title: [RECALMIN. Patient care in the internal medicine units of the Spanish national health system].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a situation analysis of the care provided by internal medicine units (IMUs) in Spain and to develop, based on this analysis, proposals for improving the quality of care in these units.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive, cross-sectional study of the IMUs of general acute care hospitals of the Spanish National Health System (SNHS), with data referring to 2013. The study variables were collected via an ad hoc questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 260hospitals identified in the SNHS, 142responses were obtained from 139hospitals throughout Spain, which represents 53.5% of the IMUs in the SNHS. The mean number of internists per IMU was 14±8, with a mean rate of 7.2±3.3 internists per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2013, the average number of hospital discharges from the IMU was 2,987±2,066, and those discharged by internists was 232±107. Sixty-one percent of the IMUs had implemented an interconsultation unit, and 41% had implemented a systematic care program for complex chronic patients. Thirty-three percent of the IMUs conducted multidisciplinary rounds, and 60% of these IMUs planned the discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2013 RECALMIN survey revealed a number of important aspects of the organisation, structure and management of IMUs. The remarkable variability in the indicators of structure, activity and management probably reflect significant differences in efficiency and productivity, which therefore provide significant room for improvement.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Fuenlabrada, Madrid, España. Electronic address: azapatero.hflr@salud.madrid.org.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zapatero Gaviria
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barba Martín
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Requena, Requena, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Román Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Complejo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde, Lugo, España.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casariego Vales
authors.affiliation: Hospital Royo Villanova, Zaragoza, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diez Manglano
authors.affiliation: Hospital General de Cataluña, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García Cors
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jusdado Ruiz-Capillas
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suárez Fernández
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, España; Fundación Instituto para la Mejora de la Asistencia Sanitaria (IMAS), España.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.affiliation: Fundación Instituto para la Mejora de la Asistencia Sanitaria (IMAS), España.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Elola Somoza
keywords: Actividad asistencial; Calidad; Healthcare activity; Indicadores; Indicators; Internal medicine; Medicina interna; Quality