Multiple risk factors for unplanned readmissions within 1 month of hospital discharge in acute care hospitals in Japan

Abstract

AimThe aim of this study is to analyse the risk factors for unplanned readmissions within 1 month after hospital discharge to develop a seamless support system from discharge to home care.BackgroundWith shorter hospital stay lengths, understanding the characteristics of patients with multiple risk factors is important to prevent rehospitalization.DesignThis is a single‐centre retrospective descriptive study.MethodsLogistic regression and decision tree analyses were performed using eight items from the records of 3117 patients discharged from a university hospital between April–September 2017 as risk factors.ResultsUnplanned readmission risk was significantly associated with emergency hospitalization (odds ratio [OR]: 3.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04–4.77), malignancy (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.44–3.24), non‐surgical admission (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.07–2.88), hospital stay of ≥ 15 days (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.14–2.43) and decline in activities of daily living owing to hospitalization (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.06–2.64). The highest risk combinations for rehospitalization were as follows: emergency hospitalization and malignancy; emergency admission, non‐malignancy and a hospital stay of ≥15 days; and scheduled hospitalization, no surgery and a hospital stay of ≥15 days.ConclusionsPatients with multiple risks for unplanned readmission should be accurately screened and provided with optimal home care.