Title | Hospital variation in admissions to neonatal intensive care units by diagnosis severity and category. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2021 |
Authors | Haidari ES, Lee HC, Illuzzi JL, Phibbs CS, Lin H, Xu X |
Journal | J Perinatol |
Volume | 41 |
Issue | 3 |
Pagination | 468-477 |
Date Published | 2021 Mar |
ISSN | 1476-5543 |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To examine interhospital variation in admissions to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and reasons for the variation. STUDY DESIGN: 2010-2012 linked birth certificate and hospital discharge data from 35 hospitals in California on live births at 35-42 weeks gestation and ≥1500 g birth weight were used. Hospital variation in NICU admission rates was assessed by coefficient of variation. Patient/hospital characteristics associated with NICU admissions were identified by multivariable regression. RESULTS: Among 276,489 newborns, 6.3% were admitted to NICU with 34.5% of them having mild diagnoses. There was high interhospital variation in overall risk-adjusted rate of NICU admission (coefficient of variation = 26.2) and NICU admission rates for mild diagnoses (coefficient of variation: 46.4-74.0), but lower variation for moderate/severe diagnoses (coefficient of variation: 8.8-14.1). Births at hospitals with more NICU beds had a higher likelihood of NICU admission. CONCLUSION: Interhospital variation in NICU admissions is mostly driven by admissions for mild diagnoses, suggesting potential overuse. |
DOI | 10.1038/s41372-020-00775-z |
Alternate Journal | J Perinatol |
PubMed ID | 32801351 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC7427695 |