title: A program to decrease hospital stay in acute burn patients.
abstract: A program of early excision, increased outpatient care, and aggressive discharge planning was introduced gradually over a 5 yr period from 1991 to 1995 with the goal of decreasing the length of stay for burn patients. Results from 1 January 1991, to 30 June 1993, were compared with results from 1 July 1993 to 31 December 1995. Burns under and over 25 percent were considered separately. There was a significant reduction in LOS of 51.4 percent for burns under 25 percent. There was also a significant reduction in LOS of 23.7 percent for burns over 25% TSA. There was no significant difference in age, burn size or mortality between the early and late groups.
authors.affiliation: Columbia-Augusta Medical Center, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Still
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Donker
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thiruvaiyaru
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D011050:Policy Making; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012016:Reference Values; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States