Care Team Configurations and Their Impact on Hospitalization for Heart Failure
Author Information
Author(s): Williams Tremaine B., Crump Alisha, Parker Pearman, Garza Maryam Y., Seker Emel, Swindle Taren Massey, Robins Taiquitha, Price Adrian, Sexton Kevin Wayne
Primary Institution: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Hypothesis
The study aims to identify the extent to which specific care team configurations are associated with high length of stay and high-charge hospitalizations in patients with congestive heart failure.
Conclusion
Larger care team configurations are associated with higher lengths of stay and hospital charges, while specific combinations of care roles can help optimize patient outcomes.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients with larger care team configurations had higher lengths of stay and charges than those with smaller configurations.
- Registered nurses were found to be a critical role in all care team configurations.
- The Van Walraven Elixhauser Comorbidity Score was validated as an indicator of care demand based on patient morbidity.
Takeaway
This study found that having the right mix of healthcare workers can help patients with heart failure stay in the hospital for shorter times and pay less.
Methodology
A retrospective analysis of electronic health records from 3,099 patients was conducted using binomial logistic regression to assess the association of care team configurations with hospitalization outcomes.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the exclusion of certain care roles and the reliance on electronic health record data.
Limitations
The study did not evaluate all possible combinations of care team configurations and was limited to one hospitalization per patient, which may not capture the full variability in care.
Participant Demographics
{"median_age":68,"race":{"Caucasian American":64,"African American":33,"Asian American":"<1","American Indian/Alaskan Native":"<1","Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander":"<1","Other race":3},"ethnicity":{"Hispanic/Latin/Spanish":2},"sex":{"male":51,"female":49},"heart_failure_severity":{"HFrEF":28,"HFmrEF":12,"HFpEF":60}}
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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