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Optimize patient flow throughout the hospital

• Assess and adjust the number of beds and staffing needed for each service to accommodate patient volume
  Achieving Hospital-wide Patient Flow by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Use hospital-wide patient flow planning huddles and real-time demand and capacity problem solving
  AM Bed Huddle Worksheet by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Optimize scheduling of discharges, such as by maximizing morning discharges to free up beds for afternoon and evening admissions from the ED
  Schedule the Discharge to Improve Flow by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Use proactive discharge planning focused on patients' medical readiness criteria for discharge
  Include discharge planning in daily interdisciplinary rounds (for an example, read the Saskatchewan Health Authority's Patient Flow Toolkit, Module 1: Interdisciplinary Rounding)
  Use a risk assessment tool to identify patients at risk for complex discharge (such as the Blaylock Discharge Planning Risk Assessment Screen)

Reduce avoidable hospital readmissions to increase bed availability

• Emphasize education and resources for patients and families with unplanned admission
  Patient-oriented discharge summaries by University Health Network OpenLab
• Review the quality standard Transitions Between Hospital and Home
  Ontario Health Quality Standard Transitions Between Hospital and Home
• Send discharge summaries to primary care providers within 48 hours
  eNotifications in OntarioMD's Health Reports Manager