[Impact of an on-duty pulmonologist on the activity of a respiratory medicine department].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact on health care and clinical management of 24-hour coverage by an on-site pulmonologist in a respiratory medicine department. METHODS In February 2004, a new respiratory medicine 24-hour duty service was started in our hospital. The activity of the on-duty pulmonologist during the following 12 months was systematically and prospectively recorded. The results were put into perspective by comparing the number of monthly admissions and the mean length of stay during the study period with those of the previous 12-month period. RESULTS During the study period, the on-duty pulmonologist received a mean (SD) of 9.02 (5.27) emergency calls every day, performed 202 diagnostic or therapeutic interventions, and discharged 342 patients. During this period, 1305 patients were admitted to the department (mean length of stay, 8.1 days), whereas in the previous 12 months, with no on-site pulmonologist, 1680 patients were admitted (mean length of stay, 9.0 days). This represents a 22.3% reduction in the annual number of admissions and a reduction in the mean stay by almost 1 day (0.9 days). CONCLUSIONS The provision of an on-duty pulmonologist was efficient because it facilitated patient turnaround.