title: Predicting resource utilization of elderly burn patients in the baby boomer era.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Census predictions for Florida suggest a 3-fold increase in the 65 and older population within 20 years. We predict resource utilization for burn patients in this age group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration admission dataset, we evaluated the effect of age on length of stay, hospital charges, and discharge disposition while adjusting for clinical and demographic factors. Using US Census Bureau data and burn incidence rates from this dataset, we estimated future resource use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elderly patients were discharged to home less often and were discharged to short-term general hospitals, intermediate-care facilities, and skilled nursing facilities more often than the other age groups (P < .05). They also required home health care and intravenous medications significantly more often (P < .05). Their length of stay was longer, and total hospital charges were greater (P < .05) after adjusting for sex, race, Charleson comorbidity index, payer, total body surface area burned, and burn center treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show an age-dependent increase in the use of posthospitalization resources, the length of stay, and the total charges for elderly burn patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, PO Box 100286, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. winston.richards@surgery.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Winston T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Winston A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Makeesha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miggins
authors.forename: Huazhi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Mozingo
authors.forename: Darwin N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Ang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006738:Hospices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D017722:Hospital Charges / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000639:trends*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult