Racial Differences in Length of Stay for XXXX Who Leave Against Medical Advice from U.S. General Hospitals.

@entity1 @entity1032 @entity910
There is a paucity of published literature on the length of hospital stays (LOS) for @entity1 who leave @entity910 ( @entity910 ) and on the factors that predict their LOS. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between race and the LOS for @entity910 @entity1 after adjusting for @entity1 and hospital characteristics. National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) data were used to describe LOS for @entity910 @entity1 aged 18 years or older. @entity1 characteristics included age, sex, race, marital status, insurance, and diagnosis (ICD-9-CM). Hospital characteristics consisted of ownership, region and bed size. LOS was the major outcome measure. Using data from all years 1988-2006, the expected time to @entity910 discharge was first examined as a function of race, then adjusting for year terms, @entity1 and hospital characteristics, and major medical diagnoses and @entity1032 . The unadjusted effect of race on the expected time of leaving @entity910 was about twice the adjusted effect. After controlling for the other covariates, the expected time to @entity910 discharge is 20% shorter for Blacks than Whites. The most significant predictors included age, insurance coverage, @entity1032 , gender, and region. Factors identified in this study offer insights into directions for evidence based- health policy to reduce @entity910 discharges.
