The LACE Index, which stands for Length of stay, Acuity of the admission, Comorbidity of the patient, and Emergency department use, is a clinical calculator used to predict the risk of unplanned readmission or death within 30 days after hospital discharge. This scoring system is applicable to all adult patients who have been hospitalized.
The LACE Index is particularly useful in identifying patients who may benefit from more intensive post-discharge interventions to prevent readmission, such as case management or patient education. It can also be used to benchmark and improve hospital performance in terms of readmission rates.
There are no specific exclusion criteria for the use of the LACE Index, but it may be less accurate in predicting readmission risk for certain subgroups of patients, such as those with psychiatric illnesses or substance use disorders. Additionally, it may not be as effective in settings where the pattern of emergency department use is significantly different from the norm.
Reference
Joseph R Linzey, Jeffrey L Nadel, D Andrew Wilkinson et al. Validation of the LACE Index (Length of Stay, Acuity of Admission, Comorbidities, Emergency Department Use) in the Adult Neurosurgical Patient Population. Neurosurgery. 2020 Jan 1;86(1):E33-E37.
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