Newborn Length of Stay and Risk of Readmission

作者：Harron Katie; Gilbert Ruth; Cromwell David; Oddie Sam; van der Meulen Jan

来源：Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 2017, 31(3): 221-232.

DOI：10.1111/ppe.12359

• Caesarean delivery
• length of stay
• patient readmission
• preterm delivery
• hospital records

BackgroundEvidence on the association between newborn length of hospital stay (LOS) and risk of readmission is conflicting. We compared methods for modelling this relationship, by gestational age, using population-level hospital data on births in England between 2005-14.
MethodsThe association between LOS and unplanned readmission within 30days of postnatal discharge was explored using four approaches: (i) modelling hospital-level LOS and readmission rates; (ii) comparing trends over time in LOS and readmission; (iii) modelling individual LOS and adjusted risk of readmission; and (iv) instrumental variable analyses (hospital-level mean LOS and number of births on the same day).
ResultsOf 4667827 babies, 5.2% were readmitted within 30days. Aggregated data showed hospitals with longer mean LOS were not associated with lower readmission rates for vaginal (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66, 1.13), or caesarean (aRR 0.89, 95% CI 0.72, 1.12) births. LOS fell by an average 2.0% per year for vaginal births and 3.4% for caesarean births, while readmission rates increased by 4.4 and 5.1% per year respectively. Approaches (iii) and (iv) indicated that longer LOS was associated with a reduced risk of readmission, but only for late preterm, vaginal births (34-36 completed weeks' gestation).
ConclusionsLonger newborn LOS may benefit late preterm babies, possibly due to increased medical or psychosocial support for those at greater risk of potentially preventable readmissions after birth. Research based on observational data to evaluate relationships between LOS and readmission should use methods to reduce the impact of unmeasured confounding.

• 出版日期2017-5