Characteristics of the sample (N=834) by HHC referral groups
| Characteristics | Overall sample (Total N=834) | Non-HHC referred (n=713) | HHC referred (n=121) | P value |
| Demographic and socioeconomic status | ||||
| Age, mean (SD) | 71.0 (67–76) | 70.0 (67–76) | 72.0 (68–79) | 0.010 |
| Female, % (n) | 40.5 (338) | 39.1 (279) | 48.8 (59) | 0.046 |
| Caucasian/white, % (n) | 90.8 (757) | 91.4 (652) | 86.8 (105) | 0.149 |
| Education: ≤high school graduation, % (n) | 40 (333) | 38.4 (274) | 48.7 (59) | 0.048 |
| Unmarried/not living with partner, % (n) | 32.3 (269) | 30.7 (219) | 41.3 (50) | 0.021 |
| Annual household income: less than US$25 000, % (n) | 24.5 (204) | 21.2 (151) | 43.8 (53) | <0.001 |
| Difficulty paying monthly bills: somewhat or very difficult, % (n) | 31.7 (265) | 28.5 (203) | 51.3 (62) | <0.001 |
| Health literacy (3-item BHLS): (possible range: 3–15): limited (<9), % (n) | 17.5 (146) | 15.0 (107) | 32.2 (39) | <0.001 |
| Social support (ESSI) (possible range: 8–34), mean (SD) | 31.0 (28–33) | 31.0 (28–33) | 31.0 (26–33) | 0.050 |
| Health history | ||||
| Primary diagnosis at index hospitalisation | <0.001 | |||
| ACS, % (n) | 64.9 (541) | 69.7 (497) | 36.4 (44) | |
| ADHF, % (n) | 28.4 (237) | 24.8 (177) | 49.6 (60) | |
| Both, % (n) | 6.7 (56) | 5.5 (39) | 14.0 (17) | |
| Comorbidity (Elixhauser Index), median (Q1–Q3) | 12.0 (5–20) | 11.0 (4–18) | 20.0 (12–25) | <0.001 |
| Depressive symptoms (PHQ-8) (possible range 0–24), % (n) | <0.001 | |||
| None/minimal to mild (0–9) | 72.1 (601) | 74 (528) | 60.3 (73) | |
| Moderate to severe (10–24) | 27.9 (233) | 26 (185) | 39.7 (48) | |
| Cognitive functioning (SPMSQ) (possible range 0–10), % (n) | <0.001 | |||
| Intact cognitive functioning (0–2) | 90.8 (757) | 92.4 (659) | 81.0 (98) | |
| Mild/moderate cognitive impairment (3–7) | 9.2 (77) | 7.6 (54) | 19 (23) | |
| Severe cognitive impairment (8–10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Outpatient visits (past 12 months), median (Q1–Q3) | 6.0 (4–12) | 6.0 (4–12) | 7.0 (4–12) | 0.050 |
| ED visits (past 12 months), median (Q1–Q3) | 0.0 (0–1) | 0.0 (0–1) | 1.0 (0–2) | <0.001 |
| Hospitalisations (past 12 months), median (Q1–Q3) | 0.0 (0–2) | 0.0 (0–1) | 1.0 (0–3) | <0.001 |
| Length of hospital stay (days), median (Q1–Q3) | 3.0 (2–5) | 3.0 (2–5) | 6.0 (4–9) | <0.001 |
BHLS, Brief Health Literacy Screen; ED, emergency department; ESSI, ENRICHD Social Support Inventory; HHC, home healthcare; PHQ-8, Patient Health Questionnaire-8; SPMSQ, Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire.