2011, Number 5
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Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2011; 49 (5)
Hospital stay in internal medicine hospitalist function
Zonana-Nacach A, Baldenebro-Preciado R, Felix-Muñoz G, Gutiérrez P
Language: Spanish
References: 12
Page: 527-531
PDF size: 35.07 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Background: hospitalists are physicians who focus all of their clinical efforts on the management of hospital inpatients.
Objective: to evaluate if the presence of hospitalist physician is associated with a shorter length of stay (LOS).
Methods: hospitalized patients in the Medicine Interne Department of two second care government hospitals. LOS was defined as ≥ 9 days and hospital admission was classified as medical and no-medical.
Results: the principal cause of longer no-medical LOS was medical or surgical procedures delay. The hospital with hospitalist had significantly lower frequency of LOS (26 % adversus 34 %,
p = 0.05), higher number of weekends discharges (35 %
adversus 21 %,
p = 0.01) and minor days of hospitalization 6.3 ± 5.2
adversus 8.0 ± 6.2,
p = 0.002) than the hospital without hospitalist.
Conclusions: the hospitalist model seeks to more cost-effective patient care.
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