Home infusion: Studies highlight benefit of education, inotropic therapy
By HME News Staff
Updated Thu July 13, 2017
Patients have better outcomes when they receive home infusion education before they are discharged from the hospital, according to Option Care data. These patients were less likely to experience disruptions in therapy, go to the emergency room or be readmitted to the hospital, according to a presented by the company at the National Home Infusion Association Annual Conference & Exposition in May. The study compared outcomes of 60 patients who received pre-discharge education vs. 37 patients who did not and found outcomes improved by 20% for the first group. Education included proper handwashing, appropriate care of medication, and how to monitor for signs of infection…Advanced heart failure patients who received home infusion of inotropic therapy have a better quality of life, according to another study from Option Care and presented at the NHIA conference. The study included 88 adult heart failure patients who filled out the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) before the start of inotropic infusion and three months after therapy. There was an 8.65% improvement among all patients. Additionally, there were improvements in shortness of breath (17.13%), hospital stays (17.65%) and medical care costs (20.78%).
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