PRODUCTIVITY OF HOSPITAL BEDS: EVALUATION OF INPATIENT BED DAYS IN THE WEST AZERBAIJAN SELECTED HOSPITALS

all over the world, healthcare systems are under intense pressure to improve
their performance. The cost of healthcare is a critical issue for employers and patients, and they also
constitute the nation’s central financial challenge. Hospitals as part of health system command the
majority of any countries’ health care budget. Decreasing hospitalization time with an increased beds
capacity, will lead to improved efficiency and productivity. The aim of this study was to measure
inappropriateness of inpatient stays in the west azerbaijan selected hospitals.
Materials & methods: in this retrospective study, medical records of 435 hospitalized patients (1536
patient days) were carefully scrutinized based on appropriateness evaluation protocol in selected
hospitals. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined. Data using descriptive and inferential
statistics such as x2 test were analyzed.
Result: the study was carried on in medical-surgical and gynecological wards of different selected
hospitals in the west azerbaijan, 435 medical records of hospitalized patients (1536 patient days). The
study showed that 6% (92 days) of stay days was medically unnecessary and there was a significant
relationship between unnecessary hospitalization days and type, affiliation and ownership of hospitals
(p<0.05). The most inappropriate hospitalization days were found in teaching and state-owned
hospitals.
Conclusion: reducing inappropriate hospital stay increases hospital productivity and decrease waiting
list, and at the same time decreases the costs for both hospital and patients. Managerial and system
factors had a meaningful relationship with unnecessary stay days, showing the importance of
management in the health system and its sub-systems such as hospital