background increasing demand for limited healthcare resources raises questions about appropriate use of inpatient beds. in the first paediatric bed utilisation study at a regional university centre in ireland, we conducted a cross-sectional study to audit the utilisation of inpatient beds at the regional paediatric unit (rpu) in university hospital limerick (uhl), limerick, ireland and also exa...

For many years, average bed occupancy level has been the primary measure that has guided hospital bed capacity decisions at both policy and managerial levels. Even now, the common wisdom that there is an excess of beds nationally has been based on a federal target of 85% occupancy that was developed about 25 years ago. This paper examines data from New York state and uses queueing analysis to e...

Part one of this series investigated the adequacy of current models used to forecast bed demand. This part explores the issues surrounding the correct level of occupancy required to deliver effective and safe health care. Economy of scale as explained by queuing theory is a significant factor in understanding bed occupancy. However, irrespective of the occupancy specific to different sized hosp...

Identification of patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and subsequent isolation and decolonization is pivotal to the control of cross infection in hospitals. The aim of this study was to establish if early identification of colonized patients using rapid methods alone reduces transmission. A prospective, cluster, two-period cross-over design was used. Seven...

This paper describes three bed prediction models in aiding hospital planners to anticipate bed demand so as to manage resources efficiently. The Poisson bed occupancy model provides an estimation of bed occupancy and optimal bed requirements in each class based on length of stay and admissions data. The simulation model was developed to predict bed occupancy levels for every class for the follo...

Secure hospital beds are vitally important for the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered accused persons. A forensic mental health system with an adequate level of hospital beds is essential for the courts and review boards to carry out of the mental disorder provisions of the Criminal Code. This article describes the results of a study that examined interprovincial differences in the...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between clinical need and hospital bed supply and utilization in Russia; and, to investigate these associations in areas where traditional Russian tuberculosis health care systems exist and where the directly observed therapy-short course (DOTS) strategy has been implemented. DESIGN Ecological study using 2002 routine data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hos...

Timely access to safe hospital care remains a major concern. Target bed-occupancy rates have been proposed as a measure of the ability of a hospital to function safely and effectively. High bed-occupancy rates have been shown to be associated with greater risks of hospital-associated infection and access block and to have a negative impact on staff health. Clinical observational data have sugge...