Psychosocial severity, length of stay and the role of social work services.
Data on excess length of stay (LOS)-the difference between actual LOS and target LOS for the medical problem-were analyzed for three acute care hospitals. For a sample of 2,642 cases, 29.2% of all hospital days were excess days for patients referred to social services. For a sample of 176 social service cases, a stepwise regression yielded two statistically significant predictors of LOS: (1) Medical problem (target LOS) and (2) severity of psychosocial problem (Person-in- Environment scale). The importance of psychosocial severity as a predictor of LOS has clear implications for the role social workers can play in making health care organizations more efficient.
Lechman
Constance
C
McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3G 1A4, Canada. constance.lechman@muhc.mcgill.ca
Duder
Sydney
S
D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008485:Medical Audit; D024382:Professional Role; D011792:Quebec; D012947:Social Work; D014481:United States; D014739:Victoria