Information about the number and types of non-principal diagnoses (NPDs) would make an important contribution to prediction of outcome and hence patient management. The study reported here is based on analysis of three fiscal years of the Victorian public hospital transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and stroke admissions. The incidence of NPDs and co-occurrence of NPD-associated prefix categories (that identify the onset or relevance of each condition to the episode) are described in each of the broad stroke subtypes. The distributions of length of stay and in-hospital deaths in the cohorts without and with NPDs and in the various prefix categories are determined. The study also compares the age and gender distribution in the various subpopulations of interest. The importance of collecting complete and accurate data on nature of NPDs and its potential in describing the complexity of presentation are discussed.
Age Distribution Aged