Admission and Readmission/Death Patterns in Hospitalized and Non-hospitalized First-Ever-in-a-Lifetime Stroke Patients During the First Year: A Population-Based Incidence Study

Background: Hospitalization and readmission rates after a first-ever-in-a-lifetime stroke (FELS) are considered measures of quality of care and, importantly, may give valuable information to better allocate health-related resources. We aimed to investigate the hospitalization pattern and the unplanned readmissions or death of hospitalized (HospS) and non-hospitalized stroke (NHospS) patients 1 year after a FELS, based on a community register. Methods: Data about hospitalization and unplanned readmissions and case fatality 1 year after a FELS were retrieved from the population-based register undertaken in Northern Portugal (ACIN2), comprising all FELS in 2009–2011. We used the Kaplan–Meier method to estimate 1-year readmission/death-free survival and Cox proportional hazard models to identify independent factors for readmission/death. Results: Of the 720 FELS, 35.7% were not hospitalized. Unplanned readmission/death within 1 year occurred in 33.0 and 24.9% of HospS and NHospS patients, respectively. The leading causes of readmission were infections, recurrent stroke, and cardiovascular events. Stroke-related readmissions were observed in more than half of the patients in both groups. Male sex, age, pre- and post-stroke functional status, and diabetes were independent factors of readmission/death within 1 year. Conclusion: About one-third of stroke patients were not hospitalized, and the readmission/death rate was higher in HospS patients. Still, that readmission/death rate difference was likely due to other factors than hospitalization itself. Our research provides novel information that may help implement targeted health-related policies to reduce the burden of stroke and its complications.