Automated phone call programs can be an effective way for health systems to ensure that older adults are getting important information about care plans or to notify them of follow-up appointments post hospital discharge, a new study has found.

Researchers discovered the automated call program reached a higher percentage of patients between the ages of 65 and 84 than under the age of 64. It also found higher completion rates for those 85 and above, who were more likely to have questions about their follow-up plans or to

need assistance in scheduling appointments than those under 64.

Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco evaluated the effectiveness of all the telephone calls made by an urban academic medical center as part of a post-discharge automated telephone outreach program to patients between May 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019. 

A total of 1,876 patients were included in the study. It considered patients post discharge in three age groups: under 65; 65 to 84; and 85 and older.

“Post-hospital automated telephone calls are feasible and effective at reaching older adults,”

researchers wrote. “Future work should focus on improving discharge communication to ensure older adults are aware of their follow-up plan and appointments.”
The study was published in the June 29 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.