Causes of Unplanned Readmission within 14 Days-A Preliminary Study
摘要
The rate of readmission to the hospital within 14 days after previous discharge is an indicator of a hospital's health care quality. We retrospectively studied 400 unplanned readmissions occurring within 14 days of index discharge over a one-year period from 1 January to 31 December 1999. Our readmission rate for all admissions was 3.4%. The most common causes for patients' readmitted to the hospital were disease factors (63.25%) and unrelated new diagnoses (28.5%). We also found males (56.5%) and the elderly (≥65 years old, 48.25%) were prone to readmission. The three leading diagnosis accounting for readmission were hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases (12%), chronic lung disease (11.25%) and urinary tract disease (10%). In addition, the two most prominent ICD-9 code categories of unplanned readmissions that distinguished from all admissions were treatment complications and neoplasm. Having an established readmission baseline, we should create a computerized automatic alert monitoring system to assist physicians. The system would alert them to the need for a more cautious or efficient approach in their medical practice as well as reducing readmission rates and inpatients' expenditures during admission.