NH Hospital Readmissions Study
Project Description:
Need: This effort represents a new collaborative partnership between researchers at the Institute on Disability at UNH and NH Hospital. The primary targets for this partnership will be threefold: 1) to generate a more informed understanding of NH's high re-hospitalization rate for those living with mental illness; 2) document the prevalence of and factors driving re-hospitalization rates statewide; and 3) to tie this information back into current efforts by NHH (such as Project Red) and its partners to improve NH resident ability to thrive in a least restrictive environment.
The proposed research areas and data sources / areas of work include:
 How does data on re-hospitalization compare to other state hospitals and with our own benchmarks? Data Source: Review of state and national level data resources on re-hospitalization
 How do re-admission rates vary by disposition factors - such as current abuse of substances, specific mental illness type, length of stay, disposition, ER utilization, and length of time to readmission? Data Source: Analysis of hospital discharge files for specialty, inpatient, and outpatient hospitalizations.
 What socio-economic factors increase or decrease the likelihood of readmission to NHH? Data Source: Structured interviews with current patients of NHH
 Are any factors related to program participation at NHH which predict higher readmission rates? Data Source: Internal review of documents and procedures by NHH Staff.
The initiative is guided by an Advisory Committee made up of service providers, advocates, and residents reliant on mental health services. Administration of the project and grant funds will be the responsibility of staff at UNH with guidance from New Hampshire Hospital, as well as UNH and State IRBs as appropriate. Products will include internal white papers documenting research findings and recommendations for changes in practice as well as a policy brief suitable for informing public understanding on this topic.
Keyword(s):
mental health readmissions
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, Legislators/Policy Makers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Other
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
