The change management team established a successful needs assessment by describing the importance of a reduction in the LOS/excess days at the facility. The final comments came in, and the results were mostly for the change project. The primary aims of the reduction in LOS project are to conduct the following tests. First, to describe the precise constitution of the project for the facility as related to the project in question. Second, specify the changes required for optimal approval and project functionality. Third, describe the process required for successful project implementation, evaluation, and advocacy for continuous improvement (Chin, et al., 2011).
Health care facilities more than often experience an elongated period of stay between admission and discharge. The primary reason for such periods is their way of management when it comes to critical situations such as surgery, wounds, HAIs, and medication. The process might have detrimental impacts on the patient’s health status, hospital’s reputation, and caregiver’s work morale among other effects (Weiss & Elixhauser, 2014). Thus, reducing LOS/excess days requires proactive planning as well as active discharge and clinical practice programming for clarity in care delivery. Some of the routine mechanisms targeted for change include experience, communication, surveillance, and hospital practices among others.
Given the description, it would be vital to advocate for LOS/excess reduction. The management team requests for approval from the facility’s administrator, state health authority, and relevant national accreditation agency. They visualize that it would be important to utilize the available resources to initiate a change in both scope and capacity. The change targets not only this facility but also other key facilities within the state. The optimal objective is to reduce chances that increased LOS exists as a burden to the patient, the facility and nursing staff (Clarke & Rosen, 2001).
References
Chin, C. et al. (2011). Trends and predictors of length of stay after primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a report from the CathPCI registry. The American Heart Journal, 162 (6), 1052-1061.
Clarke, A., & Rosen, R. (2001). Length of stay: How short should hospital care be? European Journal of Public Health, 11 (2), 166-170.
Weiss, A., & Elixhauser, A. (2014). Overview of Hospital Stays in the United States, 2012. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
