Improving outcomes following hospital discharge: An RCT examining two patient-centered intervention models for acute stroke patients
Date: Thursday 10 December 2015
Time: 12:30 - 13:30 (lunch from 12pm)
Venue: Tower 2 9.04
Speaker: Professor Paul Freddolino (PSSRU visiting professor/Michigan State University)
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the US and in the UK, and the second leading cause of death worldwide.Almost 1 million acute stroke patients are discharged from U.S. hospitals every year, with the majority returning home. For many stroke patients and caregivers, navigating the transition between hospital discharge and home is associated with substantial psychosocial and health-related challenges. Complex transitions are characterized by hospital readmissions, slow recovery, poor quality of life, unmet informational needs, dissatisfaction with care, and high caregiver burden.
Social workers play a vital role in healthcare systems by providing advocacy, counseling, and coordination of services. Home visits conducted by social workers provide valuable information about the complex social and medical needs of patients in the environment in which they actually live, resulting in greater opportunities to improve their transitional care experience. Thus one intervention aims to improve the transition experience of stroke patients and caregivers through the development of a patient and caregiver-centered social work case management program.
This seminar discusses a study to test the efficacy of two complementary interventions using a pragmatic, open, randomized clinical trial of 480 acute stroke patients discharged from 4 Michigan hospitals: the personalized case management program (delivered by Social Work Bridge Coordinators) mentioned above which will reduce patient and caregiver needs, improve quality of life, and decrease caregiver burden; and a patient-centered online communication, information and support resource - termed a Virtual Stroke Support Portal (VSSP) - developed through a comprehensive assessment of the information needs of the stroke patient and caregiver stakeholders within the study. The project is now in its second year and is about to begin the pilot phase of the interventions. The presentation will include an overview of the intended sample (inclusion and exclusion criteria), measures, methods and results of the preliminary study of patient and caregiver information needs, and content of the Virtual Stroke Support Portal. Plans for the remainder of the project will also be described.
About the speaker
Paul P. Freddolino, M.Div., Ph.D.,is Professor of Social Work at Michigan State University and Visiting Professor in the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the London School of Economics. He has been involved in evaluation research activities for over 30 years in fields ranging from mental health to geriatric services to community health interventions.
Professor Freddolino earned his academic degrees in the field of sociology – his bachelor’s degree at Notre Dame (1967), master’s degree at Cornell (1970), and Ph.D. at Michigan (1977). Prior to coming to MSU he completed a two-year, NIMH-funded postdoctoral program in mental health evaluation research at UCLA. During his career at MSU he has taught courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods, evaluation practice, administrative practice, and an elective course on technology in social work.
Professor Freddolino has conducted externally funded research in community health, mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, and services for older adults. Recent projects have included an assessment of the effectiveness of a program serving children in foster care who have experienced trauma, and several studies involving technology-based services for low-income older adults. He is currently working on a project at the LSE related to technology tools and technology-supported services for people with dementia and their carers, as well as a randomized controlled trial at MSU of a technology tool for stroke patients and their carers in transition home after hospital discharge.
