Predictors of 30-Day Readmission Among Patients Discharged from A General Medicine Department.

Original Article

Abstract

Background: Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge is a quality measure that is reflective of the effectiveness of the inpatient care, the discharge plan, and continuity of healthcare services. Unplanned readmissions are associated with increased healthcare expenditures, longer morbidity and more use of hospital resources. It is important to understand what factors are associated with early readmission to create strategies to tackle those issues with better patient outcomes.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of 30-day hospital readmission among patients discharged from the General Medicine Department and identify demographic and clinical factors associated with early readmission.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of General Medicine, Muhammad Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from January to June 2025.Demographic information, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, medication burden and follow up adherence were documented. To detect readmissions, patients were followed for 30 days after their discharge. Data analysis was done with SPSS software version 26.0. Data for continuous variables was presented as mean ± SD and that for categorical variables as frequencies and percentages. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for readmission, which was significant at p<0.05.

Results: The mean age was 58.9 ± 14.7 years, and readmitted patients were significantly older than those not readmitted (65.7 ± 12.3 vs. 56.8 ± 15.1 years; p=0.011). Multiple comorbidities (p=0.019), prolonged hospital stay (p=0.004), polypharmacy (p=0.021), poor medication adherence (p=0.016) and missed follow up appointments (p=0.013) were found to be statistically significant with the risk of readmission. Advanced age, multiple comorbidities, hospital length of stay and non-adherence to medication were independent predictors identified by multivariable logistic regression.

Conclusion: The rate of readmission within 30 days after discharge was almost 25%. Discharge planning, medication counselling, and prompt outpatient follow-up Approximately one-quarter of patients experienced readmission within 30 days of discharge. Strengthening discharge planning, medication counselling, and timely outpatient follow-up may reduce preventable readmissions and improve patient outcomes.