Age and Ageing Advance Access published online on May 16, 2008
Age and Ageing, doi:10.1093/ageing/afn093
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Incidence and main factors associated with early unplanned hospital readmission among French medical inpatients aged 75 and over admitted through emergency units
1 Clinic of Geriatric Medicine, Hôpital Michallon, University Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France
2 School of Medicine, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, E.A.3797, Reims, France
3 Internal Medicine Unit and Geriatric Clinic, Hôpital Sébastopol, University Hospital of Reims, Reims, France
4 Methodological Assistance Unit, Department of Medical Information, Hôpital Maison Blanche, University Hospital of Reims, Reims, France
5 Internal Medicine Unit and Gerontology Clinic, Hôpital de Rangueil, University Hospital of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
6 Department of Geriatric and Rehabilitation, Hôpital des Trois-Chênes, University Hospital of Geneva, Thônex-Genève, Switzerland
7 Center for Geriatric Medicine, Hôpital Porte Madeleine, Hospital Center of Orléans, Orléans, France
8 Division of Geriatrics, Hôpital Européen G. Pompidou, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
Address correspondence to: Pr. Pascal Couturier: Tel: 00 33 4 76 76 89 07; Fax: 00 33 4 76 76 89 08. E-mail: PCouturier{at}chu-grenoble.fr
Background: among elderly patients, readmission in the month following hospital discharge is a frequent occurrence which involves a risk of functional decline, particularly among frail subjects. While previous studies have identified risk factors of early readmission, geriatric syndromes, as markers of frailty have not been assessed as potential predictors.
Objective: to evaluate the risk of early unplanned readmission, and to identify predictors in inpatients aged 75 and over, admitted to medical wards through emergency departments.
Design: prospective multi-centre study.
Setting: nine French hospitals.
Subjects: one thousand three hundred and six medical inpatients, aged 75 and older admitted through emergency departments (SAFES cohort).
Methods: using logistic regressions, factors associated with early unplanned re-hospitalisation (defined as first unplanned readmission in the thirty days after discharge) were identified using data from the first week of hospital index stay obtained by comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Results: data from a thousand out of 1,306 inpatients were analysed. Early unplanned readmission occurred in 14.2% of inpatients and was not related with sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidity burden or cognitive impairment. Pressure sores (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.0–3.9), poor overall condition (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.3–3.0), recent loss of ability for self-feeding (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–2.9), prior hospitalisation during the last 3 months (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.5) were found to be risk factors, while sight disorders appeared as negatively associated (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3–-0.8).
Conclusions: markers of frailty (poor overall condition, pressure sores, prior hospitalisation) or severe disability (for self-feeding) were the most important predictors of early readmission among elderly medical inpatients. Early identification could facilitate preventive strategies in risk group.
Keywords: frail, eldery, hospital readmission, risk factors
Received 21 May 2007; accepted in revised form 20 December 2007.