LACE Index to Predict the High Risk of 30-Day Readmission: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The LACE index accounts for: Length of stay (L), Acuity of admission (A), Comorbidities (C), and recent Emergency department use (E). This study aimed to explore the LACE index to predict the high risk of 30-day readmission in patients with diverse disease conditions by an updated systematic review. A systematic review carried out by electronic databases from 2011–2021. The studies included a LACE index score for 30-day of readmission and patients with all types of diseases and were published in the English language. The meta-analysis was performed by using a random-effects model with a 95% confidence interval. Of 3300 records, a total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. The country of publication was primarily the USA (n = 7) and study designs were retrospective and perspective cohorts. The average mean age was 64 years. The C-statistics was 0.55 to 0.81. The pooled random effects of relative risk readmission were overall (RR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.12–0.34) and it was favorable. The subgroup analysis of the opted disease-based relative risk of readmissions of all causes, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and neurological diseases were consistent and statistically significant at p < 0.001 level. Current evidence of this review suggested that incorporating a high-risk LACE index showed favorable to risk prediction and could be applied to predict 30-day readmission with chronic conditions. Future study would be planned to predict the high risk of 30-day readmission in acute clinical care for utility, and applicability of promising LACE index in South Korean hospitals.