Socioeconomic status and length of hospital stay in children with vaso-occlusive crises of sickle cell disease.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between socioeconomic status and length of hospital stay for vaso-occlusive crises in children with sickle cell disease.


METHODS
19,174 discharges (aged 1-20 years), with a primary diagnosis of sickle cell disease with crisis were analyzed from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kid Inpatient Database 2000. Socioeconomic status was assessed using an area-based measure, median household income by ZIP code and an individual-level measure, insurance status. We adjusted for age, gender, hospital location/teaching status, presence of pneumonia, number of diagnoses on record and number of procedures performed. Negative binomial regression models using generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess length of stay.


RESULTS
Socioeconomic status as measured by income was not associated with length of stay (incidence rate ratio (highest versus lowest category) = 1.04 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.11)). In contrast, socioeconomic status as measured by insurance was associated with length of stay [adjusted incidence rate ratio = 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.08)), although the magnitude of this difference is small and not likely to be clinically important.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence to suggest that socioeconomic status has any clinically important effect on length of hospital stay in children with vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell disease.
Ellison
Angela M
AM
Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Blvd., South Tower, A-level, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. ellisona@email.chop.edu
Bauchner
Howard
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007350:Insurance, Hospitalization; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*