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The Impact Of A Temporary Medical Ward Closure On Emergency Department And Hospital Service Delivery Outcomes, Julia Crilly, Gerben Keijzers, Dirken Krahn, Michael Steele, David Green, Janeen Freeman
The Impact Of A Temporary Medical Ward Closure On Emergency Department And Hospital Service Delivery Outcomes, Julia Crilly, Gerben Keijzers, Dirken Krahn, Michael Steele, David Green, Janeen Freeman
Gerben Keijzers
OBJECTIVE: To describe the effect of a 3-week closure of a 28-bed medical ward on Emergency Department (ED) and hospital outcomes.
METHODS: This was a prospective comparative observational study of all ED attendances (visits; n = 11 383) made to a regional teaching hospital in Queensland, Australia, during a 9-week period (November 24, 2008-January 4, 2009). A 3-week period of ward closure was compared with equal time periods before and after. Hospital health information systems data were linked manually to describe and compare outcomes: median ED length of stay, access block, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality.
RESULTS: Ward …