[Stays occasioned by patients hospitalized in internal medicine services].
BACKGROUND
Study of average stay in Department of Internal Medicine.


METHODS
Prospective descriptive study in which different clinical-epidemiological variables and their relation with average stay are analysed.


RESULTS
Length of stay: 13.23 +/- 11.04 days. Increase in the average stay related to age, specially between 65 and 74 years, and among 45 and 55 (p = 0.02). Longer stays among those admitted from Other Departments and Urgencies (p = 0.04), and those destined to Hospitals for Chronic Patients (p = 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Alternative formulas to the conventional hospitalization, coordination among different sanitary levels and others clinical measures would contribute to reduce this parameter.
Obón Azuara
B
B
Unidad Docente de Patología Médica A, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Zaragoza.
Martínez-Berganza Asensio
A
A
Cía Gómez
P
P
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006744:Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors