Interventions to Reduce Hospital Length of Stay in High-risk Populations

Key Points Question Which hospital-led interventions are associated with reducing length of stay (LOS) for high-risk populations? Findings In this systematic review including 19 systematic reviews, 8 strategies for reducing LOS in high-risk populations were identified: discharge planning, geriatric assessment, medication management, clinical pathways, interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary care, case management, hospitalist services, and telehealth. Interventions were most frequently designed for older patients or patients with heart failure and were often associated with inconsistent outcomes in LOS, readmissions, and mortality across populations. Meaning This systematic review found that across all high-risk populations, there are inconsistent results on the effectiveness associated with interventions to reduce LOS, such as discharge planning, which are often widely used by health systems.