Protocol for the health economic evaluation of increasing the weekend specialist to patient ratio in hospitals in England.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

This protocol concerns the evaluation of increased specialist staffing at weekends in hospitals in England. Seven-day health services are a key policy for the UK government and other health systems trying to improve use of infrastructure and resources. A particular motivation for the 7-day policy has been the observed increase in the risk of death associated with weekend admission, which has been attributed to fewer hospital specialists being available at weekends. However, the causes of the weekend effect have not been adequately characterised; many of the excess deaths associated with the 'weekend effect' may not be preventable, and the presumed benefits of improved specialist cover might be offset by the cost of implementation.

Methods/design

The Bayesian-fou

SUBMITTER: Watson SI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5855484 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature