Preventing Readmissions After Pneumonia May Be Very Difficult

Nearly one in four patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia at a large urban center were rehospitalized within 30 days, and the factors associated with readmission seem difficult to modify.

Pneumonia is responsible for an estimated $6 billion in direct costs each year in the U.S., so many quality-improvement efforts focus on preventing readmissions among people recently hospitalized for that illness. Previous studies have lacked patient-level data, have underemphasized process-of-care factors, and have not focused on differences between patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and those who develop healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). Researchers now have analyzed these important variables in a retrospective cohort of 771 adults with confirmed bacterial pneumonia who were admitted to a large urban hospital in 2010 and survived until discharge (577 had HCAP, 194 had CAP).

Within 30 days, 149 of these patients…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Preventing Readmissions After Pneumonia May Be Very Difficult

Topics

Reviewing Author