Social environmental factors 'have impact on older adults returning home from hospital'

New research has suggested the chances of an older adult being admitted back to hospital shortly after being released depends on a range of social environmental factors.

A new report by Hong Tao of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and colleagues stated the findings of the study will help to increase understanding of how social environmental factors contribute to home healthcare patients being rehospitalised.

Some 21 per cent of patients in the study were shown to have been rehospitalised, most of whom were readmitted during the first 20 days of being discharged from the hospital to home healthcare.

"Rehospitalisations are costly and in many cases preventable," said the authors of the report, who added this is considered a "major adverse event" in home care.

A study carried out at Imperial College London and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology earlier in the month found growing social inequality between older adults in England.

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