Predictors of inappropriate hospital stay: experience from Iran.

Objective: Hospital services are the most expensive component of modern health care systems and inappropriate hospital stay is one of the most important challenges facing hospitals in many countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of inappropriate hospital stay and investigate the related factors in Semnan city (Iran).

Methods: In this study, the Iranian version of Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) was used in a representative sample of 300 hospital admissions and 905 hospital days.