TY - JOUR
T1 - Social and medical factors affecting hospital discharge of persons with HIV/AIDS
AU - Bonuck, Karen A.
AU - Arno, Peter S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project wassupported by a grant from the United Hospital Fund of NewYork City. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Elizabeth Eastwood for her work in the project's initial stages, and to Dr. Jiming Chen for analysis assistance. Karen A. Bonuck is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where Peter S. Arno is an Associate Professor. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Karen A. Bonuck, Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, New York 10467-2490.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Although outpatient care and pharmaceuticals have rendered community- based care possible, hospitals remain the locus of the most costly and intensive HIV/AIDS care. Little is know, however, about the impact of patients' social circumstances upon hospital length of stay. This paper examines the impact of housing status, living arrangements, and a range of barriers to discharge on hospital length of stay. Findings are based on retrospective medical chart reviews by nurses and social workers of 749 HIV/AIDS hospitalizations, occurring between June-August 1991 in four New York City medical centers. One third of the sample experienced at least one barrier to discharge. Medical need barriers were the most common (18%), and were associated with the longest length of stay (35.3 days), followed by home care and housing barriers (32.7 and 30.2 days, respectively). Fourteen percent of the sample were either homeless or in unstable housing situations (e.g., transient or 'doubled up') prior to admission. Homelessness and unstable housing were associated with a 5 day increment in hospital length of stay, and remained a significant factor even controlling for morbidity. These results indicate that inadequate housing remains a significant barrier to discharge among hospitalized persons with HIV/AIDS.
AB - Although outpatient care and pharmaceuticals have rendered community- based care possible, hospitals remain the locus of the most costly and intensive HIV/AIDS care. Little is know, however, about the impact of patients' social circumstances upon hospital length of stay. This paper examines the impact of housing status, living arrangements, and a range of barriers to discharge on hospital length of stay. Findings are based on retrospective medical chart reviews by nurses and social workers of 749 HIV/AIDS hospitalizations, occurring between June-August 1991 in four New York City medical centers. One third of the sample experienced at least one barrier to discharge. Medical need barriers were the most common (18%), and were associated with the longest length of stay (35.3 days), followed by home care and housing barriers (32.7 and 30.2 days, respectively). Fourteen percent of the sample were either homeless or in unstable housing situations (e.g., transient or 'doubled up') prior to admission. Homelessness and unstable housing were associated with a 5 day increment in hospital length of stay, and remained a significant factor even controlling for morbidity. These results indicate that inadequate housing remains a significant barrier to discharge among hospitalized persons with HIV/AIDS.
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U2 - 10.1023/A:1025103101727
DO - 10.1023/A:1025103101727
M3 - Article
C2 - 9247846
AN - SCOPUS:0030794229
SN - 0094-5145
VL - 22
SP - 225
EP - 232
JO - Journal of Community Health
JF - Journal of Community Health
IS - 4
ER -
