Home Healthcare Visits Improve Recovery for Heart Bypass Surgery Patients

According to a new study published May 1^st in the The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, patients who receive home healthcare visits from a cardiac surgery nurse practitioner were 3X less likely to be readmitted to the hospital or die within 30 days following being released from the hospital after recovering from their bypass surgery.   In order to conduct the study, researchers examined 401 heart bypass surgery patients from a New York hospital. Following their discharge from the hospital, 232 of the patients received the standard follow-up care while another 169 patients were enrolled in a pilot program called Follow Your Heart.   Within the first 10 days after being discharged from the hospital study participants who were enrolled in the Follow Your Heart program received 2 homecare visits from a cardiac surgery nurse practitioner and then a routine follow-up visit to their cardiac surgeon within the first 10-14 days, as well as receiving regular phone calls from their nurse practitioner and having 24/7 phone access to the medical staff.   In addition to finding that those enrolled in the Follow Your Heart program had a lower percentage of re-admittance rates and reduced risks of death within the first 30 days of discharge, researchers also found that those who participated in the Follow Your Heart program also had a drastic reduction in medical costs.   Although the study didn’t look into if there was a direct cause-and-effect relationship, experts believe that the excellent work of the nurse practitioners can be attributed to at least one of the reasons that those enrolled in the Follow Your Heart program had reduced re-hospitalization and death risks. The nurse practitioners are able to provide patients with a higher standard of follow-up care; providing patients with the care, information, and resources that are needed for them to make a more successful recovery and transition back into primary care treatment.   Experts hope that more in-depth follow-up studies will take a closer look into if there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship, as well looking at patients with other medical conditions, to determine if there is a more beneficial method of long-term sustainable follow-up healthcare that would be better for the patients and more cost-effective for the healthcare system.   Here at Mountainside Medical Equipment we strive to make healthcare easier for both patients and providers. We carry a wide range of products and supplies that are designed to help make the transition from the hospital recovery to home recovery smoother and easier. Check out our selection of daily living aids or the heart disease section of our website and see what products are available to help ease your recovery and improve your quality of life. We also carry a comprehensive line of conveniently portable products that are designed for on-the-go healthcare professionals, like homecare and hospice providers.   Sources: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145994.html