Long hospital lengths of stay are associated with an increased risk of death, while also putting significant pressure on hospitals. A greater risk of hospital-acquired infection can make this worse ,potentially lengthening hospital stay by several weeks.
This study aims to identify severely ill respiratory patients who are at higher risk of longer hospital stays and find ways of predicting whether a patient will experience the same when they next have a similar infection. Researchers will explore the relationships between length of stay and age, gender, ethnicity, diagnosed diseases, and staffing levels during the patients’ stay in hospital.
During the COVID-19 pandemic many patients were supported at home where they measured their own oxygen levels and reported them to hospital staff. This demonstrated that appropriate testing, telephone support, and remote monitoring in the community can significantly reduce the likelihood of long hospital stays. Therefore, being able to identify patients that could benefit from this care could have a major positive impact on healthcare systems and patient care. It will enable policy makers to develop and target better care for these patients, potentially within an Acute Respiratory Infection Hub or through the NHS @home programme.
