Learn

The population of the developed world is ageing rapidly. Older adults are more likely to present to hospital with more than one health condition, and multimorbidity is associated with longer hospital stays. Consequently, pressure on hospital capacity is expected to increase, as are the mean costs of patient care.

The number of public hospital beds, relative to population size, has steadily declined in recent years, but the number of presentations has increased. The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine reported that the number of hospital presentations per 1000 people increased by 3% between 2016–17 and 2020–21, but that the number of available hospital beds per 1000 people declined by 4%. This has led to hospitals frequently operating beyond the 85% bed occupancy rate recommended by the Australian Medical Association. A high degree of bed occupancy has negative consequences for hospital care, particularly in emergency departments, including higher risks of hospital‐associated infections and poorer staff health.

This MJA research shares more. 

Details

1. Explain key components of the research.
2. List main findings.
3. Propose steps to keep hospital cost under control whilst providing high-value care to patients.

Author: Natasha Reid, Thakeru Gamage, Stephen J Duckett and Leonard C Gray

Article Type: Research