[Detection of risk factors for preventable paediatric hospital readmissions]

Introduction and objectives: Readmission rate is an indicator of the quality of hospital care. The aim of the study is to identify potential preventable factors for paediatric readmission. Material and methods: A descriptive, analytical, longitudinal, and single centre study was carried out in the Paediatric Hospitalisation ward of a tertiary hospital during the period from June 2012 to November 2015. Readmission was defined as the one that occurs in the first 30 days of previous admission, as very early readmission if it occurs in the first 48 h, early readmission in the 2–7 days, and late readmission after 7 days. Preventable readmission is defined as one that takes place in the first 15 days and for the same reason as the first admission. Epidemiological and clinical variables were analysed. A univariate and multivariate study was carried out. Results: In the study period, 5459 patients were admitted to the paediatric hospital, of which 226 of them were readmissions (rate of readmission: 4.1%). When the hospital occupation rate was greater than 70%, the overall percentage of readmissions was significantly higher (8.5% vs 2.5%; P