:

Chase J and Oza K. “Communicating Wisely”: Design, Implementation and Outcomes of an Email-Based Care Transitions Bundle. Presented at: Society for Hospital Medicine Annual Meeting; March 6-9, 2016; San Diego.

Disclosures: Healio Internal Medicine could not confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.