Appropriateness of admission and length of stay in a Turkish Military Hospital.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of inappropriate days of stay in a Turkish military hospital, and to explore the variables correlated with these. A review was made of the medical records of surgery patients admitted to the hospital of Gülhane Military Medical Academy. To determine the appropriateness of lengths of hospitalization, a Turkish version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) was applied retrospectively. A total of 375 patients'files were reviewed; and 21.3% of the hospital admissions were evaluated as inappropriate. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that inappropriate length of stay was significantly increased with relation to age, emergency status, military rank, and distance from the hospital to the patient's home. The results of the study suggest that changes in physicians' behavior and in the organization of hospital activities may be effective in improving the quality and efficiency of hospital care.