ArticleBMC health services research2019
Impact of shortened length of stay for delivery on the required bed capacity in maternity services: results from forecast analysis on administrative data.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Barriers and facilitators for optimal perinatal primary care in low-risk pregnancies: an interview study with parents and healthcare professionals.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Effects of a maternal-infant telecare program on postpartum maternal confidence and sleep quality of mothers and infants.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Temporal-spatial trends in childbirth in Ontario, Canada.PloS one · 2026Article
- Measures to assess quality of postnatal care: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Planning for Maternity Waiting Home Bed Capacity: Lessons from Rural Zambia.Annals of global health · 2022Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWe examine the implications of reducing the average length of stay (ALOS) for a delivery on the required capacity in terms of service volume and maternity beds in Belgium, using administrative data covering all inpatient stays in Belgian general hospitals over the period 2003-2014.
methodsA projection model generates forecasts of all inpatient and day-care services with a time horizon of 2025. It adjusts the observed hospital use in 2014 to the combined effect of three evolutions: the change in population size and composition, the time trend evolution of ALOS, and the time trend evolution of the admission rates. In addition, we develop an alternative scenario to evaluate the impact of an accelerated reduction of ALOS.
resultsBetween 2014 and 2025, we expect the number of deliveries to increase by 4.41%, and the number of stays in maternity services by 3.38%. At the same time, a reduction in ALOS is projected for all types of deliveries. The required capacity for maternity beds will decrease by 17%. In case of an accelerated reduction of the ALOS to reach international standards, this required capacity for maternity beds will decrease by more than 30%.
conclusionsDespite an expected increase in the number of deliveries, future hospital capacity in terms of maternity beds can be considerably reduced in Belgium, due to the continuing reduction of ALOS.
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