The patient census and what it means for Texas Children’s

December 16, 2014

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Six hundred and fifty inpatient beds make up the Texas Children’s Hospital system. On any given day, hundreds of patients come through the hospital doors at Main Campus and West Campus. Whether they walk through our doors on their own, or are transferred from another hospital, these patients require the care of Texas Children’s Hospital specialists.

“Census is patient activity and patient volume across the system,” said Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus President Michelle Riley-Brown. “A high census is an indication that our patient volume is exceeding our capacity to care for patients.”

Reaching that capacity means there are no rooms left to admit new patients. In November, 101 patients had to be turned away. The patients were denied a transfer from another institution because Texas Children’s Hospital was above census.

“We have to always remember that when people come to us, they are bringing their children who are ill for care,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr. “We have to put ourselves in their position, and respond.”

During the past several months, Texas Children’s Hospital has experienced numerous high census days and on many occasions, the patient volume has exceeded the number of available beds.

“Teams across both campuses are on daily conference calls managing patient flow, management, and so on. Making sure patients get to the right place at the right time,” Riley-Brown said. “It’s managing patients, it’s patient flow, it’s room facilitation, room management and bed control.”

While cold and flu season brings its own challenges to the hospital census, a high census has begun to be the norm for Texas Children’s Hospital. While a high census stresses the system, it’s an opportunity for the staff to show support for one another.

“It is especially important now to work as a team and to make sure we are helping each other,” Riley-Brown said. “It’s always important that everyone is taking care of themselves and of each other to make sure we can do our best to take care of the patients.”

“This is the norm for us now as an organization and we should embrace it and be extremely proud of it,” Fraser said. “It’s unbelievable what we get to do. It’s an unbelievable opportunity, it’s an unbelievable responsibility. These folks have entrusted their children to us. We should feel blessed because of that.”

In response to the increasing number of children seeking our care, the organization has already begun plans to expand capacity at Main Campus through CareFirst and the building of a new hospital in The Woodlands to provide care for many patients in their own community. For more on those initiatives, read here.