[Emergency admissions to a department of internal medicine. Are departments of internal medicine used optimally, and how would observation units affect the management of the department?].
279 consecutive emergency admissions to our Department of Internal Medicine were reviewed. Admission was appropriate for 58%. These patients consumed 88% of the "ward-days" during the period studied. Of the remaining patients, 22% could have been treated adequately in an observation unit, 10% need not have been hospitalized, and 10% should have been admitted to a different department. All stays in hospital lasting more than 50 days were due to lack of a place in a nursing home. If no patient had to wait more than 50 days, this would release 23% of the total "ward-day" capacity. The pressure on Departments of Internal Medicine could be reduced substantially by establishing observation units, and reducing the waiting time for a place in a nursing home.
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Medisinsk avdeling Diakonissehjemmets sykehus Haraldsplass Ulriksdal, Bergen.
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D000368:Aged; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Oyeblikkelig hjelp-innleggelser i indremedisinsk avdeling. Brukes medisinske avdelinger riktig, og hva kan en observasjonsenhet bety for driften av avdelingen?