Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34815230›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2021

Sociodemographic factors associated with time to discharge for hospitalised patients with asthma and asthma exacerbation using the Ghana Health Service District Information Management System 2 (DHIMS-2) database, 2012-2017.

Clement T Narh, Joyce B Der, Maxwell Afetor, Anthony Ofosu, Maria Blettner, Daniel Wollschlaeger

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Clement T NarhDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana ctnarh@uhas.edu.gh.ORCID 0000-0002-4025-5433
Joyce B DerDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Maxwell AfetorHealth Information, Ho Polyclinic, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Anthony OfosuCenter for Health Information Management, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0003-0226-3069
Maria BlettnerRadiation Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Daniel WollschlaegerRadiation Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz · DEGhana Health Service · GHUniversity of Health and Allied Sciences · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveData on asthma hospitalisations are a useful source of patient morbidity information. In Ghana, the length of stay (LoS) and sociodemographic factors of patients hospitalised for asthma and its exacerbation are understudied. We aimed to investigate the time to discharge and assessed factors associated with length of hospital stays of asthmatics in Ghana.

methodsRetrospective analysis of hospitalised patient with asthma records between 2012 and 2017 from the nationwide Ghana Health Service District Health Information Management System 2 database. We calculated the cumulative incidence function for discharge stratified by age group and sex. Multivariable Cox regression was used to investigate the association of sociodemographic characteristics with the LoS.

resultsOf 19 926 asthma-associated hospitalisations, 730 (3.7%) were due to asthma exacerbation. Overall mean age was 34 years (SD=24.6), in 12 000 (60.2%) hospitalisations, patients were female. There were 224 deaths (1.1%). Median LoS was 2 days (IQR: 1-3) with almost 90% of all patients discharged by the seventh day. Age and region were among the covariates showing significant association with LoS. Age below 10 years (HR: 1.39 (1.11 to 1.78)) was associated with early discharge while comorbidity and health insurance ownership were associated with late discharge (p<0.001). LoS did not vary by sex. Compared with the Greater Accra region, patients in other regions had shorter LoS, especially the Ashanti and Upper West regions (p<0.001). LoS increased annually, but was highest in 2016 (HR: 0.94 (0.90 to 0.98)).

conclusionDisparities in LoS across regions, and an overall increasing annual trend in Ghana call for tailored healthcare resource allocation. Longer LoS implies that patients are often absent from school or work leading to substantial financial and emotional costs to individuals and families.

Indexed as

AsthmaPatient DischargeAdultChildFemaleGhanaHumansInformation ManagementRetrospective StudiesSociodemographic Factorsasthmaasthma epidemiologyCOPD exacerbations

Identifiers

PMID34815230
PMCPMC8611432
OpenAlexW3217092028

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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.