Expressions of Interest | Australian Health Review | ConnectSci Expressions of interest Associate Editors Australian Health Review is seeking Associate Editors to join the editorial boar...

Expressions of Interest | Australian Health Review | ConnectSci Expressions of interest Associate Editors Australian Health Review is seeking Associate Editors to join the editorial boar...

Expressions of interest Editor-in-Chief | Australian Health Review | ConnectSci Expressions of interest Editor-in-Chief or joint Editors-in-Chief Australian Health Review is a well-rega...

Australian Health Review explores national and international health issues with a focus on health policy management and governance; healthcare delivery systems; workforce; clinical programs and health...

Results from the Time To Go research project found female GPs felt ‘targeted’ by politicians and policy makers.

Objective Unplanned readmissions are key indicators of hospital care quality, yet research on potentially avoidable unplanned readmissions (PAURs) remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, causes, and predictors of PAURs in an Australian tertiary hospital.Methods This retrospective cohort study included all unplanned readmissions to a general medicine unit between 1 July and 30 September 2022, in South Australia. Patients aged ≥18years readmitted within 30days of discharge were included. A panel of senior clinicians assessed the preventability of each readmission using predefined criteria. Data on demographics, comorbidities, frailty, inflammatory markers, and discharge factors were collected. Predictors of PAURs were examined using multivariable logistic regression and LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression for sensitivity analysis.Results Among 381 readmissions, 80 (21%) were classified as potentially avoidable. The mean age was 68.7years (s.d. 18.2), and 58.3% were female. The most common cause of PAURs was relapse of the condition treated during the index admission (43%), followed by treatment-related complications (22.8%). Contributing factors included suboptimal care during the index admission (43.8%) and inadequate post-discharge follow-up (30%). Compared to non-avoidable readmissions, PAUR patients were older, more frequently readmitted within 7days, and had higher rates of coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure (CHF). They also had higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) on admission. Multivariable analysis identified CHF (aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.28–4.71) and elevated NLR (aOR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02–1.08) as independent predictors.Conclusions Over one in five readmissions were potentially avoidable, and only a few patient characteristics can predict avoidable readmissions.

Over the past 20 years or so, big companies have been buying smaller clinics once owned by radiologists. Here’s how that can be a problem.