Do clinical nurse specialist led stroke follow-up clinics reduce post-stroke hospital readmissions and recurrent vascular events?

Background: Post-discharge stroke follow-up clinics intend to improve care and may reduce readmission. Pre-2013, there was no consistent post-stroke specialist follow up offered at Wellington Hospital. We tested whether the establishment of a clinical nurse specialist follow-up clinic reduced the 12-month readmission rate. Methods: This is a sequential comparison of stroke patients admitted 1 year prior and 1 year after clinic establishment in 2013. The primary outcome was 12-month hospital readmission rate; main secondary outcomes were guideline adherence and recurrent vascular events. Patients were identified from hospital discharge records and underwent chart review. We adjusted results for differences in baseline characteristics. Results: We identified 603 eligible patients; 288 pre- and 315 post-nurse clinic implementations. There was no difference based on study cohort in the 1-year readmission rate (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.14; 95% CI, 0.7-1.89; P = 0.583), or recurrent composite vascular events at 1 year (aOR = 1.56; 95% CI, 0.89-2.9; P = 0.159). When looking at clinic attendance as the main variable of interest, a pre-specified subgroup analysis, there was a significant difference in implementation of best medical therapy (aOR 2.66 (1.19-5.94); P = 0.017), and a trend towards reduction of vascular events and/or death at 1 year post discharge (aOR 0.53 (0.28-1.02); P = 0.056). Conclusions: There was no reduction in the 1-year hospital readmission or vascular event recurrence rate for patients admitted with stroke following the establishment of a specialist nurse-led stroke follow-up clinic. Actual clinic attendance, however, did appear to confer some benefit. This study suggests that more consistent and potentially earlier timed follow up is probably desirable.