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.

[Quality of inpatient care and risk of early readmission in acute exacerbation of COPD]. / Calidad de la asistencia hospitalaria y riesgo de ingreso precoz en la exacerbación aguda de la EPOC.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the diseases that causes more readmissions in our hospitals. The objective of our study was to establish the influence of quality of inpatient care on the risk of early readmission in the acute exacerbation of COPD. DESIGN: case and controls study. SETTING: general acute care hospital. SUBJECTS OF STUDY: random sample of admissions with acute exacerbation of COPD and discharged alive. CASES: patients who were readmitted within 30 days with a related diagnosis. CONTROLS: patients who were not readmitted and finished alive the mentioned period. INTERVENTIONS: audit of clinical charts with evaluation of clinical severity and adherence to explicit criteria of quality of inpatient care in OCFA. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression (LR) analysis. RESULTS: 45 cases and 45 controls were analyzed. LR model detected the risk of readmission within 1 month was explained by the higher severity of patients (Apache III: OR 1,03) and their principal diagnosis(emphysema: OR 6,9 and bronchiectasias: OR 2,2, respect to chronic bronchitis). The less score of quality of care scale was predictive of the risk of readmission in the subgroup of patients who were readmitted within 1 week (OR 0,9). CONCLUSIONS: Risk of readmission within 1 month in the acute exacerbation of COPD were explained mainly by the clinical characteristics of patients. Otherwise, readmissions within 1 week were related to quality of care, so it could be a valid indicator of quality of inpatient care.

Calidad de la asistencia hospitalaria y riesgo de reingreso precoz en la exacerbación aguda de la EPOC / Quality of inpatient care and risk of early readmission in acute exacerbation of COPD

Fundamento: La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) es una de las patologías que causa más reingresos en nuestros hospitales. El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue conocer la influencia de la calidad de los cuidados intrahospitalarios sobre el riesgo de reingreso precoz en la exacerbación aguda de la EPOC. Material y métodos: Estudio de casos y controles. Ámbito: hospital general de agudos. Sujetos de estudio: muestra aleatoria de ingresos por exacerbación aguda de la EPOC y alta a domicilio. Casos: pacientes que reingresaron antes de un mes por un diagnóstico relacionado. Controles: pacientes que no reingresaron y seguían con vida en dicho plazo. Instrumentalización: auditoría de historias clínicas con evaluación del grado de severidad clínica y de la adherencia a criterios explícitos de calidad de los cuidados hospitalarios en la EPOC. Análisis estadístico bivariado y regresión logística (RL) multivariante. Resultados: Se analizaron 45 casos y 45 controles. El modelo de RL detectó que el riesgo de reingreso en 1 mes se explicaba por la mayor severidad de los pacientes (Apache III: OR 1,03) y por su diagnóstico principal (enfisema: OR 6,9 y bronquiectasias: OR 2,2, respecto a la bronquitis crónica). La menor puntuación de la escala de calidad asistencial resultó predictiva del riesgo de reingreso en el subgrupo de pacientes que reingresaron en una semana (OR 0,9). Conclusiones: El riesgo de reingreso en un mes en la exacerbación aguda de la EPOC se explicó principalmente por las características clínicas de los pacientes. En cambio, los reingresos en una semana se relacionaron con la calidad de los cuidados aplicados, por lo que pueden ser un indicador válido de calidad de la asistencia intrahospitalaria (AU)

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the diseases that causes more readmissions in our hospitals. The objective of our study was to establish the influence of quality of inpatient care on the risk of early readmission in the acute exacerbation of COPD. Material and methods: Design: case and controls study. Setting: general acute care hospital. Subjects of study: random sample of admissions with acute exacerbation of COPD and discharged alive. Cases: patients who were readmitted within 30 days with a related diagnosis. Controls: patients who were not readmitted and finished alive the mentioned period. Interventions: audit of clinical charts with evaluation of clinical severity and adherence to explicit criteria of quality of inpatient care in OCFA. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression (LR) analysis. Results: 45 cases and 45 controls were analyzed. LR model detected the risk of readmission within 1 month was explained by the higher severity of patients (Apache III: OR 1,03) and their principal diagnosis (emphysema: OR 6,9 and bronchiectasias: OR 2,2, respect to chronic bronchitis). The less score of quality of care scale was predictive of the risk of readmission in the subgroup of patients who were readmitted within 1 week (OR 0,9). Conclusions: Risk of readmission within 1 month in the acute exacerbation of COPD were explained mainly by the clinical characteristics of patients. Otherwise, readmissions within 1 week were related to quality of care, so it could be a valid indicator of quality of inpatient care (AU)

[Analysis of admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Andalusia in 2000]. / Análisis de los ingresos por enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en Andalucía, año 2000.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Andalusia during 2000. METHODS: All patients with DRG codes 088 and 541, which would receive ICD-9 codes 491, 492, 493.2, 494 and 496 in the cause of admission field, were extracted from the Minimum Basic Data Set for Andalusia. We compiled descriptive statistics from these data, calculated the cost per day of hospitalization for our own hospital, and then extrapolated to estimate the cost for Andalusia. RESULTS: COPD exacerbations generated 10,386 admissions in 2000, leading to 117,011 days of hospitalization. Eighty-three percent of the patients were men and the mean age was 70 12 years. The average hospital stay was 11 10 days. Huelva was the province with the shortest hospital stay (9 days). Mortality was 6.7%. The minimum expenditure generated was E 27 million, not counting the cost of intensive care unit admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Admissions due to COPD have great impact on the Andalusian health care system. Further studies are needed to evaluate alternatives to hospitalization.

[Borderline between emergencies and hospitalization in the analysis of hospital mortality]. / La frontera entre urgencias y hospitalización en el análisis de la mortalidad hospitalaria.

BACKGROUND: The analysis of hospital mortality rate as a measure of care quality is usually restricted to death occurred at hospital wards, and no consideration is given to deaths occurred at the Emergency Department. Therefore, the information from a fundamental hospital area goes without analysis. METHODS: The following characteristics of decreased individuals at the Emergency Department (n = 79) and hospital wards (n = 280) in the Costa del Sol Hospital (Marbella, Málaga, Spain) during 1997 were compared: age, sex, main diagnosis at admission, main diagnosis specificity, and number of secondary diagnoses. A reevaluation of hospital mortality rates was made after data from ED deaths had been added. RESULTS: The addition of deaths occurred at the ED meant a relevant increase in hospital mortality rates: 57% for heart failure, 30% for stroke, and 25% for myocardial infarction. Twenty percent of deaths at the ED had non-specific diagnosis versus 5% at wards (p < 0.0001; 95%CI: 6.03; 24.15). Deaths at the ED had 2.9 +/- 1.3 secondary diagnoses versus 4.9 +/- 2.0 in deaths at hospital wards (p < 0.0001; 95%CI: 1.6; 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: Deaths at the ED make up a relevant proportion of the total deaths and should be incorporated to the hospital mortality analysis. Deficiencies in the collection of clinical information were observed in this ED. Therefore, adjustments for severity--an essential issue for comparing mortality rates between centers--might be precluded.

[Predictive variables of early hospital readmission in cardiac failure]. / Variables predictivas del reingreso hospitalario precoz en la insuficiencia cardíaca.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is one of the diagnosis leading to a high number of readmissions in our hospitals. There is some controversy about the role played by two groups of variables on the risk or readmissions: patient-dependent variables, such as clinical severity, and the characteristics of medical care during the previous admission, in terms of care quality. STUDY POPULATION: admissions due to HF with home discharge. DESIGN: case-control study. CASES: episodes followed by emergent admission within 30 days because of related diagnosis ("early readmission") (n = 51). CONTROLS: random sample of episodes not followed by an early readmission (n = 51). Information collected: review of clinical records. Groups of predictive variables studied: demographics, clinical severity, clinical parameters prognostic of HF and characteristics of medical care. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis: logistic regression (LR). RESULTS: LR analysis detected only one variable predicting early readmission, the ischemic etiology. Odds ratio = 4.78 (95% CI: 1.44; 15.88). There were no differences between the study groups regarding age, sex, clinical instability at discharge, hospital stay length, severity (APACHE III and other evaluation methods) and other prognostic parameters of HF (ejection fraction, functional degree, cardiomegaly, concurrent diabetes, valvular disease, atrial fibrillation, hyponatremia, and use of anti-arrhythmic drugs). CONCLUSIONS: The risk for an early readmission is mainly explained by the clinical variables of patients, basically ischemic etiology, and not by the characteristics of medical care: clinical instability at discharge or hospital stay length.