Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
Discharge against medical advice: a case study in a public teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2012
Mohammadkarim Bahadori1, Mehdi Raadabadi, Mohammad Salimi
1Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. bahdorihealth@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Discharging against medical advice is to leave the hospital despite the advice of the doctor, which can result in complications and readmissions. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of patients' discharge against medical advice (DAMA) and their reasons in a public teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2012. This was an applied and cross-sectional study in which all patients (2601 patients) who had been discharged against medical advice from the studied hospital in 2012 were studied. Required data were collected using a data collection form. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and descriptive and analytical tests including Frequencies and Fisher's Exact Test. The most and least common reasons for DAMA were, respectively, feeling complete recovery by patients (45.4%) and financial problems (1.3%). The results showed that there were significant differences between DAMA prevalence and patients' sex and age (P<0.001). The prevalence of DAMA in the studied hospital was high and according to the existence of social work units in every hospital, it is recommended that patients' consultation with the hospital social workers should be considered as an obligatory stage of the discharge against medical advice process in order to inform patients about its complications and adverse consequences.
Related Concept Videos
Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Esophageal Varices-II: Clinical Features and Management
In the initial assessment, a thorough review of the patient's medical history is vital to identify risk factors such as liver disease, alcohol...
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Obedience
Ethical Dilemmas II