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Hospital readmissions during home care: a pilot study
M A Anderson1, K S Hanson, N W DeVilder
1Quad Cities Regional Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
Journal of Community Health Nursing
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Unplanned hospital readmissions during home care are common among elderly females with cardiovascular or respiratory issues. Identifying these high-risk patients early can help reduce costly inpatient returns.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare delivery
- Patient recovery
- Home care services
Background:
- The healthcare system is shifting towards home care post-discharge.
- Home care is crucial for patient recovery and preventing costly hospital readmissions.
- Limited research exists on unplanned inpatient returns for home care clients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe characteristics of home care clients experiencing unplanned inpatient returns within 31 days of service.
- To identify patient profiles at high risk for readmission during home care.
Main Methods:
- Pilot study utilizing the validated Hospital Readmission Inventory (HRI).
- Reviewed medical records of 68 clients from 8 midwestern home care agencies.
- Focused on unplanned returns within the first 31 days of home care.
Main Results:
- Readmitted patients were typically elderly, married females.
- Common comorbidities included cardiovascular or respiratory problems.
- Patients lacked independence in healthcare decision-making and self-care.
- Readmissions occurred around 2 weeks after initiating home care.
Conclusions:
- Characterizing readmitted home care clients aids in identifying at-risk individuals.
- Targeted interventions can potentially minimize unplanned acute-care readmissions.
- Understanding patient profiles is key to improving home care outcomes.