Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Bedspacing and clinical outcomes in general internal medicine: A retrospective, multicenter cohort study.
Admitting hospitalized patients to off-service wards ("bedspacing") is common and may affect quality of care and patient outcomes. ⋯ Overall, bedspacing was associated with no significant difference in mortality, slightly shorter hospital length-of-stay, and fewer 30-day readmissions to GIM, although potential harms in high-risk patients remain uncertain. Given that hospital capacity issues are likely to persist, future research should aim to understand how bedspacing can be achieved safely at all hospitals, perhaps by strengthening the selection of low-risk patients.