Care Transitions App for Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Summary
The objective of this study is to widely implement and evaluate the Care Transitions App in a randomized controlled trial. The app the investigators designed for patients with multiple chronic conditions has four envisioned modules: 1) falls-reduction content, 2) a digital post-discharge transitional care plan (e.g., after hospital care plan, including education, medications, follow-up appointments, warning signs to watch for, nutrition, and other care plan activities), 3) a new module for patients with MCC (diabetes, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease) including condition-specific post-discharge care plans with relevant symptom management activities, 4) a new post-discharge report module which summarizes key care transition findings and allows for patients to enter notes and questions for their providers and their own goals for recovery.
Description
Care transitions are a vulnerable period for patients, leading to a 20% rate of readmissions, 11% rate of post-discharge adverse drug events, 15% rate of falls, and 29% rate of total post-discharge adverse events. Hospital discharge for patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) is a challenge for the hospital care teams, primary care providers (PCPs) and patients/caregivers who face the challenge of complex medication regimens, as well as patient-specific challenges in fall prevention strategies. Specific challenges include poor communication among inpatient providers, patients, and ambu…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 55+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients (55+) with a Brigham PCP or appointment in one of the 15 locations discharging from a BWH general medicine unit * Discharging to home, home health care service or assisted living * Fluent in spoken English in patient or healthcare proxy * Patients with at least one of the conditions listed below + one additional chronic condition on the problem list. * Patient with heart failure on the problem list * Patient with type 2 diabetes on the problem list * Patient with chronic kidney disease on the problem list Exclusion Criteria: * Adult patients (55+) with W…
Interventions
- BehavioralCare Transitions App
Patients in the intervention arm will be randomized to receive the Care Transitions App and utilize it to support their care transition care plan for multiple chronic conditions.
Location
- Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts