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Follow-up visits reduce readmission rates in patients with COPD

Early follow-up visits to pulmonologists after hospital discharge appeared to significantly reduce the readmission rate in patients with COPD, according to results of a retrospective study.

“Our study demonstrates the importance of a follow-up visit with a pulmonologist within a month of hospital discharge in patients with COPD,” Nimrod Maimon, MD, from the division of pulmonology at Soroka University Medical Center in Israel, and colleagues wrote. “We found that these follow-up visits are associated with fewer rehospitalizations and, thus, may reduce the harm to patient quality of life and lower the corresponding burden on the health-care system.”

Nimrod Maimon

Maimon and colleagues conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study and used the data of patients treated for COPD exacerbations at the lung institute of Soroka University Medical Center to determine what impact early follow-up visits with a pulmonologist had on readmission rates.

The analysis included 195 adults with COPD aged 40 years and older, of which 44.1% attended follow-up visits within 30 days of hospital discharge.

The remainder of the patients reported not attending follow-up visits for several reasons. Patients who lived more than 30 km from the clinic had the highest likelihood of not attending a follow-up visit within 30 days of discharge (aOR = 3; 95% CI, 1.24-7.28).

Out of 191 patients, 35 had been readmitted to the hospital within 90 days of discharge.

Patients who failed to visit a pulmonologist within 30 days of discharge had a significantly increased risk for readmission (OR = 2.91; 95% CI, 1.06-8.01).

Maimon and colleagues recommended patients with COPD follow-up with pulmonologists within 30 days of hospital discharge.

“Our recommendation is that recently discharged patients, especially those at high risk of not attending the follow-up visit, be invited for follow-up visits with pulmonologists,” the researchers wrote. “In addition, the inclusion of a written recommendation in the discharge letters of patients with COPD for follow-up visits with pulmonologists is important.” – by Ryan McDonald

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.