Open AccessThe inpatient AIDS unit: a preliminary empirical investigation of access, economic, and outcome issues.
Author(s) -
Marianne C. Fahs,
George Fulop,
James J. Strain,
Henry S. Sacks,
Charlotte Müller,
Paul D. Cleary,
James Schmeidler,
Barbara J. Turner
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.82.4.576
Subject(s) - unit (ring theory) , medicine , inpatient care , cluster (spacecraft) , demography , emergency medicine , health care , psychology , mathematics education , sociology , computer science , economics , programming language , economic growth
An AIDS unit model ("cluster beds") and a general inpatient placement model ("scatter beds") in a major teaching hospital were compared to determine whether they differed on several dimensions of care. After controlling for severity of illness, (the major predictor of admission to the AIDS unit), length of stay, charges, and inpatient mortality rates did not differ between the two settings. Equal proportions of White, Hispanic, male, and privately insured patients were found in both settings. Nursing staff turnover rates were comparable to those of other sites. However, the data raise new issues regarding access to AIDS units for older, Black, and female patients.