Death and readmissions after hospital discharge during the December holiday period: cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine whether patients discharged from hospital during the December holiday period have fewer outpatient follow-ups and higher rates of death or readmission than patients discharged at other times.

Design

Population based retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada, 1 April 2002 to 31 January 2016.

Participants

217 305 children and adults discharged home after an urgent admission, during the two week December holiday period, compared with 453 641 children and adults discharged during two control periods in late November and January.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was death or readmission, defined as a visit to an emergency department or urgent rehospitalisation, within 30 days. Secondary outcome

SUBMITTER: Lapointe-Shaw L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6287120 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature