Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17971552›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of public health2007

Factors associated with patients who leave acute-care hospitals against medical advice.

Said A Ibrahim, C Kent Kwoh, Eswar Krishnan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of public health, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
81citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

81 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  5. Predicting drug overdose and death after "before medically advised" hospital discharge.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025
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  13. "Before medically advised" departure from hospital and subsequent drug overdose: a population-based cohort study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
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21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Said A IbrahimCenter for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pa 15240, USA. said.ibrahim2@va.gov
C Kent Kwoh
Eswar Krishnan

Funding

University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR000005 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI REIS, STEVEN E · 2012 to 2015
$50.8M
Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Programs (RMI)K12HD049109 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI KAPOOR, WISHWA N · 2004 to 2004
$1.1M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000005NICHD NIH HHS K12 HD049109
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe examined hospital- and patient-related factors associated with discharge against medical advice (termed self-discharge) after emergency admission to acute-care hospitals.

methodsWe analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project using logistic regression models to assess the relationship between self-discharge and a set of patient and hospital characteristics.

resultsOf 3,039,050 discharges in the sample, 43 678 were against medical advice (1.44%). In multivariable modeling, predictors of self-discharge included having Medicaid insurance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.22, 3.42), having Medicare insurance (AOR=1.64; 95% CI=1.59, 1.70), urban location (AOR=1.66; 95% CI=1.61, 1.72), medium (AOR=1.25; 95% CI=1.20, 1.29) or large (AOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.05, 1.12) hospital (defined by the number of beds), shorter hospital stay (OR=0.84; 95% CI=0.84, 0.85), and African American race (AOR=1.10; 95% CI=1.07, 1.14). Teaching hospitals had fewer self-discharges (AOR=0.90; 95% CI=0.88, 0.92). Other predictors of discharge against medical advice included age, gender, and income.

conclusionsApproximately 1 in 70 hospital discharges in the United States are against medical advice. Both hospital and patient characteristics were associated with these decisions.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalPatient DischargeTreatment RefusalAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedMultivariate AnalysisRisk FactorsUnited States

Identifiers

PMID17971552
PMCPMC2089112

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.