The Rate of Unnecessary Admissions and Hospitalizations in Hospitals in Southwestern Iran Publisher



Kavosi H R ; Moghaddam N M ; Ghahremani S ; Abbasiyan K ; Kavosi Z ; Jame S Z B
Source: Health Scope Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Hospitals face challenges such as an increased number of patients, limited bed availability, and nursing shortages. They contend with numerous limited resources that lead to rising costs and work pressure across various hospital sectors. Increasing the length of stay (LOS) of patient is one of the main factors driving up costs. Objectives: Due to the importance of this issue, this study aimed to determine the rate of unnecessary admissions and hospitalizations in selected hospitals in the city of Shiraz in 2023. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a retrospective and non-interventional manner. In this study, the relationship between the variables of age groups, hospitalization cost coverage, and place of residence with the variables of unnecessary admission and hospitalization was investigated. The data collection tool was the appropriateness evaluation protocol (AEP). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 18 and the t-test. Results: The findings showed that in the hospitals surveyed, out of a total of 245 patients, 38.37% had unnecessary admissions. Also, 39.29% had unnecessary hospitalizations. Unnecessary admission was associated with gender, ward type, treatment type, hospitalization cost coverage, reason for hospitalization, hospitalization history, admission type, day of admission, admission time, and companion status (P ≤ 0.05). Also, unnecessary hospitalization was associated with the type of ward, type of treatment, place of residence, reason for hospitalization, hospitalization history, type of admission, day of admission, time of admission, and companion status (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: The high rate of unnecessary hospital resource utilization is primarily a systemic issue addressable through strategic interventions. A combined approach of process re-engineering, primary care reinforcement, and comprehensive health information technology (HIT) integration is essential for optimizing hospital efficiency, reducing inpatient days, and improving overall healthcare delivery. © 2026, Rahmani et al.