Preventability of readmissions, ED visits after admission for COVID-19

Editor's Note

In this study, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, find that most readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits (ie, revisits) of COVID-19 patients following initial admission were not preventable.

Of 576 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 76 resulted in a 30-day revisit (13.2%)—21 ED visits without admission (3.6%) and 55 readmissions (9.5%). Only 20 (26.3%) of the revisits were potentially preventable, five of which had contributing factors thought to be directly related to the pandemic.

The most frequent factors that contributed to preventable revisits were associated with the choice of postdischarge location and patient/caregiver understanding of discharge medication regimens, each occurring in 25% of cases.

The most frequent intervention cited that could have potentially prevented revisits was an “improved self-management plan at discharge,” which occurred in 65% of cases.

Though only a quarter of 30-day revisits were potentially preventable, the findings highlight opportunities for improvement to reduce future revisits, the researchers conclude.