RT Journal
A1 Okumura MJ, Campbell AD, Nasr SZ, Davis MM
T1 INpatient health care use among adult survivors of chronic childhood illnesses in the united states
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2006
FD October 1
VO 160
IS 10
SP 1054
OP 1060
DO 10.1001/archpedi.160.10.1054
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.160.10.1054
AB Objectives 
    To describe the inpatient length of stay and related charges for adults in the United States with childhood-onset chronic disease and to examine patterns with respect to different hospital settings.Design 
    We analyzed data from the 2002 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a nationally representative data set of hospital discharges. We performed a case-mix–adjusted, sample-weighted regression analysis as well as descriptive statistics of hospital use among adults with childhood-onset chronic disease.Setting 
    United States.Participants 
    We identified hospitalizations for persons aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, or spina bifida.Main Exposure 
    Childhood chronic illness.Main Outcome Measures 
    Length of stay and total charges among pediatric, adult, and mixed hospitals.Results 
    In multivariate adjusted analyses, patients with complex congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis had a significantly longer length of stay in pediatric hospitals than in adult or mixed hospitals (P<.001); no similar difference was found for sickle cell disease and spina bifida. For all of the 4 conditions, hospital charges were significantly greater in pediatric hospitals than in adult or mixed hospitals (P<.001 for cystic fibrosis, complex congenital heart disease, and sickle cell disease, and P<.01 for spina bifida).Conclusions 
    The vast majority of persons who have survived to adulthood with complex congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, or sickle cell disease are hospitalized in hospitals that predominantly care for adults, where charges for care appear to be lower than in pediatric hospitals.