title: [Inappropriateness of hospital days and causes of failure in a Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine ward].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse patients' features linked to hospital inappropriateness and to highlight causes of inappropriate days in a Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine ward of a teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Appropriateness of patients' hospital days (2 months activity) was assessed using the French version of criteria of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol. Reasons of inappropriate hospital days were identified through a questionnaire based on patients' need.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and twenty patients were studied. Among the 2151 hospital days assessed, 880 (41%) were inappropriate. Two different groups of inappropriate stays were brought up. In the first group, the inappropriate period duration was short (<=5 days) and patients were not different from those of the appropriate group. In the second group, the inappropriate period duration was long ( > 5 days) and 710 days (33%) were inappropriate. Patients were elderly, lived alone and their disease did not concern the gastrointestinal tract. During inappropriate days, they expected access to less technical facilities than the short stay medical ward.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The socio-demographic and medical features of the patients from the long duration inappropriateness group should help to limit inappropriate hospital days: a significant economic and organizational stake for patients, hospital and public interest.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie, Economie de la Santé et Prévention, Université Paris XIII, France.
authors.forename: Axelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menu-Branthomme
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benamouzig
authors.forename: Bakthiar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bejou
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coste
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rautureau
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D005762:Gastroenterology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D007902:Length of Stay; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
vernacular_title: Etude de la pertinence des journées d'hospitalisation dans un service de Gastroentérologie et Médecine Interne et analyse des causes de non-pertinence.