Hospital readmission after stroke in the elderly

The specific aims are: 1) to describe 30-day readmission rates after ischemic stroke in the elderly by age, sex, race/ethnicity and geographic region; 2) identify primary reasons for 30-day hospital readmission; and 3) conduct a survey to assess utilization of resources and barriers to accessing care within the first month after discharge for an ischemic stroke in the elderly. Results from the study will provide clinicians, investigators, and policymakers with the best estimates to date of the current burden of inpatient and outpatient service utilization of stroke hospitalizations and their outcomes among the elderly, especially among different subgroups of our population. These results will help inform decisions about the allocation of adequate resources, and more importantly, help identify opportunities to improve care and prevention of elderly stroke patients in the United States.