Date of Conferral

5-8-2024

Date of Award

5-8-2024

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Robin Sneed

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) remains a significant challenge for healthcare administration leaders, primarily due to the escalating rates of HF readmissions, necessitating the identification of factors contributing to decreased hospital readmissions. This quantitative study aimed to investigate the influence of communication and discharge information on HF readmission rates, guided by the health belief model. Research questions focused on understanding the relationship between quality measures, communication about medicines (independent variable), discharge information (independent variable), and HF readmission rates (dependent variable). Using a Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) secondary dataset encompassing 2911 acute care hospitals, a Kruskal-Wallis H analysis revealed a statistically significant correlation between communication about medicines star ratings and HF readmission rates, indicating higher readmissions in hospitals with ratings below three. Similarly, the analysis identified a significant relationship between discharge information and HF readmissions, with higher rates observed in hospitals with ratings below four. Notably, a three-star rating denoted an average level of patient satisfaction, while a four-star rating signified above-average satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of in-hospital communication in positively impacting healthcare outcomes. Moreover, they highlight the potential for driving positive social change by aiding healthcare administration leaders in devising improved communication and discharge strategies to mitigate HF readmission rates and enhance patients' quality of life.

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