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Hospital Inpatient Stays for Autistic Youth and Youth With Other Disabilities
Journal article   Open access

Hospital Inpatient Stays for Autistic Youth and Youth With Other Disabilities

Jessica E Rast, Anne M Roux, Sherira J Fernandes, Vera D'Silva and Lindsay L Shea
Pediatrics (Evanston), v 149(Suppl 4), pp S1-S6
01 Apr 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-049437R
PMID: 35363287
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-049437rView
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze),  Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-049437RView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Adolescent Autistic Disorder - diagnosis Autistic Disorder - epidemiology Autistic Disorder - therapy Child Child, Preschool Hospitals Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Inpatients Length of Stay Medicaid United States - epidemiology
Addressing health care needs is complex in autistic youth for many reasons. Increased inpatient care that has been noted in this population, particularly for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), may be a marker of inadequate primary and outpatient care. This study used data from hospital inpatient discharges from the National Inpatient Sample 2017. The prevalence, average length of stay, and the average cost per day of the 10 most common principal diagnoses for index stay were calculated for autistic youth and youth with mental, behavioral, and other neurodevelopmental disabilities (MBND), ages 0 to 17. Of every 1000 inpatient stays, 7.3 were for autistic youth and 65.2 for youth with MBND. The rate varied by US region and zip code-level household income. The most common diagnosis associated with stays in autistic youth was mood disorders, as in youth with MBND. Nearly all top 10 principal diagnoses for autistic youth were for ACSCs. The highest average cost per day for autistic youth was for physical injuries ($4320 per day), and the longest stays were for schizophrenia (14 days). High occurrence of ACSCs in autistic youth suggests that primary care may not adequately address health and mental health needs. Clinical complexity and autism characteristics may be impacting care received in the hospital. Additional considerations need to explore and examine care complexity, racial and ethnic disparities, and the large portion of Medicaid-covered youth. Strategies for the provision of care to these vulnerable populations are of great concern.

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10 citations in Web of Science
8 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Web of Science research areas
Pediatrics
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