Although hospital readmissions following surgeries may not be an accurate measure of the quality of care a patient received, understanding the causes behind unplanned readmissions is still important, according to study published in JAMA.
Identifying the reasons behind readmissions could help guide future surgical quality improvement efforts and policy decisions surrounding readmissions rates, according to the study authors.
To identify some readmissions-related complications, researchers examined readmission data for nearly 350 hospitals between January and December 2012 and assessed information for surgical procedures and six representative operations.
They found the most common reason for unplanned readmissions (either within seven days of discharge or after seven days) were surgical site infections (19.5 percent).
Ileus or obstruction (24.5 percent) was the most common reason for readmission after bariatric surgery and the second most common reason after colectomy or proctectomy, ventral hernia repair, and hysterectomy procedures.
Dehydration, nutritional deficiency, bleeding or anemia, blood clots and surgical device issues were also common causes for unplanned readmissions.
More articles on readmissions:
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Postsurgical hospital readmission rates are a questionable measure of quality, study suggests
How mobile apps can reduce preventable readmissions