Many acute medical conditions can be treated without admitting patients to the hospital, with no increased risk and, in some cases, higher patient satisfaction, according to a new review.
Researchers analyzed past studies on four alternatives to hospital admission for serious situations like chest pain, heart failure or cancer diagnosis and treatment. The alternatives included emergency room or clinic workup with close outpatient follow-up, specialty quick diagnostic units, “hospital-at-home” care and short stays in dedicated observation units with subsequent outpatient follow-up.
“Importantly, initial work-up in an emergency room or clinic is necessary for risk stratification and initial treatment, but subsequent clinical management can occur in an observation unit, an outpatient clinic or the home,” said lead author Dr. Jared Conley of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
