• Michelle L Macy, Rachel M Stanley, Comilla Sasson, Achamyeleh Gebremariam, and Matthew M Davis.
• Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. mlmacy@umich.edu
• Med Care. 2010 Sep 1; 48 (9): 827-33.

BackgroundPediatric observation units provide an alternative to traditional hospitalization. The extent to which observation units could replace inpatient care for asthmatic children is unknown.ObjectiveTo describe brief inpatient ("high-turnover," HTO) stays for US children hospitalized with a principal discharge diagnosis of asthma, to characterize cases that may be appropriate for observation.DesignWe analyzed the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database, a nationally representative sample of hospital discharges. HTO stays were defined as hospitalizations of 0 or 1 night in duration. We conducted descriptive statistics and case-mix adjusted, sample-weighted regression analysis of HTO stays, and associated hospital charges.SubjectsDischarges among children aged 2 to 20 years with a principal discharge diagnosis of asthma.MeasuresHTO stays and total charges.ResultsOverall, 34,592 (34%) pediatric asthma hospitalizations were HTO, accounting for 66,278 hospital days in 2006. HTO stays were associated with younger age, uncomplicated asthma, and private insurance. Freestanding children's hospitals had the highest proportion of HTO stays, 38% (95% CI: 34%-42%) compared with 32% (95% CI: 28%-36%) for children's units and 33% (95% CI: 31%-34%) for general hospitals. In multivariate regression analyses, charges were significantly higher across hospital types when HTO stays begin in the emergency department.ConclusionsThe presence of a large number of HTO stays for children hospitalized for asthma suggests the need to explore opportunities to restructure care for this condition, perhaps through the development of physically or operationally distinct observation units.

22 keywords...

hide…