[Management of AIDS during traditional hospitalization and at outpatient clinics in Recife (Brazil)]

The management of 50 AIDS patients by traditional hospital admission (25 cases) and outpatient clinics (25 cases) was studied between August and November 1995 in the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of the Federal University Hospital. The most costly items of expenditure were hospital services and consumable materials. Comparison of costs was complicated by differences in clinical status of the patients in the two groups. The choice of treatment was much more dependent on clinical status than on sociodemographic factors. Traditional hospital admission tended to be associated with the poorest patients. The rationalization of care based on cost-benefit analysis requires much future work.