[Experience of a Rapid Diagnostic and Short Stay Unit implemented in Argentina]

Rapid diagnostic units (RDUs) represent an alternative to conventional hospitalization diagnosis, enabling outpatient care for patients with suspected potentially severe disease. The first year of operation of a Rapid Diagnostic and Short Stay Unit (RDSSU) is described.

Retrospective study involving 696 patients, documenting 739 events defined as each patient's entry into the RDU for specific reasons.

Of the 739 events, 37.9% (n=280) were evaluated for suspected potentially serious disease, 37.1% (n=274) were scheduled low-complexity surgical events, 8.7% (n=64) were a rapid pre-evaluation -surgical due to diagnosis of serious disease, 9.7% (n=72) control after discharge from the general ward and 6.6% (n=49) were events linked to day hospital. Of the 280 events evaluated for suspected serious disease, the median number of days until the first consultation was 1 day (interquartile range 0-2) and until diagnosis was 0 days (interquartile range 0-6). The most frequent diagnostic groups were oncological disease (25%), infectious diseases (15%) and digestive diseases (11%). A 13% required hospitalization in a general ward before reaching the diagnosis. Of the scheduled surgical events, only 2.9% required hospitalization in the general ward due to complications.

The unit successfully conducted initial evaluations and reached diagnosis within a short timeframe, avoiding emergency room visits and general ward admissions, thereby increasing bed availability.