EVALUATION OF THE 90-DAY RE-ADMISSION RATE OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO INTERNAL CLINICS

Patients admitted to internal clinics frequently present with one or more chronic diseases, which significantly elevates the risk of hospital readmission among patients aged 65 and above. Frequent readmissions have become a significant challenge for patients with chronic conditions admitted to internal medicine departments. The objective of this study was to ascertain the incidence of hospitalization within a 90-day period among patients aged 65 and above who had received inpatient healthcare services at an internal clinic within a training and research hospital. The study data comprises the records of patients aged 65 and over who were hospitalized in the internal clinics of the aforementioned hospital between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021. The mean age of the sample was 72.34±6.24 years, with 39.8% of the subjects being female and 60.2% male. The highest rate of readmission to the hospital was observed during the first spring period, with a rate of 31.40%. The mean length of stay for elderly individuals admitted to the hospital for readmission was 32.72 days. The rate of readmission within 90 days among geriatric patients hospitalized in internal clinics is 45.57%. It can be stated that one in every two geriatric individuals was readmitted to the hospital within the first three months following discharge. In this context, it is crucial to develop and implement effective policies to reduce hospital readmission rates. Among the indicators monitored within the scope of quality standards in health care, the rate of hospitalization within 30 days should be monitored as an indicator, and improvement studies should be initiated based on the results.