Introduction
Several factors can affect a patient’s outcome after being hospitalized. These factors include the quality of care the patient receives, the type of patients that a particular hospital treats, and the hospital’s available resources. This paper will discuss these factors in more detail and explain why they can lead to significant variations in in-hospital outcomes. The paper also outlines how leaders can reduce hospital outcome variations and promote health care for all patients.
Reasons behind Notable in-Hospital Outcomes Variations
One study found that, after accounting for the severity of illness, patients treated in teaching hospitals had better outcomes than those treated in non-teaching hospitals. Teaching hospitals have lower mortality rates and shorter lengths of stay (Stribling & Hollier, 2020). The authors suggest that this may be due to the higher quality of care received at teaching hospitals. Furthermore, patients treated in rural hospitals had worse outcomes than those treated in urban hospitals (Danielis, Destrebecq, Terzoni, & Palese, 2021). Most rural hospitals are less equipped with resources and personnel, hence poor patient outcomes.
There are also significant variations in in-hospital outcomes between different hospitals. This is likely due to factors like hospital quality, care access, and patients’ characteristics. Highly modernized hospitals with first-rated services and enough resources tend to have better outcomes, as they can provide high-quality care (Kruk et al., 2018). Hospitals with more resources can invest in better facilities and equipment and hire more experienced staff. There are significant variations in patients’ quality of care from hospital to hospital. This variation in the quality of care can be due to some factors, namely the experience and training of the hospital staff, the availability of resources, and the hospital’s policies and procedures.
Another reason may be the type of patients that a particular hospital treats. For example, a hospital treating patients with a specific type of illness may have better outcomes than a hospital treating various diseases (Danielis et al., 2021). This is because the specialized hospital is likelier to have staff with experience treating the particular illness and the necessary resources and facilities. Hospitals that are easier to access tend to have better outcomes, as patients are more likely to receive timely care.
Patients’ characteristics also play a role in in-hospital outcomes. For example, patients more compliant with their treatment plan are more likely to have better results. Moreover, patients’ individual preferences and values can also affect their care experience and outcomes (Danielis et al., 2021). For example, a patient who values communication and involvement in their care may be more likely to have a positive experience and better outcomes than a patient who does not feel as strongly about these things. Furthermore, patients who are difficult to communicate with or have many comorbidities may be more likely to receive a lower quality of care (Danielis et al., 2021). Additionally, patients from a minority group or who have a lower socioeconomic status may also be more likely to receive a lower quality of care. These disparities in quality of care can lead to differences in in-hospital outcomes.
Actions by Health Facility Leaders and Administrators to Mitigate Healthcare Outcome Variations
Hospital administrators and other leaders can undertake some activities to lower outcome variations. For instance, they can improve the quality of care that patients receive. Accomplishing this requires increasing the experience and training of the hospital staff, enhancing the availability of resources, and developing better policies and procedures (Gutacker, Bloor, Bojke, & Walshe, 2018). By taking these steps, hospitals can ensure that their staff is better equipped to provide quality care and that patients have the resources they need to obtain the best possible outcome.
Actions towards this intervention include developing specialized programs and facilities for a particular type of illness or patient population. Another measure is to treat a specific kind of illness or patient population. Focusing on a given patient category or condition ensures that hospital personnel has the experience and resources necessary to provide the best care (Essel, 2022). Besides, managers can ensure that all patients receive the same level of care, regardless of their characteristics. Interventions to promote this include implementing programs that address disparities in care, such as providing financial assistance to patients from minority groups or lower socioeconomic status.
Finally, leaders can try to increase the hospital resources available and engage in quality improvement initiatives that focus on identifying and addressing areas of variation. After knowing the aspects that lead to outcome variation among patients, leaders can take proper measures to mitigate them. They can also ensure that all staff members are following the same protocols and procedures. This can help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there is less room for error. By increasing the resources available to hospitals, leaders can help to ensure that all patients have access to quality care (Essel, 2022). This can be done by fundraising, lobbying for government support, or partnering with other organizations.
Conclusion
Patient care outcomes vary from patient to patient and hospital to hospital due to some rationales. Some of these reasons include the quality of care that patients receive, the type of patients that a hospital treats, and the hospital’s available resources. Hospital administrators and other leaders can reduce the outcome variations by improving the quality of care, ensuring that patients receive the same level of care to eliminate healthcare disparities, and increasing the hospital’s available resources.
References
Danielis, M., Destrebecq, A. L., Terzoni, S., & Palese, A. (2021). Nursing care factors influencing patients’ outcomes in the Intensive Care Unit: Findings from a rapid review. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 28(2).
Essel, K. (2022). Social Determinants of Health Part 3: Promoting health equity. Pediatric Collections: Social Determinants of Health (Part 3: Promoting Health Equity), 3–4.
Gutacker, N., Bloor, K., Bojke, C., & Walshe, K. (2018). Should interventions to reduce variation in care quality target doctors or hospitals? Health Policy, 122(6), 660–666.
Kruk, M. E., Gage, A. D., Arsenault, C., Jordan, K., Leslie, H. H., Roder-DeWan, S., Adeyi, O., Barker, P., Daelmans, B., Doubova, S. V., English, M., GarcĂa-Elorrio, E., Guanais, F., Gureje, O., Hirschhorn, L. R., Jiang, L., Kelley, E., Lemango, E. T., Liljestrand, J., … Pate, M. (2018). High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals Era: Time for a revolution. The Lancet Global Health, 6(11).
Stribling, L., & Hollier, L. H. (2020). Review of “comparing outcomes and costs of medical patients treated at major teaching and non-teaching hospitals. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 31(4).