Objective: Study the admission patterns of medical inpatients over a period of one month, to find out the sources of these admissions, their reasons and their appropriateness. Design and Setting: A prospective study analysis of medical admissions at the Accident and Emergency Department (AE), Salmaniya Medical Centre, Bahrain was carried out to evaluate the frequency and reasons for medical admissions and any attributable causes for repeated admissions in some patients. Results: Eighty six percent of all medical admissions were through the AE and 14% through the general and private clinics. Sixty six percent of medical admissions through the AE were first acute admissions and 34% were repeat admissions for exacerbations of chronic illnesses. 67.8% of repent admissions were due to unavoidable reasons like intractable or progressive disease or the onset of precipitating events like infections. However nearly one third (28.2%) of repeat admissions and thus 9.5% of total admissions were related to non-compliance with medication on the part of the patient. Conclusion: The 92% of total medical admissions related to noncompliance are potentially avoidable. This could be achieved by patient health education, and increased coordination between the hospital the local health centres and the social welfare offices.