Impact of a day-care center on the appropriateness of hospital admissions and frequency of hospitalization in patients with HIV infection

Aims to assess the impact of a day-care center (DCC) on hospital bed usage by HIV-infected patients. Reviews the medical records of 710 hospital admissions of HIV-infected patients admitted to two Spanish hospitals, one of them with a DCC, over a three-year period. The proportion of unnecessary admissions was significantly higher in the hospital without a DCC. The rate of hospital admissions among patients who were admitted to hospital was also greater in the hospital without a DCC, as well as the rate of admissions among patients on antiretroviral drugs. Concludes that the availability of a DCC improves the appropriateness of hospital admissions and decreases the number of hospitalizations in HIV-infected patients.