Proposal for a standardized discharge letter after hospital stay for acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

In patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction, the communication and transition from specialists to primary care physicians is often delayed, and the information imparted to subsequent healthcare providers (HCPs) may be sub-optimal. A French group of cardiologists, lipidologists and diabetologists decided to establish a consensus to optimize the discharge letter after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction. The aim is to improve both the timeframe and the quality of the content transmitted to subsequent HCPs, including information regarding baseline assessment, procedures during hospitalization, residual risk, discharge treatments, therapeutic targets and follow-up recommendations in compliance with European Society of Cardiology guidelines. A consensus was obtained regarding a template discharge letter, to be released within two days after patient's discharge, and containing the description of the patient's history, risk factors, acute management, risk assessment, discharge treatments and follow-up pathway. Specifically for post acute MI patients, tailored details are necessary regarding the antithrombotic regimen, lipid-lowering and anti-diabetic treatments, including therapeutic targets. Lastly, the follow-up pathway needs to be precisely mentioned in the discharge letter. Additional information such as technical descriptions, imaging, and quality indicators may be provided separately. A template for a standardized discharge letter based on 8 major headings could be useful for implementation in routine practice and help to improve the quality and timing of information transmission between HCPs after acute MI.

Keywords: Myocardial infarction; communication; discharge; primary care.