Comparison of Pneumonia-Related Hospital Readmission Rates Between Older Adults With and With

Comparison of Pneumonia-Related Hospital Readmission Rates Between Older Adults with and Without Dementia Pneumonia has been identified as the leading cause of death for individuals diagnosed with dementia, accounting for 40% of all dementia-related deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). This is an important issue in the United States, where, according to a study by Scherr et al., (2013), 5.4 million individuals have dementia. With the growing population of older Americans, this is an issue that will become more severe in the future. Problem Statement Older adults diagnosed with dementia have hospitalization rates three times greater than their age-matched peers, are more likely to have multiple hospitalizations, and have longer hospital stays (____). The primary cause of hospital-based, dementia-related deaths is pneumonia, an acute respiratory infection (____). Dementia and pneumonia are two separate diagnoses that individually have a significant impact on the lives of older adults, both in regards to quality of life and financial impact. Further investigation into how these two diagnoses interact is warranted and may prove beneficial in maximizing quality of care for older adults diagnosed with dementia. Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze data of pneumonia-related readmissions of older adults with dementia and compare it to the same data for those without dementia within one hospital system. This study may provide insight into the impact of dementia on pneumonia-related readmissions and may provide foundational information to improve proactive measures and preventative care. Recommendations for hospitals and other health care providers to educate their patients will be given to attempt to reduce the number of pneumonia-related hospital readmissions.

Research Questions

This proposed study will attempt to answer the following questions: 1.What is the pneumonia-related readmission rate for older adults diagnosed with dementia? 2.What factors are most predictive of a pneumonia-related readmission for older adults diagnosed with dementia? 3.How does the pneumonia-related readmission rate for older adults with dementia compare to the pneumonia-related readmission rate for age-matched norms?

Relevance and Significance of Study Pneumonia produces a high rate of hospital readmissions, reports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, (2014). A thorough search of the literature revealed several studies that provided baseline knowledge about pneumonia-related read missions, but none have addressed high-risk sub-populations such as older adults did.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 3). Prevent pneumonia. https://www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/prevention.html

Scherr, P. A., Evans, D. A., Hebert, L. E., & Weuve, J. (2013). Alzheimer disease in the United States (2010–2050) estimated using the 2010 census. Neurology, 80(19), 1778-1783. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31828726f5