Identifying Potentially Modifiable Factors To Reduce Hospital Readmissions In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Sri Lanka
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Identifying potentially modifiable factors associated with hospital readmissions would lead to reduction of the burden on healthcare expenditure and improvement of quality of life of patients. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out on medical inpatients of University Medical Unit, National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Among the 425 participants, 178 (41.9%) had at least one prior admission over the preceding year. Participants with readmissions were significantly older than those with single admissions. The onset of illness/time since diagnosis, number of chronic illnesses, number of long-term medications, compliance with medications, compliance with follow-up, availability of family support, depression, anxiety, stress and alcohol use were associated with readmissions, whereas the location of follow-up, living arrangement and level of activity was not. A significant proportion of the study population had readmissions. Interventions aiming to reduce pill burden and to improve compliance with medications and follow-up are suggested, and further studies are recommended to assess their impact. Where appropriate, patients should be directed to local hospitals/clinics for follow-up. Early identification of depression, anxiety and stress among patients and assessing each patient’s alcohol intake, and making recommendations for them to obtain necessary help would be beneficial.
Author: Keshinie Samarasekara
Institution: National Hospital of Sri Lanka
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4403396128