The impact of hospital discharge on inappropriate hospital stay.

Appropriate hospital stay should be effective, efficient and tailored to patient needs. Previous studies have found that on average 20 per cent of hospital stay is inappropriate. Within obstetrics, inappropriate hospital stay consists mostly of delays in hospital discharge. The specific goals of this study were to reduce inappropriate hospital stay by fine-tuning patient logistics, increasing efficiency and providing more comfortable surroundings. New policies using strict discharge criteria were implemented. Total inappropriate hospital stay decreased from 13.3 to 7.2 per cent. The delay in discharge procedures halved. P-charts showed a decrease in inappropriate hospital stay, indicating the current process to be stable. Concludes that a significant reduction in inappropriate hospital stay was found following the implementation of innovative hospital discharge policies, indicating greater efficiency and accessibility of hospital services.

Appropriate length of extended day care.

Extended day care (EDC) is a one-day admission spending one night in hospital. Many EDC patients do not need hospital care over night, so probably they could be transferred to a day surgery setting, resulting in decreased costs and increased efficiency. The objectives of the study were to assess the appropriate length of extended day care (ALED) and a possible transfer to day surgery. ALED was defined as the time between the start of the surgical procedure and the final moment appropriate hospital care was provided. About 80 per cent of the patients could possibly have been treated in day surgery. The other patients could not be transferred, because of a prolonged ALED. With the implementation of new policies on admission to and discharge from the hospital and the use of altered types of operation room scheduling or patient logistics the transfer of most EDC patients to day surgery would be possible.

Identifying inappropriate hospital stay in patients with venous thromboembolism.

Background: Traditionally, venous thromboembolism has been treated in a hospital setting. Nowadays, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) preparations allow most deep venous thrombosis (DVT) patients to benefit from home therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the previous treatment of deep venous thrombosis in a hospital setting was appropriate in the context of modern opinion, using the Dutch Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (DAEP). If so, the DAEP could be used to assess the appropriateness of the present hospital stay of other patient groups. Methods: A retrospective study of patients treated from 1995 to 1998 for DVT or for pulmonary embolism (PE), before the implementation of ambulatory treatment, was conducted that assessed the appropriateness of the patient's hospital stay using the DAEP. Results: Only 27.1% of the treatments for DVT were found to be appropriate in a hospital setting and related to specific hospital care. Inappropriate stay was mostly related to delays in hospital and discharge procedures. Of the patients with PE, 50.2% needed a hospital stay. This proportion was statistically significantly higher than in DVT patients (p<0.001). The extent of the DVT was not related to the length of bed rest prescribed. Conclusions: The DAEP was able to identify inappropriate hospital stay in the past within the DVT patient group. Further exploration of the potential of the DAEP to identify patient groups who could be treated at home is warranted.

Predictors of inappropriate hospital stay: a clinical case study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reasons for inappropriate patient stay (IPS) and to identify possible predictors of this inappropriate stay. DESIGN: The reasons for IPS were analyzed in a cross-sectional survey at two surgical one gynecologic and one obstetric ward, using a sample of 610 days of hospital stay by means of the Dutch Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol. SETTING: The study was conducted at the University Hospital Maastricht, a 715-bed hospital with a regional and teaching function, located in the southern part of The Netherlands. RESULTS: Results indicate that > 20% of the hospital stay was inappropriate. The reasons for IPS were statistically significantly related to the patients' age, the availability of home care and medical specialty. In a predictive model, only the specialty proved to be a predictor of IPS. Most of the IPS occurred during the first days of hospital stay and the days before the patient's discharge. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of hospital stay was found to be inappropriate, due to hospital procedures and the inability to refer patients to other care facilities or care providers. Analysis of the causes of IPS provided useful data for improvement actions. Efficient use of hospital resources should be promoted by reducing the delay in interventions and discharge procedures.

To stay or not to stay. The assessment of appropriate hospital stay: a Dutch report.

OBJECTIVE: To adjust the adult-medical Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) into a valid and reliable instrument for use in the Dutch health care system, to assess the appropriateness of hospital stay and to identify the causes of inappropriateness. DESIGN: The appropriateness of hospital stay was assessed in a cross-sectional survey on a sample of over 4500 days of stay using a modified, Dutch version of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (D-AEP). SETTING: The appropriateness of stay was assessed in five internal and surgical departments for adult acute care in the University Hospital of Maastricht, a 700-bed hospital with a teaching and regional function, located in the southern part of the Netherlands. RESULTS: The results showed that over 20% of the hospital stay was inappropriate. Half of the inappropriate hospital stay (45.1%) was due to (internal) hospital procedures. The D-AEP proved to be valid (kappa = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.68-0.84), reliable (kappa = 0.84; 95% CI 0.75-0.93) and easy to use. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of hospital stay was found to be inappropriate, due to hospital procedures and the inability to refer patients to other care facilities or care providers. The D-AEP can be used for monitoring the appropriate hospital stay and in detecting possible causes of inappropriate stay. Analysis of the causes of inappropriate hospital stay provided useful data for improvement actions.