Evaluation of Delayed Effective Discharge for Non-medical Reasons of Patients Admitted to Acute Care Hospitals in Spain: A Scoping Review

Delayed discharge for non-clinical reasons is defined as a period of stay that continues after a patient has been deemed medically fit to leave the hospital but is unable to do so for non-medical reasons. This circumstance overburdens the healthcare system and constitutes a major problem for healthcare systems and the patients themselves in this situation.The aim of this study was to evaluate the delay in effective discharge for non-medical reasons in patients admitted to acute care hospitals in Spain. A scoping review was conducted in order to revise and obtain an up-to-date review. The initial search strategy identified a total of 123 references, which were successively screened to a final selection of 13 studies. To conclude, delayed discharge from hospital for non-clinical reasons is a multifactorial problem. It may be due to factors internal or external to the hospital, as well as personal factors. The main causes of the delay are similar among the studies found, as are the clinical characteristics of the patients, most of whom are elderly, frail, and more dependent due to declining functional capacities. Further studies addressing the socio-familial characteristics of the patients and the perspective of the patient and families would be necessary.