HEARt Sounds: Testing the acceptability and feasibility of audio recordings to improve discharge communication for cardiology inpatients
Principal Investigators
Stacey L. Schott, MD, MPH (Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine), Paul J. Barr, PhD, MSc (Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College)
Public Health Relevance
It is common for the majority of the information shared during clinic visits and discharge appointments to be quickly forgotten after the visit’s conclusion. Incorporating an audio-recording of a discharge discussion into standard practice for patients leaving the hospital is a tool with great potential to improve patient understanding and compliance.
Funding Source
Hitchcock Foundation, Lebanon, NH (#250-4113)
Project Period: October 2018 - May 2019
Dartmouth College Project Staff: Michelle D. Dannenberg, MPH; Shayne Dodge; Jesse Schoonmaker, MD, MPH; Molly Caiss; Martha L. Bruce, PhD; Elizabeth Khusid; A. James O’Malley, PhD
Project Summary
Ineffective discharge communication systems can significantly impact patient understanding, safety and treatment adherence, especially for cardiology patients who leave the hospital with complex discharge plans, a multitude of high-risk medications, post-procedural care instructions and recommendations for drastic lifestyle changes, all delivered in a time-pressured discharge discussion. Sharing audio-recordings of discharge conversations may be a minimally disruptive strategy to improve recall, understanding and medication adherence. In this pilot trial, we plan to randomize patients being discharged from a cardiology in-patient setting to receive usual care (written instructions) or a recording of their discharge conversation in addition to usual care.
This pilot trial aims to:
Determine whether providing audio recorded discharge instructions as a supplemental discharge communication tool will be feasible for cardiology providers and patients (N=50) to use during the inpatient discharge discussion.
Determine whether patients and their families will use audio recorded discharge instructions after their hospital discharge to self-manage care.
Explore the impact of audio recording on patient understanding and ability to self-manage care.