Comparison of Two Procedures to Estimate the Hospital Stay Attributable to Nosocomial Infection: Matched Cohort Study versus Analysis of Covariance of the Total Unmatched Cohort

We compare the results of a matched cohort study with those yielded by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in the cohort where the matched study was nested to assess whether the matching design underestimates (as it has been assumed) the extra length of hospitalization due to nosocomial infection. A tot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical epidemiology 1997-07, Vol.50 (7), p.773-778
Main Authors: Delgado-Rodrı́guez, Miguel, Medina-Cuadros, Marcelino, Bueno-Cavanillas, Aurora, Martı́nez-Gallego, Gabriel, Dierssen, Trinidad, Sillero-Arenas, Marı́a
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
analysis of covariance
Analysis of Variance
Biological and medical sciences
Case-Control Studies
Cohort Studies
Cross Infection
Epidemiology
General aspects
Humans
Length of stay
Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data
matched cohort studies
Medical sciences
Methodology
Middle Aged
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
statistical methods
surgery
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Summary:We compare the results of a matched cohort study with those yielded by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in the cohort where the matched study was nested to assess whether the matching design underestimates (as it has been assumed) the extra length of hospitalization due to nosocomial infection. A total of 218 patients developed hospital infection in a cohort of 1483 general surgery patients; 161 were successfully matched 1:1 for surgical procedure, ASA score, age (±10 years), emergency-scheduled surgery, preoperative stay, and, whenever possible, number of diagnoses and sex. Unmatched infected patients (57, 23.1%) were different from matched ones. There were no differences for the variables between matched infected patients and their pairs. The matched cohort study overestimates the extra LOH due to hospital infection. The use of ANCOVA in the total cohort obviates the selection bias of the matched cohort design.
ISSN:0895-4356
1878-5921
DOI:10.1016/S0895-4356(97)00062-0