Low-to-Moderate Risk Transient Ischemic Attack Patients Can Be Safely Discharged From the Emergency Department to a Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic

BACKGROUND: Unnecessary admissions fuel rising healthcare costs and take away resources from higher acuity patients without evidence of increased safety. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine whether the care diversion for transient ischemic attack (TIA), from inpatient to a nurse practitioner (NP)-led specialty clinic, resulted in no increase in stroke incidence at 90 days. METHODS: The sample included all adults presenting to the emergency department with TIA at a low-to-moderate risk for stroke. Risks were defined by the ABCD(2) score and noninvasive vessel imaging. Patients who met the criteria were discharged and evaluated by a stroke NP at the TIA clinic within 7 days. These patients were compared with those who were admitted before clinic launch. Medical record reviews were conducted to determine stroke incidence at 90 days post TIA. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate clinical variables, and Fisher exact test was used to assess difference in stroke rates. Patient satisfaction score was collected using the existing institutional survey. RESULTS: Eighty-one participants were included, 40 in the clinic group and 41 in the admission group. The mean ages in the clinic and admission groups were 72.8 and 75.2 years, respectively (P = .37). Women comprised 45% of patients in the clinic group, compared with 51.2% in the admission group (P = .58). The mean ABCD(2) scores were 4.08 and 3.95 in the clinic and admission groups, respectively (P = .63). The median clinic follow-up time was 6 days. There was no stroke incidence in the clinic group and 1 in the admission group within 90 days post TIA. Patient satisfaction score metrics for the NP exceeded the institutional benchmark of 90%. CONCLUSION: Referral to an NP-led clinic in patients with low- to moderate-risk TIA was equally safe as hospital admission.