RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF A PATIENT-CENTERED HOSPITAL UNIT

Patient-centered hospital units have grown out of the national trend t o greater consumerism, but few of these units have been evaluated rigo rously. We used a randomized controlled trial to compare patient outco mes on the Planetree Model Hospital Unit with other medical-surgical u nits in the hospital. Planetree patients were significantly more satis fied than controls with their hospital stay, the unit's environment an d nursing care, but did not differ in ratings of physician care. Plane tree patients reported more involvement in their care while hospitaliz ed and higher satisfaction with the education they received. There wer e few differences between Planetree and controls in health behaviors: While Planetree patients reported better mental health status and role functioning after discharge, their health status was similar to contr ols after 3 to 6 months. There were no differences in length of stay a nd charges for the index hospitalization, readmissions or outpatient c are during the following year. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.