Chronic Illness, Ahead of Print.
Hospitalization due to non-transmissible chronic disease (NTCD) affects people and health institutions negatively. Healthcare systems need integral strategies to minimize this impact. ObjectiveTo determine the effect of an anticipated care plan, structured around hospital discharge (PC-AH-US), regarding the caregiving load of people with NTCD residing in Colombia, 2019–2021.MethodThis is a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-intervention measurements. It includes 1170 participants who represented 585 chronic disease patient–caregiver pairs. We compared the PC-AH-US intervention, to the regular intervention.ResultsThe PC-AH-US intervention group showed better results in all dimensions when compared to the regular intervention group: Awareness 8.7 (SD: 0.7) and 6.8 (SD: 1.7); Acknowledgement of their unique conditions 11.3 (SD: 1.0) and 9.4 (SD: 1.8); Capacity to fulfill care tasks 8.8 (SD: 0.7) and 7.5 (SD: 1.5); Wellbeing 11.4 (SD: 0.90) and 8.87 (SD: 2.3); Anticipation 5.88 (SD: 0.4) and 4.7 (SD: 1.1) and Support Network 11.4 (SD: 0.8) and 9.9 (SD: 2.5).ConclusionThe PC-AH-US intervention group showed a statistically significant decrease in the caregiving load for people with NTCD (p < 00). There were no significant institutional differences in readmissions or deaths. The PC-AH-US intervention backs institutional policies meant to care for people with NTCD.