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Multidisciplinary intervention reducing readmissions in medical inpatients: a prospective, non-randomized study

Authors Torisson G, Minthon L, Stavenow L, Londos E

Received 29 May 2013

Accepted for publication 23 June 2013

Published 26 September 2013 Volume 2013:8 Pages 1295—1304

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S49133

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Gustav Torisson,1 Lennart Minthon,1 Lars Stavenow,2 Elisabet Londos1

1Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 2Department of Internal Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine whether a multidisciplinary intervention targeting drug-related problems, cognitive impairment, and discharge miscommunication could reduce readmissions in a general hospital population.
Methods: This prospective, non-randomized intervention study was carried out at the department of general internal medicine at a tertiary university hospital. Two hundred medical inpatients living in the community and aged over 60 years were included. Ninety-nine patients received interventions and 101 received standard care. Control/intervention allocation was determined by geographic selection. Interventions consisted of a comprehensive medication review, improved discharge planning, post-discharge telephone follow-up, and liaison with the patient's general practitioner. The main outcome measures recorded were readmissions and hospital nights 12 months after discharge. Separate analyses were made for 12-month survivors and from an intention-to-treat perspective. Comparative analyses were made between groups as well as within groups over time.
Results: After 12 months, survivors in the control group had 125 readmissions in total, compared with 58 in the intervention group (Mann–Whitney U test, P = 0.02). For hospital nights, the numbers were 1,228 and 492, respectively (P = 0.009). Yearly admissions had increased from the previous year in the control group from 77 to 125 (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P = 0.002) and decreased from 75 to 58 in the intervention group (P = 0.25). From the intention-to-treat perspective, the same general pattern was observed but was not significant (1,827 versus 1,008 hospital nights, Mann–Whitney test, P = 0.054).
Conclusion: A multidisciplinary approach, targeting several different areas, could substantially lower readmissions and hospital costs in a non-terminal general hospital population.

Keywords: medical inpatients, hospital readmissions, intervention, drug-related problems, cognitive impairment, hospital discharge

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