Main Findings : The results indicate that an intervention involving any human factor principles may nearly double an individual ’s probability of not being readmitted .
Principal Conclusions : Interventions with human factor principles reduce readmissions among HF patients .
Background : Human factors play an important role in health-care outcomes of heart failure ( HF ) patients .
A systematic review and meta- analysis of clinical trial studies on HF hospitalization may yield positive proofs of the beneficial effect of specific care management strategies .
Purpose : To investigate how the 8 guiding principles of choice , rest , environment , activity , trust , interpersonal relationships , outlook , and nutrition reduce HF readmissions .
Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial of Reciprocal Peer Support in Heart Failure
Background —Although disease management programs for patients hospitalized with heart failure ( HF ) are effective , they are , however , often re source intensive , limiting their uptake . Peer support programs have led to improved outcomes among patients with other chronic conditions and may result in similar improvements for patients with HF . Methods and Results —In this r and omized controlled trial , Reciprocal Peer Support ( RPS ) arm patients participated in a HF nurse practitioner – led goal setting group session , received brief training in peer communication skills , and were paired with another participant in their cohort with whom they were encouraged to talk weekly using a telephone platform . Participants were also encouraged to attend 3 nurse practitioner – facilitated peer support group sessions .  Patients in the nurse care management arm attended a nurse practitioner – led session to address their HF care questions and receive HF educational material s and information on how to access care management services .  The median age of the patients was 69 years ; 51 % were female and 26 % were racial/ethnic minorities . Only 55 % of RPS patients participated in peer calls or group sessions . In intention-to-treat analyses , the RPS and nurse care management groups did not differ in time-to-first all-cause rehospitalization or death or in mean numbers of rehospitalizations or deaths . There were no differences in improvements in 6-month measures of HF-specific quality of life or social support . Conclusions —Among patients recently hospitalized for HF , more than half of RPS participants had no or minimal engagement with the RPS program , and the program did not improve outcomes compared with usual HF nurse care management . Clinical Trial Registration —URL : http://www . clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT00508508
Main Findings : The results indicate that an intervention involving any human factor principles may nearly double an individual ’s probability of not being readmitted .
Principal Conclusions : Interventions with human factor principles reduce readmissions among HF patients .
Background : Human factors play an important role in health-care outcomes of heart failure ( HF ) patients .
A systematic review and meta- analysis of clinical trial studies on HF hospitalization may yield positive proofs of the beneficial effect of specific care management strategies .
Purpose : To investigate how the 8 guiding principles of choice , rest , environment , activity , trust , interpersonal relationships , outlook , and nutrition reduce HF readmissions .