Hospital readmissions are common among those receiving cancer care. Findings a recent study found that ascitic or pleural fluid reaccumulation to be the most common reason for readmission (JCO Oncol Pract. 2020;OP2000593. doi:10.1200/OP.20.00593).
Impaired quality of life and increased costs are unfavorable consequences of hospital readmissions, thus identifying causes of readmission is important for preventing them in the future.
“The primary goal of this project was to identify potentially avoidable and intervenable causes of readmissions to an urban safety net hospital,” wrote Vishal Gupta, MD, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine (Boston, MA) and colleagues.
Researchers performed a retrospective chart review on patients who were readmitted within 30 days of discharge from the hematology and oncology service at Boston Medical Center. Three internal medicine residents discussed the charts under the direction of an attending oncologist.
Of the 291 patient encounters, 27.5% were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days and occurred in 30% unique patients. Of these, 31.3% were classified as avoidable, with 32% of the cases due to ascitic or pleural fluid reaccumulation. Nonpreventable readmissions were due to complications of cancer progression and treatment-related side effects.
“In conclusion, readmissions were common, and a modifiable reason for 30-day readmissions was identified,” concluded Dr Gupta and colleagues. “Addressing recurrent ascitic and pleural fluid reaccumulation in the outpatient setting could help to reduce inpatient hospital readmission on an inpatient oncology service.”—Lisa Kuhns
