Five years performance evaluation of Pulmonology unit and Disease Pattern of Admitted Patients

Abstract

Objectives:To determine the frequency and seasonal variations of respiratorydiseases in hospitalized patients. To evaluate five years performance ofPulmonology unit, at a tertiary care hospital.Methodology: We conducted a five years (2011-2015) retrospective, descriptive study at Pulmonology ward KTH, by retrieving data from ward admission registers, excluding patients with pulmonary tuberculosis admitted in isolation rooms. Patient's age, gender, diagnosis, outcome of discharge and length of hospital stay were analyzed via SPSS-16. Performance of the unit was assessed by calculating bed occupancy rate (BOR), bed turnover rates (BTR) and average length of stay (ALOS) according to Pabon Lassographical model.Results:  We enrolled a total of 6771 patients with mean age of 52 (±19) years, among these females constituted 53%. The top 10 diagnoses in order of decreasing frequency included COPD (31%), post TB lung fibrosis (17%), pleural effusion (15%), asthma (7.3%), pneumothorax (3.98%), bronchiectasis (3.96%),ILD (3.56%), pneumonia (3%), empyema (1.64%), and bronchogenic carcinoma (0.89%). Admissions during winter months outnumbered the summers significantly by 27 %( p < 0.01).Hospital performance parameters (BOR 84%, BTR 58/year, ALOS 5.2 ( 3.41) of all the years from 2011-2015 constantly fell in the efficient zone (3) of Pabon Lasso model.Conclusions:  Obstructive airway diseases (COPD, asthma), post TB lung fibrosis, pleural diseases (pleural effusion, pneumothorax) and infections (pneumonia, empyema) were the major causes of hospitalization. The health care services were overburdened during winter months. Performance of Pulmonology unit remained persistently within the range of optimal functionality.