Hospital readmission among older adults with congestive heart failure

Introduction. To examine the factors associated with unplanned readmission among older adults with congestive heart failure (CHF) within 28 days of discharge from an index admission, within a large Australian health service. Methods. Using a comparative cohort design, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to compare readmitted patients with non-readmitted patients and identify risk factors associated with readmission. Results. Significant risk factors identified were male gender, numerous diagnoses, length of stay 3 days or longer and patients being admitted from acute, subacute or aged-care facilities. Conclusions. The high risk of patients being readmitted from acute, subacute and aged-care services requires further review as these readmissions may be avoidable. It may also be useful to develop a readmission risk screening tool so that patients at risk of readmission can be identified.