Purpose of the study: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Case Management Model versus treatment as usual (TAU) for diabetics diagnosed with heart failure.
Research Question: Does implementation of the Integrated Case Management Model reduce unplanned 30-day readmissions for diabetic patients with heart failure compared to treatment as usual (TAU)?
Setting, sample: The setting is a single-site facility in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C. The sample will consist of a total of 80 conveniently selected medical records. Patients in this sample have been diagnosed with heart failure and diabetes and have been discharged from inpatient treatment and subsequently readmitted within 30-days. There is documentation of The Integrated Case Management Model in the medical records of 40 patients. Treatment as usual (TAU) will be documented in the other 40 patients’ medical records.
Measures: The dependent variable is the readmission in 30 day end point. The independent variables are characteristics of diabetic patients diagnosed with heart failure who have discharged and subsequently readmitted within 30 days at the observation and inpatient levels of care.
Method: A retrospective descriptive comparative analysis.
Procedures: The procedure of the study involves three major steps: 1) Random selection of 40 Integrated Case Management Model and 40 TAU medical charts of patients discharged between September 1, 2015 and June 30, 2017. 2) Data collection in accordance with preset categories of clinical characteristics 3) Data entry into Statistical Analysis System (SAS) database.
Data Analysis: The data will be cleaned and analyzed using SAS. Independent sample t-tests will be used in this quantitative, retrospective analysis.
Nursing implications - Krumholz et al. (2002) stated that heart failure in the diabetic results in a high rate of readmission; however, various case management programs have reduced readmission rates. The results of this project will show whether the Integrated Case Management Model is more effective than treatment as usual in reducing readmission rates.
Keywords: integrated case management model, heart failure, diabetes, evaluation
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