Studies Examine Quality of Care for Hospitalized Sickle Cell Disease Patients and Effective Methods for Detecting Risk of Stroke in Children With Thi...(tals that treat a small number of patien...),Health

Date:12/6/2008

tals that treat a small number of patients with sickle cell disease have significantly higher mortality rates than hospitals that treat a larger volume. The findings suggest that the identification of specific factors associated with reduced mortality, including greater adherence to standards of care and clinical practice guidelines, has the potential to reduce morality at hospitals that treat a small number of patients with sickle cell disease. The study also shows that lack of insurance coverage is also associated with higher mortality and shorter hospital stays.

Data on sickle-cell-related hospitalizations from the National Inpatient Sample, which included hospitalization records from approximately 8 million hospitalizations annually from 1,000 hospitals in 37 states from 2003 to 2005, were examined to determine whether three potential determinants of quality care - hospital volume, hospital teaching status, and patient socioeconomic status - are associated with three quality indicators, including length of hospital stay, cost of hospitalization, and mortality for hospitalized patients with sickle cell disease. A total of 70,748 hospital discharges of sickle cell disease patients were identified and analyzed. Of these visits, the average length of stay was four days, costing an average of $4,100 per hospitalization. The analysis identified 425 deaths associated with sickle cell disease, translating into a mortality rate of six deaths per every 1,000 sickle cell hospitalizations.

A multivariable analysis, controlling for severity of illness and several other factors, confirmed that a lower volume of sickle cell patients was associated with significantly increased mortality and a decreased length of hospital stay. Additionally, self-pay status for insurance type was associated with increased mortality and a decreased length of hospital stay. Teaching hospitals had a higher adjusted cost of care for all patients but a decr
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SOURCE American Society of Hematology Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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