Symptom Severity and Day Hospital Admission

During the first and fourth months of a day hospital's operation, the authors asked physicians to rate the most severe degree of 21 symptoms that they felt could be handled by each of six treatment options, including the day hospital. The results indicated that, contrary to what day hospital staff intended, the day hospital was not perceived as an alternative to inpatient care for acutely ill patients, but as a setting halfway between outpatient and inpatient care. The authors discuss possible reasons for this perception and ways that day hospital use might be increased.