FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENCE OF HOSPITAL READMISSION

BACKGROUND: TO identify factors associated with hospital readmission, especially those potentially avoidable. This information could be usef ul to reduce the incidence of hospital readmissions. METHODS: A paired (1:1) case-control study nested into the cohort of first admissions a t the Granada University Hospital, Spain, in 1990. All patients readmi tted at the hospital within 3 years after release from the index-admis sion by the same diagnostic or complications of it comprised the case group. For each case, a control patient was matched for both primary d iagnosis on admission and index-admission date, Information on risk fa ctors associated with hospital readmission was obtained retrospectivel y from medical records. The relation between these risk factors and re admission was estimated from odds ratio both crude and adjusted using conditional logistic regression analysis. For the readmitted subsample , multiple linear regression models were applied to identify factors a ssociated to the lenght of time between the index episode and the firs t readmission. RESULTS: Variables with consistent positive association s with readmission include male sex (odds ratio = 2.86, 95% confidence interval = 1.37-5.88), widowed or single status (2.66, 10.7-6.59) and severity at index admission (3.20, 1.57-6.51). Factors related to qua lity of health care did not influence readmission risk. CONCLUSIONS: F actors depending of the patient seem to be the most important variable s associated to the incidence of hospital readmission.