AM admissions/PM discharges can reduce length of stay.
This article challenges our present system of afternoon admissions and morning discharges for its inefficiency in utilizing patient stay at the hospital as well as for its insensitivity to consumer convenience. In fact, the tradition of afternoon admissions and morning discharges may have its roots in the hotel industry which sets similar times for arrival and departure of guests. By changing the admission system from afternoon admissions and morning discharges (PM/AM) to morning admissions and evening discharges (AM/PM), the length of stay for most patients can be reduced and used more efficiently.
D000289:Admitting Department, Hospital; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D010343:Patient Admission; D010351:Patient Discharge; D013997:Time Factors; D014768:Virginia