A study of how acute care beds are currently utilized in Prince Edward Island is being conducted at seven hospitals across the province this week by Dr. Charles Wright and Karen Cardiff of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research in Vancouver.
The study has been commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Services.
Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover advised that Prince Edward Island, like other provinces is under increasing pressure to increase the number of acute care beds while making the best use of current resources.
"To best respond to these requests, we are conducting the study to fully understand how the beds are now being used," said the minister.
"We will use the information to evaluate current patterns of bed use, identify areas of practice where more focused utilization management activities would be helpful, and to help plan the appropriate configuration of integrated health care resources in the health regions."
Similar province-wide studies have recently been done in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, she said.
The number of acute care hospital beds per capita has been falling progressively for several years. Many regions across Canada are now using approximately one-third of the beds used 30 years ago, in spite of huge advances in medical care and treatment. Questions continue to be asked about the appropriateness of current acute care bed use in view of the need for accountability and the most cost-effective use of health care resources.
Recent studies in other provinces have identified a proportion of patients currently occupying beds in acute care hospitals whose requirements for health care would be better provided in alternative facilities such as out-patient, rehabilitation and palliative care units, or in the home with appropriate professional and other assistance.
A retrospective chart review process will be used in the PEI study. A structured random sample of adult hospitalization episodes during 1997-98 will be examined in all acute care hospitals using the InterQual® ISD instrument. This instrument provides objective validated criteria to assess for each patient the severity of illness, the services being provided, criteria for appropriate discharge, and other data elements such as the presence or absence of mental impairment, frailty with age, physical handicap, or other associated diseases that could impair a patient's ability to manage safely at home.
The data for the study will be collected over a four-week period and the study results are expected in September.
For more information contact: Dr. Don Ling, Director, Medical Services, 368-6261
Charles Wright
Charles Wright is currently Director, Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation at Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, and Faculty Member of UBC, the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, and the BC Office of Heath Technology Assessment. He was VP Medical at the Health Sciences Centre for seven years and before entering medical administration he was Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Saskatchewan. He chaired the Medical Care Insurance Commission in Saskatchewan in the 1980's, has been involved in multiple consultant projects for the federal and provincial health ministries and other health agencies and universities, and is currently a medical surveyor with the Canadian Council On Health Services Accreditation. Dr. Wright's publications include more than ninety papers and book chapters on surgery, clinical epidemiology, medical administration and the health care system.
Karen Cardiff
Karen Cardifff is a Research Associate with the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at UBC. Her research has focused on hospital and community-based utilization management initiatives, quality assurance and technology assessment activities. Recent research initiatives have included examining hospital inpatient populations, using explicit criteria. In particular, Karen has provided consultative and research support for the Provincial Bed Utilization Study undertaken by the BC Ministry of Health. She has also provided consultative and research support to the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board's "Evaluation of the ‘Closer To Home' Program". Karen holds undergraduate degrees in Nursing (UBC) and science (University of Alberta) and a Master's Degree in Community Health and Epidemiology from the university of Toronto. Karen is also a nurse practitioner and has worked with the Medical Services Branch of Health Canada throughout the Yukon and Northwest Territories.