Researchers study hospital readmissions from post-acute care facilities

shutterstock_139886506Researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine found specific risk factors that may contribute to the need for readmission to the hospital after a stay in post-acute care facilities. Of these readmissions, nearly half occurred within 14 days after leaving the hospital. The need for invasive devices, for instance a feeding tube or urinary catheter, and advanced care, like dialysis and oxygen therapy, are factors that were identified as being more common in readmitted patients. The researchers also stated that ‘patients who experienced readmission during their stay in a post-acute care facility were less likely to return to the community’ and had a higher mortality rate too. The researchers therefore recommended hospitals and post-acute healthcare to focus on patient selection and on processes for transitioning care from the hospital to the post-acute care facility.

The article is especially relevant for physicians and nurses working in hospitals and post-acute care facilities, because it emphasizes the need to properly examine whether a patient is vital enough to leave the hospital, and it highlights some of the risk factors patients may face in case of readmission.

Read the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160115140131.htm