Length of stay in an Australian stroke rehabilitation unit: a pilot study

Abstract

Aims Length of stay (LOS) is an important consideration in rehabilitation, and it can be adversely affected by delayed discharge. The purpose of this prospective study was to document LOS, frequency of discharge delay, reasons for discharge delay and its impact on LOS. Methods Ninety-eight inpatients in a stroke rehabilitation unit were included in the study. Findings Sixty (61%) patients had a LOS that exceeded the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC) benchmark LOS according to the Australian National Sub-acute and Non-acute Patient classification system. Twenty-five (26%) patients had delayed discharge resulting in a total delay of 886 days, with most of these related to delays in the provision of community services. When patients with discharge delay were factored out of analyses, LOS was still longer than AROC benchmark figures for 39 (57%) of the 69 patients without discharge delay. Conclusions The LOSs of the majority of patients included in this study were longer than the AROC benchmark figures, even when patients with discharge delay were factored out. Initiatives to address this problem include the implementation of a proactive computerized tool that will provide target LOSs and enable reasons for excessive LOS to be more closely examined.