TY - JOUR T1 - A physician-centered intervention to shorten hospital stay: a pilot study JF - Canadian Medical Association Journal JO - CMAJ SP - 1735 LP - 1737 VL - 160 IS - 12 AU - Setrakian, J. C. AU - Flegel, K. M. AU - Hutchinson, T. A. AU - Charest, S. AU - Côté, L. AU - Edwardes, MDDB. AU - Corbett, I. B. Y1 - 1999/06/15 UR - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/160/12/1735.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND: Studies of length of stay (LOS) in hospital usually focus on physician-independent factors. In this study, the authors identified physician-dependent factors and tested an intervention aimed at them to determine its effect on LOS. METHODS: A prospective comparison of LOS on 2 general medical wards in a tertiary care teaching hospital before and after the intervention. The pre-intervention (control) period and the intervention period were each 4 weeks. The intervention consisted of a checklist for planning management and discharge. RESULTS: Overall, the mean LOS was shorter during the intervention period than during the control period, but the difference was not statistically significant (12.0 and 14.4 days respectively, p = 0.13). The difference was significant on ward A (11.0 v. 14.7 days respectively, p = 0.02) but not on ward B (13.0 and 14.0 days respectively, p = 0.90). INTERPRETATION: An intervention at the level of the admitting physician may help to shorten LOS on a general medical ward. ER -