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Audit of the activity of a same day ward
1Royal Newcastle Hospital, New South Wales.
Objective:
To assess the utilization of a 16-bed same day ward with particular reference to preadmission, discharge and after-care planning, and complication and delayed discharge rates.
Method:
Three audits, each of 200 consecutive patients, were carried out during 1987 with a questionnaire suitable for desk-top data processing.
Results:
The same day ward was capable of being used by a wide variety of disciplines, with one in five patients aged more than 70 years. Significant falls in complication and delayed discharge rates occurred, with increasing use of discharge notes and follow up arrangements by medical staff. Preadmission visits by a community nurse may facilitate the appropriate use of the ward by elderly patients.