Potentially preventable complications in epilepsy admissions: The “weekend effect”

Introduction Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the population in the United States with frequent hospital admissions accounting for a significant burden on patients and society as a whole. Weekend admissions have generally been found to have poorer outcomes compared to weekday admissions with increased rates of preventable complications, such as nationally identified “hospital-acquired conditions” (HAC). Objective This study aimed to assess the impact of weekend admission on HACs and mortality in the adult epilepsy population. Participants All adult patients with epilepsy hospitalized in the U.S. from 2000 to 2010 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Results There were 12,997,181 admissions for epilepsy with 10,106,152 (78%) weekday, 2,891,019 (22%) weekend, and 10 (< 0.1%) missing admissions. Weekend admissions saw a 10% increased likelihood of both HACs (RR = 1.10, 95% CI:1.09, 1.11, p < 0.01) and mortality (RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.11, p < 0.01) compared to weekday admissions. The occurrence of HAC was associated with higher inpatient charges (RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.35, 1.36, p < 0.01), pLOS (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.22, p < 0.01), and higher mortality (RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.14, p < 0.01). Conclusion Prior studies have shown weekend admissions are usually associated with higher rates of complications leading to higher costs and a longer hospital stay. Likewise, weekend admissions for epilepsy were associated with increased rates of HACs and mortality; however, they were also negatively associated with LOS and total charge. Thus, weekend admissions for epilepsy should be considered high risk with greater effort made to mitigate these risks.