Key result
Admission to hospitals with the highest relative length of stay significantly reduced the hazard of early unplanned readmission within 30 days compared to hospitals with the shortest stays (HR 0.87).
Why the study?
Do hospital length of stay and staffing ratio affect elderly patients' risk of unplanned readmission?
Population
113,055 elderly patients (≥ 67 years) discharged from 59 acute-care Norwegian hospitals in 1996.
Comparison
Hospital operating conditions, specifically… vs Hospitals with different quartiles of average…
Design
Cross-sectional
Follow-up
Up to 180 days
Authors
Loading...
Shorter hospital stays were associated with higher readmission risk in elderly patients; leaves open whether LOS optimization improves outcomes.
Cross-Sectional (n=113,055)
Yes
Do hospital length of stay and staffing ratio affect elderly patients' risk of unplanned readmission?
Hazard Ratio: 0.87 (95% CI 0.8–0.94)
p-value: p=0.001
Shorter hospital lengths of stay are associated with an increased risk of early unplanned readmission in elderly patients, highlighting the impact of hospital operating conditions on patient outcomes.
Torhild Heggestad (2002) conducted a cross-sectional in Elderly patients admitted to acute-care hospitals (n=113,055). Highest relative hospital length of stay vs. Lowest relative hospital length of stay was evaluated on Early unplanned readmission (within 30 days) (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.94, p=0.001). Admission to hospitals with the highest relative length of stay significantly reduced the hazard of early unplanned readmission within 30 days compared to hospitals with the shortest stays (HR 0.87).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: