Prospective correlates of early (30 day) readmissions on a Cardiothoracic Surgery Service

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2017

Publication Title

Psychol Health Med

Abstract

Known to vary widely among hospitals for unclear reasons, early readmissions are associated with higher mortality and are suspected to frequently be due to inadequate discharge preparation/planning. It has been previously documented that the strongest and most consistent predictor of early readmissions in CHF patients is chronic cognitive impairment, and compensatory assistance with adherence on discharge improves early readmission rates. Prospective observational study. The present investigation examined multiple putative perioperative predictors of early readmission in a hospitalized Cardiothoracic Surgery Service. A subtest of the Mini-Cog, Short Term Memory, was the strongestunivariate predictor of early readmissions (p < .001), but the overall Mini-Cog (p = .024), Age (p = .045), Number of Admissions over the Preceding Year (p = .036), an Anxiety Scale (p = .035), Years of Education (p = .055) and a Depression Scale (p = .056) also demonstrated covariation. In a Logistic Regression, only Short Term Memory survived as a predictor variable (p = .007), correctly classifying 76% of patients. Chronic cognitive impairment is a predictor of early readmissions in Cardiothoracic patients. A brief bedside exam interpreted in medical context may permit identification of patients requiring familial assistance for adherence on discharge.

Medical Subject Headings

Aged; Anxiety Disorders; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Cardiology Service, Hospital; Cognitive Dysfunction; Depressive Disorder; Emotional Intelligence; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Compliance; Patient Discharge; Patient Readmission; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; United States

PubMed ID

28161983

Volume

22

Issue

8

First Page

947

Last Page

954

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