A Multidisciplinary Intervention to Prevent the Readmission of Elderly Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is the most common indication for hospitalization among adults over 65 years of age, 1 and the rate of admission to treat this condition has increased progressively over the past two decades. 2 Elderly patients with heart failure are also at increased risk for early rehospitalization, with rates of readmission ranging from 29 to 47 percent within three to six months of the initial discharge. 3 – 5 Moreover, behavioral factors, such as noncompliance with medications and diet, and social factors, such as social isolation, frequently contribute to early readmissions, suggesting that many such readmissions could be prevented. 5 , 6 We hypothesized . . .