The Role of the Discharge Planning Team on the Length of Hospital Stay and Readmission in Patients with Neurological Conditions: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of discharge planning teams in enhancing patient care. However, there is lack of data regarding how the implementation of a discharge planning system influences the length of stay (LOS) in hospital and readmission rates among patients with neurological diseases. We conducted a retrospective analysis to examine the effects of discharge planning application on the LOS and readmission rates for patients admitted under the neurology service in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City—Western region of Saudi Arabia. We included all patients admitted and discharged under the neurology service between January 2018 and December 2019. The included patients who were divided into the 2018 group (not exposed to discharge planner) and the 2019 group (exposed to discharge planner). The primary endpoints were the LOS and readmission rates. Results: The study included 856 patients (436 allocated to the 2019 group and 420 allocated to the 2018 group). There was no difference between the two groups in the LOS after adjusting confounding factors (β = −0.58, 95% CI [−2.79, 1.61], p = 0.60). However, the 2019 group were more likely to be discharged within three days compared to the 2018 group (41% vs. 26%, p < 0.005). Our analysis showed that patients in the 2019 group were less likely to be readmitted compared to the 2018 group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.70, 95% CI [0.49–0.99], p = 0.0442). Conclusions: Implementation of a discharge planning team was associated with higher early discharge rates and lower hospital readmissions, suggesting potential benefits for healthcare resource utilization in neurological services.