The validity of readmission rate as a marker of the quality of hospital care, and a recommendation for its definition

Abstract

Aim: To perform a review of relevant literature regarding the use of readmission rate as a marker of the quality of hospital care, summarise its validity, and recommend a definition for its use.

Methods: Literature search was performed on the Embase and Medline databases, with relevant articles extracted and reviewed.

Conclusions: Readmission rate as a marker of the quality of hospital care has been used both internationally and nationally, although its validity has only been partially substantiated. While prone to confounding, it remains a valuable indicator due to its ease of collection and its ability to be able to be combined with other variables. Although the definition of readmission rate varies in the literature, it may be defined as 'the number of patients who experienced unintended, acute readmission or death within 30-days of discharge from the index admission, divided by the total number of patients discharged alive within the reference period'.