Cohort study of a specialist social worker intervention on hospital use for patients at risk of long stay.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Long-stay patients in acute hospitals commonly present with complex psychosocial needs and use high levels of hospital resources.

Objective

To determine whether a specialist social worker-led model of care was associated with a reduction in length of stay for medically stable patients with complex psychosocial needs who were at risk of long stay, and to determine the economic value of this model relative to the decision makers' willingness to pay for bed days released.

Design

A prospective, matched cohort study with historical controls.

Setting

A large, tertiary teaching and referral hospital in metropolitan Southeast Queensland, Australia.

Methods

Length of hospital stay for a cohort of patients seen under the specialist social worker-led mod

SUBMITTER: Osborne S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6307584 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature