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PRISMA Analysis of 30 Day Readmissions to a Tertiary Cancer Hospital
Tim Cooksley1, Hanneke Merten2, John Kellett3
1Department of Acute and Critical Care Medicine, The Christie, Manchester, UK.
Insights
Hospital readmissions in cancer patients are often predictable due to their underlying condition and treatment. However, few readmissions were found to be preventable, suggesting readmission rates may not be a reliable quality indicator for this group.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Hospital readmissions are increasingly utilized as a key performance indicator for healthcare quality.
- Cancer patients face a higher risk of hospital readmission compared to the general population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively investigate the causes of hospital readmissions in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
- To identify potentially preventable factors contributing to readmissions in this patient cohort using PRISMA methodology.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 50 consecutive 30-day hospital readmissions was conducted.
- Data were collected from the medical admissions unit (MAU) at a specialist tertiary cancer hospital.
- PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology was employed.
Main Results:
- The study included 50 patients, with 50% being male, and a median age of 59 years.
- PRISMA analysis indicated that only 8% of readmissions (4 cases) were potentially preventable, linked to active (human) factors.
- All readmissions were fundamentally driven by medical conditions associated with the patients' underlying cancer and its treatment.
Conclusions:
- The majority of hospital readmissions in cancer patients are predictable, stemming from their disease and treatment, rather than being preventable.
- Hospital readmission rates may not serve as an effective quality indicator for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
- Further research into patient-specific factors and supportive care may be needed to address readmission drivers.
Background:
Hospital readmissions are increasingly used as a quality indicator. Patients with cancer have an increased risk of readmission. The purpose of this study was to develop an in depth understanding of the causes of readmissions in patients undergoing cancer treatment using PRISMA methodology and was subsequently used to identify any potentially preventable causes of readmission in this cohort.
Methods:
50 consecutive 30 day readmissions from the 1st November 2014 to the medical admissions unit (MAU) at a specialist tertiary cancer hospital in the Northwest of England were analysed retrospectively.
Results:
Q25(50%) of the patients were male with a median age of 59 years (range 19-81). PRISMA analysis showed that active (human) factors contributed to the readmission of 4 (8%) of the readmissions, which may have been potentially preventable. All of the readmissions were driven by a medical condition related to the patient's underlying cancer and ongoing cancer treatment.
Conclusions:
The majority of readmissions of patients undergoing cancer treatment appear to be related to the underlying condition and, as such, are predictable but not preventable. This suggests that hospital readmission is not a good quality indicator in this cohort of patients.
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