Differences in COPD-related readmissions to primary and secondary care hospitals

To study differences in readmissions to primary and secondary care hospitals for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A register-based study.

The data were gathered from the hospital admissions register of the Finnish National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. The data included all acute periods of treatment received by COPD patients aged over 44 years in 1996-2004 who had a principal or subsidiary diagnosis of COPD (ICD 10: J41-J44), respiratory infection (ICD 10: J00-J39, J85-J86) or cardiac insufficiency (ICD 10: I50), followed by an emergency readmission. Treatment had to have taken place in either a primary care hospital or a specialized ward for respiratory diseases or internal medicine in a secondary care hospital.

The risk of readmission within a week of discharge, analysed by site of care.

The risk of readmission within seven days of discharge is 1.74-fold for a patient treated in primary care compared with a patient treated in secondary care.

COPD patients discharged from primary care hospitals have a greater risk of readmission, particularly within a week, than those discharged from secondary care. This risk may be attributed to differences in treatment procedures and arrangement of subsequent care. Thus, in the future, more attention should be paid to primary healthcare resources and staff training.