NCT03436940

Comparison Between Two Strategies of Discharge Planning for the Reduction of Short Term Hospital Readmissions

Comparison Between Two Strategies of Discharge Planning for the Reduction of Short Term Hospital Readmissions: A Cluster Randomized Cross-over Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 802 (actual)
• Sponsor: A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to improve discharge planning effectiveness by comparing two strategies \[on-Demand Discharge Planning (DDP) vs. Routine Discharge Planning (RDP)\], in terms of reduction of hospital readmissions for inpatients classified at intermediate risk of complex discharge using the simplified Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score (BRASS).

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to improve discharge planning effectiveness by comparing two strategies \[on-Demand Discharge Planning (DDP) vs. Routine Discharge Planning (RDP)\], in terms of reduction of hospital readmissions for inpatients classified at intermediate risk of complex discharge using the simplified Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score (BRASS). Five Internal Medicine Unit and four Units of Neurology will be randomized to the two different strategies of discharge planning (RDP or DDP), based on two different alternating sequences of four periods (each period comprising three months). The randomization will be stratified by type of unit. Patients at risk of complex discharge, according to the simplified BRASS score, are assigned to the Hospital Unit of Continuity of Care (NOCC) team, using the hospital telematics system. Afterwards, the NOCC team proposes an appropriate discharge planning, considering clinical and social needs.

Conditions

• Patient Discharge

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	On Demand Discharge Planning (DDP)	Patients with an intermediate score, according to the simplified Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score, are addressed to the NOCC team (hospital Continuity of care team) only in case of a specific request by the unit of hospitalization.
OTHER	Routine Discharge Planning (RDP)	All patients with an intermediate threshold value of the simplified Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score are submitted to discharge planning by the NOCC team (Hospital Unit of Continuity of Care)

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-06-01
• Primary completion: 2019-10-12
• Completion: 2019-10-13
• First posted: 2018-02-19
• Last updated: 2022-03-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy