The article “Statistical Brief Number 122: Septicemia in U.S. Hospitals, 2009” is a statistical brief which provides information regarding the prevalence of septicemia. It is a severe systemic disease in the US hospitals, caused by infectious bacteria and bacterial toxins in the bloodstream. The authors of the brief used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on the period of hospitalization because of septicemia in 2000 and 2009 (Elixhauser et al., 2011). The researchers compare such hospitalization features as the cost, geographic and patient location with all other hospital stays’ characteristics.
The findings indicate that septicemia was positioned six among the key causes of hospitalization. According to Elixhauser et al. (2011), the illness contributed to approximately 2.1% of all hospital stays in 2009. It was the most expensive illness treated in the US healthcare facilities, aggregating to about $15.4 billion. Nearly 4.2% of hospitalized patients had the disease, and doctors treated an average of 4600 new clients daily for the condition (Elixhauser et al., 2011). As Elixhauser et al. (2011) state, the mortality rate associated with septicemia in 2009 was 16%, eight times higher than other hospital stays, similar to the 2000 situation. The rate of hospital stays related to septicemia increased at an annual rate of 7.9% from 2000 to 2009 (Elixhauser et al., 2011).
The statistical brief is essential because it can help develop health policies and programs for preventing septicemia. The policies need to focus on training healthcare providers on the best practices to minimize risks for patients contracting the illness when hospitalized and reduce mortality rates. Health promotion programs which target patients and families have the potential of lowering the incidences of septicemia hospitalization. Consequently, the period of hospital stays and costs associated with the disease would decrease significantly. Although the article utilizes national data, six states, including Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Delaware, missed reporting the information. The data used in this statistical brief is secondary because it was extracted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Reference
Elixhauser, A., Friedman, B., & Stranges, E. (2011). Statistical brief number 122: Septicemia in U.S. hospitals, 2009 [PDF document]. Web.