Unidad de diagnóstico rápido en un hospital de tercer nivel. Estudio descriptivo del primer año y medio de funcionamiento / Rapid diagnosis unit in a third level hospital. Descriptive study of the first year and a half

Fundamento y objetivo. Presentamos el estudiodescriptivo de una unidad de diagnóstico rápido(UDR) en régimen ambulatorio como alternativa alingreso hospitalario tradicional.Material y métodos. La UDR ha estado constituidadurante el tiempo que abarca este estudio por unmédico internista, un radiólogo y una enfermera.Para llevar a cabo el estudio estadístico descriptivo,revisamos la historia clínica de 1.132 pacientesvisitados en el primer año y medio.Resultados. Hemos atendido a 1.132 pacientes, el71% procedentes de Urgencias y el 26%, de AtenciónPrimaria. El estudio se llevó a cabo en unos 9 días demediana. Los principales motivos de consulta fueronanemia, síndrome constitucional y adenopatíasperiféricas. El 38% de los pacientes fue dado de alta,el resto requirió seguir el estudio o bien en consultasexternas (52%) o bien bajo ingreso hospitalario (10%).Hasta 199 pacientes (18%) fueron diagnosticados decáncer, los más frecuentes colon, linfoma y pulmón.Estimamos que se han podido evitar 4,5 camas/día enel Servicio de Medicina Interna.Conclusiones. La UDR ha demostrado ser ennuestro centro una alternativa eficiente de lahospitalización en pacientes en estudio de patologíapotencialmente grave, pero en los cuales el estadogeneral permite una atención ambulatoria

Background and aim. We show a descriptive studyof a Rapid Diagnosis Unit as an alternative of thetraditional hospital admission.Material and methods. An Internist, a Radiologistand a Nurse have constituted Rapid Diagnosis Unit.A retrospective and descriptive study of 1132patients visited in the first and a half- year isdescribed.Results. 1132 patients have been attended, 71%coming from Emergency Department and 26% fromPrimary Health Care. Mean stay was 9 days.Anaemia, wasting syndrome and lymph nodesenlargement were the most likely complaints. Theoutcome of these patients was diverse: 38% havebeen discharged, 52% carried on as outpatientsin our hospital and 10% required hospitalization. In199 patients (18%) cancer was diagnosed. Colon,lymphoma and lung cancer were the most commonmalignant disorders involved. About 4,5 beds perday have been saved from the Internal MedicineDepartment.Conclusions. Rapid Diagnosis Unit is an efficientalternative to conventional hospital admissions forpatients in study of potential and serious disordersallowing an out-patient management

[Rapid diagnosis unit in a third level hospital. Descriptive study of the first year and a half]. / Unidad de diagnóstico rápido en un hospital de tercer nivel. Estudio descriptivo del primer año y medio de funcionamiento.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We show a descriptive study of a Rapid Diagnosis Unit as an alternative of the traditional hospital admission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An Internist, a Radiologist and a Nurse have constituted Rapid Diagnosis Unit. A retrospective and descriptive study of 1132 patients visited in the first and a half- year is described. RESULTS: 1132 patients have been attended, 71% coming from Emergency Department and 26% from Primary Health Care. Mean stay was 9 days. Anaemia, wasting syndrome and lymph nodes enlargement were the most likely complaints. The outcome of these patients was diverse: 38% have been discharged, 52% carried on as outpatients in our hospital and 10% required hospitalization. In 199 patients (18%) cancer was diagnosed. Colon, lymphoma and lung cancer were the most common malignant disorders involved. About 4,5 beds per day have been saved from the Internal Medicine Department. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid Diagnosis Unit is an efficient alternative to conventional hospital admissions for patients in study of potential and serious disorders allowing an out-patient management.