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PubMed2005

Differences in the outcomes and treatments of extensively burned patients between a Chinese hospital and a Japanese hospital.

To know the therapeutic level at one's own institute is important and contributes to improving the treatment of patients. We compared the outcomes of extensively burned patients between a Chinese hospital and a Japanese hospital in order to identify the differences in the clinical treatment of severe burn patients. Thirty-four burn patients who were admitted to the National Defense Medical College Hospital (NDMC) in Japan and 95 burn patients who were admitted to the Changhai Hospital of the Second Military Medical University (SMMU) in China from January 1999 to December 2003 were studied. All patients were transported to the respective hospitals within 3 days after suffering burns and their total body surface area of burns was greater than 20%. Fourteen of the 34 patients (41.2%) at NDMC hospital and 1 of the 95 patients (1.1%) at SMMU hospital were injured by attempted suicide; namely, the suicide rate was significantly higher in the patients at NDMC hospital (p < 0.001). Moreover, the age (p = 0.005) and inhalation rate (p = 0.013) were significantly higher at NDMC hospital than those at SMMU hospital. Consequently, the survival rate at SMMU was higher than at NDMC in the patients with a burn surface area of greater than 80% or with a burn index of greater than 60. The excellent outcomes of the extensively burned patients at SMMU were in part due to the fact that Chinese doctors tend to perform an immediate tracheostomy and a traditional Chinese operation with alloskin, called microskin grafting or intermingled skin grafting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2025

Duration of Hospitalization is Associated with the Gut Microbiome in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Early Results from a Randomized Trial of Home Versus Hospital Transplantation.

Home-based hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is an innovative care model with growing interest, but its impact on the gut microbiome remains unexplored in a randomized setting. We present interim results from the first randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating the effect of HCT location-home versus hospital-on gut microbial diversity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene carriage. We hypothesize that patients randomized to undergo home HCT would have higher gut taxonomic diversity and lower AMR gene abundance compared to those undergoing standard hospital HCT. We analyzed stool samples from the first 28 patients enrolled in ongoing Phase II RCTs comparing home (n = 16) and hospital (n = 12) HCT at Duke University using shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare taxa and AMR gene composition between groups. We also performed a secondary analysis comparing patients who received transplants at outpatient infusion clinics versus inpatient standard HCT to evaluate the influence of hospitalization duration. In the primary RCT analysis, taxonomic and AMR gene α- and β-diversity were comparable between home and hospital groups, reflecting similar durations of hospitalization despite group allocation. In contrast, secondary analyses demonstrated that patients transplanted in outpatient infusion clinics who experienced significantly reduced hospitalization had higher gut taxonomic α-diversity and differential β-diversity, although AMR gene diversity remained unchanged. In summary, randomization by transplant location did not impact the gut microbiota to the same extent as the duration of hospitalization, although secondary analyses were heavily confounded. Even when taxonomic differences were observed, AMR genes were similar between groups. This RCT represents a novel investigation into how care setting influences the gut microbiome during HCT. Our findings suggest that hospital duration, rather than randomization allocation alone, is the primary driver of microbial disruption. These results underscore the potential for reducing hospital duration to mitigate microbiome injury, thereby informing future interventions to reduce infection risk and improve patient outcomes.

Microbiome↗

PubMed1993

Management of hospital survivors of pre-hospital ventricular fibrillation.

The objective of our study was to characterise 52 hospital survivors of pre-hospital ventricular fibrillation and record their initial management in hospital. A retrospective review was undertaken of ambulance report forms, hospital notes, and electrocardiograms, in one teaching hospital and three district general hospitals in South Wales, of 53 patients discharged from hospital between February 1987 and April 1992 after resuscitation from pre-hospital ventricular fibrillation by ambulance personnel. Twenty patients showed evidence of acute myocardial infarction (group 1), eight patients had a diagnosis of 'possible acute myocardial infarction' (group 2), and 25 patients had no evidence of acute myocardial infarction (group 3). Nineteen patients in group 1 experienced chest pain before collapse compared with only six patients in group 3 (p < 0.001). Five patients in group 1 had a previous history of ischaemic heart disease compared with 17 patients in group 3 (p < 0.01). A greater proportion of patients in group 3 were taking diuretic medication (15 of 25 vs 4 of 20: p < 0.01) but there was no difference in potassium levels on admission to hospital. Cardiologists were involved in the management of a minority of patients (21 of 53); only eight patients underwent cardiac catheterisation; and only three were referred for electrophysiological studies. Patients in group 3 were more likely to be discharged taking empiric antiarrhythmic drugs (13 of 25) than patients in group 1 (2 of 20) (p < 0.01). Not enough use is made of noninvasive and invasive investigations in the management of survivors of pre-hospital ventricular fibrillation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Predictors of major in-hospital ischemic complications and length of hospital stay after coronary stenting.

Although recent data show that coronary stenting reduces procedural complications and late restenosis, major concern has been expressed about the greater hospital cost associated with the use of this device as compared to conventional coronary angioplasty. Since length of hospital stay after surgical procedures is a major determinant of resource use, the identification of variables associated with an excessively long hospital stay after intracoronary stent placement may have important practical consequences. The purpose of this study was to assess factors responsible for the occurrence of in-hospital complications and prolonged hospital stay after coronary stenting in 939 consecutive patients enrolled in the Registro Impianto Stent Endocoronarico (RISE Study Group). Consecutive patients undergoing coronary stent implantation at 16 medical centers in Italy were prospectively enrolled in the Registry. Clinical data, qualitative and quantitative angiographic findings were obtained from data collected in case report forms at each investigator site. Major ischemic complications were considered death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, emergency bypass surgery and emergency repeat angioplasty. The study group consisted of 939 patients (781 men, 158 women with a mean age of 59 years) in whom 1392 stents were implanted in 1006 lesions and expanded at a maximal inflation pressure of 14.7 +/- 3 atmospheres. The great majority of patients (92%) received only antiplatelet drugs after coronary stenting. During hospitalization, there were 45 major ischemic complications in 39 patients (4.2%): 13 events were related to acute or subacute thrombosis (1.4%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following factors were predictive of in-hospital complications: increasing age (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.18-4.07), unplanned stenting (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.65-7.23) and maximal inflation pressure (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75-0.93). Mean hospital stay after stent implantation was 4.1 +/- 4.4 days and was related, by multivariate regression analysis, to female sex (p = 0.0001), prior bypass surgery (p = 0.03), non-elective stenting (p = 0.0001), use of anticoagulation (p = 0.0001) and development of major ischemic complications (p = 0.0001). This Registry shows that in an unselected population of patients undergoing coronary stenting, major ischemic complications occur at a relatively low rate (4.2%) and thrombotic events can be kept at 1.4%, despite the omission of anticoagulation in the great majority of patients. Length of hospital stay was affected by the occurrence of major ischemic complications, unplanned stenting, use of anticoagulation, female sex and prior bypass surgery. Accumulating experience, further reduction in complications and complete omission of anticoagulation may decrease length of hospital stay, thus reducing the use of resources after coronary stenting.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Mortality study of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage at University hospitals and their affiliated hospitals in Japan.

This study was undertaken to examine the differences in aneurysm statistics between University hospitals where subacute or chronic patients are primarily treated and University-affiliated hospitals where both acute and chronic cases are also admitted. In each hospital group, the transition of the statistics in the last decade was studied. The purpose of this study was also to see if any conclusion could be drawn regarding the surgical treatment of acute cases. The death rate for all aneurysm cases admitted is 8% at University hospitals, whilst that at affiliated hospitals is roughly 30% during the 1970s. The operative death rate at the University hospitals is 3%, whilst that at affiliated hospitals is 16% which improved at one affiliated hospital to 8% in the 1980-1981 period. Morbidity also improved in the latest series in the affiliated hospital. These improvements are considered to be de to the change of operative and postoperative policies for acute cases to: limited surgical indications for grade IV patients, extensive cisternal clot removal at the time of surgery, and oral administration of Ticlopidine, a new antiplatelet agent.

Hospitals, Special↗

PubMed1995

Hospital mortality after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among patients found in ventricular fibrillation.

The aim of this study was to describe factors associated with in-hospital mortality among patients being hospitalised after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and who were found in ventricular fibrillation. The study was set in the community of Göteborg, Sweden. The subjects consisted of all patients who were hospitalised alive after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, being reached by our mobile coronary care unit and who were found in ventricular fibrillation, between 1981 and 1992. In all, 488 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of which 262 (54%) died during initial hospitalization. In a multivariate analysis including age, sex, history of cardiovascular disease, chronic medication prior to arrest and circumstances at the time of arrest, the following appeared as independent predictors of hospital mortality: (1) interval between collapse and first defibrillation (P < 0.001); (2) on chronic medication with diuretics (P < 0.01); (3) age (P < 0.01); (4) bystander initiated CPR (P < 0.05); and (5) a history of diabetes (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis considering various aspects of status on admission to hospital, the following were independently associated with death: (1) degree of consciousness (P < 0.001) and (2) systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). In conclusion, among patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest found in ventricular fibrillation and being hospitalised alive, 54% died in hospital. The in-hospital mortality was related to patient characteristics before the cardiac arrest as well as to factors at the resuscitation itself.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Effects of hospital closures and hospital characteristics on emergency department ambulance diversion, Los Angeles County, 1998 to 2004.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We assess the effects of nearby hospital closures and other hospital characteristics on emergency department (ED) ambulance diversion. METHODS: The study design was a retrospective, multiple interrupted time series with control group. We studied all ambulance-receiving hospitals with EDs in Los Angeles County from 1998 to 2004. The main outcome measure was monthly ambulance diversion hours because of ED saturation. RESULTS: Our sample included 80 hospitals, of which 9 closed during the study period. There were increasing monthly diversion hours over time, from an average of 57 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] 51 to 63 hours) in 1998 to 190 hours (95% CI 180 to 200 hours) in 2004. In multivariate modeling, hospital closure increased ambulance monthly diversion hours by an average of 56 hours (95% CI 28 to 84 hours) for 4 months at the nearest ED. County-operated hospitals had 150 hours (95% CI 90 to 200 hours) and trauma centers had 48 hours (95% CI 9 to 87 hours) more diversion than other hospitals. Diversion hours for a given facility were positively correlated with diversion hours of the nearest ED (0.3; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.32). There was a significant and positive interaction between diversion hours of the nearest ED and time, suggesting that the effects of an adjacent facility's diversion hours increased during the study period. CONCLUSION: Hospital closure was associated with a significant but transient increase in ambulance diversion for the nearest ED. The temporal trend toward more diversion hours, as well as increasing effects of the nearest facility's diversion hours over time, implies that the capacity to absorb future hospital closures is declining.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Impact of age on in-hospital mortality of surgical patients in a German university hospital.

Although the frequency of major surgical procedures in elderly patients is increasing, the impact of age as an independent factor on in-hospital mortality and capacity planning is uncertain. Therefore, we analyzed how age, gender, number of diagnoses, and number of operations per patient are reflecting the demographic changes going on in the last decade. Furthermore, we analyzed the influence of age, main diagnoses, and comorbidities on in-hospital mortality, and cost factors, like duration of in-hospital stay, number of operations, and stay at the intensive care unit using multiple regression analysis. One thousand four hundred and sixty-nine patients hospitalized in 1990, and 5,718 patients hospitalized during 1998-2000 at the surgical department of a German university hospital were recruited. The average age of the patients increased significantly from the year 1990 to 1999 (by 4 years). The overall in-hospital mortality of the elderly patients (above 70 years of age) declined from 18.6% in 1990 to 7.6% in 2000. The number of diagnoses increased from 1.27 to 3.5 per patient. Age is a significant, independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality (odd's ratio (OR), 2.2), prolonged stay at intensive care unit (OR, 1.8), reoperation (OR, 1.3), and prolonged hospitalization (OR, 1.8). Nevertheless, oncologic diseases and pre-existing comorbidities are also significant independent factors for the clinical course and costs resulting from treating elderly patients. We conclude that decisions for surgical treatment should not be solely based on patient's age. The demographic changes in Europe result in an over-proportional increase in expenditures, which should be included when planning the capacities of a surgical department.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2004

Using length of stay data from a hospital to evaluate whether limiting elective surgery at the hospital is an inappropriate decision.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: At hospitals without detailed managerial accounting data but with overall longer than average diagnosis-related groups (DRG)-adjusted lengths of stays (LOS), some administrators do not aggressively hire the nurses needed to maintain surgical hospital capacity. The consequence of this (long-term) decision is that day-of-surgery admit cases are delayed or cancelled from a lack of beds. The anesthesiologists suffer financially. In this paper, we show how publicly released national LOS data can be applied specifically to these cases. DESIGN: We applied the method to 1 year of data from two academic hospitals. Each case's LOS was compared to the United States national average LOS for cases with the same DRG. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 8,050 and 10,099 hospitalizations, respectively. Among all surgical admissions, mean LOS was 2.5 days longer than the national average for Hospital #1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 to 2.8) and 3.1 days longer for Hospital #2 (95% CI, 2.8 to 3.4). Among patients undergoing elective, scheduled surgery with day of surgery admission, mean LOS was 0.7 days less than average for Hospital #1 (0.6 to 0.9) and 1.2 days less than average for Hospital #2 (1.1 to 1.4). CONCLUSIONS: This method can be used by anesthesiologists to show that LOS are not longer than average among patients whose surgeries may be cancelled or delayed for a lack of hospital ward staff.

Anesthesia Department, Hospital↗

PubMed1997

Perioperative risk factors affecting hospital stay and hospital costs in open heart surgery for patients > or = 65 years old.

OBJECTIVE: Demographic changes, associated with increased demands for open heart surgery in the elderly, place increased burden on financial resources. To evaluate perioperative risk factors affecting incidence of hospital events and estimation of hospital charges, 2577 patients > or = 65 years (range 65-91), operated on from January 1991 to December 1994, were compared with a concurrent cohort of 2642 younger patients. METHODS: Statistical analysis, by surgical procedure, focused on hospital mortality, key postoperative complications affecting length of hospital stay and hospital charges. RESULTS: Overall hospital mortality was 4.7%, 3.5% in younger patients versus 6.1% in the older group (P << 0.01). Mortality was significantly lower in patients less than 65 years undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (3% versus 5%, P < 0.01) and valve replacement (4% versus 9%, P = 0.01). Significant risk factors for hospital death in the elderly: diabetes (P < 0.01), hypertension (P < 0.01), myocardial infarction (P < 0.01) and congestive heart failure (P < 0.01). Significant postoperative events, more common in older patients, included prolonged ventilation (P << 0.01), congestive heart failure (P << 0.01), infection (P << 0.01), cerebrovascular accident (P < 0.01), and intra aortic balloon pump (P < 0.01). Incremental risk factors for morbidity in the elderly were: higher New York Heart Association class, congestive heart failure, emergent operation, and female gender. Mean length of hospital stay for the < 65 group was 15.3 versus > 19.5 days for the > 65 group (P << 0.01). Length of stay over 18 days positively correlated with increased morbidity in both age groups. For patients > or = 65 years of age, the average hospital charge for open heart surgery was 172% higher for patients with a length of stay greater than 18 days compared with 165% for patients less than 65 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Higher operative mortality and longer length of stay in elderly patients, resulting in increased health care costs, was associated with more co-morbidities. These results suggest interventions designed to reduce congestive heart failure and other co-morbidities may improve patient's recovery and reduce costs.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Use of sonography in diagnosing acute appendicitis: comparison of a teaching hospital and a community hospital.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: We examined patterns of use of sonography in the workup of appendicitis at two hospitals: a 715-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital and a 240-bed nonteaching hospital. In light of increasing concern over the use of health care dollars, we wanted to determine whether the use of sonography in the workup of appendicitis would be more frequent at a teaching than at a nonteaching hospital. METHODS: We examined all cases of appendicitis seen in the emergency room of the teaching hospital in 1993 and all cases of appendicitis seen in the emergency room of the nonteaching hospital in 1992-1993. Exclusionary criteria included pregnancy, altered mental status, or multiple discharge diagnoses. The diagnosis of appendicitis was verified by pathology reports. RESULTS: At the teaching hospital, the use of sonography was 38.5% (65 of 169); at the nonteaching hospital, sonography usage was 39.4% (61 of 155). CONCLUSION: There appears to be no significant difference between teaching and nonteaching hospitals in the frequency of use of sonography in diagnosing patients with appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2001

Emergency transfer from independent hospitals to NHS hospitals: risk, reasons and cost.

BACKGROUND: In view of public concern about standards of emergency care in independent hospitals and the impact of transferred patients on NHS facilities we aimed to estimate the number and risk of emergency transfers from independent hospitals to NHS hospitals; to describe the circumstances; and estimate costs to the NHS. METHODS: Patients transferred in three months from 137 independent hospitals were identified from central records systems and local hospital enquiries. Circumstances were described by Directors of Nursing in telephone interviews. Numbers were weighted for whole year activity and non-participating hospitals to estimate total transfers in 1999. Medical Directors of NHS Trusts receiving the patients supplied durations of stay in critical care and other facilities. NHS Reference Costs were applied. RESULTS: There were 158 emergency transfers (plus 105 planned transfers, and 18 as a result of funding problems). Proportionately more emergency transfers were from hospitals lacking intensive care facilities. Patients over 65 years old constituted 61 per cent of transfers but only 25 per cent of all cases. Transfer followed major abdominal surgery in 42 (26 per cent) cases and major orthopaedic surgery in 31 (20 per cent), although these treatments constituted only 2 per cent and 3 per cent of the caseloads. There were an estimated 749 emergency transfers in 1999 (95 per cent confidence interval 640-875), a risk of 1 in 956 (all ages) and 1 in 392 (aged over 65); 729 had been funded privately, of whom two-thirds became NHS patients after transfer, costing Pound Sterling 2.61 million. CONCLUSIONS: The scale of emergency transfer (two per day) and resulting cost to the NHS is small. The risk is reducible if patients and interventions are matched to hospitals' critical care capabilities. Common clinical service guidelines should apply to NHS and independent hospitals.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Do acute care for elders units increase hospital costs? A cost analysis using the hospital perspective.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the hospital costs of caring for medical patients on a special unit designed to help older people maintain or achieve independence in self-care activities with the costs of usual care. DESIGN: A randomized controlled study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 650 medical patients (mean age 80 years, 67% women, 41% nonwhite) assigned randomly to either the intervention unit (n = 326) or usual care (n = 324). MEASURES: The hospital's resource-based cost of caring for patients was determined from the hospital's cost-accounting system. The cost of the intervention program was estimated and included in the intervention patients' total hospital cost. RESULTS: The development and maintenance costs of the intervention added $38.43 per bed day to the intervention patients' hospital costs. As a result, the cost per day to the hospital was slightly higher in the intervention patients than in the control patients ($876 vs $847, P = .076). However, the average length of stay was shorter for intervention patients (7.5 vs 8.4 days, P = .449). As a result, the hospital's total cost to care for intervention patients was not greater than caring for usual-care patients ($6608 in intervention patients vs $7240 in control patients, P = .926). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the cost of the intervention program would need to be 220% greater than estimated before intervention patients would be more expensive then control patients. There were no examined subgroups of patients in whom care on the intervention unit was significantly more expensive than care on the usual-care unit. Ninety-day nursing home use was lower in intervention than control patients (24.1% vs 32.3%, P = .034). Ninety-day readmission rates (36.7% vs 41.1%, P = .283) and caregiver strain scores (3.3 vs. 2.7, P = .280) were similar. CONCLUSION: Caring for patients on an intervention ward designed to improve functional outcomes in older patients was not more expensive to the hospital than caring for patients on a usual-care ward even though the intervention ward required a commitment of hospital resources.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1998

Factors predictive of referral to psychiatric hospital among general hospital psychiatric consultations.

The aim of this paper was to explore the factors necessitating psychiatric hospital care in a Finnish multi-centre study of general hospital in-patients referred for psychiatric consultation. The study group consisted of 1251 patients referred to psychiatric hospital (n = 181) and a comparison group (n = 1070) consisting of subjects who were not referred. Differences between groups were studied by univariate analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used both to assess the factors contributing to referral to psychiatric hospital and to create predictive models. The validity of the models was analysed by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in an independent sample. Psychiatric hospital care during the previous 5 years was associated with a 3.7-fold (odds ratio) increased risk of hospitalization. A diagnosis of psychosis was associated with a 2.9-fold increased risk, and attempted suicide as a reason for consultation was associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk. Not being married doubled the risk, and the odds ratio was also high in cases of poor psychosocial functioning (as assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score). The predictive model differentiated reasonably well between those patients who were hospitalized and the other patients. In conclusion, this multi-centre study of factors predictive of referral to psychiatric hospital among general hospital patients revealed that the most important determinants were previous psychiatric care, diagnosis of psychosis or severe depression, attempted suicide, being unmarried, and poor psychosocial functioning as assessed by GAF score.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Does it matter what a hospital is "high volume" for? Specificity of hospital volume-outcome associations for surgical procedures: analysis of administrative data.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the improved outcome of a surgical procedure in high volume hospitals is specific to the volume of the same procedure. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of secondary data in Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Patients having an oesophagectomy, colorectal resection for cancer, pancreaticoduodenectomy, major lung resection for cancer, or repair of an unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm between 1994 and 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio for death within 30 days of surgery in relation to the hospital volume of the same surgical procedure and the hospital volume of the other four procedures. Estimates were adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidity and accounted for hospital level clustering. RESULTS: With the exception of colorectal resection, 30 day mortality seemed to be inversely related not only to the hospital volume of the same procedure but also to the hospital volume of most of the other procedures. In some cases the effect of the volume of a different procedure was stronger than the effect of the volume of the same procedure. For example, the association of mortality from pancreaticoduodenectomy with hospital volume of lung resection (odds ratio for death in hospitals with a high volume of lung resection compared with low volume 0.36, 95% confidence interval 0.23 to 0.57) was much stronger than the association of mortality from pancreaticoduodenectomy with hospital volume of pancreaticoduodenectomy (0.76, 0.44 to 1.32). CONCLUSION: The inverse association between high volume of procedure and risk of operative death is not specific to the volume of the procedure being studied.

Female↗

PubMed2004

Does it matter what a hospital is "high volume" for? Specificity of hospital volume-outcome associations for surgical procedures: analysis of administrative data.

Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal↗

PubMed1999

Factors associated with delayed admission to hospital and in-hospital delays in acute stroke and TIA: a prospective, multicenter study.Seek- Medical-Attention-in-Time Study Group.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early admission to hospital followed by correct diagnosis with minimum delay is a prerequisite for successful intervention in acute stroke. This study aimed at clarifying in detail the factors related to these delays. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, consecutive study that explored factors influencing the time from stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) onset until patient arrival at the emergency department, stroke unit, and CT laboratory. Within 3 days of hospital admission, the patients and/or their relatives were interviewed by use of a standardized structured protocol, and the patients' neurological deficits were assessed. No information about this study was given to the public or to the staff. RESULTS: Patients (n=329) were studied at 15 Swedish academic or community-based hospitals: 252 subjects with brain infarct, 18 with intracerebral hemorrhage, and 59 with TIA. Among stroke and TIA patients, the median times from onset to hospital admission, stroke unit, and CT scan laboratory were 4.8 and 4.0 hours, 8.8 and 7.5 hours, and 22.0 and 17.5 hours, respectively. From multivariate ANOVA with logarithmically transformed time for increasing delay to hospital admission as the dependent variable, a profile of significant risk factors was obtained. This included patients with a brain infarct, gradual onset, mild neurological symptoms, patients who were alone and did not contact anybody when symptoms occurred, patients who lived in a large catchment area, those who did not use ambulance transportation, and those who visited a primary care site. These factors explained 45.3% of the variance in delayed hospital admission. The median time from arrival at the emergency department to arrival at the stroke unit or CT scan laboratory (whichever occurred first) was 2.6 and 2.7 hours in the stroke and TIA groups, respectively. A large catchment area, moderate to mild neurological deficit, and waiting for the physician at the emergency department were all significantly related to in-hospital delay. CONCLUSIONS: Increased public awareness of the need to seek medical or other attention promptly after stroke onset, to use an ambulance with direct transportation to the acute-care hospital, and to have more effective in-hospital organization will be required for effective acute treatment options to be available to stroke patients.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Attitudes of hospital staff toward mentally ill patients in a teaching hospital, Turkey.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of hospital staff toward major mental diseases: schizophrenia and depression. Negative attitudes were common among all of the hospital staff, and were more common among academicians, resident physicians and nurses. Causes of attitude variations were discussed. BACKGROUND: Attitudes of hospital staff are important for admission, early diagnosis and treatment, and the rehabilitation process of mentally ill patients. AIMS: The main objective of this study was to investigate and compare hospital workers' attitudes toward and knowledge of schizophrenia and depression. METHODS: In 2001, a total of 160 hospital staff (40 academicians, 40 resident physicians, 40 nurses and 40 hospital employees) in a teaching hospital were interviewed with a questionnaire. The questionnaire included items about background information, a one-paragraph vignette, questions on social distance and expected burden, recognition of mental illness, hospitalization, prognostic outcome, and to whom and where the patient should be admitted. RESULTS: Although academicians, resident physicians, and nurses have sufficient knowledge about schizophrenia and depression, the frequency of their negative attitudes towards mentally ill subjects was more than that for uneducated hospital employees. CONCLUSIONS: It was commented that this difference might be as a result of negative effects of the medical education system.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗