[Groups of resource utilization in acute care units and average length of stay at geriatrics services]

In recent years, Patient Classifications Systems (PCS's) have been implement in Spain for the purpose of gauging the "hospital product". However, the most conventional systems are not very well-suited to the senior citizen population, among whom illness-related disability is a determining factor with regard to explaining the usage of resources and the results of the health care provided. Therefore, the idea was brought forth of implementing a system in units providing senior citizen care which would entail this parameter, that is, the Resource Usage Groups (RUG's), analyzing the characteristics and differences in the RUG-related spread in four Geriatrics Units.

A cross-sectional study based on consecutive cutoff points in periods longer than the average stay in each unit, the patients admitted in the acute care units and average stay in the Geriatrics Unit of the Hospital Monte Narango (HMN) (n = 318), Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja (HCCR) (n = 384), Hospital General de Guadalajara (HG) (n = 272) and Hospital Virgen del Valle (HVV) (n = 390), with regard to the spread thereof according to the RUG-T18 classification. The possible differences among the hospitals in question were analyzed by means of the chi-square statistical test (SPSS for Windows).

For the overall sample, the patients were divided into groups R, S and C of the classification, groups P and B being represented to a very small degree, differences having been found to exist among the different hospitals. Hence, the HCCR is that which handles the largest percentage of patients in the R group (47.64% vs. 23.66% at HMN; 20.57% at HG and 20.53% at HVV) and a smaller percentage of patients in the S Group (3.12% vs. 6.40% at HMN; 9.92% at HG and 9.76% at HVV) and the C Group (48.94% vs. 76.29% at HMN; 66.89% at HG and 68.36% at HVV). Differences were likewise found to exist in the individual analysis for the acute care units and average length of stay.

The resource usage groups can be useful with regard to ascertaining differences in the health care loads in hospital care for senior citizens.