High research activity linked to shorter patient stays at hospitals, study finds

Hospitals that conduct both basic and clinical research tend to be more efficient in terms of length of patient stays, according to a study published in the journal Research Policy.

For the study, researchers examined data on 189 public hospitals in Spain compiled from 1996 to 2009. The team assessed the impact of research on patient length of stay and found "increases in the quantity of research produced in medical (surgical) disciplines contribute significantly to the reduction of hospital [length of stay] in medical (surgical) specialties." Additionally, teaching hospitals and those with significant investment in research and development proved to be the most efficient of all.

"Hospitals that can produce more knowledge in terms of scientific publications are also going to be better hospitals, in both diagnosis and treatment and surgery. As such, they contribute to reducing the patient's average stay in hospitals." said Josep Tribo, PhD, professor in the department of business administration UC3M in Madrid, Spain.

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