A survey of more than 5 million hospital patients found that nearly 18% were sent to the ER or readmitted as inpatients within 30 days of discharge, according to a team of researchers from Yale, Pennsylvania State University, and several other institutions. And among those hospitalized for heart attack, heart disease, and pneumonia, the hospital readmission rate jumped to 25%, concluded a separate study of 3 million patients. In other words, getting out of the hospital and staying out of the hospital are two very different things. Why are return visits so common? Unforeseen complications are always a risk, says the first study’s co-author, Anita Vashi, MD, a researcher in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale. But return trips to the hospital can also be caused by poor doctor-patient communication, wherein patients leave without adequate knowledge about their symptoms or the trajectory of their recovery. “I think a big part of it is we, as doctors and hospital staff members, are not educating patients well enough about how to safely transition home,” Vashi explains. More from Prevention: Stay Safe At The Hospital If you’re keen on avoiding return trips to the hospital (and really, who isn’t?), then consider the following tips from Vashi and Kumar Dharmarajan, MD, a cardiologist at the Columbia University Medical Center and co-author of the second study. Sweat the small stuff. Among the heart attack and pneumonia sufferers who returned to the ER within 30 days, only about 15% were back for the same condition, Dharmarajan says. The lesson? “Patients should talk to their primary care doctor if they feel ill for any reason, even if it doesn’t seem related to their initial hospitalization.” Stay active. The inactivity and bed rest inherent in long hospital stints can sap muscle mass and strength, triggering complications after you’ve been discharged, Dharmarajan explains. Stay as active as possible while in the hospital, by walking or stretching as much as your doctors permit, he advises. “At a minimum, you should ask to eat all meals sitting in a chair instead of lying in bed.” More from Prevention: The Doctor Mistake You’re Making Lean on someone. It isn’t uncommon for patients to be sleep deprived and doped up on medication after their discharge, which can mean all sorts of problems once they get home. Ask friends or family to spend a few days with you after you leave the hospital, Dharmarajan advises, to avoid accidents and make sure you’re on-track for a healthy recovery. Ask questions. The key to avoiding a return trip is a comprehensive care plan or recovery strategy, Vashi says. “A lot of return visits stem from patients simply not knowing what to expect when they get home,” she says. Address the following questions before you leave the hospital, Vashi advises, and loop your primary care doctor into the plan.
What should I expect during my recovery? Which symptoms are a normal part of recovery and which should be cause for concern? What new medications am I being prescribed and why? What are the potential side effects? How do I take the medication? What should I do if I have a question? What if I have a question after hours or on weekends?What follow-up appointments or tests are suggested? When? Why?
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