Key result
Advanced age, living alone, and non-English background are linked to delayed hospital discharge.
Why the study?
What are the reasons and determinants of discharge delay in acute care general ward patients?
Observational (n=1,958)
No
What are the reasons and determinants of discharge delay in acute care general ward patients?
Discharge delays in acute care are primarily driven by medical conditions and systemic delays in consultations and diagnostics, disproportionately affecting vulnerable demographic groups.
Supports targeted discharge planning for vulnerable groups; hypothesis-generating for interventions reducing acute care delays.
To identify the reasons and determinants of discharge delay in acute care patients, information associated with delayed discharge was extracted from the medical record of 1958 patients in a tertiary referral hospital in New South Wales. A logistic regression model was used to examine the association between demographic factors and reasons for discharge delay. Delayed discharge was most commonly associated with the patient's medical conditions, delayed health care or medical consultation, delayed diagnostic services and delayed allied health services. Elderly patients, those living alone and patients from a non-English-speaking background were more likely to have these reasons for delayed discharge.
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Ou et al. (2009) conducted an observational in acute care patients (n=1,958). Demographic factors (elderly, living alone, non-English-speaking background) was evaluated on reasons and determinants of discharge delay. Elderly patients, those living alone, and patients from a non-English-speaking background were more likely to experience delayed discharge due to medical conditions or delayed healthcare services.
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