@article{15340,
  author = {Elien B Uitvlugt and Marjo J. A Janssen and Carl E. H Siegert and Eva L Kneepkens and Bart J. F van den Bemt and Patricia M. L. A van den Bemt and Fatma Karapinar-Carkit},
  title = {Medication-related hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge: prevalence, preventability, type of medication errors and risk factors},
  abstract = {<jats:p><jats:bold>Background:</jats:bold> Hospital readmission rates are increasingly used as a measure of healthcare quality. Medicines are the most common therapeutic intervention but estimating the contribution of adverse drug events as a cause of readmissions is difficult.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Objectives:</jats:bold> To assess the prevalence and preventability of medication-related readmissions within 30 days after hospital discharge and to describe the risk factors, type of medication errors and types of medication involved in these preventable readmissions.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Design:</jats:bold> A cross-sectional observational study.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Setting:</jats:bold> The study took place across the cardiology, gastroenterology, internal medicine, neurology, psychiatry, pulmonology and general surgery departments in the OLVG teaching hospital, Netherlands.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Participants:</jats:bold> Patients with an unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge from an earlier hospitalization (index hospitalization: IH) were reviewed.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Measurements:</jats:bold> The prevalence and preventability of medication-related readmissions were assessed by residents in multidisciplinary meetings. A senior internist and hospital pharmacist reassessed the prevalence and preventability of identified cases. Generalized estimating equation with logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors of potentially preventable medication-related readmissions.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results:</jats:bold> Of 1,111 included readmissions, 181 (16%) were medication-related, of which 72 (40%) were potentially preventable. The number of medication changes at IH (Adjusted odds ratio [OR<jats:sub>adj</jats:sub>]: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.05–1.24) and having ≥3 hospitalizations 6 months before IH (ORadj: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.12–3.98) were risk factors of a preventable medication-related readmission. Of these preventable readmissions, 35% were due to prescribing errors, 35% by non-adherence and 30% by transition errors. Medications most frequently involved were diuretics and antidiabetics.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusion:</jats:bold> This study shows that 16% of readmissions are medication-related, of which 40% are potentially preventable. If the results are confirmed in larger multicentre studies, this may indicate that more attention should be paid to medication-related harm in order to lower the overall readmission rates.</jats:p>},
  year = {2021},
  journal = {Front Pharmacol},
  volume = {12},
  pages = {567424},
  month = {04/2021},
  publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},
  issn = {1663-9812},
  doi = {10.3389/fphar.2021.567424},
}