Analysis of bed usage and occupancy following the introduction of geriatric rehabilitative care in a hospital in Huesca, Spain.

The decision support system BOMPS (Bed Occupancy Management and Planning Software) is used to document the effects on bed usage and occupancy of policy changes in the role of the provincial hospital of Huesca, Spain. A preliminary analysis of data for 1,834 hospital discharges during the period 1987 to 1996 showed that there was an increase in hospital activity. Estimates of bed usage and occupancy during a calendar year were calculated from aggregated weekly census data. Bed usage by short-stay patients increased following the introduction of rehabilitative care. Bed usage by long-stay patients decreased immediately following the introduction of rehabilitative care, however, the time between admission and census for long-stay patients decreased only after a number of years.