Hj. Fox et al., LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY AND OUTCOME AFTER FEMORAL-NECK FRACTURE - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY COMPARING THE PERFORMANCE OF 2 HOSPITALS, Injury, 24(7), 1993, pp. 464-466
Length of hospital stay and outcome after femoral neck fracture were c
ompared in a prospective study between two adjacent hospitals. In matc
hed populations, mean length of stay was 30.8 days at Hospital X and 1
5.7 days at Hospital Y. Need for rehousing, age over 80 years and new
nursing home placement prolonged length of stay at Hospital X, but not
at Hospital Y Hospital X had an orthopaedic rehabilitation ward and r
eturned 88 per cent of patients to their own home, placing 9 per cent
admitted from home in nursing homes. Hospital Y returned 76 per cent o
f patients to their own home and 19 per cent to nursing homes. The rap
id discharge policy of Hospital Y saved significant resources within t
he acute hospital at the expense of returning significantly fewer pati
ents to their own homes.