Pediatric Ward Discharge Quality Improvement
| Status: | Enrolling by invitation |
|---|---|
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | Any - 21 |
| Updated: | 6/9/2018 |
| Start Date: | May 15, 2017 |
| End Date: | March 11, 2019 |
This study will utilize an iterative quality improvement process to identify and address
delays in the pediatric hospital discharge process.
delays in the pediatric hospital discharge process.
Hospital crowding has been associated with increased hospital length of stay in pediatric
populations and adverse outcomes in adult populations. This study focuses on a 36-bed general
pediatric inpatient care unit whose occupancy has seen exponential growth over the past
several years. With the growth in patient population, the study hospital is experiencing
increasing difficulty with hospital crowding, particularly during key times of year, such as
the winter viral respiratory season. During these times, pediatric patients may experience
high emergency room wait times, and admitted patients may be required to board in the
emergency room or post-anesthesia care unit while they await an inpatient bed. Lack of
inpatient bed availability has also, at times, required cancellation of surgical cases and
denial of outside hospital patient transfers to the institution, resulting in inconvenience
to patients and delays in care.
The pediatric hospital discharge process has come under particular scrutiny as an area in
which both the efficiency and the effectiveness of patient care can be improved. Currently,
around 10% of patients ready for discharge in a given day from the general pediatric
hospitalist service are discharged prior to noon, freeing up this bed space for a new
patient. While for some patients, discharge is postponed for medical reasons, others must
remain in the hospital for non-medical delays. For example, they may remain hospitalized
because they have not yet been seen by a physician, their medications are not available for
pick-up from the pharmacy, or they do not have transportation from hospital to home. Several
studies in pediatric populations have shown that quality improvement processes can improve
discharge efficiency without compromising care quality or patient/family satisfaction. The
investigators aim to determine if an iterative quality improvement process can reduce
barriers to discharge and therefore decrease pediatric patients' length of stay. They will
simultaneously analyze several secondary outcomes to evaluate patient flow, patient/family
satisfaction, and subsequent hospital utilization to evaluate for unintended consequences of
the interventions.
populations and adverse outcomes in adult populations. This study focuses on a 36-bed general
pediatric inpatient care unit whose occupancy has seen exponential growth over the past
several years. With the growth in patient population, the study hospital is experiencing
increasing difficulty with hospital crowding, particularly during key times of year, such as
the winter viral respiratory season. During these times, pediatric patients may experience
high emergency room wait times, and admitted patients may be required to board in the
emergency room or post-anesthesia care unit while they await an inpatient bed. Lack of
inpatient bed availability has also, at times, required cancellation of surgical cases and
denial of outside hospital patient transfers to the institution, resulting in inconvenience
to patients and delays in care.
The pediatric hospital discharge process has come under particular scrutiny as an area in
which both the efficiency and the effectiveness of patient care can be improved. Currently,
around 10% of patients ready for discharge in a given day from the general pediatric
hospitalist service are discharged prior to noon, freeing up this bed space for a new
patient. While for some patients, discharge is postponed for medical reasons, others must
remain in the hospital for non-medical delays. For example, they may remain hospitalized
because they have not yet been seen by a physician, their medications are not available for
pick-up from the pharmacy, or they do not have transportation from hospital to home. Several
studies in pediatric populations have shown that quality improvement processes can improve
discharge efficiency without compromising care quality or patient/family satisfaction. The
investigators aim to determine if an iterative quality improvement process can reduce
barriers to discharge and therefore decrease pediatric patients' length of stay. They will
simultaneously analyze several secondary outcomes to evaluate patient flow, patient/family
satisfaction, and subsequent hospital utilization to evaluate for unintended consequences of
the interventions.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Children or young adults less than 21 years of age admitted to the University of
California Davis Children's Hospital Pediatric Hospitalist Service on the general
pediatric inpatient ward
Exclusion Criteria:
- Adults greater than 21 years of age, including those unable to consent
- Pregnant women
- Prisoners
- Children admitted to other services (i.e. Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Pediatric
Surgery, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Trauma, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,
Newborn Nursery, etc.)
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