Role of in-hospital care quality in reducing anxiety and readmissions of kidney transplant recipients

Background A total of 17,000 patients receive kidney transplants each year in the United States. The 30-day readmission rate for kidney transplant recipients is over 30%. Our research focuses on the relationship between the quality of care delivered during the patient's hospital stay for a kidney transplant, and the patient health outcomes and readmissions related to the transplant. Methods We interviewed 20 kidney transplant recipients at a major transplant center in the United States. Findings from these interviews were used to inform the data collection using structured surveys, which were administered to an additional 77 kidney transplant recipients. We used ordinary least squares regression to predict the effects of two dimensions of in-hospital care quality–information consistency and empathetic care delivery–on level of patient anxiety 1 week following discharge. Further, we estimated a logistic regression to predict the effect of anxiety, combined with the two dimensions of in-hospital care quality, on occurrence of 30-day readmissions. Results Patient anxiety levels 1 wk after discharge are significantly associated with information consistency and empathetic delivery of care. Patient anxiety 1 wk after discharge is associated with occurrence of 30-d readmissions. The logistic regression model indicates that the risk of getting readmitted is 110% higher for a one unit increase in patient anxiety level 1 wk after discharge. Finally, patient anxiety fully mediates the effects of consistency of information and empathetic care delivery on occurrence of 30-d readmissions (50.96% of the effect is mediated). Conclusions Our study suggests two ways of preventing readmissions through reduction of postdischarge anxiety: (1) standardizing in-hospital care, so that information received by patients is consistent, and (2) by training caregivers to be more empathetic toward patients during the delivery of this information.