Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38972911›Full record

ArticleHealth services research2025

Using social risks to predict unplanned hospital readmission and emergency care among hospitalized Veterans.

Portia Y Cornell, Cassandra L Hua, Zachary M Buchalksi, Gina R Chmelka, Alicia J Cohen, Marguerite M Daus, Christopher W Halladay, Alita Harmon, Jennifer W Silva, James L Rudolph

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Portia Y CornellCenter of Innovation for Long Term Services and Supports, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3608-2186
Cassandra L HuaDepartment of Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
Zachary M BuchalksiCenter of Innovation for Long Term Services and Supports, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Gina R ChmelkaNational Social Work Program, Care Management and Social Work, Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.
Alicia J CohenDepartment of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Marguerite M DausRocky Mountain Regional Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7640-9986
Christopher W HalladayCenter of Innovation for Long Term Services and Supports, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Alita HarmonNational Social Work Program, Care Management and Social Work, Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.
Jennifer W SilvaNational Social Work Program, Care Management and Social Work, Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.
James L RudolphCenter of Innovation for Long Term Services and Supports, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Funding

Implementing a Clinical-Community Partnered Intervention to Address Food Insecurity Among High-Risk VeteransIK2HX003013 · VA · PROVIDENCE VA MEDICAL CENTER · PI Alicia Cohen · 2020 to 2026
–
HSRD VA IK2 HX003013U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CDA 12-227U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CDA 20-037U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs PEC-018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectives(1) To estimate the association of social risk factors with unplanned readmission and emergency care after a hospital stay. (2) To create a social risk scoring index. DATA SOURCES AND

settingWe analyzed administrative data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse. Settings were VA medical centers that participated in a national social work staffing program. STUDY

designWe grouped socially relevant diagnoses, screenings, assessments, and procedure codes into nine social risk domains. We used logistic regression to examine the extent to which domains predicted unplanned hospital readmission and emergency department (ED) use in 30 days after hospital discharge. Covariates were age, sex, and medical readmission risk score. We used model estimates to create a percentile score signaling Veterans' health-related social risk. DATA EXTRACTION: We included 156,690 Veterans' admissions to a VA hospital with discharged to home from 1 October, 2016 to 30 September, 2022. PRINCIPAL

findingsThe 30-day rate of unplanned readmission was 0.074 and of ED use was 0.240. After adjustment, the social risks with greatest probability of readmission were food insecurity (adjusted probability = 0.091 [95% confidence interval: 0.082, 0.101]), legal need (0.090 [0.079, 0.102]), and neighborhood deprivation (0.081 [0.081, 0.108]); versus no social risk (0.052). The greatest adjusted probabilities of ED use were among those who had experienced food insecurity (adjusted probability 0.28 [0.26, 0.30]), legal problems (0.28 [0.26, 0.30]), and violence (0.27 [0.25, 0.29]), versus no social risk (0.21). Veterans with social risk scores in the 95th percentile had greater rates of unplanned care than those with 95th percentile Care Assessment Needs score, a clinical prediction tool used in the VA.

conclusionsVeterans with social risks may need specialized interventions and targeted resources after a hospital stay. We propose a scoring method to rate social risk for use in clinical practice and future research.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalPatient ReadmissionVeteransAdultAgedFemaleFood InsecurityHospitals, VeteransHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient DischargeRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans Affairsarea deprivation indexemergency department usefood insecurityhospital readmissionhousing insecuritysocial determinants of healthsocial isolationsocial risk factorsVeterans

Identifiers

PMID38972911
PMCPMC11782069

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.