Telehealth Efforts to Reduce Hospital Readmissions of Congestive Heart Failure Patients

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that affects millions of individuals in the United States. There is no cure for CHF, but medical interventions can help treat the symptoms and improve health outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if telehealth services help to reduce the readmission status of patients diagnosed with CHF. The theoretical framework used in this study was the individual and family self-management theory to help focus on self-management behaviors that contribute to improving the patients\u27 health outcomes. The research questions were focused on addressing CHF patients receiving telehealth services and whether the demographic, medical, and compliance/participation factors influenced or predicted the patients\u27 readmission status. Data was collected for 110 CHF diagnosed patients that received telehealth services. The study revealed that post-telehealth readmission and telehealth discharge goals were correlated (r = 0.07, p \u3c 0.05), implying that readmission during the program and discharge goals of the program have a direct and positive relationship. A negative correlation was established between patient readmission during the telehealth program and discharge goals status (r = -0.14, p \u3c 0.05), implying that there is an inverse relationship between the 2 variables in regard to readmission of patients with CHF. Results of the binary logistic regression revealed that none of the predictors of age, gender, or goals status were correlated with readmission. The results can assist positive social change efforts by enhancing telehealth via collaborating with other services, such as homecare to effectively manage patients\u27 CHF conditions and improve the overall quality of care to patients