---
title: >-
  Discharged Where? The Importance of Understanding Discharge Dispositions When
  Estimating In-Hospital Mortality
description: >-
  Explore this publication on real-world evidence: Discharged Where? The
  Importance of Understanding Discharge Dispositions When Estimating
  In-Hospital…
date: '2022-01-01'
author: M. Alan Brookhart, PhD
category: Publications
tags:
  - COVID-19
  - ICPE
  - Care
  - 'Yes'
  - Oral Presentation
  - Methods/Pharmacoepi
  - R&D
canonical_url: >-
  https://www.headwaterscience.com/resources/publications/di-covid-19/discharged-where-the-importance-of-understanding-discharge/
source: Headwater Science
license: © 2026 Headwater Science. All rights reserved.
slug: discharged-where-the-importance-of-understanding-discharge
id: 7mX16ycfeTe6l70CSQJrG
contentType: article
---

## Challenge

Discharge disposition is a critical outcome measure for COVID-19 hospitalization studies, but its importance as a competing event and potential mediator in in-hospital mortality analyses had not been examined in real-world US data.

## Solution

Target RWE researchers analyzed discharge dispositions among COVID-19 hospitalized patients, demonstrating the methodological importance of distinguishing between discharge to home, to post-acute care, and death when estimating in-hospital mortality.

## Impact

Establishing that discharge disposition requires explicit modeling as a competing event improves the methodological rigor of Target RWE's COVID-19 effectiveness studies and provides a contribution to hospital-based outcomes research.

## Use Cases / Links

Discharge disposition competing event methodology for in-hospital COVID-19 mortality estimation, Methodological guidance for hospital-based outcomes research in COVID-19 and anti-infective drug programs