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CC BY 4.0 · Avicenna J Med
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1788996
Original Article

The First Observational Study of Acute Medical Unit in Qatar

Abdel-Naser Elzouki
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
2   Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
,
Phool Iqbal
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
,
Mohammed Zahid
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
2   Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
,
Ijaz Kamal
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
,
Anand Kartha 
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
,
Mustafa Al-Tekreti
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
,
Dabia Al-Muhanadi
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
,
Ahmed Al-Mohamed
1   Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
3   Department of Medicine, Wiell Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Background Acute medical unit (AMU) is a dedicated facility to treat patients with acute medical conditions requiring a short hospital stay (< 72 hours) with the support of a multidisciplinary team led by a medical consultant. We aim to present a study of the AMU model of care from Qatar to provide insight into its effects on patient care and management.

Methods Retrospective data from AMU facility at Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Doha, Qatar, was collected from January 2019 to December 2020 from the electronic patient record. The data were analyzed for demographic characteristics of the patients, length of stay (LOS), readmission rate, and postdischarge follow-up. The effectiveness of the AMU system was studied closely from this data. An extensive literature search was also performed for comparative results analysis in other AMU facilities outside Qatar.

Results Total admissions under the AMU facility were 8,371 from january2019 to December 2020. The 28 days readmission rate was 10.25 and 9.9% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The average LOS was approximately 3.2 days. Around 88.7% of the patients were discharged home, 7.8% were admitted to medical wards due to longer stays, and 0.5% left against medical advice. Most of the patients admitted under AMU were 18 to 60 years old. The top primary diagnoses of admissions were minor stroke, transient ischemic attack, chest infection, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal and liver diseases. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease. A total of 2,858 patients were booked for a follow-up visit in the postdischarge clinic on discharge from the AMU for the year 2019 and 2020. The analysis of these followed up patients showed 73% of patients were discharged from clinic after first visit while the readmission from clinic was on only 1% (28 patients for year 2019 and 2020).

Conclusion Attentive patient care under AMU with a designated multidisciplinary medical team led by an internal medicine consultant is the cornerstone for the success of the AMU unit. This unit has proven very helpful for the smooth disposition of patients from the emergency department with reduced LOS, readmission rate, and overall mortality.

Keywords

acute medical unit - acute medicine - emergency department - length of stay - postdischarge clinic - readmission


Publication History

Article published online:
22 August 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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