The Impact of Twice-daily Consultant Ward Rounds on the Length of Stay in Two General Medical Wards

Overview

Journal Clin Med (Lond)

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2012 Jan 25

PMID 22268301

Citations 12

Authors

Aftab Ahmad

Tejpal S Purewal

Dushyant Sharma

Philip J Weston

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Excess average length of stay (ALoS) not only results in an increased cost to hospitals but also increases the risk of hospital-acquired infection and thromboembolism. Various factors suggested to affect ALoS have yet to demonstrate a significant impact in clinical practice. Increased consultant input has been identified as an important factor influencing ALoS. As a result, a radical and innovative consultant job plan, replacing twice-weekly with twice-daily ward rounds (WRs) on a university teaching hospital's two medical words has been designed. The number of discharges (NoDs) significantly increased (p < 0.01), ALoS reduced (p < 0.01), whereas, readmission rate and mortality remained unchanged (p = NS) over 12 months following twice-daily WRs compared to two other wards with twice-weekly WRs. This innovative model resulted in almost doubling the NoDs and halving the ALoS. This study suggests that ALoS can be reduced and sustained with a cultural and behavioural shift in consultant working patterns, without affecting readmission rate or inpatient mortality.

Citing Articles

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