PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 69

PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL.

AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY. WELLINGTON, September 25. The length of time that patients stay in hospital was the subject of a report to the Wellington Hospital Board this afternoon from the medical superintendent (Dr H. B. Ewen), who stated that for the year ended March 31. 1929, the average stay per patient in a New Zealand hospital was as follows:—

Whole of New Zealand .. 23.1 days. Auckland .. .. , 25.7 days. Wellington . 21.3 days. Christchurch 20.4 days Dunedin 20.6 days.

Last year the figure for Wellington Hospital had fallen to 20.9 day’s. Thia included infantile paralysis cases in the Children’s Hospital. By excluding the Children’s Hospital, the average stay in the active wards was 18.7 day’s. This figure, however, included about 20 to 25 chronic T.B. cases and about 30 to 35 chronic incurable cases housed in the general wards, so that the actual figure for active cases in the adult wards was below 18.7.

The honorary medical staff, stated Dr Ewen, has set up a committee to study’ various phases concerned with this matter, and it was hoped to be able to reduce the figure still further. However, the chief ways in' which this could be accomplished were the provision of separate accommodation for chronic cases and a convalescent home for adults.