[Hospital discharge reports may be an inadequate source of information to evaluate care quality].
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether there is adequate available information in hospital discharge records (HDR) to retrospectively evaluate the adequacy of medical care to patients suffering from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and to relate care quality to physicians' decisions.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study in which a total of 690 HDRs of patients admitted to three university teaching hospitals in Seville, Spain, on account of ischemic heart disease. The fulfillment of 15 parameters representing an adaptation to the CMBD regulation to IHD. The criterion of adequate information was set at 80% of data.


RESULTS
Only 2.8% of HDRs contains adequate information. According to the analysed data, relevant fulfillment variability was observed. There were significant differences in fulfillment depending upon hospital and type of patient, with more information among younger patients and comorbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
HDRs contain inadequate information to evaluate medical care.
Reyes Domínguez
A
A
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Valme, Ctra. de Cádiz, Sevilla, Spain.
González Borrego
A
A
Rojas García
M F
MF
Montero Chaves
G
G
Marín León
I
I
Lacalle Remigio
J R
JR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000628:therapy*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D013030:Spain