Sad News for Length of Stay

Determining Factors Influencing Length of Stay and Predicting Length of Stay Using Data Mining in the General Surgery Department

Background: Length of stay is one of the most important indicators in assessing hospital performance. A shorter stay can reduce the costs per discharge and shift care from inpatient to less expensive post-acute settings. It can lead to a greater readmission rate, better resource management, and more efficient services. Objective: This study aimed to ident...

Length of stay

Background: Reducing length of hospital stay (LOS) is a policy aim for many health care systems and is thought to indicate efficiency. Methods: A MedLine search was undertaken for articles relating to 'LOS', 'early discharge' or 'patient discharge' between 1983 and 1997 and a selective search was undertaken for material published before 1983. Results: Routine data showed that there were variati...

Books: Reasons to Stay Alive: Helping the Sad.

Emergency department length of stay independently predicts excess inpatient length of stay.

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between emergency department length of stay (EDLOS) and inpatient length of stay (IPLOS). DESIGN Retrospective review of presentations and admissions data. SETTING Three metropolitan hospitals in Melbourne, 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mean IPLOS for four categories of EDLOS (12 hours); excess ...

Communicating sad, bad, and difficult news in medicine.

In every medical specialty bad, sad, and difficult information must be given to patients and their families. An insensitive approach increases the distress of recipients of bad news, may exert a lasting impact on their ability to adapt and adjust, and can lead to anger and an increased risk of litigation. Many doctors also find these interactions stressful, and in the absence of much effective ...