A newly developed tool can identify the risk of pediatric readmission before discharge

A newly developed tool can identify the risk of pediatric readmission before discharge

Readily available electronic health record (EHR) data can be used to reliably identify readmission risk for children of all ages while they are still in the hospital network, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the journal JAMA. The newly developed and validated tool will be key to efforts to reduce hospitalizations within 30 days of discharge, which should also help free up scarce pediatric hospital beds.

Although hospital readmissions are a measure of quality, we have not had a comprehensive and easily applicable tool to predict the risk of pediatric readmission before discharge. Knowing which children are most likely to require further hospitalization soon after their initial stay allows us to be proactive and better focus discharge planning to reduce the high risk of readmission.”

Denise M. Goodman, MD, MS, lead author, critical care physician at Lurie Children's and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Dr. Goodman and colleagues used data from three years of discharges at Lurie Children's to derive and validate a series of three readmission prediction models for children of all ages, including infants younger than 28 days. To calculate readmission risk, these models use demographic and socioeconomic data from the EHR, as well as clinical variables such as current length of stay, use of specific therapies, and previous hospitalizations.

“A key strength of our predictive models is that they are designed to be implemented in the EHR throughout the hospital stay and change with clinical circumstances,” said Dr. Goodman. “Readmission risk can be recalculated daily, giving us the ability to adjust discharge planning in real time.”

Reducing the risk of readmission also helps hospitals provide children's beds, which are becoming increasingly scarce in Chicago, across Illinois and nationally.

“Given the growing shortage of pediatric beds, it is critically important to reduce the likelihood that a child will need to return to the hospital within 30 days,” added senior author Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Lurie Children's and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We believe our readmission prediction tool is the most comprehensive available to hospitals to address the anticipated needs of children and their families prior to discharge, thereby reducing the risk of readmission.”

Source:

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

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