Trends in unplanned readmissions over 15 years: a regional Australian perspective.

ConclusionsThe decline in readmissions since 2010-11 suggests that the region has achieved improvements in discharge planning and in continuity between hospitals and community-based care. These improvements have occurred across broad patient groups. The longitudinal and linked data held in the IHIP provides a unique opportunity to examine patterns of service utilisation at a regional level.What is known about the topic?Published reports of longitudinal trends in readmissions are typically limited by short study periods and narrow criteria used to define study populations and readmissions. Australian longitudinal data suggest rates of early readmission have remained relatively unchanged in recent years, despite the focus on readmission rates as a metric to assess the quality and continuity of care.What does this paper add?This unique longitudinal study reports on long-term readmission trends over 15 years to hospitals within a single geographic area, with trends reported for both early (30-day) and late (1- to 6-month) readmissions by age group and major diagnostic categories. The findings reflect more complex patterns than are typically reported in cross-sectional and more limited longitudinal studies.What are the implications for practitioners?The results suggest improvements at a regional level that may be associated with care during the initial hospitalisation and discharge (reflected particularly in early readmissions) and in the community (reflected particularly in late ...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research