Purpose: Comorbidities of a principal diagnosis have varying impacts on disease and require different management depending on the onset timing. This study investigated the usefulness of present-on-admission (POA), specifically focusing on decubitus ulcers, delirium, and hypokalemia, as an indicator of healthcare quality.
Patients and methods: We analyzed patient discharge data for 14 years from 2006 to 2019 using Korean National Hospital Discharge In-Depth Injury Survey (KNHDIS).
Results: Out of 3,231,731 discharged patients, 19,871 had secondary diagnosis codes for decubitus ulcers (n=10,390, 52.3%), delirium (n=6103, 30.7%), or hypokalemia (n=3378, 17.0%). Analysis of patients with secondary diagnoses of decubitus ulcers, delirium, or hypokalemia revealed notable differences in demographics, including gender distribution, mean age, admission route, insurance type, surgical intervention rates, mortality rates, and length of stay (LOS). Among patients with one of the top 20 principal diagnoses, those with secondary diagnoses of decubitus ulcers, delirium, or hypokalemia exhibited higher odds of surgery, increased mortality risks, and longer LOS compared to those without these secondary diagnoses.
Conclusion: All three of these diseases commonly occur postoperatively or during treatment and thus should be designated as potentially preventable complications that require special attention, and should also be considered as quality-of-care indicators.
Keywords: POA; decubitus ulcers; delirium; healthcare quality evaluation indicators; hypokalemia; present on admission.
© 2023 Lee et al.