Predictive value of QoR-15 scores at hospital discharge for unplanned healthcare utilization after elective surgery: A prospective observational study
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Published on: August 1, 2019
Fernando Dana1, Raquel Sebio-García2, Rubèn González-Colom3
1Anesthesiology Department, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
Unplanned healthcare utilization after elective surgery remains a relevant quality indicator; discharge decision support remains limited. This study evaluated whether the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score at hospital discharge is associated with unplanned healthcare utilization within 30 days.
Methods:
A prospective observational study (2024-2025) included patients undergoing elective general surgery. Unplanned healthcare utilization within 30 days was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models including QoR-15 and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI), and clinical covariates.
Results:
Among 372 patients, 20% required post-discharge emergency care and 10% were readmitted within 30 days. Lower QoR-15 scores at discharge were associated with emergency department visits. Multivariable models including QoR-15 and CCI demonstrated discriminative performance for emergency visits (AUC 0.69) and readmissions (AUC 0.78), surgical reinterventions were infrequent (3%).
Conclusions:
QoR-15 assessed at hospital discharge provides information that complements complication-based metrics and may support postoperative risk stratification for discharge planning after elective general surgery.
