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. We assessed study quality and pooled published and unpublished data using random effects models. Overall, one‐third of 6104 patients discharged from medical wards were depressed (interquartile range, 27%‐40%). 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