[Assessment of inappropriate emergency admissions. A study of 566 consecutive cases]

We assessed the appropriateness of 566 consecutive acute admissions to three departments of internal medicine in southeast Sweden. Using a modified version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP), 23 per cent of the admissions were classified as medically inappropriate. Half of them could be related to local admission routines unsupported by the AEP or lack of lower level of health services. Patients admitted inappropriately showed a lower mean cost of stay than those admitted appropriately according to AEP, 13,400 SEK and 15,100 SEK, respectively (P < 0.05). Given that the modified AEP lacks validation, uncertainty remains whether it can serve as a supportive tool in routine care management in Sweden.