Socioeconomic and Health-Related Factors Affecting Congestive Heart Failure Readmissions

Abstract

Congestive heart failure (CHF) readmissions are frequent and costly but preventable. The purpose of this study was to analyze socioeconomic and health-related factors of CHF readmissions by examining the relationship between 30-day readmissions of individuals with CHF and their payer status, race, ethnicity, primary language spoken, living arrangement, and comorbidities. This retrospective case-control study used secondary data from 450 CHF patients admitted to a not-for-profit Northern Virginia hospital from July 2014 to December 2017. Data were analyzed using χ 2 and logistic regression. Living arrangements and comorbid chronic renal failure (CRF) were statistically significant predictors of CHF readmissions; all other factors were nonsignificant. Patients who lived with family and those in assisted living facilities were less likely to be readmitted than those who lived alone (odds ratio [OR] = 0.2 and 0.5, respectively). Patients without CRF were less likely to be readmitted than those who had CRF (OR = 0.6). This study contributes data to inform community-based health programs tailored toward frequently readmitted individuals due to CHF exacerbation.

Socioeconomic and Demographic Determinants of Readmission Rates in Congestive Heart Failure Patients: Insights From the Nationwide Readmissions Database

“…Interestingly, our study found that patients who lived with family or in assisted living facilities had lower readmission rates compared to those who lived alone. This finding highlights the importance of social support and living arrangements in managing CHF and preventing readmissions [15]. Socioeconomic and health-related factors, such as living arrangements and comorbidities, have been shown to significantly impact CHF readmissions, emphasizing the need for tailored community-based interventions to support high-risk patients [15].…”