부산대학교 도서관

Background: It is not known whether quality of care for congestive heart failure (CHF) at rural hospitals is similar to that in larger, urban hospitals.Methods: We reviewed hospital charts for 310 Medicare patients hospitalized with CHF at six hospitals in rural Georgia.Results: Of the 310 patients, 101 (33%) had left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and 60 (19%) had preserved systolic function. Information on left ventricular function was not available for 48% (range, 29% to 87% across the six hospitals). Among patients with systolic dysfunction, 77% were prescribed an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor at discharge, and 73% were prescribed digoxin. However, the mean daily ACE inhibitor dose was only 48% of the recommended target dose. Only 30% of all patients with atrial fibrillation were prescribed warfarin.Conclusions: Overall quality of care for CHF at rural hospitals appears similar to that in other settings, though many patients may not receive evaluation of ventricular function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]