Tracie A Caller1, Jasper J Chen2, Jessica J Harrington2, Krzysztof A Bujarski2, Barbara C Jobst2. 1. From the Department of Neurology (T.A.C., J.J.H., K.A.B., B.C.J.), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; and Department of Psychiatry (J.J.C.), Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. Tracie.A.Caller@Dartmouth.edu. 2. From the Department of Neurology (T.A.C., J.J.H., K.A.B., B.C.J.), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; and Department of Psychiatry (J.J.C.), Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Identification of variables prognosticating 30-day readmission among adult patients admitted for video-EEG (VEEG) monitoring at a major epilepsy center. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, examining 865 consecutive admissions to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) from January 2010 to June 2013. Data extracted from chart review included demographics, length of stay (LOS), seizure type(s), number of 30-day readmissions or emergency department (ED) visits and reasons for these, and patient and system/provider factors potentially contributing to the readmission. RESULTS: Of 865 elective admissions for VEEG monitoring, 49 patients accounted for 33 readmissions and 40 ED visits within 30 days of discharge for an overall 30-day encounter rate of 7.0% after excluding those lost to follow-up; 9 patients had more than one ED visit or readmission. Statistically significant risk factors for urgent 30-day encounters included a history of nonepileptic seizures (NES) (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.4), a dual diagnosis of both epilepsy and NES (OR 5.9, 95% CI 3.0-11.8), an urgent index admission to the EMU (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.4-4.8), and a shorter LOS of index hospitalization (median 4.0 days vs 5.0 days, p < 0.01). The most common contributing patient factors included active psychiatric symptoms, medically refractory epilepsy, and living alone; the most common hospitalization-related factors included antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment adverse events or AED adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the presence of intractable epilepsy and shorter LOS, mental health comorbidities and the presence of NES were important risk factors for 30-day readmissions and ED visits in the epilepsy population. Therefore, proactively addressing mental health comorbidities may decrease urgent health care utilization after VEEG monitoring.
OBJECTIVE: Identification of variables prognosticating 30-day readmission among adult patients admitted for video-EEG (VEEG) monitoring at a major epilepsy center. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, examining 865 consecutive admissions to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) from January 2010 to June 2013. Data extracted from chart review included demographics, length of stay (LOS), seizure type(s), number of 30-day readmissions or emergency department (ED) visits and reasons for these, and patient and system/provider factors potentially contributing to the readmission. RESULTS: Of 865 elective admissions for VEEG monitoring, 49 patients accounted for 33 readmissions and 40 ED visits within 30 days of discharge for an overall 30-day encounter rate of 7.0% after excluding those lost to follow-up; 9 patients had more than one ED visit or readmission. Statistically significant risk factors for urgent 30-day encounters included a history of nonepileptic seizures (NES) (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.4), a dual diagnosis of both epilepsy and NES (OR 5.9, 95% CI 3.0-11.8), an urgent index admission to the EMU (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.4-4.8), and a shorter LOS of index hospitalization (median 4.0 days vs 5.0 days, p < 0.01). The most common contributing patient factors included active psychiatric symptoms, medically refractory epilepsy, and living alone; the most common hospitalization-related factors included antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment adverse events or AED adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the presence of intractable epilepsy and shorter LOS, mental health comorbidities and the presence of NES were important risk factors for 30-day readmissions and ED visits in the epilepsy population. Therefore, proactively addressing mental health comorbidities may decrease urgent health care utilization after VEEG monitoring.
Authors: Andres M Kanner; Steven C Schachter; John J Barry; Dale C Hesdorffer; Dale C Hersdorffer; Marco Mula; Michael Trimble; Bruce Hermann; Alan E Ettinger; David Dunn; Rochelle Caplan; Philippe Ryvlin; Frank Gilliam; W Curt LaFrance Journal: Epilepsy Behav Date: 2012-06 Impact factor: 2.937
Authors: Judith H Lichtman; Erica C Leifheit-Limson; Sara B Jones; Emi Watanabe; Susannah M Bernheim; Michael S Phipps; Kanchana R Bhat; Shantal V Savage; Larry B Goldstein Journal: Stroke Date: 2010-10-07 Impact factor: 7.914
Authors: Sidney T Le; S Andrew Josephson; Hans A Puttgen; Lorrie Gibson; Elan L Guterman; Heather M Leicester; Carla L Graf; John C Probasco Journal: Neurohospitalist Date: 2016-10-22
Authors: Heidi M Munger Clary; Rachel D Croxton; Jonathan Allan; James Lovato; Gretchen Brenes; Beverly M Snively; Mingyu Wan; James Kimball; Matthew H Wong; Cormac A O'Donovan; Kelly Conner; Victor Jones; Pamela Duncan Journal: Epilepsy Behav Date: 2020-01-27 Impact factor: 2.937
Authors: Mary Jo Slattery; Bridget Linehan Logan; Bridget Mudge; Karen Secore; Linda J von Reyn; Robert A Maue Journal: J Prof Nurs Date: 2016-03-21 Impact factor: 2.104
Authors: Andrea Egger-Rainer; Sophie Martina Hettegger; Raphael Feldner; Stephan Arnold; Christian Bosselmann; Hajo Hamer; Anna Hengsberger; Johannes Lang; Stefan Lorenzl; Holger Lerche; Soheyl Noachtar; Ekaterina Pataraia; Andreas Schulze-Bonhage; Anke Maren Staack; Eugen Trinka; Iris Unterberger; Georg Zimmermann Journal: J Adv Nurs Date: 2021-11-27 Impact factor: 3.057
Authors: Heidi M Munger Clary; Rachel D Croxton; Beverly M Snively; Gretchen A Brenes; James Lovato; Fatemeh Sadeghifar; James Kimball; Cormac O'Donovan; Kelly Conner; Esther Kim; Jonathan Allan; Pamela Duncan Journal: Epilepsy Behav Date: 2020-11-24 Impact factor: 2.937