The Bundled Hospital Elder Life Program—HELP and HELP in Home Care—and Its Association With Clinical Outcomes Among Older Adults Discharged to Home Healthcare - American Geriatric Society

OBJECTIVES

To describe the Bundled Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP and HELP in Home Care), an adaptation of HELP, and examine the association of 30‐day all‐cause unplanned hospital readmission risk among older adults discharged to home care with and without Bundled HELP.

DESIGN

Matched case‐control study.

SETTING

Two medical‐surgical units within two midwestern rural hospitals and patient homes (home health).

PARTICIPANTS

Hospitalized patients, aged 65 years and older, discharged to home healthcare with and without Bundled HELP exposure between January 1, 2015, and September 30, 2017. Each case (Bundled HELP, n = 148) was matched to a control (non‐Bundled HELP, n = 148) on Charlson Comorbidity Index, primary hospital diagnosis of orthopedic condition or injury, and cardiovascular disease using propensity score matching.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary study outcome was 30‐day all‐cause unplanned hospital readmission. Additional outcomes measured were 30‐day emergency department (ED) visit, hospital length of stay (LOS), and total number of skilled home care visits.

RESULTS

Fewer cases (16.8%) than controls (28.4%) had a 30‐day all‐cause unplanned hospital readmission. The fully adjusted model showed significantly lower risk of 30‐day hospital readmission for case (Bundled HELP) patients (0.41; 95% confidence interval = 0.22‐0.77; P < .01). The difference between case (10.8%) and control (15.5%) 30‐day ED visit was not significant (P = .23). A lower LOS for the case group was shown (P < .01), while the number of skilled home care visits was not significantly different between groups (P = .28).

CONCLUSION

HELP protocol implementation during a patient's hospital stay and as a continued component of home care among older adults at risk for cognitive and/or functional decline appears to be associated with favorable outcomes. Our initial evaluation supports continued study of the Bundled HELP. Further research is needed to confirm the initial findings and to evaluate the impact of the adapted model on functional outcomes and delirium incidence in the home. J Am Geriatr Soc 00:1–7, 2019.

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