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Understanding the patient experience of early unplanned hospital readmission following acute care discharge: a qualitative descriptive study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:To understand from a patient and carer perspective: (1) what features of the discharge process could be improved to avoid early unplanned hospital readmission (within 72?hours of acute care discharge) and (2) what elements of discharge planning could have enhanced the discharge experience. DESIGN:A qualitative descriptive design was used. Study data were collected using semi-structured interviews that were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Data related to participant characteristic were collected by medical record audit and summarised using descriptive statistics. SETTING:Three acute care hospitals from one health service in Australia. PARTICIPANTS:Patients who had an early unplanned hospital readmission and/or their carers, if present during the interviews and willing to participate, with patient permission. FINDINGS:Thirty interviews were conducted (23 patients only; 6 patient and carer dyads; 1 carer only). Five themes were constructed: 'experiences of care', 'hearing and being heard', 'what's wrong with me', 'not just about me' and 'all about going home'. There was considerable variability in patients' and carers' experiences of hospital care, discharge processes and early unplanned hospital readmission. Features of the discharge process that could be improved to potentially avoid early unplanned hospital readmission were better communication, optimal clinical care including ensuring readiness for discharge and shared decision-making regarding discharge timing and goals on returning home. The discharge experience could have been enhanced by improved communication between patients (and carers) and the healthcare team, not rushing the discharge process and a more coordinated approach to patient transport home from hospital. CONCLUSIONS:The study findings highlight the complexities of the discharge process and the importance of effective communication, shared decision-making and carer engagement in optimising hospital discharge and reducing early unplanned hospital readmissions.

SUBMITTER: Considine J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7247374 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Understanding the patient experience of early unplanned hospital readmission following acute care discharge: a qualitative descriptive study.

Considine Julie J Berry Debra D Sprogis Stephanie K SK Newnham Evan E Fox Karen K Darzins Peteris P Rawson Helen H Street Maryann M

BMJ open 20200520 5

<h4>Objectives</h4>To understand from a patient and carer perspective: (1) what features of the discharge process could be improved to avoid early unplanned hospital readmission (within 72 hours of acute care discharge) and (2) what elements of discharge planning could have enhanced the discharge experience.<h4>Design</h4>A qualitative descriptive design was used. Study data were collected using semi-structured interviews that were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analy ...[more]

PMID: 32439693

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Project description:BackgroundReadmissions to hospital are common, costly and often preventable. An easy-to-use index to quantify the risk of readmission or death after discharge from hospital would help clinicians identify patients who might benefit from more intensive post-discharge care. We sought to derive and validate an index to predict the risk of death or unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge from hospital to the community.MethodsIn a prospective cohort study, 48 patient-level and admission-level variables were collected for 4812 medical and surgical patients who were discharged to the community from 11 hospitals in Ontario. We used a split-sample design to derive and validate an index to predict the risk of death or nonelective readmission within 30 days after discharge. This index was externally validated using administrative data in a random selection of 1,000,000 Ontarians discharged from hospital between 2004 and 2008.ResultsOf the 4812 participating patients, 385 (8.0%) died or were readmitted on an unplanned basis within 30 days after discharge. Variables independently associated with this outcome (from which we derived the mnemonic "LACE") included length of stay ("L"); acuity of the admission ("A"); comorbidity of the patient (measured with the Charlson comorbidity index score) ("C"); and emergency department use (measured as the number of visits in the six months before admission) ("E"). Scores using the LACE index ranged from 0 (2.0% expected risk of death or urgent readmission within 30 days) to 19 (43.7% expected risk). The LACE index was discriminative (C statistic 0.684) and very accurate (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic 14.1, p=0.59) at predicting outcome risk.InterpretationThe LACE index can be used to quantify risk of death or unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge from hospital. This index can be used with both primary and administrative data. Further research is required to determine whether such quantification changes patient care or outcomes.

Project description:The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently identified 30-day readmission after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation facilities as a national quality indicator. Research is needed to determine the rates and factors related to readmission in this patient population.To determine 30-day readmission rates and factors related to readmission for patients receiving postacute inpatient rehabilitation.Retrospective cohort study of records for 736,536 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (mean age, 78.0 [SD, 7.3] years) discharged from 1365 inpatient rehabilitation facilities to the community in 2006 through 2011. Sixty-three percent of patients were women, and 85.1% were non-Hispanic white.Thirty-day readmission rates for the 6 largest diagnostic impairment categories receiving inpatient rehabilitation. These included stroke, lower extremity fracture, lower extremity joint replacement, debility, neurologic disorders, and brain dysfunction.Mean rehabilitation length of stay was 12.4 (SD, 5.3) days. The overall 30-day readmission rate was 11.8% (95% CI, 11.7%-11.8%). Rates ranged from 5.8% (95% CI, 5.8%-5.9%) for patients with lower extremity joint replacement to 18.8% (95% CI, 18.8%-18.9%). for patients with debility. Rates were highest in men (13.0% [ 95% CI, 12.8%-13.1%], vs 11.0% [95% CI, 11.0%-11.1%] in women), non-Hispanic blacks (13.8% [95% CI, 13.5%-14.1%], vs 11.5% [95% CI, 11.5%-11.6%] in whites, 12.5% [95% CI, 12.1%-12.8%] in Hispanics, and 11.9% [95% CI, 11.4%-12.4%] in other races/ethnicities), beneficiaries with dual eligibility (15.1% [95% CI, 14.9%-15.4%], vs 11.1% [95% CI, 11.0%-11.2%] for no dual eligibility), and in patients with tier 1 comorbidities (25.6% [95% CI, 24.9%-26.3%], vs 18.9% [95% CI, 18.5%-19.3%] for tier 2, 15.1% [95% CI, 14.9%-15.3%] for tier 3, and 9.9% [95% CI, 9.9%-10.0%] for no tier comorbidities). Higher motor and cognitive functional status were associated with lower hospital readmission rates across the 6 impairment categories. Adjusted readmission rates by state ranged from 9.2% to 13.6%. Approximately 50% of patients rehospitalized within the 30-day period were readmitted within 11 days of discharge. Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group codes for heart failure, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, septicemia, nutritional and metabolic disorders, esophagitis, gastroenteritis, and digestive disorders were common reasons for readmission.Among postacute rehabilitation facilities providing services to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, 30-day readmission rates ranged from 5.8% to 18.8% for selected impairment groups. Further research is needed to understand the causes of readmission.

Project description:Unplanned hospital readmissions following surgical interventions are associated with adverse events and contribute to increasing health care costs. Despite numerous studies defining risk factors following lower extremity bypass surgery, evidence regarding readmission after endovascular interventions is limited. This study aimed to identify predictors of 30-day unplanned readmission following infrainguinal endovascular interventions.We identified all patients undergoing an infrainguinal endovascular intervention in the targeted vascular module of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program between 2012 and 2014. Perioperative outcomes were stratified by symptom status (chronic limb-threatening ischemia [CLI] vs claudication). Patients who died during index admission and those who remained in the hospital after 30 days were excluded. Indications for unplanned readmission related to the index procedure were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify preoperative and in-hospital (during index admission) risk factors of 30-day unplanned readmission.There were 4449 patients who underwent infrainguinal endovascular intervention, of whom 2802 (63%) had CLI (66% tissue loss) and 1647 (37%) had claudication. The unplanned readmission rates for CLI and claudication patients were 16% (n = 447) and 6.5% (n = 107), respectively. Mortality after index admission was higher for readmitted patients compared with those not readmitted (CLI, 3.4% vs 0.7% [P < .001]; claudication, 2.8% vs 0.1% [P < .01]). Approximately 50% of all unplanned readmissions were related to the index procedure. Among CLI patients, the most common indication for readmission related to the index procedure was wound or infection related (42%), whereas patients with claudication were mainly readmitted for recurrent symptoms of peripheral vascular disease (28%). In patients with CLI, predictors of unplanned readmission included diabetes (odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.6), congestive heart failure (1.6; 1.1-2.5), renal insufficiency (1.7; 1.3-2.2), preoperative dialysis (1.4; 1.02-1.9), tibial angioplasty/stenting (1.3; 1.04-1.6), in-hospital bleeding (1.9; 1.04-3.5), in-hospital unplanned return to the operating room (1.9; 1.1-3.5), and discharge other than to home (1.5; 1.1-2.0). Risk factors for those with claudication were dependent functional status (3.5; 1.4-8.7), smoking (1.6; 1.02-2.5), diabetes (1.5; 1.01-2.3), preoperative dialysis (3.6; 1.6-8.3), procedure time exceeding 120 minutes (1.8; 1.1-2.7), in-hospital bleeding (2.9; 1.2-7.4), and in-hospital unplanned return to the operating room (3.4; 1.2-9.4).Unplanned readmission after endovascular treatment is relatively common, especially in patients with CLI, and is associated with substantially increased mortality. Awareness of these risk factors will help providers identify patients at high risk who may benefit from early surveillance, and prophylactic measures focused on decreasing postoperative complications may reduce the rate of readmission.

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Understanding the patient experience of early unplanned hospital readmission following acute care discharge: a qualitative descriptive study.

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Understanding the patient experience of early unplanned hospital readmission following acute care discharge: a qualitative descriptive study.

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