Content area
Full text
Researchers on the hunt for clues to predict which hospital patients will return for a second stay have so far made only marginal progress, said authors of a newly published study.
Researchers found studies of models that could point to patients at high risk of repeat hospital visits--using variables such as age, diagnosis, prior medical care--have been mostly limited and not terribly effective.
"The thing that was evident from reviewing a couple dozen of these models was how complex readmission risk really is," said Dr. Devan Kansagara, the study's lead author and director one of four evidence-based synthesis programs for the Veterans Affairs Department. Agency officials rely on analysis from the four programs to help guide VA policy.
The study was published in the Oct. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Kansagara and six other researchers reviewed 30 studies of 26 models to predict hospital...