Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2018 Aug 13;8(8):CD012370.
doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012370.pub2.

Hospitalisation in short-stay units for adults with internal medicine diseases and conditions

Camilla Strøm  1 , Jakob S Stefansson, Maria Louise Fabritius, Lars S Rasmussen, Thomas A Schmidt, Janus C Jakobsen
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Hospitalisation in short-stay units for adults with internal medicine diseases and conditions

Camilla Strøm et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Short-stay units are hospital units that provide short-term care for selected patients. Studies have indicated that short-stay units might reduce admission rates, time of hospital stays, hospital readmissions and expenditure without compromising the quality of care. Short-stay units are often defined by a target patient category, a target function, and a target time frame. Hypothetically, short-stay units could be established as part of any department, but this review focuses on short-stay units that provide care for participants with internal medicine diseases and conditions.

Objectives: To assess beneficial and harmful effects of short-stay unit hospitalisation compared with usual care in people with internal medicine diseases and conditions.

Search methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases and two trials registers up to 13 December 2017 together with reference checking, citation searching and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. We also searched several grey literature sources and performed a forward citation search for included studies.

Selection criteria: We included randomised trials and cluster-randomised trials, comparing hospitalisation in a short-stay unit with usual care (hospitalisation in a traditional hospital ward or other services). We defined a short-stay unit to be a hospital ward where the targeted length of stay in hospital for patients was five days or less. We included both multipurpose and specialised short-stay units. Participants were adults admitted to hospital with an internal medicine disease or condition. We excluded surgical, obstetric, psychiatric, gynaecological, and ambulatory participants. Trials were included irrespective of publication status, date, and language.

Data collection and analysis: We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of each included trial. We measured intervention effect sizes by meta-analyses for two primary outcomes, mortality and serious adverse events, and one secondary outcome, hospital readmission. We narratively reported the following important outcomes: quality of life, activities of daily living, non-serious adverse events, and costs. We used risk ratio differences of 15% for mortality and of 20% for serious adverse events for minimal relevant clinical consideration. We rated the certainty of the evidence and the strength of recommendations of the outcomes using the GRADE approach.

Main results: We included 19 records reporting on 14 randomised trials with a total of 2872 participants. One trial was ongoing. Thirteen trials evaluated short-stay unit hospitalisation for six specific conditions (acute decompensated heart failure (one trial), asthma (one trial), atrial fibrillation (one trial), chest pain (seven trials), syncope (two trials), and transient ischaemic attack (one trial)) and one trial investigated participants presenting with miscellaneous internal medicine disease and conditions. The components of the intervention differed among the trials as dictated by the trial participants' condition. All included trials were at high risk of bias.The certainty of the evidence for all outcomes was very low. Consequently, it is uncertain whether hospitalisation in short-stay units compared with usual care reduces mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47 to 1.15) 5 trials (seven additional trials reporting on 1299 participants reported no deaths in either group)); serious adverse events (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.54; 7 trials (one additional trial with 108 participants reported no serious adverse events in either group)), and hospital readmission (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.19, 8 trials (one additional trial with 424 participants did not report results for participants)). There was not enough information to confirm or refute that short-stay unit hospitalisation had relevant effects on quality of life, activities of daily living, non-serious adverse events, and costs.

Authors' conclusions: Overall, the quantity and the certainty of the evidence was very low. Consequently, it is uncertain whether there are any beneficial or harmful effects of short-stay unit hospitalisation for adults with internal medicine diseases and conditions - more trials comparing the effects of short-stay units with usual care are needed. Such trials ought to be conducted with low risk of bias and low risks of random errors to improve the overall confidence in the evidence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Three review authors of this review (CS, LS, TS) conducted one of the included trials (Strøm 2017a). In this review, two review authors who had not been involved in the trial (MF and JS) assessed it.

Camilla Strøm has no other conflicts of interest.

Jakob Skulason Stefanson has no conflicts of interest.

Maria Louise Fabritius has no conflicts of interest.

Lars S Rasmussen has no other conflicts of interest.

Thomas A Schmidt has no other conflicts of interest.

Janus C Jakobsen has no conflicts of interest.

Figures

1
1
PRISMA study flow diagram
2
2
Risk of bias graph: review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included trials.
3
3
Risk of bias summary: review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item for each included trial.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Update of

  • doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012370

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

References to studies included in this review

Chivite 2008 {published data only}
    1. Chivite D, Salazar A, Pujol R, Alonso J. Short‐stay units as an alternative to internal medicine for elderly patients with decompensated heart failure. European Journal of Internal Medicine 2008; Vol. 19:S40‐1.
Decker 2008 {published data only}
    1. Decker WW, Smars PA, Vaidyanathan L, Goyal DG, Boie ET, Stead LG, et al. A prospective, randomized trial of an emergency department observation unit for acute onset atrial fibrillation. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2008;52(4):322‐8. - PubMed
Farkouh 1998 {published data only}
    1. Farkouh ME, Smars PA, Reeder GS, Zinsmeister AR, Evans RW, Meloy TD, et al. A clinical trial of a chest‐pain observation unit for patients with unstable angina. Chest Pain Evaluation in the Emergency Room (CHEER) Investigators. New England Journal of Medicine 1998;339(26):1882‐8. - PubMed
Gomez 1996 {published data only}
    1. Gomez MA, Anderson JL, Karagounis LA, Muhlestein JB, Mooers FB. An emergency department‐based protocol for rapidly ruling out myocardial ischemia reduces hospital time and expense: results of a randomized study (ROMIO). Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1996;28(1):25‐33. - PubMed
McDermott 1997 {published data only}
    1. McDermott MF, Murphy DG, Zalenski RJ, Rydman RJ, McCarren M, Marder D, et al. A comparison between emergency diagnostic and treatment unit and inpatient care in the management of acute asthma. Archives of Internal Medicine 1997;157(1):2055‐62. - PubMed
Miller 2010 {published data only}
    1. Miller CD, Hwang W, Hoekstra JW, Case D, Lefebvre C, Blumstein H, et al. Stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with observation unit care reduces cost for patients with emergent chest pain: a randomized trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2010;56:209‐19. - PMC - PubMed
Miller 2013 {published data only}
    1. Miller CD, Case LD, Little WC, Mahler SA, Burke GL, Harper EN, et al. Stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging reduces revascularization, hospital readmission, and recurrent cardiac testing in intermediate risk patients with acute chest pain: a randomized trial. Journal of the American College of Cardiology Cardiovascular Imaging 2013;6:785‐94. - PMC - PubMed
Roberts 1997 {published data only}
    1. Roberts RR, Zalenski RJ, Mensah EK, Rydman RJ, Ciavarella G, Gussow L, et al. Costs of an emergency department‐based accelerated diagnostic protocol vs hospitalization in patients with chest pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 1997;26:1670‐6. - PubMed
Ross 2007 {published data only}
    1. Ross MA, Compton S, Medado P, Fitzgerald M, Kilanowski P, O'Neil BJ. An emergency department diagnostic protocol for patients with transient ischemic attack: a randomized controlled trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2007;50(2):109‐19. - PubMed
Rydman 1997 {published data only}
    1. Rydman RJ, Zalenski RJ, Roberts RR, Albrecht GA, Misiewicz VM, Kampe LM, et al. Patient satisfaction with an emergency department chest pain observation unit. Annals of Emergency Medicine 1997; Vol. 29, issue 1:109‐15. - PubMed
Shen 2004 {published data only}
    1. Shen WK, Decker WW, Smars PA, Goyal DG, Walker AE, Hodge DO, et al. Syncope evaluation in the emergency department study: a multidisciplinary approach to syncope management. Circulation 2004; Vol. 110, issue 24:3636‐45. - PubMed
Strøm 2017a {unpublished data only}
    1. Strøm C, Rasmussen LS, Löwe AS, Lorentzen AK, Lohse N, Benn Madsen KH, et al. Short‐stay unit hospitalisation in older internal medicine patients ‐ a randomised trial. Clinicaltrials.gov (accepted for publication in Age Ageing 2 May 2018). [NCT02395718] - PubMed
Sun 2014 {published data only}
    1. Sun BC, McCreath H, Liang L, Bohan S, Baugh C, Ragsdale L, et al. Randomised clinical trial of an emergency department observation syncope protocol vs. routine inpatient admission. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2014;64(2):167‐75. - PMC - PubMed
Than 2014 {published data only}
    1. Than M, Aldous S, Lord SJ, Goodacre S, Frampton CM, Troughton R, et al. A 2‐hour diagnostic protocol for possible cardiac chest pain in the emergency department: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine 2014;174(1):51‐8. - PubMed

References to studies excluded from this review

Abdelaziz 2016 {published data only}
    1. Abdelaziz H, Al Anany R, Elmalik A, Saad M, Prabhu K, Al‐Tamimi H, et al. Impact of clinical pharmacy services in a short stay unit of a hospital emergency department in Qatar. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy 2016;38(4):776‐9. - PubMed
Aggarwal 1995 {published data only}
    1. Aggarwal P, Wali J P, Ranganathan S, Kailash S, Kumar A, Mishra MC. Utility of an observation unit in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in India. European Journal of Emergency Medicine 1995;2(1):1‐5. - PubMed
Aitken 1993 {published data only}
    1. Aitken PD, Rodgers H, French JM, Bates D, James OF. General medical or geriatric unit care for acute stroke? A controlled trial. Age and ageing 1993;22:4‐5.
Alonso 2010 {published data only}
    1. Alonso G, Escudero JM. The emergency department short stay unit and the hospital at home as alternatives to standard inpatient hospitalisation. Anales Del Sistema Sanitario De Navarra 2010;33:97‐106. - PubMed
Applegate 1990 {published data only}
    1. Applegate WB, Miller ST, Graney MJ, Elam JT, Burns R, Akins DE. A randomized, controlled trial of a geriatric assessment unit in a community rehabilitation hospital. American Journal of Public Health 1990;322(22):1572‐8. - PubMed
Applegate 1991 {published data only}
    1. Applegate WB, Graney MJ, Miller ST, Elam JT. Impact of a geriatric assessment unit on subsequent health care charges. New England Journal of Medicine 1991;81(10):1302‐6. - PMC - PubMed
Arendts 2006 {published data only}
    1. Arendts G, MacKenzie J, Lee JK. Discharge planning and patient satisfaction in an emergency short‐stay unit. Emergency Medicine Australasia 2006;18(1):7‐14. - PubMed
Asplund 2000 {published data only}
    1. Asplund K, Gustafson Y, Jacobsson C, Bucht G, Wahlin A, Peterson J, et al. Geriatric‐based versus general wards for older acute medical patients: a randomized comparison of outcomes and use of resources. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2000;48(11):1381‐8. - PubMed
Barbado 1999 {published data only}
    1. Barbado AM, Jimeno Carruez A, Ostolaza Vázquez JM, Molinero de Dios J. Short‐stay units depending on internal medicine. Anales de Medicina Interna 1999;16(10):504‐10. - PubMed
Barberger‐Gateau 1986 {published data only}
    1. Barberger‐Gateau P, Dabis F, Moise A, Gimbert M, Galley P, Salamon R. Factors related to length of hospitalization of elderly patients during short stay. Revue d'Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique 1986;35(6):463‐73. - PubMed
Barberger‐Gateau 1989 {published data only}
    1. Barberger‐Gateau P, Grolier L, Maurice S, Borde C, Salamon R, Galley P. Short‐stay hospitalization of elderly persons: first step toward institutionalization?. Revue d'Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique 1989;38(4):323‐32. - PubMed
Barnes 2012 {published data only}
    1. Barnes DE, Palmer RM, Kresevic DM, Fortinsky RH, Kowal J, Chren MM, et al. Acute care for elders units produced shorter hospital stays at lower cost while maintaining patients' functional status. Health Affairs (Project Hope) 2012;31(6):1227‐36. - PMC - PubMed
Basic 2009 {published data only}
    1. Basic D, Khoo AK. Admission variables predicting short lengths of stay of acutely unwell older patients: relevance to emergency and medical short‐stay units. Australian Health Review 2009;33(3):502‐12. - PubMed
Baugh 2011 {published data only}
    1. Baugh CW, Venkatesh AK, Stephen BJ. Emergency department observation units: a clinical and financial benefit for hospitals. Health Care Management Review 2011;36(1):28‐37. - PubMed
Baugh 2012 {published data only}
    1. Baugh CW, Venkatesh AK, Hilton JA, Samuel P A, Schuur JD, Stephen BJ. Making greater use of dedicated hospital observation units for many short‐stay patients could save $3.1 billion a year. Health Affairs 2012;31(10):2314‐23. - PubMed
Baugh 2014 {published data only}
    1. Baugh CW, Stephen BJ. Emergency department observation units. In: Stephanie Kayden, Philip D Anderson, Robert Freitas, Elke Platz‎ editor(s). Emergency Department Leadership and Management: Best Principles and Practice. 1st Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2014:234. [ISBN‐13: 978‐1107007390]
Blecker 2014 {published data only}
    1. Blecker S, Ladapo JA, Doran KM, Goldfeld KS, Katz S. Emergency department visits for heart failure and subsequent hospitalization or observation unit admission. American Heart Journal 2014;168(6):901‐8.e1. - PMC - PubMed
Bogaty 2001 {published data only}
    1. Bogaty P, Dumont S, O'Hara GE, Boyer L, Auclair L, Jobin J, et al. Randomized trial of a noninvasive strategy to reduce hospital stay for patients with low‐risk myocardial infarction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2001;37(5):1289‐96. - PubMed
Broquetas 2008 {published data only}
    1. Broquetas JM, Pedreny R, Martínez‐Llorens JM, Sellarésa J, Gea J. Short‐stay respiratory unit: a new option for inpatient care. Archivos de Bronconeumología 2008;44(5):252‐6. - PubMed
Bullard 2007 {unpublished data only}
    1. Bullard M. Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) ‐ evaluation of a novel approach to address emergency department overcrowding. Clinicaltrials.gov. [NCT00497393]
Burkhardt 2005 {published data only}
    1. Burkhardt J, Peacock WF, Emerman CL. Predictors of emergency department observation unit outcomes. Academic Emergency Medicine 2005;12(9):869‐74. - PubMed
Carpentier 2001 {published data only}
    1. Carpentier F, Guignier M, Lambert‐Eytan V. Emergency department observation units. Therapie 2001;56(2):151‐5. - PubMed
Caterino 2013 {published data only}
    1. Caterino JM, Hoover EM, Moseley MG. Effect of advanced age and vital signs on admission from an emergency department observation unit. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2013;31(1):1‐7. - PMC - PubMed
Chen 2005 {published data only}
    1. Chen CI, Liu CY, Li YC, Chao CC, Liu CT, Chen CF, et al. Pervasive observation medicine: the application of RFID to improve patient safety in observation unit of hospital emergency department. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 2005;116:311‐5. - PubMed
Cheng 2016 {published data only}
    1. Cheng AH, Barclay NG, Abu‐Laban RB. Effect of a multi‐diagnosis observation unit on emergency department length of stay and inpatient admission rate at two Canadian hospitals. The Journal of Emergency Medicine 2016;51(6):739‐47. - PubMed
Choi 1999 {published data only}
    1. Choi SP, Park KN, Park SH, Kim SK, Kim YM, Lee WJ, et al. Utilization of the short‐stay unit in emergency department. Journal of the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 1999;10(2):183‐90.
Claesson 2000 {published data only}
    1. Claesson L, Gosman‐Hedstrom G, Johannesson M, Fagerberg B, Blomstrand C. Resource utilization and costs of stroke unit care integrated in a care continuum: a 1‐year controlled, prospective, randomized study in elderly patients: the Goteborg 70+ Stroke Study. European Journal of Neurology 2000;31(11):2569‐77. - PubMed
Claesson 2003 {published data only}
    1. Claesson L, Gosman‐Hedstrom G, Fagerberg B, Blomstrand C. Hospital re‐admissions in relation to acute stroke unit care versus conventional care in elderly patients the first year after stroke: the Goteborg 70+ Stroke study. Age and Ageing 2003;32(1):109‐13. - PubMed
Clemson 2016 {published data only}
    1. Clemson L, Lannin NA, Wales K, Salkeld G, Rubenstein L, Gitlin L, et al. Occupational therapy predischarge home visits in acute hospital care: a randomized trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2016;10:2019‐26. - PubMed
Cochard 1999 {published data only}
    1. Cochard R. Implementing a rapid treatment and short‐stay unit. SSM (abbreviation unclear). 1999; Vol. 5, issue 11:53.
Collier 2007 {published data only}
    1. Bernhardt J, Dewey H, Thrift A, Collier J, Donnan G. A very early rehabilitation trial for stroke (AVERT): phase II safety and feasibility. Stroke 2008;39(2):390‐6. - PubMed
Collins 2013 {published data only}
    1. Collins SP, Pang PS, Fonarow GC, Yancy CW, Bonow RO, Gheorghiade M. Is hospital admission for heart failure really necessary? The role of the emergency department and observation unit in preventing hospitalization and rehospitalization. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2013;61(2):121‐6. - PMC - PubMed
Corbella 2002 {published data only}
    1. Corbella X, Salazar A, Maiques JM, Juan A. Emergency department short‐stay unit as an alternative to standard inpatient care hospitalization. Medicina Clínica Facultad de Medicina de Barcelona 2002;118(13):515‐6. - PubMed
Covinsky 1997 {published data only}
    1. Covinsky KE, King JT Jr, Quinn LM, Siddique R, Palmer R, Kresevic DM, et al. Do acute care for elders units increase hospital costs? A cost analysis using the hospital perspective. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1997;45(6):729‐34. - PubMed
Cross 2010 {published data only}
    1. Cross E, Goodacre S, Team Escape Research. Patient satisfaction with chest pain unit care: findings from the Effectiveness and Safety of Chest Pain Assessment to Prevent Emergency Admissions (ESCAPE) cluster randomised trial. Emergency Medicine Journal 2010;27(10):774‐8. - PubMed
Cruz 2001 {published data only}
    1. Cruz IG, Motilla Sanz MA, Mateos JH, Sabas AM, Sosbilla JF, Monteros BS, et al. Quality care of short stay unit relevant to critical care and emergency services. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 2001;16(S1):S20‐1.
Dallos 1981 {published data only}
    1. Dallos V, Mouzas GL. An evaluation of the functions of the short‐stay observation ward in the accident and emergency department. British Medical Journal 1981;282(6257):37‐40. - PMC - PubMed
Deng 2004 {published data only}
    1. Deng X, Yang DG, Wu QK, Tao YY, Nie G. A short‐term clinical observation on chronic severe hepatitis B treated by Chishao Chengqi decoction. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine on Liver Diseases 2004;14(2):67‐9.
Diagana 2008 {published data only}
    1. Diagana M, Salem BO, N'Diaye M, LeCornet C, Quet F, Aly AS, et al. Impact of acute unit care improving post‐stroke functionality outcomes in Noukachott, Mauritania. African Journal of Neurological Sciences 2008;27:38‐46.
Downing 2008 {published data only}
    1. Downing H, Scott C, Clive K. Evaluation of a dedicated short‐stay unit for acute medical admissions. Clinical Medicine 2008;8(1):18‐20. - PMC - PubMed
Ekdahl 2014 {published data only}
    1. Ekdahl AW, Wirehn AB, Jaarsma T, Unosson M, Alwin J, Husberg M, et al. Caring for elderly with multimorbidity: evaluation of ambulatory geriatric unit (AGU) (the AGe‐FIT‐study) ‐ a randomized controlled trial. European Geriatric Medicine 2014;5:S63‐4.
Ekerstad 2017 {published data only}
    1. Ekerstad N, Karlson BW, Dahlin Ivanoff S, Landahl S, Andersson D, Heintz E, et al. Is the acute care of frail elderly patients in a comprehensive geriatric assessment unit superior to conventional acute medical care?. Clinical Interventions in Aging 2017;12:1‐9. - PMC - PubMed
Fagerberg 2000 {published data only}
    1. Fagerberg B, Claesson L, Gosman‐Hedstrom G, Blomstrand C. Effect of acute stroke unit care integrated with care continuum versus conventional treatment: a randomized 1‐year study of elderly patients: the Goteborg 70+ Stroke Study. Stroke 2000;31(11):2578‐84. - PubMed
Farkouh 1997 {published data only}
    1. Farkouh M. The effectiveness of a chest pain observation unit (CPU) in emergency triage of patients at intermediate risk for coronary events: the CHEER Trial (Chest Pain Evaluation in the ER). American Heart Journal 1997;134(1):153.
Fayas 2013 {published data only}
    1. Fayas L, Polum K, Stanko H. Abstract WP252: Reduction in stroke readmission rates after implementing an emergency department‐based transient ischemic attack observation unit. Stroke 2013;44(Suppl 1):AWP252.
Fung 2007 {published data only}
    1. Fung HT, Tsui KL, Kam CW. An overview of an emergency department short stay ward in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine 2007;14(3):144‐50.
Furlanetto 2014 {published data only}
    1. Furlanetto TW, Souza Barcelos D, Faulhaber GAM. A short stay unit decreased mean length of stay in a hospital in south Brazil. Clinical & Biomedical Research 2014;34(4):381‐6.
Gaspoz 1994 {published data only}
    1. Gaspoz JM, Lee TH, Weinstein MC, Cook EF, Goldman P, Komaroff AL, et al. Cost‐effectiveness of a new short‐stay unit to “rule out” acute myocardial infarction in low risk patients. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1994;24(5):1249‐59. - PubMed
Germain 1995 {published data only}
    1. Germain M, Knoeffel F, Wieland D, Rubenstein LZ. A geriatric assessment and intervention team for hospital inpatients awaiting transfer to a geriatric unit: a randomized trial. Aging (Milano) 1995;7(1):55‐60. - PubMed
Ghaemmaghami 2009 {published data only}
    1. Ghaemmaghami CA, Brady WJ. Disposition from the Short Stay Unit. Short Stay Management of Chest Pain. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press, 2009:205‐17.
Goodacre 1998 {published data only}
    1. Goodacre SW. Role of the short stay observation ward in accident and emergency departments in the United Kingdom. Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine 1998;15(1):26‐30. - PMC - PubMed
Goodacre 2004 {published data only}
    1. Goodacre S, Nicholl J, Dixon S, Cross E, Angelini K, Arnold K, et al. Randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of a chest pain observation unit compared with routine care. BMJ 2004;31:254. - PMC - PubMed
Goodacre 2007 {published data only}
    1. Goodacre S, Cross E, Lewis C, Nicholl J, Capewell S. Effectiveness and safety of chest pain assessment to prevent emergency admissions: ESCAPE cluster randomised trial. BMJ 2007;335(7621):659‐62. - PMC - PubMed
Harper 1988 {published data only}
    1. Harper N, McDowell DK, Turner JJ, Sharma AK. Planned short‐stay admission to a geriatric unit: one aspect of respite care. Age and Ageing 1988;17(3):199‐204. - PubMed
Harris 1991 {published data only}
    1. Harris RD, Henschke PJ, Popplewell PY, Radford AJ, Bond MJ, Turnbull RJ, et al. A randomised study of outcomes in a defined group of acutely ill elderly patients managed in a geriatric assessment unit or a general medical unit. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine 1991;21(2):230‐4. - PubMed
Harrison 2003 {published data only}
    1. Harrison J, Marshall S, Marshall P, Marshall J, Creed F. Day hospital vs. home treatment ‐ a comparison of illness severity and costs. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2003;38(10):541‐6. - PubMed
ISRCTN21800480 {published data only}
    1. ISRCTN21800480. Acute medical unit comprehensive geriatric assessment intervention study. www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN21800480 Date first received July 27th 2010. [ISRCTN21800480]
Jagminas 2005 {published data only}
    1. Jagminas L, Partridge R. A comparison of emergency department versus inhospital chest pain observation units. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2005;23(2):111‐3. - PubMed
Juan 2006 {published data only}
    1. Juan A, Salazar A, Alvarez A, Perez J R, Garcia L, Corbella X. Effectiveness and safety of an emergency department short‐stay unit as an alternative to standard inpatient hospitalisation. Emergency Medicine Journal 2006;23(11):833‐7. - PMC - PubMed
Juan 2010 {published data only}
    1. Juan PA, Ferré LC, Llopis RF, Jacob RJ, Bardés RI, Salazar SA. The short stay unit as an alternative to conventional hospitalisation in the treatment of community acquired pneumonia in the over 75 year‐old population. Revista Espanola de Geriatria y Gerontologia 2010;46(4):213‐6. - PubMed
Kam 2008 {published data only}
    1. Kam CW. Does an efficient Emergency Medicine (EM) Short‐Stay Unit (short‐stay unit) reduce or redistribute admission. www3.ha.org.hk/haconvention/hac2008/proceedings/pdf/Masterclass/MC1‐4%20... 2008. [http://www3.ha.org.hk/haconvention/hac2008/proceedings/pdf/Masterclass/M...
Kelen 2001 {published data only}
    1. Kelen GD, Scheulen JJ, Hill PM. Effect of an emergency department (emergency department) managed acute care unit on emergency department overcrowding and emergency medical services diversion. Academic Emergency Medicine 2001;8(11):1095‐100. - PubMed
Khan 1997 {published data only}
    1. Khan SA, Millington H, Miskelly FG. Benefits of an accident and emergency short stay ward in the staged hospital care of elderly patients. Journal of Accident & Emergency medicine 1997;14(3):151‐2. - PMC - PubMed
Koton 2005 {published data only}
    1. Koton S, Schwammenthal Y, Merzeliak O, Philips T, Tsabari R, Orion D. Management and outcome of acute stroke: differences between an organized short‐term acute stroke unit and general medical wards. Cerebrovacular Diseases 2005;19(2):58.
Llopis 2015 {published data only}
    1. Llopis RF, Ferre LC, Juan PA, Martin‐Sanchez FJ, Sempere MG, Jacob RJ, et al. Spanish short‐stay‐units: results according to department designated to manage the unit. Emergencias 2015;27(2):109‐12. - PubMed
Llopis 2016 {published data only}
    1. Llopis F, Ferré C, García‐Lamberechts EJ, Martínez‐Ortiz‐de‐Zárate M, Jacob J, González‐Del‐Castillo J. Are short‐stay units an appropriate resource for hospitalising elderly patients with infection?. Revista de Calidad Asistencial 2016;31(6):322‐8. - PubMed
Mahler 2013 {published data only}
    1. Mahler SA, Hiestand BC, Nwanaji‐Enwerem J, Goff DC, Burke GL, Douglas CL, et al. Reduction in observation unit length of stay with coronary computed tomography angiography depends on time of emergency department presentation. Academic Emergency Medicine 2013;20(3):231‐9. - PMC - PubMed
Mahler 2015 {published data only}
    1. Mahler SA, Riley RF, Hiestand BC, Russell GB, Hoekstra JW, Lefebvre CW, et al. The HEART Pathway randomized trial identifying emergency department patients with acute chest pain for early discharge. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 2015;8(2):195‐203. - PMC - PubMed
Martín‐Sánchez 2014 {published data only}
    1. Martín‐Sánchez FJ, Carbajosa V, Llorens P, Herrero P, Jacob J, Pérez‐Dura MJ, et al. Prolonged hospitalization in patients admitted for acute heart failure in the short stay unit (EPICA‐UCE study): study of associated factors. Medicina Clinica 2014;143(6):245‐51. - PubMed
Michael 2014 {published data only}
    1. Michael AB, Ijaola F. P406: Frail elderly short stay unit; a model of emergency care for older people. European Geriatric Medicine 2014;5:S209.
Miller 2011 {published data only}
    1. Miller CD, Hwang W, Case D, Hoekstra JW, Lefebvre C, Blumstein H, et al. Stress CMR imaging observation unit in the emergency department reduces 1‐year medical care costs in patients with acute chest pain: a randomized study for comparison with inpatient care. Journal of the American College of Cardiology Cardiovascular Imaging 2011;4(8):862‐70. - PMC - PubMed
Miller 2012 {published data only}
    1. Miller CD, Hoekstra JW, Lefebvre C, Blumstein H, Hamilton CA, Harper EN, et al. Provider‐directed imaging stress testing reduces health care expenditures in lower‐risk chest pain patients presenting to the emergency department. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging 2012;5(1):111‐8. - PMC - PubMed
Mitchell 2009 {published data only}
    1. Mitchell MD, Williams K. Observation units (structured abstract). Health Technology Assessment Database 2009, issue 3.
Muñoz 2006 {published data only}
    1. Muñoz RN, Méndez BM, Conthe GP, Audibert ML. Management of heart failure in short stay medical unit: mean stay, frequency and predictors of readmission. Medicina Clinica 2006;127(13):516‐7. - PubMed
Navarrete 2016 {published data only}
    1. Navarrete G. Reducing delirium length and hospital stay in hospitalized elders: a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2016;64:S34.
NCT02421133 {published data only}
    1. NCT02421133. Impact of a transitional care program on 30‐day hospital readmissions for elderly patients discharged from a short stay geriatric ward. Clinicaltrials.gov Date first received April 20th 2015. [NCT02421133]
Ross 2004 {published data only}
    1. Ross MA, Bradley D, Dresselhous A. The role of an emergency department observation unit In a clinical pathway for atrial fibrillation. Critical Pathways in Cardiology 2004;3(1):8‐12. - PubMed
Rubenstein 1984 {published data only}
    1. Rubenstein LZ, Josephson KR, Wieland GD, English PA, Sayre JA, Kane RL. Effectiveness of a geriatric evaluation unit. A randomized clinical trial. New England Journal of Medicine 1984;311(26):1664‐70. - PubMed
Rubenstein 1988 {published data only}
    1. Rubenstein LZ, Wieland GD, Josephson KR, Rosbrook B, Sayre J, Kane RL. Improved survival for frail elderly inpatients on a geriatric evaluation unit (GEU): who benefits?. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1988;41(5):441‐9. - PubMed
Salazar 2006 {published data only}
    1. Salazar A, Juan A, Ballbe R, Corbella X. Short‐stay unit: an effective alternative to in‐hospital admission for acute COPD exacerbation. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2006;25(4):486‐7. - PubMed

References to ongoing studies

NCT03302910 {unpublished data only}
    1. NCT03302910. Short stay unit vs hospitalization in acute heart failure (SSU‐AHF). clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03302910 Date first received October 5th 2017. [NCT03302910]

Additional references

ACEP 2008
    1. American College of Emergency Physicians. ACEP Task Force report on boarding. Emergency department crowding: high‐impact solutions (2008). www.acep.org/workarea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=50026 (accessed 15 March 2016).
Baker 2004
    1. Baker GR, Norton PG, Flintoft V, Blais R, Brown A, Cox J, et al. The Canadian Adverse Events Study: the incidence of adverse events among hospital patients in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2004;170:1678‐86. - PMC - PubMed
Brennan 1991
    1. Brennan TA, Leape LL, Laird NM, Hebert L, Localio AR, Lawthers AG, et al. Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I. New England Journal of Medicine 1991;324:370‐6. - PubMed
CDC 2013
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics. Death and Mortality. NCHS FastStats. www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm (2013) (accessed 20 December 2015).
Christensen 2009
    1. Christensen KL, Holman RC, Steiner CA, Sejvar JJ, Stoll BJ, Schonberger LB. Infectious disease hospitalizations in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2009;49:1025‐35. - PubMed
Classen 1997
    1. Classen DC, Pestotnik SL, Evans RS, Lloyd JF, Burke JP. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality. Journal of the American Medical Association 1997;277:301–6. - PubMed
Covidence 2015 [Computer program]
    1. Veritas Health Innovation. Covidence. Melbourne, Australia: Veritas Health Innovation, Assessed December 1st 2016.
Cowling 2014
    1. Cowling TE, Soljak NA, Bell D, Majeed A. Emergency hospital admissions via accident and emergency departments in England: time trend, conceptual framework and policy implications. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2014;107:432‐8. - PMC - PubMed
Cullen 2011
    1. Cullen MW, Reeder GS, Farkouh ME, Kopecky SL, Smars PA, Behrenbeck TR, et al. Outcomes in patients with chest pain evaluated in a chest pain unit: the chest pain evaluation in the emergency room study cohort. American Heart Journal 2011;161(5):871‐7. - PubMed
Daly 2003
    1. Daly S, Campbell DA, Cameron PA. Short‐stay units and observation medicine: a systematic review. Medical Journal of Australia 2003;178:559‐63. - PubMed
Damiani 2011
    1. Damiani G, Pinnarelli L, Sommella L, Vena V, Magrini P, Ricciardi W. The Short Stay Unit as a new option for hospitals: a review of the scientific literature. International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research 2011;17:SR15‐9. - PMC - PubMed
Dang‐Tan 2015
    1. Dang‐Tan T, Ismaila A, Zhang S, Zarotsky V, Bernauer M. Clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Canada: a systematic review. BMC Research Notes 2015;8:464. - PMC - PubMed
Deeks 2011
    1. Deeks JJ, Higgins JPT, Altman DG (editors). Chapter 9: Analysing data and undertaking meta‐analyses. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
DerSimonian 1986
    1. DerSimonian R, Laird N. Meta‐analysis in clinical trials. Controlled Clinical Trials 1986;7:177‐88. - PubMed
EFIM 2007
    1. European Federation of Internal Medicine. What is internal medicine?. www.efim.org/about/what‐internal‐medicine (2007) (accessed 26 November 2015).
Endnote X7 [Computer program]
    1. Clarivate Analytics. Endnote X7. Clarivate Analytics, 2015.
EPOC 2013a
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). What outcomes should be reported in Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) reviews?. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
EPOC 2013b
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). Analysis in EPOC reviews. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
EPOC 2013c
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). What studies should be included in the Characteristics of excluded studies table?. EPOC resources for review authors. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐reviewauthors.
EPOC 2013d
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). EPOC worksheets for preparing a Summary of Findings (SoF) table using GRADE. EPOC resources for review authors. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
EPOC 2013e
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). What are explanatory factors and why should they be included in protocols?. EPOC resources for review authors. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
EPOC 2013f
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). Results should not be reported as statistically significant or statistically non‐significant. EPOC resources for review authors. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services 2013. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
EPOC 2015a
    1. Effective Practice, Organisation of Care (EPOC). Suggested risk of bias criteria for EPOC reviews. EPOC resources for review authors. Oslo: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; 2015. Available at: epoc.cochrane.org/epoc‐specific‐resources‐review‐authors.
Feng 2012
    1. Feng Z, Wright B, Mor V. Sharp rise in Medicare enrollees being held in hospitals for observation raises concerns about causes and consequences. Health Affairs 2012;31:1251‐9. - PMC - PubMed
Galipeau 2015
    1. Galipeau J, Pussegoda K, Stevens A, Brehaut JC, Curran J, Forster AJ, et al. Effectiveness and safety of short‐stay units in the emergency department: a systematic review. Academic Emergency Medicine 2015;22:893‐907. - PubMed
Gaspoz 1991
    1. Gaspoz JM, Lee TH, Cook EF, Weisberg MC, Goldman L. Outcome of patients who were admitted to a new short‐stay unit to "rule‐out" myocardial infarction. American Journal of Cardiology 1991;68:145‐9. - PubMed
Gerteis 2014
    1. Gerteis J, Izrael D, Deitz D, LeRoy L, Ricciardi R, Miller T, Basu J (AHRQ). Multiple chronic conditions chartbook. www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/prevention‐chroni... (2014) (accessed 18 December 2015).
GRADEpro GDT 2015 [Computer program]
    1. McMaster University (developed by Evidence Prime. GRADEpro GDT. Hamilton (ON): McMaster University (developed by Evidence Prime, 2015.
Guyatt 2008
    1. Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Vist G, Kunz R, Falck‐Ytter Y, Alonso‐Coello P, et al. GRADE Working Group. Rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. BMJ 2008;336:924‐6. - PMC - PubMed
Higgins 2003
    1. Higgins JPT, Thompson SG, Deeks JJ, Altman DG. Measuring inconsistency in meta‐analyses. BMJ 2003;327:557‐60. - PMC - PubMed
Higgins 2011a
    1. Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.handbook.cochrane.org.
Higgins 2011b
    1. Higgins JPT, Altman DG, Sterne JAC (editors). Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.handbook.cochrane.org.
Higgins 2011c
    1. Higgins JPT, Deeks JJ, Altman DG (editors). Chapter 16: Special topics in statistics. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors), Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
Higgins 2011d
    1. Higgins JPT, Deeks JJ (editors). Chapter 7: Selecting studies and collecting data. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors), Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
ICH‐GCP 1997
    1. International Conference on Harmonisation. Good clinical practice: guidelines. www.ich.org/products/guidelines/efficacy/article/efficacy‐guidelines.html (1997) (accessed 16 November 2015).
Inouye 1990
    1. Inouye SK, Dyck CH, Alessi CA, Balkin S, Siegal AP, Horwitz RI. Clarifying confusion: the confusion assessment method. A new method for detection of delirium. Annals of Internal Medicine 1990;113:941‐8. - PubMed
Jakobsen 2014
    1. Jakobsen JC, Wetterslev J, Winkel P, Lange T, Gluud C. Thresholds for statistical and clinical significance in systematic reviews with meta‐analytic methods. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2014;14:120. - PMC - PubMed
Jibrin 2008
    1. Jibrin I, Hamirani YS, Mitikiri N, Ozdegirmenci H, Wentz C, Bahr RD. Maryland's first inpatient chest pain short stay unit as an alternative to emergency room‐based observation unit. Critical Pathways in Cardiology 2008;7:35‐42. - PubMed
Kenny 2015
    1. Kenny RA, Brignole M, Dan GA, Deharo JC, Dijk JG, Doherty C, et al. Syncope Unit: rationale and requirement – the European Heart Rhythm Association position statement endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society. Europace 2015;17:1325‐40. - PubMed
Laskin 1972
    1. Laskin DM. The short‐stay surgical facility: something old‐something new. Journal of Oral Surgery 1972;30:394. - PubMed
Lawton 1969
    1. Lawton MP, Brody EM. Assessment of older people: self‐maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist 1969;9:179‐86. - PubMed
Liberati 2009
    1. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche PC, Ioannidis JP, et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta‐analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration. PLoS Medicine 2009;6:e1000100. - PMC - PubMed
Lowthian 2011
    1. Lowthian JA, Curtis AJ, Cameron PA, Stoelwinder JU, Cooke MW, McNeil JJ. Systematic review of trends in emergency department attendances: an Australian perspective. Emergency Medicine Journal 2011;28:373‐7. - PubMed
Mantel 1959
    1. Mantel N, Haenszel W. Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1959;22:719–48. - PubMed
Marco 2010
    1. Marco J, Barba R, Plaza S, Losa JE, Canora J, Zapatero A. Analysis of the mortality of patients admitted to internal medicine wards over the weekend. American Journal of Medical Quality 2010;25(4):312‐8. - PubMed
McGowan 2016
    1. ​McGowan J, Sampson M, Salzwedel DM, Cogo E, Foerster V, Lefebvre C. PRESS Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies: 2015 guideline statement. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2016;75:40‐6. [DOI: ] - PubMed
Mosely 2013
    1. Moseley MG, Hawley MP, Caterino J. Emergency department observation unit and the older patient. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 2013;29(1):1‐26. - PMC - PubMed
Pfeiffer 1978
    1. Pfeiffer E. Multidimensional functional assessment: the OARS methodology: a manual /​ Duke University, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. 2nd Edition. Duke University, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, 1978. [Libraries Australia ID 1994215]
Pfuntner 2013
    1. Pfuntner A, Wier LM, Stocks C, AHRQ. Most frequent conditions in U.S. hospitals, 2010. www.hcup‐us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb148.pdf (2013) (accessed 15 March 2016). - PubMed
Reid 2016
    1. Reid L, Dinesen LC, Jones MC, Morrison ZJ, Weir CH, Lone NI. The effectiveness and variation of acute medical units: a systematic review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 2016;28(4):433‐46. - PubMed
RevMan 2014 [Computer program]
    1. Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration. Review Manager 5 (RevMan 5). Version 5.3. Copenhagen: Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2014.
Ross 2013
    1. Ross MA, Hockenberry JM, Mutter R, Barrett M, Wheatley M, Pitts SR. Protocol‐driven emergency department observation units offer savings, shorter stays, and reduced admissions. Health Affairs 2013;32:2419‐56. - PubMed
Russell 2014
    1. Russell PT, Hakendorf P, Thompson CH. A general medical short‐stay unit is not more efficient than a traditional model of care. Medical Journal of Australia 2014;200:482–4. - PubMed
Rydman 1998
    1. Rydman RJ, Isola ML, Roberts RR, Zalenski RJ, McDermott MF, Murphy DG, et al. Emergency department observation unit versus hospital inpatient care for a chronic asthmatic population: a randomized trial of health status outcome and cost. Medical Care 1998;36(4):599‐609. - PubMed
Rydman 1999
    1. Rydman RJ, Roberts RR, Albrect GL, Zalenski RJ, McDermott MF. Patient satisfaction with an emergency department asthma observation unit. Academic Emergency Medicine 1999;6(3):178‐83. - PubMed
Salazar 2007
    1. Salazar A, Juan A, Ballbe R, Corbella X. Emergency short‐stay unit as an effective alternative to in‐hospital admission for acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2007;25:486‐7. - PubMed
Savović 2012
    1. Savović J, Jones HE, Altman DG, Harris RJ, Jüni P, Pildal J, et al. Influence of reported study design characteristics on intervention effect estimates from randomized, controlled trials. Annals of Internal Medicine 2012;18(6):429‐38. - PubMed
Schünemann 2011
    1. Schünemann HJ, Oxman AD, Higgins JPT, Vist GE, Glasziou P, Guyatt GH. Chapter 11: Presenting results and ‘Summary of findings' tables. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors), Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
Scott 2009
    1. Scott I, Vaughan L, Bell D. Effectiveness of acute medical units in hospitals: a systematic review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 2009;21:397‐407. - PubMed
Spanjersberg 2011
    1. Spanjersberg W, Reurings J, Keus F, Laarhoven C. Fast track surgery versus conventional recovery strategies for colorectal surgery. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007635.pub2] - DOI - PubMed
Sprivulis 2006
    1. Sprivulis P, Silva J, Jacobs I, Frazer A, Jelinek G. The association between hospital overcrowding and mortality among patients admitted via Western Australian emergency departments. Medical Journal Australia 2006;184:208‐12. - PubMed
Sterne 2011a
    1. Sterne JAC, Egger M, Moher D (editors). Chapter 10: Addressing reporting biases. In: Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention. Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
Sterne 2011b
    1. Sterne JA, Sutton AJ, Ioannidis JP, Terrin N, Jones DR, Lau J, et al. Recommendations for examining and interpreting funnel plot asymmetry in meta‐analyses of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2011;343:d4002. - PubMed
Strøm 2017b
    1. Strøm C, Mollerup TK, Kromberg LS, Rasmussen LS, Schmidt TA. Hospitalisation in an emergency department short‐stay unit compared to an internal medicine department is associated with fewer complications in older patients ‐ an observational study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine 2017;25(1):80. - PMC - PubMed
Thomas 2000
    1. Thomas EJ, Studdert DM, Burstin HR, Orav E, Zeena T, Williams EJ, et al. Incidence and types of adverse events and negligent care in Utah and Colorado. Medical Care 2000;38:261‐71. - PubMed
UN 2013
    1. United Nations. World Population Ageing. www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldP... (accessed 15 March 2016).
Vries 2008
    1. Vries EN, Ramratten MA, Smorenburg SM, Gouma DJ, Boermeester MA. The incidence and nature of in‐hospital adverse events: a systematic review. Quality & Safety in Health Care 208;17:216‐23. - PMC - PubMed
Ware 1992
    1. Ware JE, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36‐item short‐form health survey (SF‐36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care 1992;30:473‐83. - PubMed
WHO 2011
    1. World Health Organization (WHO). What is the impact of non‐communicable diseases on National Health Expenditures: a synthesis of available data. www.who.int/healthsystems/NCDdiscussionpaper3.pdf (2011) (accessed 15 March 2016).
Wind 2006
    1. Wind J, Polle SW, Fung KJ, Dejong C, Meyenfeldt MF, Ubbink DT, et al. Systematic review of enhanced recovery programmes in colonic surgery. British Journal of Surgery 2006;93:800‐9. - PubMed
Wolff 2002
    1. Wolff JL, Starfield B, Anderson G. Prevalence, expenditures, and complications of multiple chronic conditions in the elderly. Archives of Internal Medicine 2002;162:2269‐76. - PubMed

References to other published versions of this review

Strøm 2016
    1. Strøm C, Fabritius M, Rasmussen LS, Schmidt TA, Jakobsen JC. Hospitalisation in short‐stay units for internal medicine diseases and conditions. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 9. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012370] - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources