{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T05:01:09Z","timestamp":1784869269755,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health","IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Unplanned paediatric hospital readmissions are key indicators of healthcare quality, often reflecting issues in discharge planning and continuity of care. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare delivery and utilisation, yet its impact on paediatric readmission patterns in Australia remains unclear. Methods: A 5-year single-centre retrospective cohort study of 21,262 paediatric admissions and unplanned readmissions at a non-tertiary metropolitan Australian hospital between 21 March 2017 and 20 March 2023 was conducted. Admissions up to 20 March 2020 were classified as pre-pandemic, and those from 21 March 2020 as during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analysed patient characteristics, including gender, age, First Nations status, primary diagnosis, and socio-economic status, to identify UHR trends. Results: During the COVID-19 period, total paediatric admissions declined by nearly 30%, and the readmission rate decreased from 7.5% to 4.6% compared with the pre-pandemic period. Across both cohorts, higher readmission rates were observed among male patients, infants aged 0\u201312 months, and children from more socio-economically advantaged areas. Readmissions among First Nations children and those with communicable diseases declined during the pandemic period. Conclusions: A higher proportion of males and patients under 12 months of age had higher readmission rates across both periods. These findings highlight the need for targeted early intervention, age-specific discharge planning, and strengthened follow-up care for high-risk groups. Further research should extend the study period beyond the pandemic and include larger cohorts to better characterise long-term trends and improve generalisability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23070942","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T13:25:46Z","timestamp":1784726746000},"page":"942","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["COVID-19 and Unplanned Paediatric Hospital Readmissions in Australia: A Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Huma","family":"Sadulla","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-3019-4020","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adhya Miriam","family":"Tom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7364-8316","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gary","family":"Low","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia"},{"name":"Research Directorate, Nepean Hospital, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anthony","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia"},{"name":"Department of Paediatrics, Nepean Hospital, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5114-9380","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Habib","family":"Bhurawala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia"},{"name":"Department of Paediatrics, Nepean Hospital, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Notre Dame University, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) (2019). 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