High Readmissions from Low Patient Activation, Study Finds

Higher patient activation, or a patient's beliefs, confidence-level, actions and perseverance in bettering his or her health, is linked to lower rates of healthcare utilization, better outcomes and lower 30-day readmission rates, according to an article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Researchers surveyed approximately 700 English-speaking patients in an urban safety-net hospital, using an adapted version of the Patient Activation Measure. Patients were scored Level 1 (lowest activation) through Level 4 (highest activation).

Level 1 and Level 2 patients were 1.75 and 1.5 times more likely than Level 4 to be readmitted, visit the emergency department and have an observation stay at a hospital in the 30-day period after discharge.

When comparing the Level 1 patients to Level 4 patients, Level 1 patients were 1.68 times more likely to use the emergency department and 1.93 times more likely to be readmitted to the hospital than their confident counterparts.

PAM Level 3 and Level 4 patients did not show differences in healthcare utilization during the 30-day period post-discharge.

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