The value of telephone consultations during COVID-19 pandemic. An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Many Spanish hospitals converted scheduled in-person visits to telephone visits during the COVID-19 lockdown. There is scarce information about the performance of those visits. AIM: To compare telephone visits during the COVID-19 lockdown period with previous in-person visits. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. METHODS: Telephone visits from 15 March to 31 May 2020 were compared with in-person visits during the same period in 2019. MAIN MEASURES: The proportions of both groups were compared in term of failure to contact patient, requested diagnostic tests/referrals, discharges, admissions and emergency visits within 30-60 days. A sample of patients, and all participating physicians completed surveys. Z-score test was used (statistical significance P<0.05). RESULTS: A total of 5602 telephone visits were conducted. In comparison to in-person visits, telephone visits showed higher rates of visit compliance (95.9% vs. 85.2%, P<0.001) and discharges (22.12% vs. 11.82%; P<0.001), and lower number of ancillary tests and referrals. During the 30- and 60-day periods following the telephone visit, a reduction of 52% and 47% in the combined number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions was observed compared to in-person visits (P<0.01). Of the 120 patients surveyed, 95% were satisfied/very satisfied with the telephone visits. Of the 26 physicians, 84.6% considered telephone visits were useful to prioritize patients. CONCLUSIONS: During health emergencies, previously scheduled outpatient in-person visits can be converted to telephone visits, reducing absenteeism, increasing the rate of discharges and reducing ancillary tests and referrals without increasing the rate of hospital admissions or emergency department visits.

Análisis de pacientes compartidos en consultas de medicina interna y otras especialidades médicas / Analysis of patients shared in consultations of internal medicine and other medical specialties

OBJETIVO: El envejecimiento poblacional hace que cada vez más pacientes presenten pluripatología y sean atendidos por diferentes especialidades. Estudiamos la evolución de consultas y del porcentaje de pacientes atendidos por varias especialidades médicas. MÉTODOS: Se analizaron las consultas de medicina interna (MI) y otras especialidades médicas en un hospital durante los años 1997, 2007 y 2017 en población general y mayores de 65 años. RESULTADOS: A lo largo de 20 años, la tasa de primeras consultas de MI por 1.000 habitantes aumentó en un 44% y la de otras especialidades médicas en un 137%. Los pacientes vistos en más de una especialidad pasaron del 13,8% en 1997 al 32,6% en 2017 y alcanzaron el 45,5% en los mayores de 65 años. CONCLUSIONES: La atención a poblaciones con creciente comorbilidad tiene un alto impacto en los sistemas de salud e implica la necesidad de cambios organizativos para su asistencia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aging population is resulting in an increasing number of patients with multiple diseases that require treatment by various specialties. We examined the evolution of consultations and of the percentage of patients treated by several medical specialties. METHODS: We analysed internal medicine (IM) consultations and those of other medical specialties in a hospital during 1997, 2007 and 2017 for the general population and for those older than 65 years. RESULTS: Over the course of 20 years, the rate of first IM consultations per 1000 inhabitants increased 44%, and that of other medical specialties increased 137%. The percentage of patients seen by more than one specialty went from 13.8% in 1997 to 32.6% in 2017 and reached 45.5% for those older than 65 years. CONCLUSIONS: The care for populations with growing comorbidity has a major impact on health systems and requires organisational changes for their care

Validation of the PROFUND index to predict early post-hospital discharge mortality.

BACKGROUND: The PROFUND index (PI) is a prognostic scale for polypathological patients at 12 months. The objective of the study was to validate the PI as a predictor of 1-year mortality in a current cohort of polypathological patients and analyse its prognostic usefulness in the short-term (1 month and 3 months) after discharge from Internal Medicine. DESIGN: We conducted a prospective observational study and all polypathological patients discharged from an Internal Medicine Department between 01 March 2016 and 28 February 2017 were enrolled. METHODS: The variables recorded for each patient were age, sex, diseases and diagnostic categories defining patients as polypathological patients, PI at discharge, number of hospital admissions, length of stay, vital status at 1 year, and date and place of death if applicable. Follow-up lasted 1 year from the time of enrolment. RESULTS: Six hundred and ten polypathological patients were enrolled. Mortality was 41% and the patients who died were older, their length of stay was longer and their PI was higher compared with those who survived. The discrimination of the PI for predicting mortality was good, with a C-statistic of 0.718 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.76]. In addition, a subgroup of patients with early mortality after discharge was identified, with a C-statistic of 0.74 (95% CI 0.67-0.80) at 30 days and 0.73 (95% CI 0.68-0.78) at 90 days. CONCLUSIONS: The PI is a valid tool for predicting early and 1-year mortality in polypathological patients after discharge from Internal Medicine.

Analysis of patients shared in consultations of internal medicine and other medical specialties. / Análisis de pacientes compartidos en consultas de medicina interna y otras especialidades médicas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aging population is resulting in an increasing number of patients with multiple diseases that require treatment by various specialties. We examined the evolution of consultations and of the percentage of patients treated by several medical specialties. METHODS: We analysed internal medicine (IM) consultations and those of other medical specialties in a hospital during 1997, 2007 and 2017 for the general population and for those older than 65 years. RESULTS: Over the course of 20 years, the rate of first IM consultations per 1000 inhabitants increased 44%, and that of other medical specialties increased 137%. The percentage of patients seen by more than one specialty went from 13.8% in 1997 to 32.6% in 2017 and reached 45.5% for those older than 65 years. CONCLUSIONS: The care for populations with growing comorbidity has a major impact on health systems and requires organisational changes for their care.

Distribución geográfica y evolución de las muertes en hospitales en España, 1996-2015 / Geographical distribution and evolution of deaths in hospitals in Spain, 1996-2015

Antecedentes y objetivo: El lugar en que se produce la muerte varía ampliamente en las distintas sociedades. El objetivo del estudio fue describir la evolución del porcentaje de muertes en hospitales (PMH) en España a lo largo de 20años, así como su distribución por provincias en un periodo más reciente y explorar su relación con posibles variables explicativas. Métodos: El estudio fue ecológico. Las muertes poblacionales se obtuvieron del Movimiento Natural de la Población, y las muertes en hospitales, del Sistema de Información en Atención Especializada, que incluye información de todos los hospitales del país. Se estimaron las muertes de pacientes no censados y se calculó el PMH a nivel nacional entre 1996 y 2015 y por provincias entre 2013 y 2015. La relación entre la distribución provincial del PMH y diversas variables de tipo demográfico, socioeconómico y asistencial se analizó mediante regresión lineal simple y múltiple. Resultados: El PMH ascendió en España desde el 49% en 1996 hasta el 56% en 2007, habiendo permanecido estable desde entonces hasta 2015. Su variación entre provincias fue del 40 al 70%. El análisis multivariante mostró un PMH superior en las provincias menos rurales y en aquellas con mayor dotación de camas hospitalarias. Conclusiones: En España existe una gran heterogeneidad provincial en cuanto a la probabilidad de morir en un hospital o en el domicilio. Esto se justifica en parte por razones sociodemográficas (porcentaje de población rural) y de la estructura sanitaria (número de camas hospitalarias por población)

Background and objective: The location where death occurs varies widely among societies. The aim of this study was to describe the evolution in the hospital mortality rate (HMR) in Spain over the course of 20years and its distribution by province during a more recent period and to explore its relationship with potential explanatory variables. Methods: This was an ecological study. The population mortality rates were obtained from the Natural Population Movement (Movimiento Natural de la Población), and the hospital mortality rates were obtained from the Specialised Care Information System (Sistema de Información en Atención Especializada), which includes information from all hospitals in Spain. We calculated the mortality rates for patients who were not surveyed and the HMR at the national level between 1996 and 2015 and for provinces between 2013 and 2015. The relationship between the provincial distribution of HMR and various demographic, socioeconomic and healthcare variables were analysed through simple and multiple linear regression. Results: The HMR in Spain increased from 49% in 1996 to 56% in 2007, having remained stable from 1996 to 2015. The variation among provinces was 40% to 70%. The multivariate analysis showed a higher HMR in the less rural provinces and in those with a larger availability of hospital beds. Conclusions: There is considerable provincial heterogeneity in Spain in terms of the probability of dying in hospital or at home. This result could be partly explained by demographics (percentage of rural population) and the healthcare structure (number of hospital beds per population)

Geographical distribution and evolution of deaths in hospitals in Spain, 1996-2015. / Distribución geográfica y evolución de las muertes en hospitales en España, 1996-2015.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The location where death occurs varies widely among societies. The aim of this study was to describe the evolution in the hospital mortality rate (HMR) in Spain over the course of 20years and its distribution by province during a more recent period and to explore its relationship with potential explanatory variables. METHODS: This was an ecological study. The population mortality rates were obtained from the Natural Population Movement (Movimiento Natural de la Población), and the hospital mortality rates were obtained from the Specialised Care Information System (Sistema de Información en Atención Especializada), which includes information from all hospitals in Spain. We calculated the mortality rates for patients who were not surveyed and the HMR at the national level between 1996 and 2015 and for provinces between 2013 and 2015. The relationship between the provincial distribution of HMR and various demographic, socioeconomic and healthcare variables were analysed through simple and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The HMR in Spain increased from 49% in 1996 to 56% in 2007, having remained stable from 1996 to 2015. The variation among provinces was 40% to 70%. The multivariate analysis showed a higher HMR in the less rural provinces and in those with a larger availability of hospital beds. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable provincial heterogeneity in Spain in terms of the probability of dying in hospital or at home. This result could be partly explained by demographics (percentage of rural population) and the healthcare structure (number of hospital beds per population).

Five-year economic evaluation of non-melanoma skin cancer surgery at the Costa del Sol Hospital (2006-2010).

BACKGROUND: The cost associated with treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer is expected to rise considerably over the coming decades. This important public health problem is therefore expected to have an enormous economic impact for the various public health services. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost of the surgical-care process of non-melanoma skin cancer at the Costa del Sol Hospital and seek areas to improve its efficiency, using the activity-based costing (ABC) method and the tools designed for decision analysis. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: To compare the costs for hospitalized patients obtained using the ABC method with the data published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, using the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) classification system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the cost of non-melanoma skin cancer surgery at the Costa del Sol Hospital. RESULTS: The total estimated cost from 2006 to 2010 was 3 398 540€. Most of the episodes (47.3%) corresponded to minor outpatient surgery. The costs of the episodes varied greatly according to the type of admission: 423€ (minor outpatient surgery), 1267€ (major outpatient surgery), and 1832€ (inpatient surgery). The average cost of an inpatient episode varied significantly depending on the calculation system used (ABC: 2328€ vs. DRG: 5674€). CONCLUSIONS: The ABC cost analysis system favours standardization of the care process for these tumours and the detection of areas to improve efficiency. This would enable more reliable economic studies than those obtained using traditional methods, such as the DRG.

Variabilidad en la mortalidad hospitalaria previa al ingreso en España / Variability in hospital mortality prior to admission in Spanish hospitals

Fundamento. Las muertes en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios (SUH) deberían ocurrir solo en casos muy puntuales. El objetivo del estudio fue describir la distribución de las muertes en hospitales españoles en los SUH (previas al ingreso) y en las unidades de hospitalización (posteriores al ingreso), así como su distribución geográfica y sus posibles condicionantes. Pacientes y métodos. El estudio fue ecológico. Se calculó el porcentaje de muertes hospitalarias previas al ingreso (PMHPI) respecto al total de muertes hospitalarias para cada centro a partir de la «Encuesta de Establecimientos Sanitarios con Régimen de Internado de 2009», que incluye información de todos los hospitales españoles. Se analizó su variabilidad geográfica y su relación con las características de los centros y diversos indicadores de actividad asistencial mediante pruebas no paramétricas. Resultados. El PMHPI se situó en el 13,4%, con una amplia variabilidad entre comunidades autónomas (rango 7,4-16,4%). El PMHPI fue mayor en los hospitales de menos de 100 camas y en aquellos con mayor promedio de urgencias anuales por facultativo del SUH. Conclusiones. Nuestro estudio desvela la importante variabilidad del PMHPI. Estimamos que si el 80% de los pacientes fallecidos en SUH lo hubieran hecho en planta, las estancias hospitalarias se hubieran incrementado en menos del 0,1%(AU)

Background. Deaths in Emergency Departments (ED) should only occur in rare cases. The aim of the study was to describe the distribution of deaths in Spanish hospitals in two locations: the ED or pre-admission and in-hospital or post-admission, and their geographical distribution and possible conditioning factors. Patients and methods. The study was ecological. The percentage of hospital deaths prior to admission (PHDPA) compared to total hospital deaths for each center was calculated. The information was obtained from the “2009 Survey of Health Care Establishments with In-Patient facilities”. This survey included information for all the Spanish hospitals. It analyzed geographical variability and its relation to the characteristics of the centers and various indicators of health care activity using non-parametric tests. Results. The PHDPA was 13.4%, with wide variability between regions: from 7.4% to 16.4%. PHDPA was higher in hospitals with fewer than 100 beds and those with a higher average of emergencies per ED physician. Conclusions. Our study reveals the important variability in PHDPA. We estimate that if 80% of those patients who had died in the ED had died in the hospital ward, hospital stays would only have been increased by less than 0.1%(AU)

Variability in hospital mortality prior to admission in Spanish hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Deaths in Emergency Departments (ED) should only occur in rare cases. The aim of the study was to describe the distribution of deaths in Spanish hospitals in two locations: the ED or pre-admission and in-hospital or post-admission, and their geographical distribution and possible conditioning factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was ecological. The percentage of hospital deaths prior to admission (PHDPA) compared to total hospital deaths for each center was calculated. The information was obtained from the "2009 Survey of Health Care Establishments with In-Patient facilities". This survey included information for all the Spanish hospitals. It analyzed geographical variability and its relation to the characteristics of the centers and various indicators of health care activity using non-parametric tests. RESULTS: The PHDPA was 13.4%, with wide variability between regions: from 7.4% to 16.4%. PHDPA was higher in hospitals with fewer than 100 beds and those with a higher average of emergencies per ED physician. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals the important variability in PHDPA. We estimate that if 80% of those patients who had died in the ED had died in the hospital ward, hospital stays would only have been increased by less than 0.1%.

Claridad de las recomendaciones al paciente en el informe de alta hospitalaria / Clarity of recommendations for patients in the hospital discharge report

Fundamento. Las recomendaciones al paciente (RP) son una de las partes fundamentales del informe de alta hospitalaria. El objetivo del estudio fue conocer la frecuencia de RP en los informes de distintas especialidades y la proporción de ellas consideradas de fácil comprensión. Material y método. Estudio observacional transversal. Ámbito: hospital general de agudos. Se revisó una muestra de informes de alta con análisis de la frecuencia y tipos de RP según su contenido y claridad. Resultados. Se analizaron 840 informes y 2.097 RP con un promedio de 2,5 RP por informe. Las RP más habituales se referían al seguimiento del paciente (46% del total), seguidas de las recomendaciones específicas para los días inmediatos al alta (37%), solo el 16% se referían a estilos de vida. Los informes de especialidades quirúrgicas contenían 3,2 RP por alta, frente a 2,3 de las especialidades médicas. Un 90,3% de las RP se consideraron de comprensión clara para un paciente medio. Conclusiones. Los informes de alta analizados contenían pocas RP, en especial las referidas a estilos de vida. Una proporción apreciable de las RP no estaban expresadas con suficiente claridad(AU)

Background. Recommendations for patients (RP) are one of the key parts of the hospital discharge report (HDR). The objective was to study the frequency of RP in the HDR of different specialties and the proportion of them considered to be easy to understand. Material and method. Observational and cross-sectional study. Setting. General acute care hospital. Interventions. Review of a sample of HDR, analysis of the frequency and types of PR based on their content and clarity. Results. A total of 840 HDR and 2,097 PR were analysed with an average of 2.5 RP per report. The most common RP referred to the patient follow-up (46% of total), followed by specific recommendations for the days immediately following discharge (37%), with only 16% related to lifestyle. Reports by surgical specialties contained 3.2 RP compared to 2.3 in medical specialties. The large majority (90.3%) of the RP were considered clear to understand for a standard patient. Conclusions. The HDR analysed contained few RP, in particular those related to lifestyles. A substantial proportion of the RP were not expressed with enough clarity(AU)

[Clarity of recommendations for patients in the hospital discharge report]. / Claridad de las recomendaciones al paciente en el informe de alta hospitalaria.

BACKGROUND: Recommendations for patients (RP) are one of the key parts of the hospital discharge report (HDR). The objective was to study the frequency of RP in the HDR of different specialties and the proportion of them considered to be easy to understand. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Observational and cross-sectional study. SETTING: General acute care hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Review of a sample of HDR, analysis of the frequency and types of PR based on their content and clarity. RESULTS: A total of 840 HDR and 2,097 PR were analysed with an average of 2.5 RP per report. The most common RP referred to the patient follow-up (46% of total), followed by specific recommendations for the days immediately following discharge (37%), with only 16% related to lifestyle. Reports by surgical specialties contained 3.2 RP compared to 2.3 in medical specialties. The large majority (90.3%) of the RP were considered clear to understand for a standard patient. CONCLUSIONS: The HDR analysed contained few RP, in particular those related to lifestyles. A substantial proportion of the RP were not expressed with enough clarity.

Sistemas de información para clínicos II. Cómo analizar la eficiencia y calidad de la asistencia intrahospitalaria / Information systems for clinicians II. How to analyze the efficiency and quality of in-hospital care

Se describen 4 posibles lecturas del análisis de la casuística atendida en hospitalización: variabilidad de las patologías atendidas, evaluación de la complejidad de los pacientes y de la eficiencia en su atención y análisis de calidad asistencial en términos de resultados clínicos como la mortalidad intrahospitalaria. Se analiza el concepto de ajuste por riesgo, imprescindible para la comparación de los resultados de distintos servicios hospitalarios(AU)

We describe four possible readings of the analysis of case-mix in hospitals: variability of pathologies treated, assessment of the complexity of patients and efficiency in their care and analysis of quality of care in terms of clinical outcomes, as hospital mortality. We analyze the concept of risk adjustment, essential for comparison of results from different hospital services(AU)

Sistemas de información para clínicos i. Cómo conocer qué tipo de pacientes se atienden en nuestros hospitales / Information systems for clinicians I. How to know what type of patients are attended in our hospitals

Se describen una serie de herramientas que permiten estudiar la tipología de los pacientes atendidos en hospitalización: el conjunto mínimo básico de datos, la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades y los Grupos Relacionados con el Diagnóstico —este último es el sistema de clasificación de pacientes más utilizado en nuestro medio—, y se apuntan sus posibles aplicaciones tanto en el campo de la gestión como en el de la investigación clínica(AU)

We describe a series of tools to study the types of patients treated in hospitals: the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS), International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the more used patient classification system: Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) and suggest their possible applications in the fields of management and clinical research(AU)

[Information systems for clinicians I. How to know what type of patients are attended in our hospitals]. / Sistemas de información para clínicos i. Cómo conocer qué tipo de pacientes se atienden en nuestros hospitales.

We describe a series of tools to study the types of patients treated in hospitals: the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS), International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the more used patient classification system: Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) and suggest their possible applications in the fields of management and clinical research.

[Information systems for clinicians II. How to analyze the efficiency and quality of in-hospital care]. / Sistemas de información para clínicos II. Cómo analizar la eficiencia y calidad de la asistencia intrahospitalaria.

We describe four possible readings of the analysis of case-mix in hospitals: variability of pathologies treated, assessment of the complexity of patients and efficiency in their care and analysis of quality of care in terms of clinical outcomes, as hospital mortality. We analyze the concept of risk adjustment, essential for comparison of results from different hospital services.

[Priority of prescribed medication in patients with heart failure in an Internal Medicine Department]. / Prioridad de las prescripciones farmacéuticas a pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca en un Servicio de Medicina Interna.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Prescriptions provided to elderly patients with comorbidity on hospital discharge are usually complex. This study has aimed to know what proportion of drugs is considered essential by the prescribing doctors and the existing agreement on this qualification. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: general acute care hospital. STUDY SUBJECTS: random sample of 60 hospital discharges in patients hospitalized due to heart failure between 2004 to 2006 with 540 prescribed drugs. INTERVENTIONS: independent review by two internal medicine specialists and qualification of each of prescribed drugs as essential, advisable or not indicated. Calculation of the proportion of prescriptions according to priority, global and by therapeutic groups, and of the agreement between reviewers. RESULTS: An average of 9 drugs (statistical deviation [SD] 2.4) and 13.5 daily takings (SD 4.6) by patient were prescribed on hospital discharge. The reviewers considered 68.4% of the prescriptions essential (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.5-71.2), advisable 25% (95% CI, 22.4-27.6) and not indicated 6.6% (95% CI, 5.1-8.1). An inverse relation between number of prescribed drugs and their proportion considered as essential was observed. Global agreement between reviewers in the classification of priority was relatively low: weighed Kappa 0.27 (95% CI, 0.19-0.36). More than 90% of the prescriptions were considered as essential in only 6 of the 15 therapeutic groups prescribed most, and good agreements in the qualification of their priority was only reached in 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable proportion of the prescribed medication on hospital discharge in patients with heart failure was not considered essential. Agreement reached between the reviewers in this qualification was low.

El informe de alta hospitalaria: utilidades y propuestas de mejora / The hospital discharge report: utility and proposals for improvement

No disponible

[Clinical and performance results of functional endoscopic sinus surgery]. / Resultados clínicos y asistenciales de la cirugía endoscópica nasosinusal.

Our aim was to know the clinical performance and management results of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) in Spanish hospitals. We sent a survey on the use and results of FESS to 160 Spanish public hospitals in June of 2002, obtaining a response rate of 69%. 82.9% of the interviewed hospitals carried out FESS and 17.1% of the remaining used the classic techniques of approaching the paranasal sinuses. The reported length of stay in hospital was 1.4 days for the FESS and 2.4 for the traditional surgery. The surgical time was 15 minutes shorter for the CENS, and the rate of recurrence was 16% less than for the classic surgery. As years of experience in the practice of the CENS go by, the surgical times tend to decrease, that didn't happen with the rate of recurrence. In conclusion, we consider that FESS seems to improve the analyzed clinical performance and assistential results.

[The implementation of endoscopic sinus surgery in Spain]. / Implantación de la cirugía endoscópica nasosinusal en España.

The purpose of this study is to find out more about the implementation of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in our country. To do that, we designed a survey which was sent to 160 public hospitals (June 2002). We received the answers of 111 hospitals. 82.9% of hospitals and 58% of surgeons performed FESS, with some differences among autonomic regions. The percentage of surgeons who performed FESS was higher in small hospitals and their mean experience time was 6.2 years. We consider the implementation of endoscopic sinus surgery very high, this can reflect that there are evident advantages for those who specialists who use it.