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Published on: April 26, 2024
Relationship of cardiac inpatients' outcomes to mood state
S Allison1, M J Bernier, S V Owen
1University of Texas, Medical Branch, School of Nursing, 301 Mechanic Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
Insights
Depression in cardiac patients was not linked to longer hospital stays or higher costs overall. However, depressed women with cardiac disease experienced significantly longer stays and increased costs compared to depressed men.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Health Economics
Background:
- Depression is a common comorbidity in cardiac patients, potentially impacting healthcare costs and outcomes.
- Understanding the financial and length of stay (LOS) implications of depression in cardiac care is crucial for resource allocation and patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the cost and length of stay (LOS) between cardiac inpatients with and without depression.
- To investigate the influence of mood state, gender, and cardiac outcomes on healthcare utilization.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study utilizing a computerized charge capture system (CCCS).
- Comparison of cost and LOS between depressed (n=144) and nondepressed (n=9,099) cardiac inpatients.
- Matched sample analysis comparing 94 depressed patients with 352 nondepressed patients.
Main Results:
- No significant overall differences in cost or LOS between depressed and nondepressed cardiac patients.
- Depression was significantly more prevalent in female patients (chi 2 = 24.0, df = 1, P < 0.05).
- Depressed women with cardiac disease had significantly longer LOSs and higher costs than depressed men (F = 6.6, df = 1, P = 0.01).
Conclusions:
- While overall costs and LOS did not differ significantly, gender plays a critical role in the outcomes for depressed cardiac patients.
- The study identified a significantly higher incidence of depression among female cardiac patients.
- The low overall incidence of detected depression (1.6%) may be attributed to the use of financial rather than clinical data, highlighting potential underdiagnosis.
Abstract:
This descriptive study used a computerized charge capture system (CCCS) to explore the differences of cost and length of stay (LOS) between cardiac inpatients with a diagnosis of depression (n = 144) and cardiac inpatients without depression (n = 9,099). Level of severity, gender, and mood state (depression vs. nondepression) were also compared. A matched sample of 352 nondepressed patients was compared with a sample of 94 depressed patients. There were no significant differences between the depressed and nondepressed groups. However, the study did indicate interesting findings regarding mood state, gender, and cardiac outcomes. Depression was significantly overrepresented among females (chi 2 = 24.0, df = 1, P < 0.05). When gender and mood state were considered together, women with cardiac disease who were depressed had significantly longer lengths of stay (LOSs) and increased costs than men with depression (F = 6.6, df = 1, P = 0.01). A major unanticipated finding was the extremely low incidence of depression detected in these patients (1.6%) when compared with patients in other studies. One possible reason for the low incidence of depression was related to the use of a financial, rather than a clinical, data set.
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