Marco Fusco1, Alessandra Buja2, Paolo Piergentili3, Maria Teresa Golfetto4, Gianni Serafin4, Silvia Gallo5, Livio Dalla Barba6, Vincenzo Baldo7. 1. School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, Public Health Section, Laboratory of Public Health and Population Studies, Padua Medical School, Italy. 2. Dept. of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Laboratory of Public Health and Population Studies, Italy. Electronic address: alessandra.buja@unipd.it. 3. Quality Assurance Unit, Local Health Unit n. 13, Veneto Region, Italy. 4. Business Management Unit, Local Health Unit n. 13, Veneto Region, Italy. 5. Medical Direction Unit, Local Health Unit n. 13, Veneto Region, Italy. 6. Public Health Director, Local Health Unit n. 13, Veneto Region, Italy. 7. Dept. of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Laboratory of Public Health and Population Studies, Italy.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The appropriate use of health care is an important issue in developed countries. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent of potentially inappropriate hospital admissions and their individual, clinical and hospital-related determinants. METHODS: Medical records were analyzed for the year 2014 held by the Local Heath Unit n. 13 in the Veneto Region of north-east Italy (19,000 records). The outcomes calculated were: admissions for conditions amenable to day hospital care; brief medical admissions; outlier lengths of stay for elderly patients' medical admissions; and medical admissions to surgical wards. Univariate analyses and logistic regression models were used to test associations with demographic, clinical and hospital ward covariates, including organizational indicators. RESULTS: Inappropriate reliance on acute care beds ranged from 6% to 28%, depending on the type of quality indicator analyzed. Some individual features, and wards' specific characteristics were associated with at least one of the phenomena of inappropriate hospital resource usage. In particular, male gender, younger age and transferals seemed to affect inappropriate admissions to surgical wards. Potentially avoidable admissions featuring inpatients amenable to day hospital care were associated with subjects with fewer comorbidities and lower case-mix wards, while inappropriately short medical stays were influenced by patients' higher functional status and local residency and by lower bed occupancy rates. In conclusion, inappropriately long hospital stays for elderly cases were associated with patients with multiple pathologies in wards with a low bed-occupancy. Education level and citizenship did not seem to influence inappropriate admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Some individual, clinical ad structural characteristics of patients and wards emerging from administrative records could be associated with inappropriate reliance on acute hospital beds. Analyzing the indicators considered in this study could generate inexpensive real-time data for identifying what determines potentially inappropriate hospital resource usage, and thus orient auditing activities and health care policy-making. Copyright Â
INTRODUCTION: The appropriate use of health care is an important issue in developed countries. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent of potentially inappropriate hospital admissions and their individual, clinical and hospital-related determinants. METHODS: Medical records were analyzed for the year 2014 held by the Local Heath Unit n. 13 in the Veneto Region of north-east Italy (19,000 records). The outcomes calculated were: admissions for conditions amenable to day hospital care; brief medical admissions; outlier lengths of stay for elderly patients' medical admissions; and medical admissions to surgical wards. Univariate analyses and logistic regression models were used to test associations with demographic, clinical and hospital ward covariates, including organizational indicators. RESULTS: Inappropriate reliance on acute care beds ranged from 6% to 28%, depending on the type of quality indicator analyzed. Some individual features, and wards' specific characteristics were associated with at least one of the phenomena of inappropriate hospital resource usage. In particular, male gender, younger age and transferals seemed to affect inappropriate admissions to surgical wards. Potentially avoidable admissions featuring inpatients amenable to day hospital care were associated with subjects with fewer comorbidities and lower case-mix wards, while inappropriately short medical stays were influenced by patients' higher functional status and local residency and by lower bed occupancy rates. In conclusion, inappropriately long hospital stays for elderly cases were associated with patients with multiple pathologies in wards with a low bed-occupancy. Education level and citizenship did not seem to influence inappropriate admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Some individual, clinical ad structural characteristics of patients and wards emerging from administrative records could be associated with inappropriate reliance on acute hospital beds. Analyzing the indicators considered in this study could generate inexpensive real-time data for identifying what determines potentially inappropriate hospital resource usage, and thus orient auditing activities and health care policy-making. Copyright Â
Authors: Guangwen Gong; Yingchun Chen; Hongxia Gao; Dai Su; Jingjing Chang Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-12-02 Impact factor: 3.390