Characteristics and temporal pattern of the readmissions of patients with multiple hospital admissions in the medical departments of a general hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with multiple hospital admissions represent a small percentage of total hospitalizations but result in a considerable proportion of the healthcare expenditure. There are no studies that have analyzed their long-term clinical evolution.
OBJECTIVES: To study the characteristics, temporal patterns of readmissions and clinical evolution of patients with multiple hospital admission in the long term.
METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of all hospital admissions in the medical area of the Hospital of Lugo (Spain) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2012, based on data from the center's minimum basic data set.
RESULTS: A total of 139,249 hospital admissions for 62,515 patients were studied. Six hospital admissions were recorded for 6.4% of the patients. The overall mortality rate was 16% (9982 patients). The readmissions rate steadily increased with each new admission, from 48% after the first event to 74.6% after the fifth. The rate of hospital readmission before 30days increased from 18.3% in the second admission to 36.3% in the sixth. The number of chronic diseases increased from 3.1 (SD, 2) in the first hospital admission up to 4.9 (2.8) in the sixth. The Department of Internal Medicine treated a third of all hospital admissions. In the sixth hospitalization, conditions associated with admission in Internal Medicine were CIRS score, age, heart failure, COPD, dementia, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and anemia.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with multiple hospital admissions are complex patients whose temporal pattern of readmissions changes with time, such that each hospital admission constitutes a factor facilitating the next.