Study of Patients Absconding Behavior in a General Hospital at Southern Region of Iran

Background Patients’ escape from hospital imposes a significant cost to patients as well as the health system. Besides, for these patients, exposure to adverse events (such as suicide, self-harm, violence and harm to hospital reputation) are more likely to occur compared to others. The present study aimed to determine the characteristics of the absconding patients in a general hospital through a case-control design in Shiraz, Iran.   Methods This case-control study was conducted on ۴۱۳ absconded patients as case and ۴۱۳ patients as control in a large general hospital in Shiraz, southern Iran. In this study, data on the case and control patients was collected from the medical records using a standard checklist in the period of ۲۰۱۱–۳. Then, the data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics, through SPSS ۱۶.   Results The finding showed that ۴۱۳ patients absconded (۰.۵۰%) and mean of age in case group was ۴۰.۹۸ ± ۱۶.۳۱ years. In univariate analysis, variables of gender [Odds Ratio (OR)= ۲], ward (OR= ۱.۲۲), insurance status (OR= ۰.۴۱), job status (OR= ۰.۳۴) and residence expenditure were significant. However, in multivariate analysis significant variables were age (ORadj= ۰.۱۳), gender (ORadj= ۲.۱۵), self-employment/unemployed (ORadj= ۰.۴۷), emergency/admission (ORadj= ۲.۱۴), internal/admission (ORadj= ۳.۱۶), insurance status (ORadj= ۴.۴۹) and residence expenditure (ORadj= ۱.۱۵).   Conclusion Characteristics such as middle age, male gender, no insurance coverage, inability to afford hospital expenditures and admission in emergency department make patients more likely abscond from the hospital. Therefore, it may be necessary to focus efforts on high-risk groups and increase insurance coverage in the country to prevent absconding from hospital.

کلیدواژه ها:

Absconding ، General Hospital ، Emergency Ward