Trends in Legionnaires’ Disease-Associated Hospitalizations, United States, 2006–2010

Background Legionella pneumophila is a waterborne cause of both healthcare-associated and community-acquired pneumonia. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 is responsible for 80% of infections. There is currently limited published disease burden data on Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalization in the United States. Methods In this study, we estimated the annual incidence of Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations in United States and identified demographic, temporal, and regional characteristics of individuals hospitalized for Legionnaires’ disease. A retrospective study was conducted using the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) data from 2006 to 2010. The NHDS is a nationally representative US survey, which includes estimates of inpatient stays in short-stay hospitals in the United States, excluding federal, military, and Veterans Administration hospitals. All discharges assigned with the Legionnaires’ disease International Classification of Diseases 9th Clinical Modification discharge diagnostic code (482.84) were included in this study. Results We observed the annual incidence and number of Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations (per 100 000 population) in the United States by year, age, sex, race, and region. Over a 5-year period, 14 574 individuals experienced Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations in the United States The annual population-adjusted incidence (per 100 000 population) of Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations was 5.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.12–5.64) in 2006, 7.06 (95% CI, 6.80–7.40) in 2007, 8.77 (95% CI, 8.44–9.11) in 2008, 17.07 (95% CI, 16.62–17.54) in 2009, and 9.66 (95% CI, 9.32–10.01) in 2010. A summer peak of Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations occurred from June through September in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Conclusions Legionnaires’ disease-associated hospitalizations significantly increased over the 5-year study period. The increasing disease burden of Legionnaires’ disease suggests that large segments of the US population are at risk for exposure to this waterborne pathogen.

Not What the Doctor Ordered: Racial Differences in Hospital Discharges Against Medical Advice

Although a large literature exists on racial disparities in healthcare, the topic of racial differences in hospital discharges against medical advice (AMA) is relatively unexplored. Data obtained from the 2008 National Hospital Discharge Survey indicate that black patients leave the hospital against their physician’s advice nearly twice as often as white patients. This is alarming, as discharges AMA are associated with increased rates of both readmission and post-discharge mortality. In this thesis, I identify if there are racial differences in discharges AMA and examine factors that may explain these racial disparities. I find that black patients are significantly more likely than white patients to be discharged from hospitals AMA but that this relationship is largely the product of other underlying factors such as racial differences in sociodemographic characteristics, health insurance coverage, and the type of hospital visited. Additional factors explored include institutionalized racism, perceptions of physicians’ negative bias, social and cultural health capital, patient-provider communication, trust in caregivers and healthcare institutions, and utilization of preventative care. Future studies should focus on implementing policy changes in order to alleviate the disproportionate rate of discharges AMA in non-white patients and the associated health risks.

Health Coverage Disparities across Gender and Marital Status among Psychiatric Inpatients

The goal of this study was to examine the demographics sex and marital status of inpatients with schizophrenia and bipolar and compare differences in patients’ chances of possessing adequate health coverage to cover hospital expenses. Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey was extracted and analyzed. For hospital discharges of patients age 18 and older 702,626 hospital discharges were included in the study representing a weighted population of 77,082,738 hospital discharges. Prediction model was applied to test the ability of the independent variables sex and marital status to predict differences in health coverage in multinomial logistic regression (MLR) test. Results indicate that sex and marital status weresignificant predictors of health coverage type that patient owned. Male, unmarried and with unknown marital status patients were more likely to be either uninsured or publicly insured. Public health policy legislation efforts need to address public-health-insurance provisions that limit the coverage of treatment for psychiatric patients.

Trends in the incidence and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in hematological cancers: A nationwide analysis.

e18244 Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) has higher incidence in cancer patients. To characterize the extent of CDI burden among hematologic cancer patients, we used the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) to report the incidence and outcomes of CDI. Methods: NHDS data from 2001-2010 were analyzed using diagnosis codes to identify patients with hematologic cancers and CDI. Demographics and discharge information were compared amongst hematologic cancer patients with and without CDI. Logistic regression models were runto estimate the impact of CDI on hematologic cancer patient outcomes, using STATA 12.0. Results: During the years 2001-2010, about 3.7 million patients (weighted data) were discharged with hematologic cancer. Among them, the incidence of CDI was 2.3%. Hematologic cancer patients with CDI were younger (mean age 66 vs 68 years), more likely to be men (66% vs 64.5%), to be of white race (68.1% vs 67.7%) and to have emergent admissions (73% vs 69%), all p values < 0.001. CDI incidence in these patients showed a steeper increase than non-cancer patients, with highest incidence in 2008-2009. Hematologic cancer patients with CDI had a longer mean Length of stay (16.9 vs 7.1 days; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 9.5, 95% CI 9.4-9.6), all cause hospital mortality (11.3% vs 6.3%; aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.88-1.97) and discharge to a care facility (28.4% vs 18.8%; aOR 2.06, 95% CI 2.02-2.10) compared to non-CDI cancer patients. Conclusions: CDI incidence is higher in patients with hematologic malignancy. They also have worse outcomes including overall mortality, longer hospitalizations and discharge to healthcare facility. These patients warrant closer screening and prompt treatment of CDI as they are at greater risk of unfavorable outcomes. [Table: see text]