Reducing Length of Hospitalization for Patients Newly Diagnosed with ALL

Keep Kids out of the Hospital
Reduce Unnecessary Care
Increase Effectiveness and Efficiency

Why is this important?

Most patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) stay in the Hospital for the majority of their first month of treatment. Many other pediatric hospitals have safely discharged patients within the first week of treatment. When patients go home earlier, they are able to spend more time with their families and more quickly adjust to life at home and school with their new diagnosis. 

What we did

A multidisciplinary oncology team worked with patient and family advocates to develop new criteria for a safe, earlier discharge for patients with newly diagnosed ALL. Education provided to families was started earlier in the hospitalization and implemented formally in the outpatient setting. All new patients were discharged with individualized calendars with their follow-up appointments and home medications.

Results

After the implementation of this project, the average inpatient stay for patients newly diagnosed decreased by 60 percent and is now eight days.

Updated May, 2020