Clinical management of short-stay units in Spain: the REGICE 2 study

Background and objective: The aim of the REGICE (Register of Short-Stay Units in

Spain) project is to describe the real situation of short-stay units in Spanish hospitals. The

second REGICE study analyzed information on short-stay units caseloads and clinical

management practices.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was sent to the 48 hospitals with short-stay

units that participated in the REGICE 1 study. The standardized data collection

instrument was emailed to the contact person at each short-stay unit between June 1

and December 31, 2012. Items asked about the units caseload and clinical management

practices.

Results: Forty short-stay units responded to the REGICE 2 survey. A total of 45140

admissions were made (mean [SD] length of stay, 3.05 [1.28] days; mean age, 66.7

[10.4] years). The units discharged 80.6% of the patients to home, in-hospital mortality

was 2.8%, and the 30-day readmission rate was 6.1%. The diagnostic-related groups

that 72.5% of the units ranked among their first 3 reasons for admissions involved

exacerbation of heart disease or chronic respiratory disease and urinary tract or

respiratory infection.

Conclusions: Short-stay units offer an alternative to conventional hospital admission.

They answer a need for urgent admission of patients with highly prevalent conditions

and give good results, allowing hospitals to manage caseloads safely and effectively.

Further studies of quality standards in these units are necessary.