TY - JOUR
T1 - Inpatient to Outpatient Transfer of Care in Urban Patients with Diabetes
T2 - Patterns and Determinants of Immediate Postdischarge Follow-up
AU - Wheeler, Kate
AU - Crawford, Rochanda
AU - McAdams, Debra
AU - Benel, Sonia
AU - Dunbar, Virginia G.
AU - Caudle, Jane M.
AU - George, Christopher
AU - El-Kebbi, Imad
AU - Gallina, Daniel L.
AU - Ziemer, David C.
AU - Cook, Curtiss B.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2004/2/23
Y1 - 2004/2/23
N2 - Background: A key opportunity for continuing diabetes care is to assure outpatient follow-up after hospitalization. To delineate patterns and factors associated with having an ambulatory care visit, we examined immediate postdischarge follow-up among a cohort of urban, hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: Retrospective study of 658 inpatients of a municipal hospital. Primary data sources were inpatient surveys and electronic records. Results: Patients were stratified into outpatient follow-up (69%), acute care follow-up (15%), and those with no follow-up (16%); differences between groups were detected for age (P=.02), percentage discharged with insulin (P=.03), and percentage receiving a full discount for care (P<.001). Among patients with a postdischarge visit, 43% were seen in our specialty diabetes clinic, and 26% in a primary care site. Adjusted analyses showed any follow-up visit significantly decreased with having to pay for care. The odds of coming to the Diabetes Clinic increased if patients were discharged with insulin, had new-onset diabetes, or had a direct referral. Conclusions: In this patient cohort, most individuals accomplished a postdischarge visit, but a substantial percentage had an acute care visit or no documented follow-up. New efforts need to be devised to track patients after discharge to assure care is achieved, especially in this patient population particularly vulnerable to diabetes.
AB - Background: A key opportunity for continuing diabetes care is to assure outpatient follow-up after hospitalization. To delineate patterns and factors associated with having an ambulatory care visit, we examined immediate postdischarge follow-up among a cohort of urban, hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: Retrospective study of 658 inpatients of a municipal hospital. Primary data sources were inpatient surveys and electronic records. Results: Patients were stratified into outpatient follow-up (69%), acute care follow-up (15%), and those with no follow-up (16%); differences between groups were detected for age (P=.02), percentage discharged with insulin (P=.03), and percentage receiving a full discount for care (P<.001). Among patients with a postdischarge visit, 43% were seen in our specialty diabetes clinic, and 26% in a primary care site. Adjusted analyses showed any follow-up visit significantly decreased with having to pay for care. The odds of coming to the Diabetes Clinic increased if patients were discharged with insulin, had new-onset diabetes, or had a direct referral. Conclusions: In this patient cohort, most individuals accomplished a postdischarge visit, but a substantial percentage had an acute care visit or no documented follow-up. New efforts need to be devised to track patients after discharge to assure care is achieved, especially in this patient population particularly vulnerable to diabetes.
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U2 - 10.1001/archinte.164.4.447
DO - 10.1001/archinte.164.4.447
M3 - Article
C2 - 14980997
AN - SCOPUS:10744229954
SN - 0003-9926
VL - 164
SP - 447
EP - 453
JO - Archives of internal medicine
JF - Archives of internal medicine
IS - 4
ER -