Abstract

Background

Older patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Transitional care programs offer close surveillance after discharge, but are costly. Telephone follow-up (TFU) may be a low-cost and feasible alternative for transitional care programs, but its effects on health-related outcomes are not clear.

Aim

We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the effects of TFU by health care professionals after ED discharge to an unassisted living environment on health-related outcomes in older patients compared to controls.

Methods

We conducted a multiple electronic database search up until December 2019 for controlled studies examining the effects of TFU by health care professionals for patients aged ≥65 years, discharged to an unassisted living environment from a hospital ED. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and risk of bias.

Results

Of the 748 citations, two randomized controlled trials (including a total of 2120 patients) met review selection criteria. In both studies, intervention group patients received a scripted telephone intervention from a trained nurse and control patients received a patient satisfaction survey telephone call or usual care. No demonstrable benefits of TFU were found on ED return visits, hospitalization, acquisition of prescribed medication, and compliance with follow-up appointments. However, many eligible patients were not included, because they were not reached or refused to participate.

Conclusions

No benefits of a scripted TFU call from a nurse were found on health services utilization and discharge plan adherence by older patients after ED discharge. As the number of high-quality studies was limited, more research is needed to determine the effect and feasibility of TFU in different older populations.

PROSPERO registration number CRD42019141403.

Details

Title
The effect of a telephone follow-up call for older patients, discharged home from the emergency department on health-related outcomes: a systematic review of controlled studies
Author
van Loon-van Gaalen Merel 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; van Winsen Britt 1 ; van der Linden M Christien 1 ; Gussekloo Jacobijn 2 ; van der Mast Roos C 3 

1  Haaglanden Medical Center, Emergency Department, The Hague, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.414842.f) (ISNI:0000 0004 0395 6796) 
2  Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.10419.3d) (ISNI:0000000089452978); Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.10419.3d) (ISNI:0000000089452978) 
3  Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.10419.3d) (ISNI:0000000089452978); CAPRI-University, Department of Psychiatry, Antwerp, Belgium (GRID:grid.10419.3d) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
Dec 2021
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
18651380
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-021-00336-x
ProQuest document ID
2490903286
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.