Thirty-Day readmissions among COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the early pandemic in the United States: Insights from the Nationwide Readmissions Database.

The study used diagnosis codes from a hospital database, so errors in coding or under-reporting of conditions may affect the results. The database did not contain race or ethnicity data, so those factors could not be examined. The database did not contain diagnostic test results, so diagnoses and more detailed clinical outcomes could not be confirmed. Data covered only January to November 2020, and December 2020 discharges were excluded because January 2021 data were not available. The study period was before vaccines and many treatments were available, so the results may not apply to later pandemic care. The study was observational, so it shows associations, not proof that any factor caused readmission or that a discharge intervention would reduce it. The higher readmission risk seen in younger patients may partly reflect older patients dying during the first hospitalization or having palliative care before discharge. The lower readmission risk associated with obesity may reflect selection bias, not a protective effect.

The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work.

Do not conclude that younger age, Medicaid insurance, or discharge to a skilled nursing facility caused readmission. This was an observational database study, and older patients may have died before discharge or had palliative care, so they could not be counted as readmissions.