Hospital Readmissions for Childhood Asthma

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Abstract
Mission were compared between patients admitted once during within 4 years. In a 1991 to 1995 CDC study of asthma, that period and patients admitted multiple times. Main outcome hospitalizations among Wisconsin residents under the age of measures were the total number of admissions and time to readmis- 25 years (17), 18% were readmitted annually. In that study, sion during the study interval. A Lin, Wei, Yang, and Ying model 33% of all asthma-related admissions were readmissions with of time to readmission showed that African-American children with 26% of persons accounting for 51% of all asthma-related Medicaid or no insurance are at higher risk of readmission (risk ratio admissions. More recently, several reports of childhood 1.28) than are African-American patients with commercial insurance asthma hospitalization now indicate a decrease in both new or white/other race/ethnicity patients regardless of insurance. Proba- hospitalizations and readmissions (18-20). However, read- bility of readmission increased from 30% after a first admission, 46% missions, in particular, remain as an issue of great concern. after a second, and 59% after a third. Prior admission was a more Studies of patients who represent readmissions have all specific indicator of readmission with greater positive predictive examined the various characteristics that differentiate them value than ethnicity or insurance status or their combination. from single admissions within the study interval. Age at ad- mission (14-17, 21, 22), sex (14, 22), race/ethnicity (15, 17,