For a study, researchers sought to show that implementing a perioperative quality improvement program effectively reduced 30-day readmission rates after ileostomy creation. Compared to the national database, readmission rates were significantly lower, and the causes of readmission were also less likely to be related to surgical complications. This is a significant finding, as it demonstrates the potential for this quality improvement program to improve outcomes for patients undergoing ileostomy surgery. A total of 80 patients were enrolled in this prospective quality improvement program. The mean age was 52 (±15.06) years. The most common indication for patients undergoing the creation of an ileostomy was colorectal cancer (40%; n=32). The 30-day readmission rate was 8.75% (n=7) throughout the study period, significantly lower than historical cohort data (20.10%; P=0.01). Among the 7 readmitted patients, 3 (3.75%) were readmitted due to dehydration. The 3 patients who had to be readmitted because they were dehydrated had a mean risk score of 11.71 points, compared to 9.59 points in the other patients who did not require readmission (P=0.38). The Decreasing Readmissions After Ileostomy Creation program has successfully reduced both the all-cause readmission rate and the readmission rate due to dehydration within an academic tertiary care referral center and in comparison with historical readmission rates.
