A 5-year retrospective cohort study of unplanned readmissions in an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital.

Conclusion This study highlights the variability in the distribution of time intervals from discharge to readmission among diagnoses, suggesting the commonly used 28- or 30-day readmission measurement requires review. It is crucial to establish an appropriate measurement for specific paediatric conditions related to readmissions for the accurate determination of the prevalence and actual costs associated with readmissions.What is known about this topic? Unplanned hospital readmissions result in inefficient use of health resources. Australia has used 28 days to measure unplanned readmissions. However, the 30-day measurement is commonly used in the literature. Only five Australian studies were identified with a focus on readmissions associated with specific paediatric health conditions.What does this paper add? This is the first known study examining paediatric all-cause unplanned same-hospital readmissions in Western Australia. The study used both 28- and 30-day measures from discharge to unplanned readmission to allow international comparison. More than half the unplanned hospital readmissions occurred between Day 0 and Day 5 following discharge from the index admission. Time intervals from discharge date to readmission date varied for diagnosis-specific readmissions of paediatric patients.What are the implications for practitioners? Targeting the top principal index admission diagnoses identified for paediatric readmissions is critical for improvement in the continuity of di...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research