RESUMO
PURPOSE: To evaluate rehospitalizations and develop a strategy to reduce the number of individuals sent back to the hospital within 30 days of admission from postacute care services including skilled care, long-term care, and home care. DESIGN: Using the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) format outlined by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, we implemented and evaluated a quality improvement project. METHODS: The number of rehospitalizations was calculated and chart audit was used to determine the reasons. Interventions were designed to decrease the number of reasons individuals had to return to the hospital. FINDINGS: Five rehospitalizations were deemed preventable. Interventions were designed to improve staff knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of interventions and rehospitalization rates continue to be monitored. The rehospitalization rates from these agencies are low. Low rehospitalization rates are good for clients and improve desirability as a source for care posthospitalization. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding causes for rehospitalization, providing skills and knowledge aimed at the root causes of hospitalization, and reducing the rate of rehospitalization improves nursing practice and reimbursement.