Predicting the discharge destination of rehabilitation patients using a signal detection approach.
OBJECTIVE
To predict the discharge destination of rehabilitation patients using signal detection analysis.


METHODS
Cross-sectional and follow-up studies.


METHODS
The subjects were 324 patients discharged from a hospital in Fukuoka, Japan, between April 2005 and March 2006 and 313 patients discharged from the same hospital between 1 April and 31 October 2006.


METHODS
The discharge destinations of the 324 patients were predicted using signal detection analysis. As a validation study, 7 variables identified in the first analysis were used to categorize 313 patients, organized retrospectively into 8 groups, and to calculate the home discharge rate in each group.


RESULTS
A patient's activities with respect to daily living, key person preference, dementia, age, route taken to hospitalization, residence before hospitalization, and gender were significant predictors of his or her discharge destination. Signal detection analysis established 8 subgroups, with 17.9-99.1% of the patients returning home after discharge. As a validation study, the actual and expected rates in the 8 subgroups were compared, and no significant difference was observed between the rates in any subgroup.


CONCLUSIONS
Signal detection analysis is a useful technique for predicting the discharge destination of rehabilitation patients.
Miyamoto
Hidekazu
H
Department of Health Services Management and Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Hagihara
Akihito
A
Nobutomo
Koichi
K
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011379:Prognosis; D012046:Rehabilitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation