Hospital activity, patients and primary care

Objective: The Minimum Basic Data Set of hospital discharges (MBDS-HD) is an exhaustive hospital information system that systematically registers clinical activity in time and space. Its potential is greater than previously thought. The aim of this study was to establish a theoretical framework for managing the patient information contained in the MBDS-HD and to describe its potential use in coordinating specialist and primary care Material and method: Descriptive study of manipulation of the variables of the MBDS-HD to obtain patient information. The variables created were: "patient", "readmission", "exitus" and "index population" (to analyze readmissions per patient). The volume of patients with heart failure was calculated. The theoretical framework was constructed with quantitative data from analysis of the hospital discharges contained in the MBDS-HD of Catalonia (Spain). Results: Twenty percent of the population represented 40% of the discharges. Hospital mortality increased from 6.3% to 8.4% depending on whether it referred to discharges or to patients. If a disease was considered in all diagnoses, instead of only in the main diagnosis, the number of patients with a specific disease increased by 24%. The variable "patient" allowed identification of "patients who are hospitalized once", "patients who are readmitted" and "patients who die". Conclusions: Patient- and discharge-based analysis of the MBDS-HD increases specificity and accuracy, resulting in quantification of healthcare activity relevant to specialist and primary care and making it a useful tool for the coordination of healthcare levels.