Korean J Adult Nurs.  2022 Dec;34(6):537-544. 10.7475/kjan.2022.34.6.537.

Association between Discharge Process and 2-year Prognosis in Patients with Heart Failure: Retrospective Chart Review

• Lee KS
• Lee H
• Min NE
• Park JH

• KMID: 2537643
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2022.34.6.537

Abstract

Purpose
This study aims to explore the relationship between the discharge process and two-year prognosis in patients with Heart Failure (HF) who were hospitalized because of HF exacerbation.
Methods
Medical records were reviewed to identify patients admitted for HF exacerbation. Information regarding the following discharge processes was collected: follow-up visits, discharge educational contents, and the presence of family caregivers during patient education. HF-related events, including emergency department visits, readmissions, or death because of HF, were defined as a composite of events. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used after adjusting for covariates to explore the association between the discharge process and HF-related events.
Results
A total of 201 patients were included in this study. In the two-year follow-up periods, 41 patients (20.4%) experienced at least one HF-related event. Follow-up visits were scheduled at an average of 8.11±2.92 days after discharge. Approximately 95.0% of the patients received discharge education with an average of 1.66±1.04 topics, and 69.7% of the families participated in this educational activity. In the multivariate Cox regression model, not having family members during education was associated with a longer time to HF-related events (hazard ratio: 2.09; 95% confidence interval: 1.001~4.346). However, follow-up visits and the amount of educational content received were not associated with time to HF-related events.
Conclusion
The presence of family caregivers during education appears to be a protective factor against adverse prognosis in patients with HF. Our results highlight the importance of family engagement during discharg

Keyword

Heart failure; Transitional care; Caregivers; Health education; Patient discharge