Patient selection: adult hospitalized for COPD, age from 40 to 64 years
Outcome: readmission within 30 days of discharge
Factors associated with an increased risk for readmission
(1) male gender
(2) history of heart failure
(3) history of >= 3 hospital admissions for COPD prior to current admission
(4) lung cancer
(5) osteoporosis
(6) anxiety and/or depression
(7) hospital length of stay (LOS) less than 2 or more than 5 days
Factors associated with reduced risk of readmission:
(1) therapy with statin in year prior to admission
(2) therapy with ACE inhibitor in year prior to admission
(3) prescription for short-acting bronchodilator within 30 days of discharge
(4) prescription for oral corticosteroids within 30 days of discharge
(5) prescription for antibiotic within 30 days of discharge
(6) follow-up visit after discharge
The hazard ratio for each factor is relatively low, so multiple factors are needed to generate a significant risk.
