Mentoring programs can help improve patients’ transition from hospital to home by reducing their postoperative anxiety following a transplant, according to a study published in the Journal of Operations Management. Investigators evaluated a standardized peer-mentoring program in which former patients mentor current patients for 30 days after discharge. They enrolled 80 transplant patients randomly assigned to either mentoring or usual care. Patients in the treatment arm experienced a 3.42-point greater decrease in their anxiety scores during 30 days. Unexpectedly, however, patients in the treatment arm had a 12.6 times greater risk for readmission during the first 30 days. The investigators suggested this finding was due to patients reporting complications sooner and getting treated earlier. “Patients and former patients can and should be co-creators of value in the transition of care process,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Hospitals can benefit from a structured approach to pairing patients with a mentor to help navigate the first few months of postsurgical anxiety.”

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