Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
-
Observational Study
Associations between hospitalist physician workload, length of stay, and return to the hospital.
Hospitalist physicians' workload-the total number of patients they care for daily-is rising in the U.S. Hospitalists report that increased workload negatively affects patients care. ⋯ There was a statistically significant but modest relationship between workload and LOS; workload was not associated with ED visits or readmissions.Given clinical reports of the deleterious effects of increased hospitalist workload, there is a need for prospective research assessing a range of outcomes, beyond those measurable in contemporary EHR data.
-
Previously few means existed to broadly examine variability across conditions/practices within or between hospitals for common pediatric conditions. ⋯ We found substantial variation in the components and adherence to HOSSP. Hospitals with greater HOSSP adherence had lower costs for these conditions. This suggests hospitals can use data around laboratory, imaging, and medication prescribing practices to drive standardization of care, reduce unnecessary testing and treatment, determine best practices, and reduce costs.