Introduction: Our goal was to better understand the health care utilization of patients with spina bifida (SB) by evaluating length of hospital stay (LOS) as well as identifying what characteristics within the SB population are contributing to shorter or longer LOS.

Methods: By querying the Department of Health Care Access and Information database of all encounters at California-licensed hospitals from January 1995 through December 2017, this study analyzed LOS as a measure of health care utilization. Patients with SB were identified using the International Classification of Diseases-9 and -10 coding system, and the data collected for both SB and control cohorts were compared using linear and logistic regression models.

Results: Patients with SB spent a mean LOS of 7.3 days compared to 4.7 days among the control cohort ( < .001). In multivariable analysis, SB was found to be an independent predictor of longer LOS. Within the SB encounters, increasing comorbidities and nonprivate insurance were associated with longer LOS, while being female and Hispanic were associated with a shorter LOS.

Conclusions: SB is an independent predictor of longer LOS when compared to the control cohort. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the preventive health care access and needs of the vulnerable SB population to decrease hospital utilization rates.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000632DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

health care
20
care utilization
12
longer los
12
patients spina
8
spina bifida
8
length hospital
8
hospital stay
8
utilization patients
8
care access
8
control cohort
8

Similar Publications

Background: Delirium is a condition characterized by an acute and transient disturbance in attention, cognition, and consciousness. It is increasingly prevalent at the end of life in patients with cancer. While non-pharmacological nursing interventions are essential for delirium prevention, their effectiveness in terminally ill patients with cancer remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of global mortality, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. This is projected to increase by more than 60% by 2040, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, palliative and psychosocial oncology care is very limited in these countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hospitalized older patients, associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Major adverse kidney events within 30 days (MAKE30), a composite of death, new renal replacement therapy, or persistent renal dysfunction, has been recommended as a patient-centered endpoint for clinical trials involving AKI.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning-based model to predict MAKE30 in hospitalized older patients with AKI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Mental health chatbots have emerged as a promising tool for providing accessible and convenient support to individuals in need. Building on our previous research on digital interventions for loneliness and depression among Korean college students, this study addresses the limitations identified and explores more advanced artificial intelligence-driven solutions.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the performance of HoMemeTown Dr.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Research Participants' Engagement and Retention in Digital Health Interventions Research: Protocol for Mixed Methods Systematic Review.

JMIR Res Protoc

January 2025

Department of Women's and Children's Health, Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Background: Digital health interventions have become increasingly popular in recent years, expanding the possibilities for treatment for various patient groups. In clinical research, while the design of the intervention receives close attention, challenges with research participant engagement and retention persist. This may be partially due to the use of digital health platforms, which may lack adequacy for participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!