Factors associated with return visits at 7 days after hospital discharge

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify variables associated with return visits to the hospital within 7 days after discharge. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 7-day revisits and readmissions between October 2012 and September 2015 using the Pediatric Health Information System database supplemented by electronic medical record data from a tertiary-care children’s hospital. We examined factors associated with revisits among the top 10 most frequent indications for hospitalization using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: There were 736 (4.2%) revisits and 416 (2.3%) readmissions within 7 days. Predictors of 7-day revisits and readmissions included age, length of hospital stay, and presence of a chronic medical condition. In addition, insurance status was associated with risk of revisits and race was associated with risk of readmissions in the bivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we identified patient characteristics that may be associated with a higher risk of early return to the emergency department and/or readmissions. Early identification of this at-risk group of patients may provide opportunities for intervention and enhanced care coordination at discharge.