The study “A Retrospective Observational Study of Functional Outcomes, Length of Stay, and Discharge Disposition after an Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Program in Saudi Arabia” used a quantitative research approach and a single-center, hospital-based, retrospective observational design with the view to examining some outcome measures associated with inpatient rehabilitation programs for stroke patients (n=432). The main outcome measures targeted in the study included functional independence or status, length of stay in the health facility, as well as discharge disposition (Bindawas, Mawajdeh, Vennu, & Aihaidary, 2016).
The results of this study showed a statistically significant shift in total functional independence measure, functional independence measure for motor ability, and functional independence measure for cognitive ability for stroke patients upon exposure to the in-patient rehabilitation program. Another interesting finding was anchored on the fact that the length of stay in the health facility for patients exposed to the in-patient rehabilitation program decreased significantly from 2008 to 2014, though no difference was noted in the rehabilitation efficiency for this time-frame.
Still, Bindawas et al. (2016) noted a significant alteration in the percentage of patients discharged to the home environments following the in-patient rehabilitation program from 2008 to 2014, and also confirmed the findings of other previous studies that found the length of stay of Saudi patients to be higher than that of non-Saudis after exposure to the in-patient rehabilitation program. These findings are relevant as they can help physicians and other healthcare professionals taking care of stroke patients to not only interpret the change in functional independence measures in terms of their clinical significance, but also to develop mechanisms to understand why the length of stay in the healthcare setting remains constant even after exposure to inpatient rehabilitation programs.
The study “Length of Stay, Hospitalization Cost, and In-Hospital Mortality in US Adult Inpatients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura” used a quantitative research approach and a secondary-data analysis technique to analyze nationally representative data acquired from the Nationwide/National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database of discharges (2006-2012) with the view to investigating the length of stay, hospitalization expenditure, and risk of in-hospital deaths among US adult inpatients suffering from immune thrombocytopenic purpura (An & Wang, 2017). The NIS database is sponsored and maintained by the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), meaning that it is valid and reliable.
An and Wang (2017) found that hospitalizations associated with thrombocytopenic purpura increased steadily by nearly 30% during the course of the study (2006-2012), and that the length of stay in a health facility due to complications related to the medical condition was 6.02 days. In hospitalization cost, these authors found that most patients used an average of US$ 16,594 during the course of their hospitalization and/or treatment.
Gender- and age-adjusted mortality risk for inpatients with thrombocytopenic purpura was found to be 22% higher than that of the general United States discharge population, with coagulation disorder being identified as the most common cause of hospitalizations associated with the medical condition. The length of stay for hospitalizations associated with thrombocytopenic purpura was longest for patients with septicemia and splenectomy, while the prevalence of mortality in thrombocytopenic purpura-associated hospitalizations was highest for patients with septicemia and intracranial hemorrhage compared to other mortality causes (An & Wang, 2017).
The findings of this particular study are relevant in terms of demonstrating the dynamics associated with thrombocytopenic purpura and what physicians and other healthcare professionals need to do to avert severe adverse events that often lead to hospitalization.
References
An, R., & Wang, P.P. (2017). Length of stay, hospitalization cost, and in-hospital mortality in UD adult inpatients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura, 2006-2012. Vascular Health and Risk Management, 13(1), 15-21. Web.
Bindawas, S.M., Mawajdeh, H., Vennu, V., & Aihaidary, H. (2016). A retrospective observational study of functional outcomes, length of stay, and discharge disposition after an inpatient stroke rehabilitation program in Saudi Arabia. Medicine, 95(31), 1-5. Web.