Timely Follow-Up After a First Diagnosis of Cirrhosis is Associated With Reduced Mortality but No Impact on Rehospitalisations: A Population-Based Cohort of 8852 Patients

Background and aims: Timely transition of care amongst patients with a first diagnosis of cirrhosis in a hospital to an outpatient visit is important. We evaluated rates of outpatient follow-up after a first diagnosis of cirrhosis during an inpatient setting, and its association with subsequent rates of rehospitalisation and mortality.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study identifying all hospitalised patients in Sweden diagnosed with cirrhosis between 2002 and 2020 from the Swedish National Patient Register. The primary outcome was any outpatient visit related to cirrhosis within 90 days after hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were rates of rehospitalisation and mortality within 1 year of discharge in patients receiving outpatient follow-up within 90 days or not. Cox regression was used for all analyses, and incidence rates per 1000 person-years were calculated for mortality and rehospitalisation.

Results: Of 8852 patients, 3759 (42%) had outpatient follow-up within 90 days of discharge. Patients who received follow-up within 90 days of discharge were younger, had a higher level of education and were more likely to have liver decompensation or hepatocellular carcinoma compared to those without timely follow-up. We found that follow-up within 90 days was associated with lower rates of all-cause mortality within 1 year (aHR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.78-0.96) but with no significant impact on rehospitalisations (aHR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.91-1.03).

Conclusions: In Sweden, 42% of hospitalised patients with newly diagnosed cirrhosis receive outpatient follow-up within 90 days of their hospital discharge. These patients may experience lower mortality but no change in rehospitalisations within 1 year.