Internal and emergency medicine
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Weekend discharges occur less frequently than discharges on weekdays, contributing to hospital congestion. Artificial intelligence algorithms have previously been derived to predict which patients are nearing discharge based upon ward round notes. In this implementation study, such an artificial intelligence algorithm was coupled with a multidisciplinary discharge facilitation team on weekend shifts. ⋯ There was a corresponding higher absolute number of weekend discharges during the intervention period compared to the control period (P = 0.025). The studied intervention was associated with an increase in weekend discharges and economic analyses support this approach as being cost-effective. Further studies are required to examine the generalizability of this approach to other centers.