Bed utilization efficiency in the hospitals of the royal medical services (1996-1999)‎

Abstract EN

Objectives : This study addresses the efficiency of bed utilization in the hospitals of the Royal Medical Services, and provides estimates of the number of beds consistent with an acceptable occupancy rate for each hospital Methods : Data related to each of the nine hospitals oj the Royal Medical Services were collected for the years (1996-1999) from the annual statistical reports.

Data included hospital current beds, number of discharges, and in-patient service days.

Measures used to indicate the level of efficiency of bed utilization or service load in each hospital included: Hospitals bed-occupancy rate, average length of stay, bed turnover rate, and turnover interval A formula described by Naila et al(l> was used to estimate bed requirement.

The formula involved the application of statistical theory, where limits based upon a certain number of standard deviations are added to the average demand for hospital beds in order to obtain a specified probability of meeting all services demands.

• Results: Results showed that only Queen Alia Heart Institute and Al-Hussein Hospital revealed acceptable rates of bed utilization.

Occupancy rates in these hospitals ranged from 80% to 87 %.

Turnover rates ranged from 43.5 to 74.8.

Turnover interval in these hospitals ranged from 0.67 to 1.64 days.

The other seven hospitals showed low bed utilization rates.

Conclusion: Only two of the nine hospitals in the Royal Medical Services, (Queen Alia Heart Institute and Al- Hussein Hospital) are working with acceptable rates oj bed utilization.

A reduction in the current number oj beds or the reallocation of existing beds would increase bed occupancy rates in the remaining hospitals and produce acceptable rates of bed utilization.