Abstract:
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Skin pressure injuries (SPIs) are preventable complications that may occur among patients with spina bifida (SB). Are SPIs associated with length of stay and cost of hospitalization in these patients? Among 37,312,324 hospitalizations in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2010–2014), we found 21,605 with SB (3,888 reported SPIs and 17,717 did not). For hospitalizations with SB, we used logistic regression to estimate the propensity score for SPIs using demographic and clinical variables and hospital characteristics. Among hospitalizations with SB without reported SPIs, we selected a sample of 3,888 hospitalizations that matched the scores of the sample with SPIs. When compared, hospitalizations with SB and SPIs are, on average, 1.2 days longer and cost $1,182 more (2014 dollars) than hospitalizations with SB without SPIs. In other words, among hospitalized patients with SB, SPIs are independently associated with increases of 10% in the cost of hospitalization and of 24% in the length of stay. Our results show a notable medical and financial burden associated with SPIs and highlight the importance of prevention efforts before or during hospitalizations of patients with SB.
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