Characteristics of hospitalised orthopaedic patients and investiga- tion of factors related to the cost and duration of hospitalisation

Introduction:  Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of severe, long-term pain, and physical disability, affecting hundreds of millions of people, regardless of age, gender, and socio-demographic status worldwide. They represent a significant burden on the individual, society, and health services, and are particularly costly for those. Various factors have been associated with the overall length of hospitalization of patients with musculoskeletal disorders, related to both the individual patient and the health care itself.

Aim: The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of patients with musculoskeletal disorders, and to identify those characteristics of patients and the hospital that are related to the duration and cost of treatment.

Material and Method: The sample consisted of 10% of the total of patients admitted to the orthopedic clinic of a Greek public hospital from 1/1/2012 to 31/12/2017 (validity 90%, significance level 95%), the selection of whom was done by random sampling by a random number generation software. The statistical processing of the empirical research material was carried out with the software program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, 20.0 (S.P.S.S. Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), using the methods of Descriptive and Inferential Statistics.

Results: The sample of the present study consisted of 634 patients, with a mean age of 62.8 ± 19.4 years. 59.8% of the patients were women. Fractures accounted for 52.2% of orthopedic clinics. The average length of hospitalization of patients in the orthopedic clinic amounted to 4.58 ± 4.57 days, while its average total cost was 2083.32 ± 1756.66 €. Various factors were statistically correlated significantly with the total actual cost of hospitalization, including gender (t(554)=-3,834, p<0.001), age (r=0.288, p<0.001), marital status (F(4,626)=4,781, p<0.001), profession (F(5,626)=2.408, p<0.05), diagnosis (t(627)=-4.671, p<0.001) as well as the performance of a medical operation (t(629)=6.903, p<0.001) or surgery (t(628)=9.388, p<0.001). Respectively, the duration of hospitalization was correlated with age (r=0.215, p<0.001), the diagnosis of fracture (t=(627)=2.894, p<0.01) as well as with the performance of surgery during the hospitalization (t=(628)=3,500, p<0.001).

Conclusions: The characteristics of orthopedic patients and their therapeutic approach are important determinants of both their cost and the duration of hospitalization.

Category: Volume 61, Issue 4
Hits: 224 Hits
Created Date: 08-03-2023
Authors: Dimitroula Mitsi , Evangelos C. Fradelos , Μaria Zafiropoulou , George Androulakis