Analyzing Hospital Bed Productivity Using an Innovative Indicator

Background and Aim: Hospital bed productivity is crucial for efficient management. In this study, the capacity of hospital beds in Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan was evaluated using an innovative indicator. Methods: The present study was performed by a descriptive method in 2018. Using the statistical data of Al-Zahra Hospital, field survey, review of the official license of the hospital and putting in the proposed indicator of this study, hospital bed productivity for the whole hospital and three randomly selected wards (gastrointestinal ward, neonatal surgery ward and heart-dermatology-endocrine-post CCU ward) was calculated and analyzed. Results: The overall hospital bed productivity was 50.7%. The indicator was estimated for the gastrointestinal ward 68.9%, neonatal surgery ward 24.9%, and for the heart-dermatology-endocrine-post CCU ward 70.9%. The effect of the active bed on the formula was investigated which caused some beds to exit from the activity cycle. The problem of bed occupancy rate in terms of patient admission and patient distribution in wards and the negative effect of the average length of stay in the formula was also examined for systematic and individual causes. Conclusion: The proposed formula presented in this study will help managers to increase hospital productivity by measuring the extent of existing capacity utilization and identifying the reasons for not using the maximum capacity to achieve optimal utilization capacity.