Association of Function, Symptoms, and Social Support Reported in Standardized Outpatient Clinic Questionnaires With Subsequent Hospital Discharge Disposition and 30-Day Readmissions

Objective: To determine whether patient-reported information, routinely collected in an outpatient setting, is associated with readmission within 30 days of discharge and/or the need for post-acute care after a subsequent hospital admission. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Six domains of patient-reported information collected in the outpatient setting (psychological distress, respiratory symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, family support, mobility, and activities of daily living [ADLs]) were linked to electronic health record hospitalization data. Mixed effects logistic regression models with random intercepts were used to identify the association between the 6 domains and outcomes. Setting: Outpatient clinics and hospitals in a Midwestern health system. Participants: 7671 patients who were hospitalized 11,445 times between May 2004 and May 2014 (N=7671). Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measures: 30-day hospital readmission and discharge home vs facility. Results: Domains were significantly associated with 30-day readmission and placement in a facility. Specifically, mobility (odds ratio [OR]=1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16, 1.46), ADLs (OR=1.27; 95% CI, 1.13, 1.42), respiratory symptoms (OR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.12, 1.41), and psychological distress (OR=1.20; 95% CI, 1.07, 1.35) had the strongest associations with 30-day readmission. The ADL (OR=2.52; 95% CI, 2.26, 2.81), mobility (OR=2.35; 95% CI, 2.10, 2.63), family support (OR=2.28; 95% CI, 1.98, 2.62), and psychological distress (OR=1.38; 95% CI, 1.25, 1.52) domains had the strongest associations with discharge to an institution. Conclusions: Patient-reported function, symptoms, and social support routinely collected in outpatient clinics are associated with future 30-day readmission and discharge to an institutional setting. Whether these data can be leveraged to guide interventions to address patient needs and improve outcomes requires further research.