title: Patterns of unjustified pediatric hospital stay.
abstract: We examined the pattern of hospital stay in a pediatric division of a major teaching medical center in terms of justification of the hospital stay. Hospital stay days of all children admitted during 3 consecutive weeks were assessed prospectively according to predetermined criteria. Of the 2,048 hospital stay days 26% were unjustified, primarily due to unnecessary in-hospital follow-up and diagnostic evaluation that should have been carried out on an ambulatory basis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that neurological disorders and trauma, age younger than 3 years, specific ward, and the attending physician were significant predictors for unjustified hospital stay days. This method is proposed as a means for optimal reduction of redundant hospital stay and concomitant unnecessary economic burden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Modan
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Barzilay
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Blumstein
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mozes
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007557:Israel; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014600:Utilization Review