It’s not just enough for hospitals to reduce their losses (understandably so); rather, it’s also about the length of time that a patient stays there. Everyone knows this, but there’s no one out there that actually enjoys staying at the hospital. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a short visit or a more serious situation; most patients are eager to get back home as soon as possible. Honestly, who’s to blame them? Most staff want to get home ASAP, too. So, how can hospitals speed things up without rushing through care (the most important part of course)? Well, it’s all about smart tools, better coordination, and a little bit of forward-thinking.
By Team Savant
Image: Stephen Andrews
Hospitals are just as keen to reduce the patients’ length of stay; after all, the longer someone stays, the more likely issues like overcrowding, delays for new patients, or even complications like infections can creep in. But overall, that alone is fairly challenging. Just trying to strike the right balance, that is. It’s about ensuring patients leave feeling well enough to recover comfortably at home while also keeping the system running smoothly.
Speeding Up Diagnoses with Smarter Tech
For starters, one of the biggest culprits of long hospital stays is waiting for test results. It’s almost always that. For example, there are blood tests, scans, and pathology slides, and it all takes time, and the longer it takes, the longer a patient is stuck in limbo. Fortunately, there are more changes in technology, such as digital pathology, which has made a pretty big difference. It’s still a bit new, but so far, it’s been making it quicker and easier for specialists to analyse and share test results.
So, instead of waiting what could be days for slides to be sent back and forth, digital pathology lets doctors look at them in real time, no matter where they are. It’s so impactful because this means quicker decisions, faster treatment, and, most importantly, patients getting on the road to recovery sooner. Basically, it’s efficiency with a side of accuracy.
Getting Departments to Work Together Better
In a way, a lot of hospitals are like a giant jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don’t always fit. It’s crazy to think, but there’s some truth to it. Sometimes, one department is waiting on another, and the patient ends up stuck in the middle. So that’s why sorting out these missteps can make a massive difference in how quickly people are treated and discharged.
One simple solution is better communication systems that track where patients are in their treatment journey. The whole goal is no more unnecessary delays or people getting overlooked because one team didn’t know what the other was doing. Yes, this is far more common in hospitals than what people may believe.
Planning the Exit Early
Hospitals need to start planning the discharge the moment a patient is admitted. It might sound counterintuitive, but it works. Talking about what they’ll need to recover at home, medications, follow-up care, or home support means everything is ready to go when the time comes.
Besides, it also cuts out those awkward last-minute scrambles for paperwork or prescriptions, which can drag out discharge times unnecessarily. Plus, linking up with home care services or rehab centres early ensures a smooth handover when patients do leave.