Discharge delay in acute care: reasons and determinants of delay in general ward patients.
To identify the reasons and determinants of discharge delay in acute care patients, information associated with delayed discharge was extracted from the medical record of 1958 patients in a tertiary referral hospital in New South Wales. A logistic regression model was used to examine the association between demographic factors and reasons for discharge delay. Delayed discharge was most commonly associated with the patient's medical conditions, delayed health care or medical consultation, delayed diagnostic services and delayed allied health services. Elderly patients, those living alone and patients from a non-English-speaking background were more likely to have these reasons for delayed discharge.
The Simpson Centre for Health Services Research, South Western Sydney Clinical School, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 1871, Australia. Lixin.Ou@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
Lixin
L
Ou
Lis
L
Young
Jack
J
Chen
Nancy
N
Santiano
La-Stacey
LS
Baramy
Ken
K
Hillman
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult