Revista da Sociedade Portuguesa de Dermatologia e Venereologia (Oct 2023)
Home hospitalization for acute bacterial dermo-hypodermitis: seven years of experience
Abstract
Background: Home hospitalization (HH) is an alternative to conventional hospitalization, but literature data about bacterial skin infections treated in this setting is sparse. Objectives: The objective is to characterize the demographic and clinical features of the population admitted with acute bacterial dermo-hypodermitis (ABDH) in a HH unit; to evaluate if this model can be a safe alternative to hospital care; and to assess patients’ global satisfaction regarding their HH experience. Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical data related to episodes of ABDH admitted to the HH unit of our institution in 7 years (2015-2022). A phone questionnaire was then applied for the evaluation of patients’ global satisfaction about HH. Results: We included 88 patients with a mean age of 66.6 years. Seventy-one (81%) were admitted directly from the emergency department and 16 (18%) from hospital wards. Forty-five (51%) had at least three associated comorbidities. Local complications occurred in 21 patients (24%) and systemic complications in 7 (8%). Eight patients (9%) were transferred back to hospital care during their HH and only 1 patient (1%) was readmitted after 3 months of discharge. The mean duration of HH was 13.8 days, and the mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 14.6 days. Regarding patients’ satisfaction, 41 participants (84%) rated home care with the maximum grade of satisfaction. For the participants with previous hospital stays (n = 39), 27 (69%) preferred HH to in-hospital care. Conclusion: This study suggests that, even though the population with ABDH admitted to HH is aged and has a high prevalence of comorbidities, HH is a safe and effective alternative to hospital care in the case of stable disease. It seems also to be associated with high rates of patient’ satisfaction.
