Randomized controlled trial of telephone case management in Hispanics of Mexican origin with heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Disease management is effective in the general population, but it has not been tested prospectively in a sample of solely Hispanics with heart failure (HF). We tested the effectiveness of telephone case management in decreasing hospitalizations and improving health-related quality of life (HRQL) and depression in Hispanics of Mexican origin with HF.


RESULTS
Hospitalized Hispanics with chronic HF (n = 134) were enrolled and randomized to intervention (n = 69) or usual care (n = 65). The sample was elderly (72 +/- 11 years), New York Heart Association class III/IV (81.3%), and poorly educated (78.4% less than high school education). Most (55%) were unacculturated into US society. Bilingual/bicultural Mexican-American registered nurses provided 6 months of standardized telephone case management. Data on hospitalizations were collected from automated systems at 1, 3, and 6 months after the index hospital discharge. Health-related quality of life and depression were measured by self-report at enrollment, 3, and 6 months. Intention to treat analysis was used. No significant group differences were found in HF hospitalizations, the primary outcome variable (usual care: 0.49 +/- 0.81 [CI 0.25-0.73]; intervention: 0.55 +/- 1.1 [CI 0.32-0.78] at 6 months). No significant group differences were found in HF readmission rate, HF days in the hospital, HF cost of care, all-cause hospitalizations or cost, mortality, HRQL, or depression.


CONCLUSIONS
These results have important implications because of the current widespread enthusiasm for disease management. Although disease management is effective in the mainstream HF patient population, in Hispanics this ill, elderly, and poorly educated, a different approach may be needed.
Riegel
Barbara
B
School of Nursing and Leonard Davis Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104-6096, USA.
Carlson
Beverly
B
Glaser
Dale
D
Romero
Tomas
T
D000368:Aged; D019090:Case Management; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006306:Health Surveys; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D011788:Quality of Life; D019114:Remote Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology