Predictors of hospital readmissions in adult patients with sickle cell disease

Abstract

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder, affecting primarily Black and Hispanic individuals. In 2016, 30-day readmissions incurred 95,445 extra days of hospitalization, $152 million in total hospitalization costs, and $609 million in total hospitalization charges. Objectives: 1) To estimate hospital readmissions within 30 days among patients with SCD in the State of California. 2) Identify the factors associated with readmission within 30 days for SCD patients in California. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of adult SCD patients hospitalized in California between 2005 and 2014. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to examine significant differences in patient characteristics and their association with hospital readmissions. Results: From 2,728 individual index admissions, 70% presented with single admission, 10% experienced one readmission, and 20% experienced ≥ two readmissions within 30 days. Significant predictors associated with zero vs. one readmission were male gender (OR=1.