[Respiratory day hospital: Impact on the rate of hospital admissions due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations].

Background And Objective: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) are considered to be the most important factor in determining the course of the disease, and have great impact on the health care system. We evaluated the effects of a Respiratory Day Hospital (RDH) on the rate of hospital admissions due to AE-COPD.

Patients And Methods: During 14 months, every case of AE-COPD seen at the RDH and emergency services was recruited prospectively.