FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INAPPROPRIATE HOSPITALIZATION IN MEDICAL WARDS - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN 2 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS

A comparative study of the appropriateness of hospitalization was cond ucted in the medical departments of two university hospitals in Israel . A cross-section of 297 patients on one hospitalization day was analy zed using the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP), Data were ind ependently collected by two reviewers (R1 and R2), The study revealed a significant difference in the percent of inappropriate hospitalizati on between the two hospitals, i.e. 13.3% (R1) or 19.3% (R2) for hospit al B, and 24.5% (R1) or 32% (R2) for hospital A, The reviewers were in agreement regarding evaluation (99.6%, Kappa 0.78) of 275 index days, A multivariate analysis of the index days with agreed appropriateness correlated with occupancy and length of stay, Routine monitoring of a ppropriateness of hospital stay should, therefore, be targeted to medi cal departments with relatively low occupancy rates and/or prolonged a verage stay.