The Relationship of Depression to Increased Risk of Hospital Readmission in Patients with Heart Failure

Statement of Problem:\ud Under the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program of the Affordable Care Act, 30 day readmission rates among heart failure patients are now routinely being used as measures for cost and quality of care in healthcare institutions (Kanel et al., 2010). To date research has predominantly focused on all cause readmissions among heart failure patients, with little specification on the relationship of depression to 30 day readmission (Silver, 2010). \ud \ud Source of Data:\ud A convenience sampling methodology was used to extract and examine clinical data using 3770 electronic medical records in a large metropolitan health care institution in southern California. The sample included anyone discharged alive from April 1, 2009 to December 31, 2012 with a heart failure diagnostic related group code. \ud \ud Conclusions Reached:\ud There was no statistical significance found between the independent variable, depression, and the dependent variable, 30 day readmission among heart failure patients (??=.411; p=.522). There was however a statistically significant relationship between mean age at discharge and 30 day readmission that demonstrated an inverse relationship of slightly younger patients (mean age 71.7) being at a higher risk for readmission when compared to slightly older patients (mean age 72.9).Nursin