Abstract
Purpose Several studies have been unable to demonstrate a positive impact of practice guidelines on health care outcomes. We report the effect on hospital length of stay (LOS), costs, and 30-day readmission rates following the implementation of evidence-based (EB) guideline for oxygen (O2) discharge in infants Methods We developed an EB guideline for infants Results There were 1,683 pre- and 2,553 postintervention admissions for bronchiolitis during the study period. The two groups were similar with respect to important clinical factors including severity of illness. Following the implementation of the guideline, the average LOS decreased significantly: 72.3 hours pre- versus 69.5 hours postintervention (p Conclusions The implementation of an EB O2 discharge guideline coupled with feeding back compliance data to physicians resulted in a significant decreased LOS with no change in costs or readmission rates. Standardization of care provided by hospitalists can lead to efficient use of hospital resources and improvement in outcomes.
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