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Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine

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Open Access 01-12-2013 | Original research

Hospital out-lying through lack of beds and its impact on care and patient outcome

Authors: Andrew Stowell, Pierre-Geraud Claret, Mustapha Sebbane, Xavier Bobbia, Charlotte Boyard, Romain Genre Grandpierre, Alexandre Moreau, Jean-Emmanuel de La Coussaye

Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine | Issue 1/2013

Abstract

Background

When medical wards become saturated, the common practice is to resort to outlying patients in another ward until a bed becomes free.

Objectives

Compare the quality of care provided for inpatients who are outlying (O) in inappropriate wards because of lack of vacant beds in appropriate specialty wards to the care given to non outlying (NO) patients.

Methods

We propose a matched-pair cluster study. The exposed group consisted of inpatients that were outliers in inappropriate wards because of lack of available beds. Non-exposed subjects (the control group) were those patients who were hospitalized in the ward that corresponded to the reason for their admission. Each patient of the exposed group was matched to a specific control subject. The principal objective was to prospectively measure differences in the length of hospital stays, the secondary objectives were to assess mortality, rate of re-admission at 28 days, and rate of transfer into intensive care.

Results

238 were included in the NO group, 245 in the O group. More patients in the O group (86% vs 76%) were transferred into a ward with prescription completed. O patients remained in hospital for 8 days [4-15] vs 7 days [4-13] for NO patients (p = 0.04). 124 (52%) of the NO patients received heparin-based thromboembolic prevention during their stay in hospital vs 104 (42%) of the O patient group (p = 0.03). 66 (27%) O patients were re-admitted to hospital within 28 days vs 40 (17%) NO patients (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

O patients had a worse prognosis than NO patients.

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Title: Hospital out-lying through lack of beds and its impact on care and patient outcome
Authors: Andrew Stowell
Pierre-Geraud Claret
Mustapha Sebbane
Xavier Bobbia
Charlotte Boyard
Romain Genre Grandpierre
Alexandre Moreau
Jean-Emmanuel de La Coussaye
Publication date: 01-12-2013
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1757-7241
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-21-17

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Hospital out-lying through lack of beds and its impact on care and patient outcome

Abstract

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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