Factors associated with 30-days and 180-days psychiatric readmissions: A snapshot of a metropolitan area

Associations between readmission and patient-reported measures in acute psychiatric inpatients: a multicenter prospective longitudinal study

PURPOSE

This study examined whether patient-reported measures (PRMs) addressing quality of life, personal agency, functional impairment, and treatment satisfaction at hospital discharge were associated with future readmission during a 12-month follow-up period. The study also examined whether readmission influenced changes in the same measures.

METHODS

A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted at 21 psychiatric hospitals in Japan. Participants completed the EuroQol-five-dimensions-five-level (EQ-5D), the Five-item Subjective Personal Agency Scale, and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) at the time of index admission (T1), discharge from index admission (T2), and 6 months (T3) and 12 months (T4) after discharge. Inpatient treatment satisfaction was assessed at T2. Readmission and variables potentially associated with hospitalization and PRMs were evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression models and mixed models for repeated measures.

RESULTS

A total of 491 participants were followed for 12 months (attrition rate: 19.4%), and 480 were included in the EQ-5D analysis. The most common diagnoses were schizophrenia (59%), depression (14%), and bipolar disorder (13%). No patient-reported measures were significantly associated with readmission over the follow-up period. Interaction of readmission and time did not significantly affect changes in EQ-5D. Readmission did significantly influence SDS score changes between T2 and T3 (B = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.30-3.25, p = 0.018) and between T3 and T4 (B = 1.43, 95% CI = 0.14-2.72, p = 0.029). The same influence of readmission on SDS score changes was not observed in the model which adjusted for all potential covariates.

CONCLUSION

Readmission was potentially associated with changes in self-reported functional impairment. Findings highlight the potential role of intensive post-discharge services in preventing readmission, rather than relying on time-of-discharge PRMs in order to predict readmission risk.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered in UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000034220).

Early and Frequent Psychiatric Readmissions in a Brazilian Cohort of Hospitalized Patients Between 2001 and 2013

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the profile of patients who were readmitted for mental and behavioral disorders, in the Brazilian Unified Health System, from 2001 to 2014, and the factors associated with early and frequent readmission.

METHOD

A retrospective, non-concurrent cohort study of patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of mental or behavioral disorders, from 2001 to 2014. This study selected demographic variables and clinical variables, as well as variables related to the characteristics of the hospitals. Poisson Regression methods with a robust variance estimator were used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for each of the outcomes.

RESULTS

Early readmission occurred for 6.8% of the patients and frequent readmission for 8.3%. Characteristics such as being male, younger, with a diagnosis of a bipolar disorder, and admitted to a specialized hospital show a higher IRR for early readmission. The occurrence of early readmission was the most heavily associated characteristic with an increased rate of early readmission, and the magnitude of this increase depends on the patient's age.

CONCLUSION

Early and frequent readmissions are linked to patients' demographics, clinical information and health system's organization. Early readmission should be a priority in treatment planning to prevent frequent readmissions due to its strong association.

Independent Predictors of 30-Day Readmission to Acute Psychiatric Wards in Patients With Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Psychiatric readmissions have long been considered significant indicators for healthcare planning. The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing early (30-day) readmissions to acute psychiatric wards. A meta-analysis and systematic review were conducted according to Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Comprehensive database searching was conducted using online databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, to search for articles identifying factors associated with early (30-day) readmissions to acute psychiatric wards. Keywords used to search for relevant articles included "Mental illness," "readmission," and factors along with their synonyms and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. The search included studies published between 2011 and June 2023. A total of 13 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled rate of the 30-day readmission was 16% (95% confidence interval: 13%-20%). A pooled analysis showed that factors significantly associated with an unplanned hospital readmission included gender, length of stay, and insurance status as predictors of the unplanned hospital readmission among individuals with psychiatric illness. Additionally, we also found that the rate of 30-day unplanned admissions was greater in patients with schizophrenia, followed by personality disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and substance use. This study highlights the importance of providing targeted interventions and support for individuals with these conditions to reduce the risk of readmissions.

Risk factors associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmission for patients with mental illness

Unplanned hospital readmission rate is up to 43% in mental health settings, which is higher than in general health settings. Unplanned readmissions delay the recovery of patients with mental illness and add financial burden on families and healthcare services. There have been efforts to reduce readmissions with a particular interest in identifying patients at higher readmission risk after index admission; however, the results have been inconsistent. This systematic review synthesized risk factors associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions for patients with mental illness. Eleven electronic databases were searched from 2010 to 30 September 2021 using key terms of 'mental illness', 'readmission' and 'risk factors'. Sixteen studies met the selection criteria for this review. Data were synthesized using content analysis and presented in narrative and tabular form because the extracted risk factors could not be pooled statistically due to methodological heterogeneity of the included studies. Consistently cited readmission predictors were patients with lower educational background, unemployment, previous mental illness hospital admission and more than 7 days of the index hospitalization. Results revealed the complexity of identifying unplanned hospital readmission predictors for people with mental illness. Policymakers need to specify the expected standards that written discharge summary must reach general practitioners concurrently at discharge. Hospital clinicians should ensure that discharge summary summaries are distributed to general practitioners for effective ongoing patient care and management. Having an advanced mental health nurse for patients during their transition period needs to be explored to understand how this role could ensure referrals to the general practitioner are eventuated.

Exploring risk factors for re-hospitalization in a psychiatric inpatient setting: a retrospective naturalistic study

BACKGROUND

The reduction of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations is an important clinical challenge in mental health care. In fact, psychiatric re-hospitalization negatively affects the quality of life and the life expectancy of patients with psychiatric disorders. For these reasons, identifying predictors of re-hospitalization is important for better managing psychiatric patients. The first purpose of the present study was to examine the readmission rate in a large sample of inpatients with a psychiatric disorder. Second, we investigated the role of several demographical and clinical features impacting re-hospitalization.  METHOD: This retrospective study enrolled 1001 adult inpatients (510 men and 491 women) consecutively admitted to the University Psychiatric Clinic, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome between January 2018 and January 2022. To identify risk factors for psychiatric re-hospitalization, we divided the sample into 3 subgroups: the Zero-Re group which had no readmission after the index hospitalization, the One-Re group with patients re-admitted only once, and the Two-Re with at least two re-admissions.  RESULTS: The groups differed according to previous hospitalizations, a history of suicide attempts, age at onset, and length of stay. Furthermore, the results of the regression model demonstrated that the Two-Re group was more likely to have a history of suicide attempts and previous hospitalizations.

DISCUSSION

These results indicate the importance of assessing risk factors in psychiatric hospitalized patients and implementing ad hoc prevention strategies for reducing subsequent re-hospitalizations.

Time to readmission in psychiatric inpatients with a therapeutic leave

AIMS

Interventions to decrease readmissions in psychiatric patients are urgently needed. In Switzerland therapeutic leave (TL) composes a cornerstone of inpatient treatment. TL is a planned time-limited absence from the inpatient ward giving patients the opportunity to test their resilience in their usual environment. Evidence of its applicability as an intervention reducing readmissions is lacking. Therefore, our objective was to examine the association between TL and readmission risk.

METHODS

Using the Kaplan-Meier curve we compared the time to readmission of 3'302 inpatients at the UPK Basel with and without TL. Cox regression was applied, integrating other covariates associated with readmission.

RESULTS

The Kaplan-Meier curve indicated longer cumulative survival in patients with TL. The log-rank test implied statistical significance (χ²(1) = 18.8, p < .05). The Cox regression showed a reduced hazard for patients with TL (HR = 0.735, CI 95% = [0.639, 0.846], p < .001) and for involuntarily hospitalized patients (HR = 0.760, CI 95% = [0.618, 0.934], p < .01). A higher readmission risk was found for a history of psychiatric admissions (HR = 1.005, CI 95% = [1.004, 1.005], p < .001), higher severity of symptoms at admission (HR = 1.029, CI 95% = [1.018, 1.040], p < .001), comorbidity (HR = 1.178, CI 95% [1.024, 1.355], p = .022), and a diagnosis with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (HR = 1.401, CI 95% [1.164, 1.687], p = .001).

CONCLUSION

Linking TL with readmission risk, our results imply an easy way to improve quality of care, with possible implications for practice, policies and quality interventions. TL might be suitable to enhance recovery, reduce readmissions and health care costs. RCTs are needed for validation.

The effect of thyroid function on the risk of psychiatric readmission after hospitalization for major depressive disorder

The relationship between thyroid function and depression has long been recognized, but little is known about the effect of thyroid function on the risk of readmission after hospitalization for major depressive disorder (MDD). This retrospective cohort study was aimed to explore the effect of thyroid function on psychiatric readmission after hospitalization for MDD. Data was derived from electronic medical records (EMR) of the Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC), Shanghai, China. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted in subjects aged ≥ 18 years who had been hospitalized for MDD between January 1, 2007, and May 31, 2019. Of the 1803 eligible patients, 85 and 132 patients experienced psychiatric readmission within 90 days and 180 days after discharge respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that serum FT3 level (aOR=1.271; 95%CI=1.051-1.537) and comorbidity of thyroid disease (aOR=2,179; 95%CI=1.136-4.179) was independently associated with the risk of 90-day and 180-day readmission respectively. These findings indicated that high serum FT3 levels and comorbidity of thyroid disease could increase the risk of readmission after hospitalization for MDD. It is warranted to provide routine assessment and intervention of the thyroid function during the treatment of depression so as to prevent re-hospitalization.

Searching for factors associated with the "Revolving Door phenomenon" in the psychiatric inpatient unit: A 5-year retrospective cohort study

The revolving door (RD) phenomenon refers to subjects who undergo frequent rehospitalizations in psychiatric units. The main aim of this study was to analyze clinical factors associated with RD in acute inpatient psychiatric ward. In a 5-year cohort study, subjects hospitalized three or more times in 12 months (revolving door subjects-RDS) were identified. A total of 1,324 subjects were hospitalized. RDS represented 6.3% (n = 84) of the entire sample with a total of 337 RD hospitalizations (revolving door hospitalizations-RDH) (16.7% of all admissions). RDS were younger, unmarried, with comorbid substance related disorders, with mood or psychotic disorders and affected by comorbid medical conditions. After controlling for age, sex and marital status, the most strongly associated variable with RDH was the comorbidity between mood and substance use disorders. Other associated factors were the presence of a comorbid medical condition and a longer length of stay. The commitment to community residential facilities and the treatment with a first generation long-acting antipsychotic were also associated with RDH. On the contrary, admissions to the psychiatric unit for manic/hypomanic episode or for self-directed harmful behavior were inversely associated with RDH. Attention should be given to these clinical variables in order to reduce RD.