Trial reportPloS one2014
Do post discharge phone calls improve care transitions? A cluster-randomized trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01580774 (Effect of Post-discharge Phone Calls on Patient Outcomes for General Internal Medicine Patients Discharged From a Teaching Hospital.), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Post-discharge Phone Calls on Patient Outcomes for General Internal Medicine Patients Discharged From a Teaching Hospital.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Synchronous Postdischarge Contacts on Health Care Use and Patient Satisfaction : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Annals of internal medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions for improving medication-taking ability and adherence in older adults prescribed multiple medications.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of Early Follow-Up After Hospital Discharge on Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review.Ontario health technology assessment series · 2017Pooled it
- A systematic review on the effect of the organisation of hospital discharge on patient health outcomes.BMJ open · 2016Pooled it
- Effects of Accessible Health Technology and Caregiver Support Posthospitalization on 30-Day Readmission Risk: A Randomized Trial.Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety · 2020Trial
- Effects of a 1-Time Nurse-Led Telephone Call After Pediatric Discharge: The H2O II Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA pediatrics · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Postdischarge needs identified by an automated text messaging program: A mixed-methods study.Journal of hospital medicine · 2024Article
- Improving transitions from acute care to home among complex older adults using the LACE Index and care coordination.BMJ open quality · 2020Article
- Feasibility and performance of a patient-oriented discharge instruction tool for heart failure.BMJ open quality · 2019Article
- Optimal Timing of Physician Visits after Hospital Discharge to Reduce Readmission.Health services research · 2018Article
- Postoperative Home Monitoring After Joint Replacement: Retrospective Outcome Study Comparing Cases With Matched Historical Controls.JMIR perioperative medicine · 2018Article
- Factors Driving Patient Perception of Quality Care After Primary Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2018Article
- Contacting Patients After an Emergency Department Visit to Influence their Follow-Up Care Preferences.Spartan medical research journal · 2018Article
- Improving Emergency Department Discharge Care with Telephone Follow-Up. Does It Connect?Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2018Article
- Improving Post-Hospitalization Transition Outcomes through Accessible Health Information Technology and Caregiver Support: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical trials · 2015Article
- Transitions of care and long-term surveillance after vascular surgery.Seminars in vascular surgery · 2015Review
- Improving transitions of care for complex pediatric trauma patients from inpatient rehabilitation to home: an observational pilot study.Patient safety in surgery · 2015Article
- Adherence to common cardiovascular medications in patients with schizophrenia vs. patients without psychiatric illness.General hospital psychiatryArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
importanceThe transition from hospital to home can expose patients to adverse events during the post discharge period. Post discharge care including phone calls may provide support for patients returning home but the impact on care transitions is unknown.
objectiveTo examine the effect of a 72-hour post discharge phone call on the patient's transition of care experience.
designCluster-randomized control trial.
settingUrban, academic medical center.
participantsGeneral medical patients age 18 and older discharged home after hospitalization. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was the Care Transition Measure (CTM-3) score, a validated measure of the quality of care transitions. Secondary measures included self-reported adherence to medication and follow up plans, and 30-day composite of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmission.
results328 patients were included in the study over an 6-month period. 114 (69%) received a post discharge phone call, and 214 of all patients in the study completed the follow outcome survey (65% response rate). A small difference in CTM-3 scores was observed between the intervention and control groups (1.87 points, 95% CI 0.47-3.27, p = 0.01). Self-reported adherence to treatment plans, ED visits, and emergency readmission rates were similar between the two groups (odds ratio 0.57, 95% CI 0.13-2.45, 1.20, 95% CI 0.61-2.37, and 1.18, 95% CI 0.53-2.61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: A single post discharge phone call had a small impact on the quality of care transitions and no effect on hospital utilization. Higher intensity post discharge support may be required to improve the patient experience upon returning home.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01580774.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.