[The multiple-admissions patient in internal medicine as a special type of hospital readmission]

A considerable number of patients treated in hospitals register several readmissions, this being special cause for concern, not only from a clinical point of view but also in respect of the management of resources. This article analysed the clinical, epidemiological and resources variable associated with patients classified as "multiadmitted". The aim of the study is determine the possible factors which predispose the multiadmission. Multiadmitted patients are defined as those who are admitted twice in a period of 12 months or those admitted 3 times in 5 years. The type of the study carried out involved control cases. We selected 1099 admissions during a period of a year at an internal medicine department of a third-level hospital. Among the various results, we would highlight the fact that 34% of the patients were multiadmitted. The main characteristics were: mean age of 8 years older than the others, patients afflicted with chronic diseases of high prevalence (most of them of the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal or endocrine systems). The most frequent diseases were COLD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease), cardiomyopathies, and chronic liver disease).