Evaluating the Causes of Readmission to Emergency Departments of Hospitals Affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences
Iranian Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2019),
23 February 2019
,
Page e13
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijem.v6i1.23347
Abstract
Introduction: Readmission is among the causes of overcrowding in hospital emergency departments. Identifying the characteristics of patients with readmission helps healthcare administrators propose more effective strategies to reduce the frequency of their readmission to the emergency department. This study was designed to investigate the characteristics of readmitted patients in emergency departments of hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: Patients with more than 5 times admissions to emergency wards of Rasoul-e-Akram, 7 Tir martyrs, and Firoozgar Hospitals from March 2017 to March 2018 were selected using Health information system (HIS), which recorded computerized patient information. Frequency of referrals and patient complaints during readmission to emergency departments were extracted from patient records. Results: Out of all referrals to hospitals (around 20 thousand patients), 208 patients were readmitted to emergency departments of the mentioned hospitals more than five times (minimum 5 and maximum 10 times). Mean readmission frequency was 6.40 ± 1.26 times and mean patient age was 52.53±17.02 years. Most frequent underlying illnesses were cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart ischemic; and the least frequent were schizophrenia, aplastic anemia, and drug addiction. Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between age and readmission (p-value=0.001). Cancer, COPD, and ischemic heart diseases were the most common causes of readmission to the emergency department. Shortness of breath, chest pain and weakness were the most common complaints at the time of readmission in this study.
- Patient readmission
- emergency medical services
How to Cite
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