Impact of Recall Visits on Hospitlaization Rates in a Heart Failure Clinic

Abstract

Many heart failure (HF) hospital admissions are avoidable with appropriate surveillance and self-care support that HF Clinics can provide. Previous studies conducted vary in approach to surveillance. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of frequency of HF Clinic recall visits on hospital admissions. A retrospective cohort of 110 patients enrolled in a HF Clinic was selected. Correlations were conducted among demographic characteristics, clinical variables, number of recall visits, and hospital admission rates. Significant variables were entered into multivariate regression analysis to determine predictors of frequency of recall visits and hospital admissions. HF clinic visit recall frequency was not predictive of hospitalization rates in this cohort. The main predictor of hospital admissions was the baseline Seattle Heart Failure Model score. Additional study of this composite score as a potential tool for determining HF Clinic recall frequency is required.