Preventable hospital admissions among the homeless in California: A retrospective analysis of care for ambulatory care sensitive conditions

BMC Health Services Research

Kit N Simpson²  Charles Ellis Jr¹  Brandi M White² 

[1]Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

[2]Department of Health Sciences & Research, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC, USA

关键词: Primary care access;    Ambulatory care sensitive conditions;    Homeless;   

Others  :  1118224
DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-014-0511-7

 received in 2014-07-30, accepted in 2014-10-10,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Limited research exists that investigates hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) among the homeless, who frequently lack a usual source of care. This study profiled ACSC admissions for homeless patients.

Methods

Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were completed to investigate ACSC and non-ACSC admissions among homeless patients using the 2010 California State Inpatient Database.

Results

Homeless patients admitted for an ACSC were mostly male, non-Hispanic white, and on average 49.9 years old. In the predictive model, the odds of an ACSC admission among homeless patients increased when they were black, admitted to the emergency department or transferred from another health facility. Having Medicare was associated with a decreased odds of an ACSC admission.

Conclusions

Specific characteristics are associated with a greater likelihood of an ACSC admission. Research should examine how these characteristics contribute to ACSC hospitalizations and findings should be linked to programs designed to serve as a safety-net for homeless patients to reduce hospitalizations.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 White et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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