Date of Award
5-1-2025
Degree Type
Evidence-Based Project Report
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Kristine Davis
Abstract
Delays in hospital discharge can negatively affect hospital throughput and bed capacity, resulting in increased length of stay and boarding of patients in off-unit locations which causes concerns for patient safety and potential harm (Rutherford et al., 2017). The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if the implementation of a very important discharge appointment (VIDA) would increase the number of hospital discharges occurring before noon (DBN) each day. This project was implemented at a 350-bed academic medical center in East Central Indiana. A 25-bed, adult medical unit served as the pilot unit. In total, 538 patients were included for this evidence-based project with 145 (27%) patients receiving the intervention, and 393 (73%) patients not receiving the intervention. Patients were selected to receive the intervention based upon medical stability and transportation availability the day of discharge. The primary intervention consisted of scheduling a VIDA for the patient on the day of discharge to increase the likelihood that the patient would be discharged before noon. Data was collected within the group pre-intervention and post-intervention. VIDA patients were tracked, and discharge time of day was recorded. Data between the two groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and chi-squared test. An odds ratio was then used to quantify the strength of the association between the two groups. Of the 145 patients receiving the intervention, 97 (67%) were discharged before noon. Of the 393 patients not receiving the intervention, 24 (6%) were discharged before noon. There was statistical significance of an association between the intervention and a patient being discharged before noon (p < .001). Patients receiving the intervention were 30.6 times more likely to be DBN as patients not receiving the intervention (95% CI: 18.12 - 53.57). These findings suggest that implementing a structured discharge appointment process, such as VIDA, is an effective strategy for improving hospital patient flow in similar healthcare settings.
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Recommended Citation
Paul, Nadia, "Improving Hospital Discharges Before Noon: Implementation of a VIDA (Very Important Discharge Appointment)" (2025). Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports. 212.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/212
Poster
Included in
Health and Medical Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Nursing Administration Commons
