Reducing Hospital Stay Length in a Community Hospital
Author Information
Author(s): Reppond Alexander M. MS, Flavin Nicholas MPH, Albaum Michael N. MD
Primary Institution: MaineHealth, Portland, Maine
Hypothesis
Can a process improvement initiative effectively reduce the average length of stay in a community hospital?
Conclusion
The initiative successfully reduced the average length of stay by 13.7% in the community hospital.
Supporting Evidence
- The average length of stay decreased from 6.3 to 5.5 days after implementing the interventions.
- The reduction in length of stay was statistically significant with a p-value of less than 0.01.
- Three core strategies were implemented to enhance interprofessional communication and care.
Takeaway
The hospital tried new ways to help patients leave sooner, and it worked! They made changes that helped reduce the time patients spent in the hospital.
Methodology
The study used a process improvement initiative with three core tactics: early mobilization, interprofessional rounding, and structured interdisciplinary care rounds.
Limitations
The study could not isolate the independent contribution of each intervention and did not control for confounders.
Participant Demographics
Hospitalized inpatients on the adult medicine service, excluding newborns, maternity, and behavioral health admissions.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.01
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 0.023–0.172
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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