Unplanned 30-day readmissions in orthopaedic trauma

Authors

David Metcalfe, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford
Olubode A. Olufajo, Harvard Medical School, One Brigham Circle, Boston, MA
Cheryl K. Zogg, Harvard Medical School, One Brigham Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Arturo Rios-Diaz, Harvard Medical School, One Brigham Circle, Boston, MA
Mitchel Harris, Brigham & Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston
Adil H. Haider, Harvard Medical School, One Brigham Circle, Boston, MAFollow
Ali Salim, Harvard Medical School, One Brigham Circle, Boston, MA

Document Type

Article

Department

General Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: 30-day readmission is increasingly used as a hospital quality metric. The objective of this study was to describe the patient factors associated with unplanned 30-day hospital readmission of orthopaedic trauma patients.
Methods: A statewide observational study was undertaken using data from all acute hospitals in California. All hospital inpatients with a primary diagnosis of fracture or dislocation (ICD-9-CM codes 800-829) were included, except for those with isolated injuries to the skull, face, or ribs. The primary outcome measure was unplanned 30-day readmission to any hospital in California.
Results: 416,568 trauma admissions were available for analysis. The overall readmission rate was 6.5%, and 27.3% of readmitted patients presented to a different hospital. Factors significantly associated with readmission were male sex (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.19-1.27), age 46-65 (2.61 [2.27-2.99]), black race (1.19 [1.11-1.27]), entitlement to publicly funded healthcare (1.38 [1.25-1.52]), Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥2 (1.84 [1.79-1.90]), discharge against medical advice (3.13 [2.67-3.68]), and spinal fracture (1.42 [1.34-1.49]). Major reasons for readmission included: cardiopulmonary disease (25.6%), infections (20.1%), musculoskeletal problems (18.1%), and procedural complications (12.0%).
Conclusions: Many orthopaedic trauma readmissions are potentially unrelated to the initial hospitalization. Penalties for unplanned readmissions risk penalizing hospitals that serve disadvantaged communities and treat a high proportion of trauma patients

Comments

This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University

Publication (Name of Journal)

Injury

Recommended Citation

Metcalfe, D., Olufajo, O. A., Zogg, C. K., Rios-Diaz, A., Harris, M., Haider, A. H., Salim, A. (2016). Unplanned 30-day readmissions in orthopaedic trauma. Injury, 47(8), 1794-1797.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_surg_gen/443