Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, asthma, and lung cancer are four common respiratory diseases that impose a substantial economic burden on both patients and government in China. The objective of our study is to analyze the temporal trends of several clinical tracking metrics for hospitalization regarding these diseases. Hospital discharge data of 54 hospitals for the period 2005-2015 were derived from the Health and Family Planning Commission in Northeast China. The age-adjusted rate of discharge for the four respiratory diseases increased significantly (COPD, pneumonia, asthma: P trend < .001; lung cancer: P trend = .046). The mean LOS for the four diseases all showed a significant decline (P trend < .001), whereas the mean charge per stay and aggregate charge followed an upward trend over time (P trend < .001). There was a clear upward trend for the readmission rate for asthma patients (P trend = .001), while the trend for COPD patients was unclear (P trend = .224). Age-adjusted discharge rates, LOS, and charges for hospitalization regarding several common respiratory diseases in China showed different patterns of change over the past decade. Our results should aid government and administrators in making informed decisions about the management and treatment of respiratory diseases.