RESUMO
RESUMEN La hospitalización inadecuada implica costos innecesarios a la familia del paciente y al centro de salud, congestión de los servicios hospitalarios y disminución del beneficio social, pudiendo llegar a exponer al paciente a riesgos como infecciones intrahospitalarias y a períodos de estrés. Asimismo, representa un problema social, debido a deficiencias en la formación de residentes en Medicina General Integral ante patologías que son de adecuado diagnóstico, tratamiento y seguimiento a nivel primario -que socavan la calidad e intersectorialidad entre el nivel secundario y el primario de atención-, y al uso racional de recursos en el sector de la salud. Este trabajo pretende abordar la situación de las hospitalizaciones inadecuadas, que se pueden solucionar a nivel de la atención primaria. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de artículos científicos relacionados con la temática, publicados en SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, EBSCO y Google Académico, lo cual contribuyó a recopilar textos con los más recientes aportes. Se necesita, a nivel primario, para la disminución de las hospitalizaciones evitables, reforzar acciones organizativas y un desempeño profesional de calidad, con estrategias dirigidas a la solución de las problemáticas de la población. Las deficiencias o irregularidades en la capacidad resolutiva del sistema de atención primaria, repercuten negativamente en la cantidad de atenciones hospitalarias a situaciones de salud prevenibles y, por ende, en la reducción de los costos hospitalarios.
ABSTRACT Inadequate hospitalization implies unnecessary costs to the patient's family and the health center, congestion of hospital services and reduction of social benefit, and may expose the patient to risks such as nosocomial infections and periods of stress. It also represents a social problem, due to deficiencies in the training of residents in Comprehensive General Medicine in pathologies that are adequately diagnosed, treated and monitored at the primary level-which undermine the quality and intersectorality between the secondary and primary levels of care-, and the rational use of resources in the health sector. This work aims to address the situation of inadequate hospitalizations, which can be solved at the primary care level. A bibliographic review was carried out of scientific articles related to the subject, published in SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, EBSCO and Google Scholar, which contributed to compile texts with the most recent contributions. In order to reduce preventable hospitalizations, it is necessary to reinforce organizational actions and quality professional performance at the primary level, with strategies aimed at solving the problems of the population. Deficiencies or irregularities in the resolution capacity of the primary care system have a negative impact on the amount of hospital care for preventable health situations and, therefore, on the reduction of hospital costs.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate ambulatory-care sensitive (ACS) hospitalizations for children with noncomplex chronic diseases (NC-CD) and children with medical complexity (CMC), and identify associations with ambulatory care characteristics. Although ACS hospitalizations are potentially preventable in general populations, the specific ambulatory care predictors and influence of medical complexity on them is poorly understood. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of NC-CD and CMC hospitalizations at a children's hospital during 2007-2014, excluding labor/delivery and children over 21 years. Pediatric medical complexity algorithm identified NC-CD or CMC. ACS hospitalizations were identified using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality indicator definitions. Demographic and ambulatory care characteristics were compared between ACS and non-ACS hospitalizations with logistic regression clustered by patient. Measures of ambulatory care during 2 years before admission were explored with 20% random sample of general pediatrics discharges. RESULTS: Among 4035 children with NC-CD, 14.6% of 4926 hospitalizations were ACS hospitalizations. Among 5084 CMC, 5.3% of 14 390 discharges were ACS hospitalizations. Among NC-CD discharges, ACS hospitalizations were more likely with no prior-year outpatient visits (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7) and less likely with timely well checks (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9) and phone encounters in the month before admission (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-1.0). Among CMC discharges, the only association observed was with provider continuity (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1- 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Provider continuity may be associated with fewer CMC ACS hospitalizations, however, measures of ambulatory care were more consistently associated with ACS hospitalizations for NC-CD. CMC may need more precise ACS hospitalization definitions.