Question 2.79

2.79 Are big hospitals bad for you?

A study shows that there is a positive correlation between the size of a hospital (measured by its number of beds ) and the median number of days that patients remain in the hospital. Does this mean that you can shorten a hospital stay by choosing a small hospital? Why?

2.79

No, the condition of the patient is a possible lurking variable because larger hospitals likely have more resources to treat more serious injured or ill patients, which also explains why they stay longer.