Hospital Avoidance Response Team trial success leading to better outcomes in the community
St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospital’s innovative Hospital Avoidance Response team (HART) trial has been so successful, it has received four-year funding from the East Metropolitan Health Service.
16 Mar 2020
The HART trial was developed to reduce the number of patients at risk of readmission to the hospital and who would benefit from enhanced care coordination and support with self-management of their diseases and health issues.
St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals CEO Michael Hogan said we have been delighted with the success of the HART trial and extremely grateful that East Metropolitan Health Service has agreed to fund this important service for four years.
“The multidisciplinary HART team demonstrated that early intervention strategies and case management for patients presenting with chronic and complex health conditions is effective in reducing hospital readmissions,” he said.
“Of the 134 patients included in the HART trial, more than 85 per cent of the patients were not readmitted over a six month period,” he said.
“Patients chosen for the trial were those who had a history of being readmitted more than three times over the previous 12 months.”
“Importantly, the trial showed better outcomes for patients suffering from complex chronic health issues and enabling them to lead more independent lives and have a better understanding of their disease and management options.”
The multidisciplinary HART comprises a clinical nurse, occupational therapist and social worker.
The team provides support to the hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) and inpatient teams in the assessment and management of patients with ambulatory care sensitive conditions and a history of frequent ED attendance and hospital readmissions.
The team aim to enhance the assessment of care needs for patients and their families and carers of chronic disease, improve patient education and self-management of chronic diseases and improve the communication across the care continuum.
“The success of the HART trial is a credit to the team’s approach to provide person-centred care, best practice and efficient quality care in a collaborative manner to achieve the best outcomes for patients,” Mr Hogan said.
The team is responsible for:
• Development of care management plans for patients identified as having multiple presentations within an identified timeframe.
• Assessment and referral to ambulatory care services, where appropriate.
• Discharge follow up and linking patients with local services.
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