The United States could be headed for a chronic hospital bed shortage within the next 10 years, a UCLA study warned. An increase in hospital occupancy has been driven by a 16% reduction in the number of hospital beds rather than an increase in hospitalizations.
Prior to the pandemic, average hospital occupancy nationwide was 64%, but in the past five years, average hospital occupancy has risen to 75%. The study said occupancy levels could creep up another 10 percentage points or more by 2032. The healthcare industry considers a bed shortage to occur at 85% of general hospital beds.
A bed shortage could lead to long emergency department wait times, medication errors and other in-hospital adverse events that could cost lives. At 75% occupancy, hospitals have little buffer against factors such as daily bed turnover, seasonal fluctuations in hospitalizations and unexpected surges.
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