Journal article
Nonlinear Relationship Between Vital Signs and Hospitalization/Emergency Department Visits Among Older Home Healthcare Patients and Critical Vital Sign Cutoff for Adverse Outcomes: Application of Generalized Additive Model
Clinical nursing research, Vol.34(7), pp.364-376
09/2025
DOI: 10.1177/10547738251336488
PMCID: PMC12460932
PMID: 40357664
Abstract
Previous studies have focused on identifying risk factors for older adults receiving home healthcare services without considering vital signs. This may provide important information on deteriorating health conditions that may lead to hospitalization and/or emergency department (ED) visits. Thus, it is important to understand the relationship between vital signs and hospitalization and/or ED visits and critical vital sign points for mitigating the higher risks of hospitalization and/or ED visits. This secondary data analysis uses cross-sectional data from a large, urban home healthcare organization ( n = 61,615). A generalized additive model was used to understand the nonlinear relationship between each vital sign and hospitalization and/or ED visits through three unadjusted and adjusted models, and to identify a critical vital sign point related to a higher risk of hospitalization and/or ED visits. A significant nonlinear relationship (effective degree of freedom >2.0) was found between systolic, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, hospitalization, and/or ED visits. The critical inflection point for systolic blood pressure was 120.36 (SE 3.625, p < .001), diastolic blood pressure was 72.00 (SE 3.108, p < .001), and heart rate was 83.24 (SE 1.994, p = .052). Among all vital signs, the risk of hospitalization and/or ED visits sharply increased when an older adult’s heart rate surpassed 83.24 bpm. Our findings reveal that vital signs may serve as a critical indicator of a patient’s clinical condition, especially related to hospitalization and/or ED visit. Clinicians need to be cognizant of these critical thresholds for each vital sign and monitor any deviations from baseline to preempt adverse outcomes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Nonlinear Relationship Between Vital Signs and Hospitalization/Emergency Department Visits Among Older Home Healthcare Patients and Critical Vital Sign Cutoff for Adverse Outcomes: Application of Generalized Additive Model
- Creators
- Se Hee Min - University of PennsylvaniaJiyoun Song - University of PennsylvaniaLauren Evans - VNS HealthKathryn H. Bowles - University of PennsylvaniaMargaret V. McDonald - VNS HealthSena Chae - University of IowaSridevi Sridharan - VNS HealthYolanda Barrón - VNS HealthMaxim Topaz - Columbia University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Clinical nursing research, Vol.34(7), pp.364-376
- DOI
- 10.1177/10547738251336488
- PMID
- 40357664
- PMCID
- PMC12460932
- NLM abbreviation
- Clin Nurs Res
- ISSN
- 1054-7738
- eISSN
- 1552-3799
- Publisher
- Sage
- Grant note
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: R01 HS027742
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01 HS027742) "Building risk models for preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits in homecare (Homecare-CONCERN)."
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/13/2025
- Date published
- 09/2025
- Academic Unit
- Nursing
- Record Identifier
- 9984823070702771
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