Not just a holiday! Get your outpatient sleep study done in a local hotel

2. Not just a holiday!Get your outpatient sleep study done in a local hotel Phyllis Murphie, John Samuels, Jane Gysin, Stuart Little and Paul Rafferty Department of Respiratory Medicine, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries, United Kingdom.

3. Introduction • Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary serves a population of 150,000. • Remote and rural region covering 6,500 square km

7. Introduction • 300 new referrals for assessment annually • > 50% of referrals already addressed as home sleep studies for those fit and able to travel • Distance to hospital major limiting factor in conducting home sleep studies • Many cancellations as result of demands for emergency care beds • Scottish government waiting targets difficult to achieve with current inpatient bed capacity • Innovative ways sought to increase number of out patient diagnostic studies to meet targets

8. What could we do?

9. Methodology • Screen all referrals to determine need for inpatient investigation • Inpatient studies only offered to those unsuitable for outpatient study • Those living distant from hospital and unable to travel offered prepaid hotel accommodation • Patient satisfaction questionnaire utilised to seek users views of service

10. Results To date: • 20 patients have used hotel service • 19 studies have been technically satisfactory • Service users report a positive experience from undergoing the study in a hotel environment • Satisfactory service and preferable to inpatient investigation

11. User satisfaction survey • 30 service users asked to complete satisfaction survey regarding out patient sleep diagnostic service • 15 home studies conducted and all technically satisfactory • 15 hotel studies were conducted and all but one technically satisfactory • Users views to date positive and would prefer home / hotel sleep study to hospital stay

12. Cost implications of service delivery • To date in 2007 - 20 hotel sleep studies has cost our organisation approximately €1,600 • The equivalent number of inpatient study costs amount to €9,000 • This amounts to a saving of €7,400 in bed days • A hotel study costs approximately 20% of a hospital inpatient study

13. Conclusion Outpatient sleep studies performed in a local hotel: • Appear an acceptable approach for the remote and rural environment • Reducing impact on limited inpatient resources • Result in cost savings for health care providers