A survey of community hospitals indicated that although most engaged in productivity monitoring, systems for such measurement often failed to capture all relevant clinical workload data.

Results of a survey suggested consistency in clinical services provided by hospitals of varying size and increased productivity with increasing hospital size. Respondents employed fewer FTEs than those in other national surveys.

The study found that a sizable percentage of the responding community hospitals did not have guidelines, protocols, or policies related to the use of anticoagulants. Further, those hospitals without such guidelines commonly reported a need for clinical practice guidelines.

A sizable percentage of responding community hospitals do not have guidelines for treatment of ADHF despite the existence of such guidelines in the literature. There are opportunities for improvement in the general treatment of ADHF as well as for the use of nesiritide in ADHF, especially in the ED or observation unit versus inpatient units.

No abstract