ArticleBMC health services research2016
Determinants of aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year of life in Switzerland.
Article in BMC health services research, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Experiences of functional recovery after polytrauma in a private Johannesburg healthcare setting: Patients' perspectives.The South African journal of physiotherapy · 2026Article
- Multimorbidity and healthcare resource utilization in Switzerland: a multicentre cohort study.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Physician-related determinants of medical end-of-life decisions - A mortality follow-back study in Switzerland.PloS one · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn contrast to individual preferences, most people in developed countries die in health care institutions, with a considerable impact on health care resource use and costs. However, evidence about determinants of aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year preceding death is scant.
methodsNationwide individual patient data from Swiss hospital discharge statistics were linked with census and mortality records from the Swiss National Cohort. We explored determinants of aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year of life in N = 35,598 inpatients ≥65 years who deceased in 2007 or 2008.
resultsThe average aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year of life was substantially longer in the German speaking region compared to the French (IRR 1.36 [95 % CI 1.32-1.40]) and Italian (IRR 1.22 [95 % CI 1.16-1.29]) speaking region of the country. Increasing age, female sex, multimorbidity, being divorced, foreign nationality, and high educational level prolonged, whereas home ownership shortened the aggregate length of hospital stay. Individuals with complementary private health insurance plans had longer stays than those with compulsory health insurance plans (IRR 1.04 [95 % CI 1.01-1.07]).
conclusionsThe aggregate length of hospital stay during the last year of life was substantially determined by regional and socio-demographic characteristics, and only partially explained by differential health conditions. Therefore, more detailed studies need to evaluate, whether these differences are based on patients' health care needs and preferences, or whether they are supply-driven.
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