Patients with COVID-19 and comorbid conditions have increased odds of hospital readmission
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Readmission within 30 days of discharge was common among survivors of COVID-19, and more so in those with comorbidities, researchers found.
“We are interested in improving patient outcomes,” Anthony D. Harris, MD, MPH, infectious disease physician and epidemiologist in the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Healio. “Figuring out the rate of readmission for patients with coronavirus disease and risk factors for readmission will hopefully improve knowledge, eventually leading to improved patient outcomes.”
Harris and colleagues used data from the Premier Healthcare database to perform a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 discharged between April 2020 and March 2021 to evaluate the association between comorbidities present during index COVID-19 hospitalization and the risk of 30-day readmission. According to the study, these patients were followed for 30 days after discharge to record any readmission to the same hospital.
Among the 331,136 patients in the index cohort, 36,827 (11.1%) had at least one all-cause readmission within 30 days. Among these readmitted patients, 11,382 (3.4%) were readmitted with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis.
A multivariable model adjusted for demographics, hospital characteristics, coexisting comorbidities and COVID-19 severity showed that each additional comorbidity category was associated with an 18% increase in the odds of all-cause readmission (adjusted OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.17-1.19) and a 10% increase in the odds of readmission with COVID-19 as the primary readmission diagnosis (aOR = 1.1; 95% CI, 1.09-1.11).
Study data showed that lymphoma (aOR =1.86; 95% CI, 1.58-2.19), renal failure (aOR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.25-1.4) and chronic lung disease (aOR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.24-1.34) were most associated with readmission for COVID-19.
“Hospitals should use [these] data to help guide discharge planning,” Harris said. “Public health departments should use these results and other studies to help guide effective policies and interventions aimed at preventing readmission for patients at high risk.”
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