This study assessed how a social work-led care coordination intervention would reduce the within-30-day hospital readmission rate among moderate- and high-risk patients age 50 years or older. Authors ran a randomized controlled trial to determine whether there was a significant difference in within-30-day readmission rates between patients receiving usual care post-discharge and those receiving intervention from an MSW intern (one home visit and one to two phone calls). Results were obtained using a sample of hospitalized patients with a LACE index score of 7 or higher (N = 89). Analysis suggests that the intervention improved the likelihood of not being readmitted by some 22 percent (RR = 1.222; 95% CI = 1.063-1.405). The risk improvement with the intervention was highly statistically significant (p = .003). This study shows that a time-efficient care coordination intervention by MSW interns may decrease hospital readmission rates. Replications of this study in other communities, with more diverse populations, and with larger numbers of patients will indicate whether results are generalizable.

Interprofessional collaborative practice is increasingly recognized as an essential model in health care. This study lends preliminary support to the notion that medical students (including residents) and social work students develop a broader understanding of one another's roles and contributions to enhancing community-dwelling geriatric patients' health, and develop a more thorough understanding of the inherent complexities and unique aspects of geriatric health care. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests of participants' scores on the Index of Interdisciplinary Collaboration (IIC) indicated the training made significant changes to the students' perception of interprofessional collaboration. Qualitative analysis of participants' statements illustrated (1) benefits of the IPE experience, including complementary roles in holistic interventions; and (2) challenges to collaboration. The findings suggest that interprofessional educational experiences have a positive impact upon students' learning and strategies for enhanced care of geriatric patients.

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