HomeNews & TopicsResearchPatients with heart failure have lower risk of death, hospital admission if...

Patients with heart failure have lower risk of death, hospital admission if seen by physician in first week after discharge from ED

Published on

For patients who receive emergency department care for heart failure, early follow-up by a physician within 7 days after emergency department discharge is associated with lower rates of death or admissions to hospital, according to research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

However, the researchers found that less than half of the 34 519 patients in the study were seen by a physician within 7 days of discharge from the emergency department.

“Unlike patients admitted to hospital, patients discharged from the emergency department do not receive daily assessment and investigations by physicians and nurses,” writes Dr. Clare Atzema, ICES, with coauthors. “These patients are left to arrange their own subsequent care.”

In Canada, the direct cost of heart failure is $2.8 billion a year. There are more than a million visits to the emergency department for heart failure in North America annually. As hospital admissions are the costliest aspect of care, systems are moving toward outpatient management when possible.

Of the total 34 519 patients with heart failure discharged from the emergency department in the present study, 47% (16 274) saw a physician within a week, and 83.6% (28 846) received care within 30 days. Almost one-quarter (23.5%) of patients died within a year of their emergency department visit, with the lowest death rate (21.7%, 3533 patients) in those seen within 7 days.

“Given our findings, we argue that scheduled follow-up appointments for patients with heart failure in the emergency department should be prioritized,” state the authors. “The most efficient way to do this is to provide an appointment before they leave the emergency department.”

The authors note that many patients are seen when doctors’ offices are closed but that linking hospital and outpatient records electronically could help schedule appointments.

“Effect of early physician follow-up on mortality and subsequent hospital admissions after emergency care for heart failure: a retrospective cohort study” is published December 17, 2018.

Latest articles

Gender bias holds back female surgeons, study finds

From ill-fitting instruments to assumptions about competence, surgical culture sidelines women, first Canadian study...

Melanoma Canada is proud to announce, the Mole Mobile.

Melanoma Canada is proud to announce, the Mole Mobile, mobile skin cancer screening unit on...

AI receptionist answers the call for busy medical clinics

Hospital patients/family members test drive AI phone software co-created by HHS doctor. A Hamilton Health...

World-first clinical trial confirms exercise improves survival for colon cancer

A groundbreaking clinical trial funded by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) shows that physical...

More like this

Gender bias holds back female surgeons, study finds

From ill-fitting instruments to assumptions about competence, surgical culture sidelines women, first Canadian study...

World-first clinical trial confirms exercise improves survival for colon cancer

A groundbreaking clinical trial funded by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) shows that physical...

Clinical trial comparing methods of controlling bleeding in cardiac patients

Royal Columbian Hospital is one of 12 North American hospitals involved in a study...

Research reveals why some cells are more susceptible to cancer

The ability of mutations to cause cancer depends on how fast they force cells...

Study shows promise for treating progressive multiple sclerosis

New research led by a St. Michael’s Hospital clinician-scientist and published in the prestigious...

A Canadian cancer discovery

For more than a decade, a team of researchers at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer...