Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Inpatient palliative consultation are generally provided to seriously ill hospitalized patients with the intent to alleviate pain and suffering and develop a plan of care for the patient. Although numerous benefits of this service have been documented, little is known about hospital readmission rates and factors associated with these readmissions.
Objective:
Our aim was to investigate factors associated with 30-day hospital readmission among patients receiving a consultation from an inpatient palliative care (ICP) team.
Design:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study.
Setting/Subjects:
Data from 408 managed care patients 65 years old and older were collected in 2007–2009 following an IPC consultation and subsequent hospital discharge.
Measurements:
IPC and medical service use records were utilized.
Results:
Among IPC patients, 10% of those discharged from the hospital were readmitted within 30 days. Factors associated with hospital readmission included being discharged from the hospital with no care in the home or to a nursing facility. Receipt of hospice or home-based palliative care post-discharge was associated with significantly lower odds of hospital readmission.
Conclusions:
This study found that receipt of palliative care following hospital discharge was an important factor in reducing 30-day hospital readmissions. Further study is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of longitudinal palliative care models in reducing 30-day hospital readmissions among seriously ill patients.
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