The belief that hospital stays may constitute per se a risk for patients is not widespread among patients and health care professionals. In the balance between advantages and disadvantages of admission, we rarely take into account the impact of the hospital stay itself on the well-being of the patient. In a society that is getting older the hospital may become a hostile environment for the complex and frail patient. Reducing the risks associated with hospital admission implies a radical cultural change accepted and shared by all health care professionals. The critical reconsideration of admission is a way of reasoning not only on hospitalisation but also on what the correct health outcome paradigms should be.