Sarcasm of Quality and Efficiency: an Evaluation of Pediatrics Inpatient Bed utilization in Services Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To determine inpatient bed utilization in the Pediatrics Ward of Services Hospital,
Lahore as average daily census and Bed Occupancy Rate.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the Pediatrics Medicine Ward of Services
Hospital Lahore which is a tertiary care hospital attached with Services Institute of Medical
Sciences Lahore, Pakistan. A 'midnight census' was conducted by 4th year MBBS, Medical
Students for the children admitted from 6 to 12 May, 2015. The data for inpatient service utilization
was analyzed for estimation of average daily census and bed occupancy rate.
Results: The average daily census was 69 patients per day and the Bed Occupancy Rate was
found to be 137.7%. This rate was higher than 100% that shows the over-utilization of beds
leading to quality compromise for the provided services.
Conclusion: High bed occupancy rate indicates a scarcity of beds in the Pediatric Ward which
highlights a disparity between the supply and demands of pediatric medical services. A change in
policy and increase in number of beds would help provision of quality health services to the
children.