Discharge against Medical Advice in Eight Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Background: Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) is when a patient decides to leave the hospital without the consent of the treating physician. It poses serious clinical, ethical, and legal challenges to the individual physician as well as the hospital. Aim: To determine the prevalence and reasons for DAMA in orthopedic departments of eight tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective multi-center descriptive study undertaken in eight tertiary Nigerian hospitals. Consecutive patients who requested for DAMA within 1 year of the study and who consented to participate in the study had face-to-face interviews. Data obtained were documented in a questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS version 20. Results: The total number of patients studied was 373 with a mean age 34.7 ± 17.5 years. About a quarter of them (25.5%) were between 31 and 40 years. A prevalence rate of 1.9% was found with financial constraint being the predominant reason for DAMA (40.8%). Other reasons include family preference for unorthodox treatment (18.8%) and treatment dissatisfaction (7.0%) among others. Conclusion: The study findings indicate a low DAMA rate when compared to previous studies in this region. It also indicates that financial constraints, family preference for unorthodox care, and low educational status are major drivers of DAMA. Deepened health insurance and other measures that can reduce the prevalence of DAMA should be prioritized to improve treatment outcomes.