title: Tracking Discharge Delays: Critical First Step Toward Mitigating Process Breakdowns and Inefficiencies.
abstract: This article reports on the development and evaluation of a mechanism designed for real-time tracking of discharge delays by bedside clinicians and the reporting of delays in a manner amenable to action. During the implementation phase, delay time totaled 23.6 days for 114 patients affected by a delay. More than one-half of delays (61.4%) occurred for patients whose discharge disposition was home to self-care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing Research (Dr Holland), Biomedical Ethics Program (Mr Pacyna), and Department of Nursing (Mss Gillard and Carter), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Joel E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pacyna
authors.forename: Kristine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Gillard
authors.forename: Lisa C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013997:Time Factors