퇴원환자 요약정보를 이용한 이탈환자 특성과 관련 요인 연구 : 일개 대학병원 사례

Abstract

Objectives: Patients who are discharged from hospital prematurely have become strategically important for hospital customer relationship management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients who were discharged prematurely and the associated factors using patient discharge data. Methods: This study used a retrospective, cross-sectional design. Primary data source comes from medical records of patients who were discharged from a university medical center during 2011. Data were analyzed using chi-square test, T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariate logistic regression to find significant patient characteristics and factors associated with premature discharge. Results: Final research subjects were 18,104 patients after excluding duplicated discharge patients, death patients, and discharges against medical advice. Male sex, older age, and living further away from Seoul were positively associated with premature discharge. Patients who were admitted via emergency room, due to car accident, and referred by other medical providers were more likely to discharge prematurely. Those who were diagnosed with neoplasm or circulatory system illness, and having comorbidities or complications were related to premature discharge. Other factors, such as having consultation treatment, non-favorable treatment outcome, and staying in intensive care unit had higher odds of premature discharge. Conclusions: It is suggested that hospitals monitor patients who would be more likely to be discharged prematurely, and need to address any quality issues during hospitalization if they lead patients to discharge early.