– An integrated mobile healthcare program focused on transitioning patients from hospital to home helped improve chronic disease compliance for patients with pulmonary and cardiac conditions. according to to a recently published study.
When the University of Maryland Medical Center Expanded mobile integrated care community emergency care (MIH-CP) program focused on reducing adverse health outcomes after hospital discharge by addressing the medical needs and social determinants of health (SDOH) of chronically ill patients.
Predetermined Adherence to medication is essential to avoid readmission For those managing chronic diseases. Additionally, a patient with poor medication adherence is 2.5 times more likely to experience readmission.
and research Nearly 40-50% of chronically ill patients indicate that they face barriers to taking medication, and efforts to enhance adherence are at the heart of healthcare professionals.
In this study, high-risk chronic disease patients affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center were provided follow-up care through the MIH-CP program. In this program, pharmacists, doctors, nurses and community health workers support patients through transitional care.
After discharge from the hospital, a field team of community paramedics and pharmacists visited the patient’s home to collect vital signs. review patient medicationand conduct medication assessments.
“The home visit component of the program sets this transitional model of care apart from other models that utilize telephones and other clinic services,” said lead study author Olufunke Sokan, PharmD, University of Maryland. A graduate pharmacist pharmacy and colleague said in a press release. “This is because home visits give pharmacists a more realistic view of patient medication behavior and more thorough post-discharge medication adjustments. It helped me identify discrepancies.”
“During the process of home medication adjustments conducted by the MIH-CP team, several incidents occurred, including continuation of discontinued medications, duplication of treatments, omission of medications, incorrect administration such as changes in medication intensity, and/or changes in frequency. Some discrepancies were identified, especially in their management,” the authors wrote in the study.
A discharge visit at the end of the 30-day program addressed any medication changes or medication-related issues.
Findings showed that 89% of MIH-CP patients received their newly prescribed medication within 30 days of discharge, compared to less than 70% of non-MIH-CP patients.
Specifically, in the first 30 days after enrollment, patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) experienced a near 20% increase in prescription medication fill and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had a 25% increase. .
Researchers also noticed an 8-14% improvement in medication adherence 60 days after the pharmacist-initiated intervention.
“Pharmacists play an important role in MIH-CP and similar types of programs with a focus on medication administration and adherence,” the study authors explained. “Pharmacists have identified cases of first fill failures where medication was started in the hospital but the patient did not take medication after discharge.”
Despite the modest improvement, the effects on medication adherence were not sustained beyond 30 days of the MIH-CP program, indicating the need for additional follow-up beyond 30 days.
“Efforts to consolidate inpatient and outpatient medication regimens remain important to help prevent medication non-adherence during transitions of care and identify medication non-adherence at time points,” said Sokan and colleagues. I’m here. “Transition of care programs such as MIH-CP to include pharmacists as part of the team will support the identification and resolution of significant medication-related problems and medication non-adherence. We can provide much-needed care and support to communities that do not.”
Past research has shown that mobile healthcare solutions are well-suited to address medical and social determinants of health and reduce barriers to healthcare. The benefits mobile healthcare offers are increasing year by year.
a another study We found that these tools could improve access to the COVID-19 vaccine for community-based mobile health units.
In this case, the findings indicate that mobile healthcare delivery systems are well-positioned to reach more Black and Hispanic patients, and to target specific marginalized groups in relation to COVID-19. alleviate the past inequalities and racial disparities faced by
These promising discoveries have allowed the program to continue and expand to more communities, including other medically underserved communities of color.
