There is no standard definition for delayed hospital discharge in the literature. One study in the USA used insurance Diagnosis Related Group–based time points [8], another study used a 24-hour cut off point to define delayed discharge [18]. Both studies acknowledged that discharge delay duration varies between practices and institutes.
In the current study, we calculated delays from the time of the decision of discharge until the patient left the hospital, which had a median of three hours. This went by the definition of acceptable delay set by the clinical administrative panel in our hospital.
In our study, age only correlated weakly with delayed discharge, whereas, in other studies, age was one of the factors that influenced delayed discharge [9, 10]. According to the NHS in Scotland, 69% of delayed discharges occurred in patients 75 years of age and older [6]. The current study was restricted to trauma patients who were relatively younger compared to mixed cases in other studies that included non-trauma patients as well as patients admitted for various medical indications of older age groups.
We found in our study that time to discharge for trauma patients was significantly longer for trauma patients with an ISS > 15. These patients were more likely to undergo surgery and be admitted to the ICU with a longer overall hospital stay, which was in turn associated with a delay in discharge. Other studies in the USA and Iran also showed similar results [9, 28]. In contrast, Hwabejire et al. in their retrospective study of 3237 trauma patients, found that ISS was not the main factor in delaying hospital discharge [8].
In the current study, system-related factors were reported in nearly half of the patients. This is relatively higher than a study in the United States has found; where only a quarter of patients experienced system-related delays [8]. Medical-related factors were reported in over one-third of the patients in the current study. Studies in the USA and the UK have similarly emphasized the role of medical-related delays to discharge [6, 8].
It is to be noted that other factors related to rehabilitation facility arrangements post-discharge were found to be strongly associated with discharge delays in the USA and the UK [5, 8–10, 18]. Such facilities are not as common in Egypt. The equivalent of this type of delay in the current study was family-related arrangements in terms of delayed pick up from the hospital by relatives, living alone with single care, and living in remote areas requiring a longer time to arrange for a proper transportation method. Family-related factors were reported by only a quarter of the patients in the current study; however, they were significantly associated with longer discharge delays compared to other factors. Despite being the least reported category in this study, family-related factors were five times more frequent than reported by the NHS in Scotland [5]. Compared to developed countries- where rehabilitation facilities are more widely available- post-discharge care is less institutionalized in developing countries. Since a lot of responsibility for post-discharge patient care is transferred to family members, hospital staff need to communicate more closely with patients’ families to help them be more readily prepared to provide post-discharge care.
Payer related issues and insurance provider delays were among the main reasons for delayed discharge in the USA [8, 18]. But in the current study, the hospital offered free service to the patients, and hence, payment related issues were not encountered; although the situation might be different in other settings such as in private hospitals.
The hospital in which the current study was conducted is a major tertiary care center that provides free healthcare services for thousands of patients every year. So, delayed patients’ discharge is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed to improve patient care and to avoid any excess costs.
Accordingly, we need to find appropriate solutions for medical and system-related delays. Solutions might include having junior doctors prepare discharge paperwork in advance for patients who are expected to be discharged, providing dedicated unit secretaries to appropriately care for the discharge paperwork, and increasing the nursing staff on the unit to finish all the required dressings and other pending medical issues that may delay discharge.
In the current study, family-related factors were the least commonly reported reasons for the delay; however, they were strongly associated with delays in discharge beyond three hours. One possible intervention to reduce family-related delays might be by providing earlier notice of discharge to patients and their families. There is also a need to facilitate rapid, proper, and safe transport of patients to their homes. Lastly, networking with the available nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities (although few) may benefit elderly patients, particularly those who live alone, so that they can find a safe environment to live (at least temporarily) following discharge.
One of the limitations of our study was that it included only trauma patients in one University tertiary center in Egypt. To fully understand the extent and pattern of hospital discharge delays in Egypt, more inclusive studies in other healthcare settings and other specialties are needed.
Since there is no sufficient evidence in the literature, additional studies are needed to determine what is an acceptable amount of time before tagging a discharge as delayed, so that there will be a target in the future for quality improvement.