Exploring nurses' clinical reasons for bed transfers in acute care wards: An observational study

Aims: To investigate the number of bed transfers (patient transfers within the same ward) and their reasons in acute care wards of mid-sized hospitals with multibed and private rooms.

Background: Bed transfers, even when necessary, are burdensome for patients; however, the reasons for bed transfers in various types of rooms remain unclear.

Methods: An observational study was conducted in seven wards in three hospitals in Japan. Nurses completed a questionnaire regarding each bed transfer, which elicited the reasons for the transfer. We classified transfer patterns based on the functions of the patients' rooms and the number of beds in each room and analysed scores.

Results: Overall, 560 responses were analysed. The average number of bed transfers per day was 2.7. In total, 43% of bed transfers were conducted for patients aged over 70. The most frequent bed transfer pattern was 'transfer between patient rooms with the same number of beds', and the most frequent reason was 'patient did not need that bed'.

Conclusions: Unnecessary bed transfers could be reduced by ward designs that reflect nurses' clinical judgement.

Implications for nursing management: Monitoring data for the reason regarding bed transfer contributes to hospital planning and decreases unnecessary bed transfers.