ABSTRACT

Main functions of training hospitals are to treat patients who have patologies/illnesses that require advanced clinical analysis/care and research and to do the necessary education and research activities. Reasons like; these hospitals having expert personnel and high technologies make the costs of medical service given increase. Treating patients, who could be taken care of in previous level health facilities, in training hospitals results in; first and second level health facilities not being able to use all of their capacity, wasting of sources and patient crowds accumulated in front of training hospitals. Besides, this fact also makes the health care providers and patients unsatisfied.

This study aims to determine unnecessary utilizations of inpatients based on their diagnosis in Gulhane Military Medical Hospital. The study consists of a survey among patients who took in bed medical service from training hospital's all surgery and internal diseases clinics during September, October and November of 2002, all patients were recorded during these months.

The results of the study show that only 37.7% of the patients taken care in educational hospitals really requires the services of training hospital, while the remaining 62.3% should use the services of first or second level health facilities.

Keywords: Inappropriate Hospital Utilization