RAD-ESITO: new informational debt as integration of hospital discharge cards for acute patients

Since the January 2008 the tracking of additional information about hospital discharge card's content has been activated in Latium. The new data, noticed by RAD-Esito card, regard the hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction, femoral neck fracture and coronary artery bypass surgery. This study's objective has been to evaluate the quality of the data collected with the new card, at the end of the 1st semester of experimentation, concerning two institutes of care of Latium (Region of Central Italy), the Casilino Polyclinic (ASL Rome B) and the Anzio-Nettuno hospital (Assembled Hospitals, ASL Rome H). Furthermore, any significant correlation's existence between variables for acute myocardial infarction and femoral fracture with the mortality rate and an increased average hospitalization period has been statistically verified. In acute myocardial infarction mortality is significantly related to a low systolic blood pressure (<130 mmHg) at admission (p < 0.02) and to having no surgical intervention instead of transcutaneous transluminal coronary angioplastic surgery (p < 0.0001); in this case there is also an increased average hospitalization period (p < 0.03). In femoral neck fracture mortality is significantly related to having a conservative surgery instead of fracture reduction or prosthesis implantation (p < 0.0002).This study's preliminary results show how the integration of the hospital informative flow with the new clinical variables will be able to allow the promotion of the quality in the coding of the diagnosis and procedures, according to the current international innovations. This additional information will also be able to support the regional appropriateness and outcome of the treatments evaluation programs.