HIV/AIDS length of stay in Portugal under financial constraints: a longitudinal study for public hospitals, 2009-2014.

Background: The global financial crisis and the economic and financial adjustment programme (EFAP) forced the Portuguese government to adopt austerity measures, which also included the health sector. The aim of this study was to analyse factors associated with HIV/AIDS patients' length of stay (LOS) among Portuguese hospitals, and the potential impact of the EFAP measures on hospitalizations among HIV/AIDS patients.

Methods: Data used in this analysis were collected from the Portuguese database of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG).