Hospital Readmissions Tied To Patient Education

Patients who visit the hospital and are diagnosed with diabetes and given inpatient diabetic education (IDE)

have a much lower frequency of hospital readmission within 30 days, says a new study published in the October issue of Diabetes Care.
Sara J. Healy, M.D., from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus and colleagues conducted an analysis using information from inpatients who had a discharge diagnosis of diabetes and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) >9 percent who were hospitalized between 2008 and 2010. Inpatient diabetic education was given by certified diabetic educators or trainees. The 30 day analysis involved 2,265 patients and the 180 day analysis included 2,069 patients.
Healy and her colleagues found that the frequency of readmission to the hospital within 30 days was significantly lower for those who received IDE than for those who did not (11 percent versus 16 percent). Even when sociodemographic and illness-related factors were adjusted, the relationship still existed. In the model the researchers used, Medicaid and longer stays were independent predictors of readmission. Inpatient diabetic education was also linked to decreased readmissions within 180 days, but it was a thin correlation. In the final IDE readmission model used by researchers, independent factors were seen for no IDE, African American race, Medicaid or Medicare insurance, longer stay, and lower Hba1c with increased hospital readmission.
The authors concluded that, "Formal IDE was independently associated with a lower frequency of all-cause hospital readmission within 30 days; this relationship was attenuated by 180 days."
Reference: Renal and Urology News
If you are a diabetic and do not currently see a podiatrist, call our Glastonbury or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Ayman M. Latif, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Diabetic Foot Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Glastonbury and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.