A systematic review and meta-analysis of 30-day readmission rates following burns

This study was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. Pubmed, Web of Science and CENTRAL databases were searched for publications without date or language restrictions. Extracted outcomes included 30-day readmission rate and reasons for readmission. Pooled 30-day readmission rate was estimated from weighted individual study estimates using random-effect models. Pooled estimates for risk factors are reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsA total of eight studies were included into qualitative analysis and six (four adults, two children) into quantitative analysis. The overall readmission rate was 7.4% (95% CI 4.1–10.7) in adults and 2.7% (95% CI 2.2–3.2) in children. Based on two studies in 112,312 adult burn patients, burn size greater than 20% total body surface area (TBSA) was not a significant predictor of readmission rate (OR 1.75, 95% CI 0.64–4.75; NS). The most common reasons were infection/sepsis, wound healing complications, and pain in both adults and children.DiscussionUnplanned readmissions following burns are generally low and appear more common in adults than in pediatric patients. However, only few studies are reporting on 30-day readmission rates following burns. Evidence is limited to support a significant association between greater burn size and higher readmission rates. Since cost effectiveness and utilized hospital capacity are becoming an area of focus for improvement in health care, future studies should assess ...
Source: Burns - Category: Dermatology Source Type: research