Why the study?
Do nonclinical hospital characteristics affect the risk of postoperative complications?
Do nonclinical hospital characteristics affect the risk of postoperative complications?
Hospital organizational characteristics such as bed size and teaching status have an inconsistent effect on postoperative complications.
Inconsistent effects on complications warrant no practice change; leaves open causal links and targeted interventions.
OBJECTIVES: To determine if there is a relationship between the risk of postoperative complications and the nonclinical hospital characteristics of bed size, ownership structure, relative urbanicity, regional location, teaching status, and area income status. METHODS: This study involved a secondary analysis of 2006 administrative hospital data from a number of U.S. states. This data, gathered annually by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) via the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) Healthcare Utilization Project (HCUP), was analyzed using probit regressions to measure the effects of several nonclinical hospital categories on seven diagnostic groupings. The study model included postoperative complications as well as additional potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: The results showed mixed outcomes for each of the hospital characteristic groupings. Subdividing these groupings to correspond with the HCUP data analysis allowed a greater understanding of how hospital characteristics' may affect postoperative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Nonclinical hospital characteristics do affect the various postoperative complications, but they do so inconsistently.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Margaret Knight (2013) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: