Hughes LD, et al. - Researchers sought to determine in older people the reasons for and predictors of readmission to acute care facilities within 30-180 days of discharge from an inpatient rehabilitation unit. In this cohort, a wide range of diagnoses was observed among patients readmitting to the acute care facility, and in over three-quarters of cases, readmission occurred for different reasons to the original hospital admission. Readmission with the same condition was observed in 13.5% of patients readmitted within 30 days (most common diagnoses associated with readmission were chest infection, falls/immobility and stroke) and in 12.4% of patients readmitted within 180 days (the most common diagnoses associated with readmission being falls/immobility, cancer and chest infections). Older age, male sex, length of stay and heart failure were identified as the predictors of 30 or 180-day readmission. In addition, discharge from hospital to patients own home was a predictor of 30-day readmission, while diagnoses of cancer, previous myocardial infarction or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could predict 180-day readmission.