Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Depressive symptoms are associated with higher rates of readmission or mortality after medical hospitalization: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Depressive symptoms during a medical hospitalization may be an overlooked prognostic factor for adverse events postdischarge. Our aim was to evaluate whether depressive symptoms predict 30-day readmission or death after medical hospitalization. We conducted a systematic review of studies that compared postdischarge outcomes by in-hospital depressive status. ⋯ Compared to inpatients without depression, those discharged with depressive symptoms were more likely to be readmitted (20.4% vs 13.7%, risk ratio [RR]: 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.58) or die (2.8% vs 1.5%, RR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.31-3.44) within 30 days. Depressive symptoms were common in medical inpatients and are associated with an increased risk of adverse events postdischarge. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:373-380. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Hospital Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Hospital Medicine.