PFC 2005 - Bed management

Page contents: Aim | Change concepts | Key Change Principles | Measures | Resources | Toolkits | Training | Websites and links

Aim

Change Concepts

• Implement a bed management system on screen saver, that feeds live information on:
  • Bed occupied
  • Bed being cleaned
  • Bed available
• Establish 'control room' for bed management
• Use conference calls to identify bed stock (minimum daily)
• Implement IT system which assists with planning length of stay management and occupancy
• Join bed management with key daily contacts in emergency department and wards
• Implement escalation policy for bed management
• Identify the number of beds which will be needed out of hours, and allocate management responsibility to maintain stock required
• Identify when grand rounds with managers and clinicians are needed to problem solve delayed discharges
• Manage delays in discharge around public holidays or special events by boosting day surgery activity to allow time for discharge rounds
• Bed management team and nurse unit managers to rotate as bed manager
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Key Change Principles

Measures

• Average Admissions & Discharges by day of week (Bar chart)
• Length of stay - total/medical/surgical/other (Pareto chart)

Suggested measures

• Capacity and Demand
  • Bed Capacity v Utilisation v Demand
• Bed capacity
• Total bed numbers for last 3 months, and 1 year split into medical/surgical

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Resources

Chronic Disease Management (30kb, pdf)

Managing the Hospital Capacity Crisis (106kb, pdf)

Toolkits

Bed Management (475kb, MS Powerpoint)

Training

• Capacity and demand
• Whole system
• Theory of constraints

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Websites and Links

Modernisation Agency UK;Emergency Services Collaborative

Queensland Government;Collaborative for Healthcare Improvement

ARCHI; Bed Management - Improving Patient Flows (membership required)

ARCHI; Bed Management - Designing Patient Flows (membership required)

NHS; Have you seen..?

Queensland Government; Collaborative for Healthcare Improvement - Improving Interfaces and Patient Flows

Bedtracking; A 'best practice' for bed turnover

ARCHI; Changing Older Patient Management Processes To Improve Access to Acute Hospital Beds and Residential Aged Care Facilities (membership required)

Six Sigma; Improving Hospital Bed Availability

National Audit Office UK; Chief Executive Briefing

US Department of Health and Human Services; Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Tools

Toward Total Organizational Effectiveness!

American Hospital Association; Balanced Scorecard for Small Rural Hospitals

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