Analysis of hospital management of chronic respiratory diseases in light of the “Maps of Health Needs” project in Poland

Introduction: The “Maps of Health Needs” project has been carried out in Poland since 2016 and its purpose is to implement quality-promoting and organisational solutions in the Polish healthcare system. This paper is the analysis of hospitalisations for chronic respiratory diseases recorded in Polish National Health Fund databases in 2014. Material and methods: The study included 122,000 hospitalisations of adults and 22,000 hospitalisations of children. Epidemio-logical parameters (incidence and prevalence) and major hospitalisation parameters were determined through statistical analysis. Results: The highest registered incidence was observed in asthma patients (548 per 100,000 inhabitants) followed by COPD patients (233 per 100,000 inhabitants). Asthma patients were also characterised by the highest prevalence, with lower values being observed in COPD patients. In the group of adults, patients aged 65 years or older and 80 years or older accounted for 44% and 14% of hospitalised adults respectively. The analysis also revealed that 66% of hospitalisations of adults included patients with asthma, COPD and respiratory failure. The development of respiratory failure prolongs hospitalisation and increases both in-hospital and post-discharge mortality. In children, 90% of the identified hospitalisations were for asthma, chronic inflammatory lung diseases and cystic fibrosis. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate that pulmonary obstructive diseases are associated with a considerable burden. Therefore, corrective actions within the Polish healthcare system are required to decrease the number of hospitalisations for these diseases