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One third of hospitalized patients visit the emergency department in the 30 days after discharge. To evaluate whether postdischarge contact by nonphysician staff can reduce such postdischarge healthcare use, researchers analyzed 13 studies (11 randomized trials) conducted in 7 countries and published since 2011. Contact was primarily via a single telephone call within 3 days of discharge and mainly involved reviewing medications; some studies included monitoring symptoms and coordinating services as well.
Analysis showed that postdischarge contact — compared with no contact or control — was not associated with improved 30-day hospital readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, or overall unplanned healthcare use. Whether a patient in fa…