Acute pesticide poisoning outcomes: a nationwide study in Taiwan.
BACKGROUND
This study presents the findings of a nationwide study of acute pesticide poisoning (APP) outcomes, including outcome predictors such as physician and hospital volume and associated factors.


METHODS
This study of data contained in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database analysed 27 046 patients who had been hospitalised for APP from January 1996 to December 2007. Patient characteristics were then compared among quartiles. The primary outcome measures were length of stay (LOS) and hospital treatment cost. Effect size (ES) was compared among three equally divided periods, and multiple regression models were used to identify outcome predictors.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of APP per 100 000 patients decreased from 12.43 in 1996 to 6.87 in 2007. The LOS for APP treatment was negatively associated with physician volume during the study period. Both LOS and hospital treatment cost were lowest in the high hospital volume subgroup. Comparisons of LOS and hospital treatment cost among the three periods showed that high-volume hospitals and high-volume physicians had better ESs compared to low-volume hospitals and low-volume physicians. Age and number of co-morbidities had significant positive associations with LOS, while admission year, male gender, hospital level, hospital volume and physician volume had significant negative associations with LOS (p<0.05). Hospital treatment cost and hospital level correlated positively with admission year, number of co-morbidities and LOS but correlated negatively with hospital volume and physician volume (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In APP patients, treatment by a high-volume physician can reduce LOS and treatment cost.
Emergency Department, Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Department of Health Business Administration, Meiho University, Pigntung, Taiwan.
Chieh-Fan
CF
Chen
Division of Trauma, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Department of Emergency Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Hsing-Lin
HL
Lin
Department of Health Business Administration, Meiho University, Pigntung, Taiwan.
Huei-Yin
HY
Chou
Emergency Department, Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Wen-Chi
WC
Hsu
Department of Healthcare Administration and Medical Informatics, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Hon-Yi
HY
Shi
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D010575:Pesticides
toxicology