A comparison of long pediatric hospitalizations in 1985 and 1994

The objective of this study was to identify pediatric conditions commonly r esulting in long hospitalizations, to evaluate changes in hospital use for these conditions over a 9-year period, and to describe the characteristics of children hospitalized for long periods (longer than ? days). To accompli sh this purpose we conducted a population-based, descriptive analysis of pe diatric hospitalizations for children aged 1 to 12 years in California in 1 985 and 1994 using hospital discharge data. We found that hospitalizations of longer than 7 days accounted for 10.8% of pediatric hospitalizations in 1985 (58.4% of pediatric hospital days) and 11.8% of hospitalizations in 19 94 (50.4% of hospital days). Rates of long pediatric hospitalization decrea sed from 312.1/100,000 children in 1985 to 236.4/100,000 children in 1994. Rates fell for both sexes, in all racial/ethnic groups, and among both pres chool-age and school-age children. Common reasons for long hospitalizations in both 1985 and 1994 included lower-limb fractures, pneumonia, appendicit is, and malignancies. The rate of long hospitalization for mental disorders increased by 57% between 1985 and 1994, while the rate for injuries and po isoning decreased by 38%. In summary, long pediatric hospitalizations in 19 85 and 1994 accounted for under 12% of all hospitalizations of children hut for more than 50% of all hospital days. Although the overall rate of long pediatric hospitalizations decreased, rates for certain conditions, notably mental disorders, increased. As states continue to implement major health care changes, further study of conditions among children that account for a large proportion of hospital days is warranted.