We explore the potential of applying machine learning techniques to the management of patient flow in hospitals. For this project, we have obtained the Weka machine learning library and three years of historical ward occupancy data from Rockyview Hospital. We use Weka’s classifier algorithms and the Rockyview data to build a model of patient flow through each ward. Using Weka, we then attempt t...

The aim of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement's Productive Ward series is to remove wasteful activities from ward processes and reinvest the time saved in making care more interactive, stimulating, reliable and safe. This article describes how the introduction of Productive Ward on one unit in a mental health trust has delivered improvements in general ward organisation and a rang...

At the time of discharge, recovery room nurses discontinued the infusion through the epidural so that the infusion could be started in the ward through the ward infusion pump. In the ward, the recovery room nurses handed over the patient to the ward technician. The ward technician unknowingly connected the infusion to the intravenous cannula and started the infusion at 1930 hrs. At 0500 hrs the...

AIMS To evaluate the effect of regular input by a geriatrician to an orthopaedic ward. METHOD A geriatrician saw all patients aged over 65 years admitted to an acute orthopaedic ward-this was compared to an adjacent orthopaedic ward which had consultation only service, and also to both wards in the preceding year. All subjects over the age of 65 years with fractured neck of femur admitted ove...

Abstract Aims With surgical teams in the NHS pushed to their limit under unprecedented demands, simple and effective ways for maintaining standards of patient care are necessitated. This quality improvement project aims implement user-friendly coherent ward round stickers as an adjunct rounds deliver standardised care. Methods Baseline performance was measured against The Royal College Surgeons...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to analyze net income of a surgical nursing ward in a general hospital. METHOD Data collection and analysis was conducted using a performance-based costing and activity-based costing method. RESULT Direct nursing activities in the surgical ward were 68, indirect nursing activities were 10. The total cost volume of the surgical ward was calculated at won 119...

OBJECTIVE To study the potential of a short stay ward attached to an accident and emergency (A&E) department to improve care and reduce admissions to hospital by enabling elderly patients to be monitored closely for up to 24 h before being formally admitted to hospital or discharged home. Patients admitted to the short stay ward were those who appeared to need only a brief period of assessment ...

Velde. Neville Spearman. 10s. 6d. Life in a home for old people is vividly portrayed in this fine novel translated from the Dutch by Ellen and Roy Hulbert. The author, who knows her scene and subject well enough to be the daughter of her own story, presents a very convincing picture of the gradual decline of a group of elderly women in a large institution. There could be no more compelling stat...