Impact of shortened length of stay for delivery on the required bed capacity in maternity services: results from forecast analysis on administrative data.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We examine the implications of reducing the average length of stay (ALOS) for a delivery on the required capacity in terms of service volume and maternity beds in Belgium, using administrative data covering all inpatient stays in Belgian general hospitals over the period 2003-2014.

Methods

A projection model generates forecasts of all inpatient and day-care services with a time horizon of 2025. It adjusts the observed hospital use in 2014 to the combined effect of three evolutions: the change in population size and composition, the time trend evolution of ALOS, and the time trend evolution of the admission rates. In addition, we develop an alternative scenario to evaluate the impact of an accelerated reduction of ALOS.

Results

Between 2014 and 2025, we expe

SUBMITTER: Lefevre M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6729074 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature