The effect of patient activation on transition clinic adherence

Abstract

<p>Heart failure (HF) affects more than five million Americans and is one of the most commonly occurring reasons for admission to the hospital among adults aged 65 and over. Evidence is growing that the higher amount of patient engagement or activation, the better the health and cost outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between a higher patient activation score, as determined by the PAM-10, and completion in the heart failure transition clinic. The design for this study was a quantitative descriptive study. The patients were given the questionnaire prior to discharge from the hospital and based on the recommendations associated with the PAM-10 tool, the level of activation can help the staff in the transition clinic to tailor specific interventions at the transition clinic. The population for this study was patients who were admitted into the hospital with a primary diagnosis of heart failure. The convenience sample consisted of patients who the inpatient navigator visited in the hospital and who agreed to participate in the study. Those in skilled nursing facilities, cognitively impaired individuals, or non-English speaking patients were excluded. There were 36 participants, half of which scored a level three on the PAM-10, and the completion rate of those who were a level three was 76%. It was determined that the higher level of activation, the more likely that the participant was to complete the transition program.</p>