Postdischarge Pediatric Primary Care "Connectivity" and 7-Day and 30-Day Readmission Rates

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare research
• Health services research
• Clinical outcomes analysis

Background:

• Hospital readmissions represent a significant burden on healthcare systems and patient well-being.
• Early post-discharge follow-up is hypothesized to mitigate readmission risks, particularly in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between completing primary care appointments post-discharge and subsequent hospital readmission rates.
• To analyze readmission risks at 7 and 30 days following pediatric hospital discharge.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 20,066 pediatric hospital discharges from a tertiary care center.
• Utilized logistic regression to assess the impact of primary care follow-up on readmissions, controlling for covariates.
• Confirmed appointment completion via telephonic outreach by case management assistants.

Main Results:

• Successful completion of primary care follow-up was linked to significantly lower readmission rates.
• 7-day readmission rates were 0.8% for completers versus 1.9% for non-completers.
• 30-day readmission rates were 5.4% for completers versus 7.0% for non-completers.

Conclusions:

• Timely primary care follow-up appointments after pediatric hospitalization are associated with reduced readmission rates.
• Healthcare systems should prioritize facilitating and ensuring post-discharge primary care engagement.
• Targeting early follow-up may be an effective strategy to improve pediatric patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.