Register      Login
Australian Health Review Australian Health Review Society
Journal of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Description of an early discharge post-acute care program: length of hospital stay, patient and carer needs and cost

Billie Bonevski, Chris Doran, Carolyn Bailey and Julia Lowe

Australian Health Review 25(2) 78 - 86
Published: 2002

Abstract

The objective of the project was to evaluate a pilot Post Acute Community Care (PACC) program for orthopaedicpatients. A series of cross-sectional surveys elicited responses of patient and home carer needs and GP and hospital staff acceptability while a cost-minimisation analysis compared the average cost of the PACC program with general orthopaedic hospital care. Patients were classified according to Australian National Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). Average length of hospital stay in 1998/99 for PACC patients was 7.7 days compared to 12.3 for generalorthopaedic patients. Only 3% of patients had an unplanned readmission to hospital. Patients and carers expressed a number of unmet needs. This study confirms the popularity of early discharge schemes with patients, and provides little evidence of adverse health outcomes or that the burden of care is shifted to carers in a way that is unacceptable for this older population.

https://doi.org/10.1071/AH020078

© AHHA 2002

Committee on Publication Ethics

PDF (86 KB) Export Citation

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share via Email

View Dimensions