The Relationship Between Length of Hospital Stay and Rapid-Readmission Rates
Abstract
The average length of stay for patients on the psychiatric service of a large VA hospital in California was nine days in mid-1977. Such brief hospitalizations often led to insufficient discharge planning and rapid readmissions, within one month of discharge. VA policy changed in July 1977, and longer lengths of hospital stay were initiated. The experiences with brief and longer-term hospitalization enabled the authors to study the rapid-readmission rates for each length of stay. Their data showed that an increase in length of stay from nine to 26 days was associated with a 55 per cent reduction in the rate of rapid readmission. They admit that it is too early to conclude that the longer patient stay was responsible for the decrease, and feel that additional longitudinal study is necessary.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).