University of Michigan researchers found that where you recover after a hospital stay can affect your chances for readmission, according to an article on the Assisted Living Facilities website.
Patients returning home from the hospital were 38 percent more likely to return to the hospital with a linked infection compared to patients who were discharged to an adequate nursing facility.
The researchers examined more than 318,000 hospital discharge reports for Medicare patients aged 65 and over and found out that within a month 2.5 percent returned to the hospital to treat the same infection they left with.
"Skilled care facilities are usually considered dangerous places to catch an infection and to spread or transmit infections to other patients, but we've found quite the opposite," said the studies author.