[Stays occasioned by patients hospitalized in internal medicine services].

BACKGROUND

Study of average stay in Department of Internal Medicine.

METHODS

Prospective descriptive study in which different clinical-epidemiological variables and their relation with average stay are analysed.

RESULTS

Length of stay: 13.23 +/- 11.04 days. Increase in the average stay related to age, specially between 65 and 74 years, and among 45 and 55 (p = 0.02). Longer stays among those admitted from Other Departments and Urgencies (p = 0.04), and those destined to Hospitals for Chronic Patients (p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Alternative formulas to the conventional hospitalization, coordination among different sanitary levels and others clinical measures would contribute to reduce this parameter.