Dornbush Sean Robert, Kleinman Michael Scott, McCoy Elisha, Winer Jeffrey Craig, Allen Anna Quantrille
Internal Medicine-Pediatrics, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Internal Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
J Hosp Med. 2025 Feb;20(2):167-171. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13501. Epub 2024 Sep 3.
Previous studies in adults admitted to pediatric hospitals primarily investigated associations between complex chronic condition characteristics and patient outcomes. Our study explored the association of age with length of stay (LOS) and total cost in these adults, accounting for other patient factors. Using the Pediatric Health Information System, we included 1,215,736 patient encounters from 2021 to 2022. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses were performed using bivariable and multivariable log-linear regression. There was a significant positive association between age and total cost, with adults 18-20 years having 13% higher total cost (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12%-15%), 21-25 years with 25% higher total cost (95% CI: 22%-29%), and 25-99 years having 72% higher total cost (95% CI: 66%-79%) than 1-17 years. Our findings suggest expanding upon the existing status quo to identify the most appropriate environment to care for this unique and growing population, especially given the anticipated reduction in pediatric beds and subspecialty expertise.
以往针对入住儿科医院的成年人开展的研究主要探讨了复杂慢性病特征与患者预后之间的关联。我们的研究在考虑其他患者因素的情况下，探究了年龄与这些成年人住院时长（LOS）及总费用之间的关联。利用儿科健康信息系统，我们纳入了2021年至2022年期间的1,215,736例患者就诊记录。采用双变量和多变量对数线性回归进行了未调整分析和调整分析。年龄与总费用之间存在显著正相关，18至20岁的成年人总费用比1至17岁的成年人高13%（95%置信区间[CI]：12% - 15%），21至25岁的成年人总费用高25%（95% CI：22% - 29%），25至99岁的成年人总费用高72%（95% CI：66% - 79%）。我们的研究结果表明，鉴于儿科床位和专科专业知识预计会减少，应在现有基础上进一步拓展，以确定最适合照料这一独特且不断增长的人群的环境。
