BACKGROUND: Few studies examine the referral patterns for @entity566 /immunology (A/I) inpatient consultation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the primary reason and trends for A/I inpatient consultation to improve fellowship training. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all inpatient A/I consults from July 1, 1987 to June 30, 2001 to determine the primary reason for consultation. We also reviewed trends in the total admissions and the average daily @entity1 load compared with A/I consultation. RESULTS: A total of 1,284 A/I inpatient consults were reviewed. Thirty-six percent (460 of 1,284) of inpatient consults were for evaluation of adverse drug reactions, 21% (270 of 1,284) @entity565 , 21% (272 of 1,284) miscellaneous reasons, 8% (109 of 1,284) possible @entity465 , 7% (93 of 1,284) @entity113 / @entity110 , and 6% (80 of 1,284) @entity2021 . Our results demonstrated a fall in inpatient consults that correlated with a similar fall in total hospital admissions. The ratio of A/I inpatient consults to total admissions remained constant. Additionally, the ratio of A/I consults to average daily @entity1 load increased over the study period. There was a decrease in @entity565 and adverse drug reaction consults, whereas @entity465 and @entity2021 referrals remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the most common reasons for inpatient consultation provides a guide for the education of A/I fellows and primary care residents. Inpatient consultation continues to play a crucial role in A/I training as it provides unique opportunities to evaluate serious life threatening diseases. An unchanged trend of consultation for @entity465 and @entity2021 reaffirms the importance of the allergist/immunologist as a valuable resource for inpatient consultation.

Inpatient consultation of XXXX /immunology in a tertiary care setting.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patient'] @entity566 :: ('MESH:D006967', 'Disease') :: ['allergy'] @entity565 :: ('MESH:D001249', 'Disease') :: ['asthma'] @entity465 :: ('MESH:D007153', 'Disease') :: ['immunodeficiency'] @entity113 :: ('MESH:D000799', 'Disease') :: ['angioedema'] @entity110 :: ('MESH:D014581', 'Disease') :: ['urticaria'] @entity2021 :: ('MESH:D000707', 'Disease') :: ['anaphylaxis']
@entity566 :: (MESH:D006967,Disease) :: ['allergy']
