[Can emergency admissions to departments of internal medicine be replaced by planned admissions?].
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to describe the pattern of admissions to a medical department and to analyse how far acute admissions can be replaced by planned subacute admissions to an outpatient department.


METHODS
All acute admissions to the medical department during two six-day periods were registered. The department's registrars filled in a structured questionnaire and the senior registrars evaluated the admissions. In addition, a local general practitioner evaluated one-third of the admissions.


RESULTS
Altogether, 214 consecutive patients were entered in the study. One-third of the patients had consulted their GP in the week before the admission. Admissions from the casualty department and from GPs were assessed as appropriate in 92% and 71% of the cases, respectively. The senior registrars assessed that 17-20% of the acute admissions could have been replaced by a subacute, planned admission. Only 5% of the patients shared this conclusion. The ability to predict the total length of stay was limited, and greatest accuracy was achieved in prediction of short-term stays.


CONCLUSIONS
In a medical department with many acute admissions, it is possible to replace acute admissions with planned subacute admissions for a large group of patients.
Friborg
Jeppe Tang
JT
Medicinsk afdeling F, Amtssygehuset i Gentofte. j.friborg@dadlnet.dk
Taastrøm
Annette
A
Andersen
Inger Bak
IB
Schultz-Larsen
Peter
P
Andreasen
Per Buch
PB
D000208:Acute Disease / Q000145:classification; D003718:Denmark; D004630:Emergencies / Q000145:classification*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D019467:Subacute Care / Q000145:classification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires