NCC demonstrated to have an effect on a small number of outcomes .
NCC that incorporated blood pressure monitoring , cholesterol control and smoking cessation has an impact on the improvement of secondary prevention .
Current guidelines on secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease recommend nurse-coordinated care ( NCC ) as an effective intervention .
However , NCC programmes differ widely and the efficacy of NCC components has not been studied .
Effects of a nurse-based case management compared to usual care among aged patients with myocardial infarction: results from the randomized controlled KORINNA study
Background Transition from hospital to home is a critical period for older persons with acute myocardial infa rct ion ( AMI ) .  Home-based secondary prevention programs led by nurses have been proposed to facilitate the patients ’ adjustment to AMI after discharge . The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a nurse-based case management for elderly patients discharged after an AMI from a tertiary care hospital . Methods In a single-centre r and omized two-armed parallel group trial of patients aged 65 years and older hospitalized with an AMI between September 2008 and May 2010 in the Hospital of Augsburg , Germany , patients were r and omly assigned to a case management or a control group receiving usual care . The case-management intervention consisted of a nurse-based follow-up for one year including home visits and telephone calls . Key elements of the intervention were to detect problems or risks and to give advice regarding a wide range of aspects of disease management ( e.g. nutrition , medication ) . Primary study endpoint was time to first unplanned readmission or death . Block r and omization per telephone call to a biostatistical center , where the r and omization list was kept , was performed . Persons who assessed one-year outcomes and vali date d readmission data were blinded . Statistical analysis was based on the intention-to-treat approach and included Cox Proportional Hazards models . Results Three hundred forty patients were allocated to receive case-management ( n=168 ) or usual care ( n=172 ) . The analysis is based on 329 patients ( intervention group : n=161 ; control group : n=168 ) . Of these , 62 % were men , mean age was 75.4 years , and 47.1 % had at least either diabetes or chronic heart failure as a major comorbidity . The mean follow-up time for the intervention group was 273.6 days , and for the control group it was 320.6 days . During one year , in the intervention group there were 57 first unplanned readmissions and 5 deaths , while the control group had 75 first unplanned readmissions and 3 deaths . With respect to the endpoint there was no significant effect of the case management program after one year ( Hazard Ratio 1.01 , 95 % confidence interval 0.72 - 1.41 ) . This was also the case among subgroups according to sex , diabetes , living alone , and comorbidities . Conclusions A nurse-based management among elderly patients with AMI had no significant influence on the rate of first unplanned readmissions or death during a one-year follow-up . A possible long-term influence should be investigated by further studies . Clinical trial registration IS RCT
NCC demonstrated to have an effect on a small number of outcomes .
NCC that incorporated blood pressure monitoring , cholesterol control and smoking cessation has an impact on the improvement of secondary prevention .
Current guidelines on secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease recommend nurse-coordinated care ( NCC ) as an effective intervention .
However , NCC programmes differ widely and the efficacy of NCC components has not been studied .