Background: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to describe and quantify individual
interventions used in multicomponent outpatient heart failure management programs. Methods: MEDLINE,
CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials between 1995 and 2008 were searched using
10 search terms. Randomized controlled trials evaluating outpatient programs that addressed comprehensive
care to decrease readmissions for patients with heart failure were identified. Forty-three articles reporting on
35 studies that reported readmissions separately from other outcomes were included. Three investigators
independently abstracted primary study characteristics and outcomes