[Influence of a day care hospital on the incidence of hospital admission of AIDS patients].
BACKGROUND
Day care units have become an usual way of medical care for AIDS patients. However, their influence on the incidence of hospital admissions has not been evaluated.


METHODS
Observational and longitudinal study of a cohort of 308 patients with aids diagnosed between 1990 and 1994 and followed-up to June 1996. The incidence of hospital admissions according to the hospital of follow-up (with or without day care unit) was analyzed. A multivariate analysis of the number of hospital admissions was performed using regression model adjusted to a distribution of Poisson.


RESULTS
After AIDS diagnosis, the incidence of hospital admissions was 108 per 100 patient-years of follow up (21 days as inpatient per patient-year). Those patients controlled in the hospital with day care unit have less hospital admissions (relative risk after adjusting by CD4+ cells count and type of diagnostic disease: 0.64; CI95% 0.55-0.76), and less days as inpatient through their follow-up (11 to 31 days less). There was no difference in survival among patients followed in both hospitals.


CONCLUSIONS
A day care unit decrease the incidence of hospital admissions in aids patients. This positive impact is more evident in patients with lesser CD4+ cell counts.
Hernando
A
A
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Europea-CEES, Madrid.
Pulido
F
F
Peña
J M
JM
Alberdi
J C
JC
González-García
J
J
Rubio
R
R
Arribas
J R
JR
Costa
J R
JR
Vázquez
J J
JJ
del Palacio
A
A
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D015704:CD4 Antigens