Patient characteristics (n=1066)
| Demographics | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Mean age (range) | 56 (18–100) |
| Person interviewed | |
| Patient | 928 (87) |
| Caregiver | 62 (6) |
| Both | 73 (7) |
| Married or cohabitating with partner | 406 (38) |
| Caregiver identified at time of readmission | 176 (16) |
| Clinical characteristics | |
| Comorbidities | |
| CHF (stage III or stage IV) | 64 (6) |
| COPD (02-dependent or FEV1<1 L) | 76 (7) |
| Cancer (any) | 163 (15) |
| Stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) | 77 (7) |
| Dementia (Parkinson's or other neurodegenerative disorder) | 26 (2) |
| ESRD (CKD IV, GFR<30 or haemodialysis) | 140 (13) |
| ≥1 above conditions | 439 (41) |
| Discharge location from index admission | |
| Home | 917 (86) |
| Homeless (shelter or streets) | 56 (5) |
| Rehabilitation (subacute, acute or long-term acute care) | 43 (4) |
| Nursing home | 24 (2) |
| Other (eg, hospice, psychiatric or other acute care hospital) | 26 (2) |
| Post-discharge follow-up visit scheduled prior to readmission | 735 (69) |
| Patient able to attend follow-up visit prior to readmission | 384 (36) |
| Patient identifies having a primary care provider | 906 (85) |
| Patient-reported engagement in discharge planning | |
| ‘When you were getting ready to leave the hospital, how often did you have enough time to say what you thought was important?’ | Always or often 774 (73) |
| ‘How often did you feel pressured by them to have a treatment you were not sure you wanted?’ | Never or rarely (78) |
| ‘When you were getting ready to leave the hospital, did they ask if you might have problems actually following the recommended plan?’ | Always or often 399 (37) |
| ‘When I left the hospital I understood what I was supposed to do to take care of myself.’ | Agree/strongly agree 970 (91) |
| ‘When I left the hospital, they took my preferences into account when they decided on the plan for my care.’ | Agree/strongly agree 797 (75) |
CHF, congestive heart failure; CKD, chronic kidney disease; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ESRD, end-stage renal disease; GFR, glomerular filtration rate.