Delayed discharges at a major arterial centre: a 4-month cross-sectional study at a single specialist vascular surgery ward

Objectives: Delayed discharges are a significant problem for the National Health Service. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and impact of delayed discharge at a single specialist vascular surgery ward. Design: A cross-sectional observational study. Setting: A single specialist vascular unit in the UK during a 4-month study period (01/09/2014–31/12/2014). Participants: All patients admitted to the ward during the study period were included. Patients spending ≥1 night on the ward once declared medically fit for discharge (MFFD) were prospectively identified and data prospectively collected. All other patients were identified retrospectively with data collected retrospectively from electronic records. Outcome measures: Primary outcome was number of patients experiencing delayed discharge. Secondary outcome measures were length of stay, length of delay and cost of delay. Results: There were 268 admissions with a total length of stay (LoS) of 2776 days. 57 admissions (21.3%) experienced delayed discharges with a total 535 excess bed days (19.3% total LoS) once MFFD. Unplanned admission (relative risk 7.3 (95% CI 2.7 to 20.0; p<0.001)) and index amputation (relative risk 9.2 (95% CI 3.8 to 22.0; p