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Hospital readmissions at a tertiary care children's hospital: Prevalence, associated characteristics, and
Daiana Basso1, Carolina Bermúdez1, Sofía Santoro Gallardo1
1Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
Pediatric hospital readmissions occur at a rate of 10% within 30 days. Nearly half of these readmissions for children are potentially preventable, highlighting a significant area for health system improvement.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare research
- Health services research
- Quality improvement in hospitals
Background:
- Hospital readmissions in pediatrics represent a significant and often preventable burden on healthcare systems.
- Limited data exists regarding the scope and nature of pediatric readmissions in many healthcare settings.
- Understanding readmission rates is crucial for optimizing patient care and resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate of pediatric hospital readmissions.
- To identify the proportion of readmissions that are potentially preventable.
- To analyze characteristics associated with pediatric readmissions.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care children's hospital.
- Data included all hospital admissions for patients aged 0-18 years between January 1 and December 31, 2018.
- Readmissions were categorized as potentially preventable if unrelated to the prior admission.
Main Results:
- The overall readmission rate was 10% at 30 days and 7.1% at 15 days post-discharge.
- Approximately 47.9% of 30-day readmissions and 47.5% of 15-day readmissions were deemed potentially preventable.
- No significant differences in patient age, insurance, chronic disease, or readmission cause were found between 15-day and 30-day readmissions.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric hospital readmission rates stand at 10% (30-day) and 7.1% (15-day).
- A substantial proportion, nearly half, of these readmissions are potentially preventable.
- These findings underscore the need for interventions to reduce avoidable pediatric readmissions.
Introduction:
Hospital readmissions in pediatrics are a severe, potentially avoidable problem of health systems. In our setting, there is little information about this topic.
Objective:
To estimate the rate of readmissions, the proportion of potentially preventable readmissions, and their associated characteristics.
Material And Methods:
Cross-sectional study including hospital readmissions of patients aged 0-18 years, admitted to a tertiary care children's hospital between January 1st and December 31st, 2018. Readmissions were assessed as potentially preventable based on whether they were or not related to the previous admission.
Results:
Out of 8228 hospital admissions recorded in the study period, the rate of readmissions for any cause was 10 % at 30 days and 7.1 % at 15 days. The proportion of readmissions classified as potentially preventable was 47.9 % at 30 days and 47.5 % at 15 days. No statistically significant differences were observed between readmissions at 30 and 15 days in terms of patient age, health insurance, presence of chronic disease or cause of readmission.
Conclusion:
The rate of hospital readmissions was 10 % at 30 days and 7.1 % at 15 days of discharge; almost half of them were considered potentially preventable.
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