The American journal of gastroenterology
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Sep 2002
Comparative StudyHospital care for low-risk patients with acute, nonvariceal upper GI hemorrhage: a comparison of neighboring community and tertiary care centers.
The proportion of patients admitted to the hospital with acute upper GI hemorrhage (UGIH) who are at low risk for adverse outcomes may be substantial. The process of care for this low risk population likely varies across practice settings but has not been extensively studied. Use of the Rockall Risk score, a simple validated scoring index that predicts outcomes in UGIH, may help to identify these low risk patients. ⋯ In this study, the proportion of acute, low risk, nonvariceal, upper GI hemorrhage admissions to neighboring community and tertiary care medical centers was high, whereas adverse clinical outcomes in this group of patients was low. Use of healthcare resources seemed to be greater in the community hospital. This observed variation in the process of care for populations with similar disease severity and outcomes suggests an opportunity for evidence-based interventions aimed at improving the efficiency of care.