Evaluation of the Appropriateness of Acute Hospitalisations in Hong Kong

Objective To test the validity of the Hong Kong version of Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol and estimate the prevalence of inappropriate acute hospitalisations in Hong Kong. Methods A retrospective chart review of two hundred randomly selected patients admitted to the specialty of Internal Medicine and General Surgery via the Accident & Emergency department of 2 regional hospitals in 2008. Comparison between the Hong Kong version of Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol and the consensus of an expert panel on appropriateness of admissions was made. The extent of agreement between the reviewer using the protocol and the expert panel was measured. Results The kappa coefficient for agreement was 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.83). The prevalence of inappropriate acute hospitalisations was 29%. Conclusions The Hong Kong version of Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol is a valid tool for assessing the appropriateness of acute hospitalisations.