Despite doctors advising patients to stay inside the hospital for a few more days, this doesn’t seem to stop many of them from filing for early leave. After all, hospital stays can be expensive, especially if you don't have insurance. But according to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, patients who leave against medical advice may find themselves having to go back in--or worse.

Out of 84,000 patients who left against medical advice, a quarter found themselves back at the hospital, compared to the 11 percent of left after a planned discharge. Tragically, 1.3 percent of the patients who left early passed away in the same month, compared to the 0.7 percent who left according to schedule.

Patients have different reasons for wanting to leave early, and it’s not always because they don’t want to be treated. Sometimes, it’s due to existing obligations like having to go to work or care for somebody else. It could also be a financial problem. Researchers also found that there were key differences between patients who left early and those who chose to follow doctor’s orders. Apparently, the former were more likely to suffer from substance abuse and psychiatric problems. They were also more likely to be on some sort of government health program.

Even after accounting for these factors, however, researchers still found that patients who left early were twice as likely to die as their counterparts who stayed in the hosptail. The kind of illnesses the patients had was also found to be a key factor that determined how he or she would fare after leaving the hospital.

But as alarming as the study seems, it also has its limitations. Researchers conducted their study at Montefiore Medical Center, which is located in a high-poverty area in New York. The results could differ in other hospitals. To be on the safe side, however, if you know you are recovering from a serious condition, it’s better to listen to your doctor.


(Photo by Alex via Flickr Creative Commons)