[Appropriateness of hospital admissions to a pulmonology department]

To analyze the rate of inappropriate admissions to a pulmonology department over the period of a year and to establish the reasons for such admission and predictors.

All 2004 admissions to the pulmonology department of the Hospital de Valme were analyzed using a version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) developed for concurrent review. Two physicians who were not directly involved in admitting the patients performed the review. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify the independent predictors of inappropriate hospital admission.

Of the 633 admissions analyzed, 92.1% (n = 583) were appropriate and 7.9% (n = 50) were inappropriate. The main reason for considering an admission to be inappropriate was that the patients in question could have been managed as outpatients (70%), whereas appropriate admissions were most frequently justified by the need for parenteral treatment (76.3%) or respiratory therapy (62%). In the logistic regression analysis, the variables that were independently associated with inappropriate admission were nonurgent admission (odds ratio, 2.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-6.21; P = .01), and a neoplasia diagnosis as the reason for admission (odds ratio, 8.57; 95% confidence interval, 2.69-27.24; P < .0005).

The rate of inappropriate hospital admissions was lower than that reported in other studies. Most inappropriate admissions were of patients who could have been managed as outpatients. An admission diagnosis of neoplasm and nonurgent admission were independent predictors of inappropriateness.