Appropriateness of admission and hospital stay in obstetric wards: an Italian cross-sectional study comparing Sicilian settings

Appropriateness is one of the main topics of health policy and should be estimable in order to analyze the efficacy of hospital services. The Review and Use of the Hospital Protocol (in Italian: Protocollo di Revisione dell’Uso dell’ Ospedale-PRUO) allowed us to evaluate the appropriateness of hospitalizations, starting from daily available clinical records in a selected hospital. Methods The cross-sectional study applied the PRUOmethod on a sample of medical records (N=575; years: 2008–2010) related to ordinary admissions to obstetric wards of Lipari and Pantelleria Hospital (both Minor Islands of Sicily: MI) and to the Teaching Hospital of the University of Palermo (P) in order to evaluat…