Aims and objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a follow-up telephone call to reduce the number of issues after hospital discharge.
Background: The postdischarge period is often a time of uncertainty and risk. The decreasing length of hospital stays has increased the need for specific instructions about the postdischarge period. A telephone follow-up could be a valuable tool to fill this information gap.
Design: Double-blind, randomised controlled trial.
Methods: The participants included medium or low-intensity orthopaedic patients. We implemented a structured telephone follow-up call conducted by a senior orthopaedic nurse to provide educational support to the intervention group (n = 110), while the control group (n = 109) received routine care after being discharged. Data were collected between September 2011-January 2012. Statistical differences between the two groups were tested using chi-square test or Wilcoxon rank sum test, as appropriate. A linear regression model was performed to investigate factors involved into postdischarge outcomes.
Results: The intervention group had a statistically significant reduction in all postdischarge problems except for pain and mobilisation; the group also had a lower chance of experiencing frequent or severe problems. The educational intervention and prior poor health had a strong correlation with problems after discharge. Patients who received a telephone follow-up call believed the information provided was valuable.
Conclusion: This nurse-led follow-up intervention significantly contributed to solving or reducing postdischarge health problems and contributed to reduce unnecessary burden on the community health system.
Relevance to clinical practice: A nurse-led telephone follow-up is a simple, feasible and low-cost tool to improve patients' outcomes after discharge.
Keywords: nurse-led intervention; nursing; orthopaedic patients; patient discharge; postdischarge problems; telephone follow-up.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.