Readmission data for outcomes measurement: identifying and strengthening the empirical base.

Hospital readmission is an important indicator of patient care outcomes and is widely used in evaluating the quality of health care provided. However, few definitions of the term "readmission" are listed in the literature, and exact measurement parameters regarding readmission are seldom stated. The term readmission is indiscriminately used and defined, making accurate comparisons of results difficult across studies if not impossible. This article analyzes the concept readmission, creates a criteria-based definition for the term, and proposes a measurement instrument on the basis of these criteria to consistently quantify readmission in quality management programs and research studies. Multiple databases were searched using various key terms to locate literature covering adult and pediatric populations and all clinical conditions or diagnoses. Articles were selected on the basis of the specified inclusion/exclusion criteria.