[Hospital family medicine. Education in an urban university hospital center].

OBJECTIVE To describe the patients residents see in one hospital's family medicine unit and to determine whether these patients resemble family medicine patients in other Quebec hospitals.

DESIGN Descriptive study.

SETTING Urban teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS Patients 20 years and older who were admitted to the family medicine unit at Hôpital du St-Sacrement between April 1, 1999, and March 31, 2000, were compared with all patients admitted in general medicine to Quebec hospitals during this period.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Sex, age, main diagnosis, secondary diagnoses, types of diseases, length of stay, number of consultations and specialties involved, referral after hospitalization.

RESULTS Patients hospitalized in this unit were older, had more secondary diagnoses, and stayed in hospital slightly longer than patients hospitalized in general medicine in Quebec as a whole. Residents were, therefore, exposed to patients who were more medically complex.

CONCLUSION Patients to whom residents were exposed resemble patients they will see in future hospital practice.