Uhensigtsmaessige indlaeggelser på medicinske afdelinger. Appropriateness evaluation protocol
Sammanfattning
Introduction: The European Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (EU-AEP) is an instrument for assessing the appropriateness of admission to hospital. For the first time in a Danish context, the validity and reliability of the protocol are assessed. The prevalence of inappropriate acute admissions to medical departments is also analysed. Materials and methods: During a four-week period, acute medical admissions to a city hospital and a district hospital were evaluated according to the EU-AEP criteria. Results: The need for continuous surveillance of the patient or administration of intravenous fluids or medication was the main reason for admissions fulfilling AEP criteria. Compared with a retrospective clinical evaluation by a specialist, the AEP criteria had a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 79% as well as positive and negative predictive values of 95% and 62%, respectively. In total, 19% of acutely admitted patients did not fulfill any AEP condition. Discussion: The AEP can be helpful in identifying inappropriate admissions to Danish hospitals and is recommended as a spot check.