Randomised controlled trial of early discharge for inguinal hernia and varicose veins.

Abstract

SUMMARY A randomised controlled trial has been conducted into the effects of discharging patients from hospital either 48 hours or six to seven days after operations for inguinal hernia and varicose veins. There was no statistically significant difference in major postoperative complications between the two lengths of stay for either of the two conditions. Similarly there was no difference between the two groups of hernia patients in relation to eventual recurrences. There was no significant difference in length of convalescence between long-stay and short-stay patients in full-time occupations. The savings to the statutory services of discharging patients early were estimated at £25.72 per patient. Patients appeared to approve of the type of care they experienced, regardless of length of stay. However, the families of short-stay patients were significantly less enthusiastic in their attitudes towards the policy of early discharge than the families of long-stay patients.

Randomised controlled trial comparing hospital at home care with inpatient hospital care. I: three month follow up of health outcomes

“…This is consistent with the results of other randomised controlled trials 15 – 19. Our trial did not have the power to detect differences in morbidity or mortality, and the number of patients recruited with chronic obstructive airways disease was small.…”

Day surgery and hospital efficiency: empirical analysis of Norwegian hospitals, 1999–2001

“…It is furthermore maintained that day surgery implies a reduced risk of infections, as well as shorter convalescence time. These claims have found some empirical support in studies of day surgery and patient satisfaction [23][24][25][26] and in analyses of the effect of day surgery or reduced length of stay on clinical outcome [3,[27][28][29][30][31]. Since the focus here is on hospital efficiency rather than on patient welfare however, we choose not to pursue these individual aspects in any further detail and instead concentrate on the potential gains in terms of hospital efficiency.…”

Economic Consequences of Early Inpatient Discharge to Community-Based Rehabilitation for Stroke in an Inner-London Teaching Hospital

“…[23][24][25][26] However, only 1 similar economic study concerning an integrated policy of early discharge and home-based rehabilitation for stroke was identified. 27 That report, based on a Swedish population, gave results of a pilot study covering only 15 patients.…”