Length of stay in acute care hospitals is under increasing pressure to reduce costs per patient stay, as well as releasing bed capacity. Technical editor, Kate Woodhead RGN, DMS, examines the importance of a continual assessment process to ensure that there is no compromise to the patients’ recovery.
Length of stay in acute care hospitals is under increasing pressure to reduce costs per patient stay, as well as releasing bed capacity. However, the shorter stays –particularly in surgery –are often more intensive, requiring more detailed planning and more inputs per patient. Technical editor, Kate Woodhead RGN, DMS, examines the importance of a continual assessment process to ensure that there is no compromise to the patients’ recovery.
One of the ways that surgical care has responded to the pressure to reduce the length of stay has been to increase the use of day surgery for a greater range of surgical procedures, while maintaining quality of care and good patient outcomes.
The progress of more major surgery being able to be undertaken on a day case basis is due to the evidence of outcomes achieved, better patient selection, improved use of technology and the developing world of enhanced recovery.
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