Incidence and Risk Factors for 28 Days Hospital Readmission: A Retrospective Study from Oman

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the incidence of 28-day hospital readmission in a tertiary hospital in Oman and identify potential factors associated with increased risk of hospital readmission. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all adult patients (≥ 18 years) admitted under the care of the General Internal Medicine unit from 1 June to 31 December 2020 at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Elective admissions and COVID-19 infection-related admission were excluded from the study. Results: There were 200 patients admitted during the study period. The mean age was 58.6±19.3 years, and 106 (53.0%) patients were males. Forty-eight (24.0%) patients had unplanned readmission within 28-days after discharge from the hospital. Patients with 28 days unplanned readmission were older (66.6 vs. 56.0 years, p < 0.001) and had a longer length of hospital stay (6.0 vs. 4.0 days, p < 0.001). Also, hypertension (77.1% vs. 55.3%, p =0.007), diabetes mellitus (64.6% vs. 48.0%, p =0.045), and comorbidity (≥ 3 comorbidities, [43.8% vs. 23.8%, p =0.005]) were more prevalent in the unplanned readmission group. Patients with poor functional status (43.7% vs. 26.3%, p < 0.001), requiring feeding tube (25.0% vs. 5.3%, p < 0.001), and with polypharmacy (75.0% vs. 50.0%, p =0.003) were at increased risk of readmission. Conclusions: 28-day hospital readmission is prevalent in our health care setting. Old age, polypharmacy, comorbidities, and poor functional status were associated with an increased risk of hospital readmission. Therefore, evidence-based interventions must be implemented in our health care system to minimize the risk of hospital readmission.

Delirium and Its Association with Short- and Long-Term Health Outcomes in Medically Admitted Patients: A Prospective Study

“…While many studies have reported a higher readmission rate associated with delirium [ 7 , 9 ], our findings do not demonstrate this relationship. There is an overall elevated hospital readmission rate among both groups with delirium and without delirium, which was previously observed in patients admitted under the care of the General Internal Medicine Unit at SQUH, and this could be attributed to the tertiary hospital setting, where more severely ill patients with complex medical conditions are usually admitted [ 16 , 34 ].…”

Delirium in Medically Hospitalized Patients: Prevalence, Recognition and Risk Factors: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…SQUH is a 600-bed multispecialty-teaching tertiary hospital that provides care for parts of the Muscat and Al-Batinah governorates. It is the main referral center for all regional hospitals in Oman [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. The study included all patients aged 65 years and older admitted to acute medical ward units from 1 January 2022 to 31 May 2022.…”

Incidence of Dysmagnesemia among Medically Hospitalized Patients and Associated Clinical Characteristics: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…This was a prospective cohort study conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) from June 8, 2022, to October 25, 2022, involving hospitalized adult patients (≥18 years) under the care of the general internal medicine units [ 15 ]. SQUH is an academic tertiary hospital with a capacity of 600 beds and provides multispecialty care for inpatients from all areas of Oman [ 15 ].…”