Discharge in the a.m.: A randomized controlled trial of physician rounding styles to improve hospital throughput and length of stay.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To relieve hospital capacity strain, hospitals often encourage clinicians to prioritize early morning discharges which may have unintended consequences.

Objective

We aimed to test the effects of hospitalist physicians prioritizing discharging patients first compared to usual rounding style.

Design, setting and participants

Prospective, multi-center randomized controlled trial. Three large academic hospitals. Participants were Hospital Medicine attending-level physicians and patients the physicians cared for during the study who were at least 18 years of age, admitted to a Medicine service, and assigned by standard practice to a hospitalist team.

Intervention

Physicians were randomized to: (1) prioritizing discharging patients first as care allowed or

SUBMITTER: Burden M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10874597 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature