| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6250591 | The American Journal of Surgery | 2016 | 4 Pages |
BackgroundBalancing patient safety with hospital length of stay (LOS) and associated cost is critically important. Subjectively, we have observed that patients undergoing ostomy creation early in the week have a shorter LOS.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed LOS based on day of the week the operation was performed.ResultsWe reviewed 180 patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery with planned ostomy. Group 1 underwent surgery on Monday to Wednesday (n = 77), Group 2 on Thursday (n = 49), and Group 3 on Friday (n = 54). The average LOS for Group 1, 2, and 3 was 6.2, 4.9, and 7.2Â days, respectively. The average number of visits with ostomy nursing for Group 1, 2, and 3 was 2.7, 1.8, and 2.3, respectively. Day of initial ostomy nursing visit was significantly correlated between the delay to initial visit and LOS with Group 3 delayed most.ConclusionsPatients with the longest delay to initial nurse visit had the longest LOS, with Friday operations being most delayed. A contributing factor may be absence of ostomy teaching over the weekend.
