LENGTH OF STAY IN PSYCHIATRY INPATIENT AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AT ST. PAULS HOSPITAL MILLNIUM MEDICAL COLLEGE.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Hospital length of stay (LOS) is one of the stratified measures of health-care efficiency and is commonly used to assess the performance of psychiatric care. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of psychiatric beds per population is disproportionately low. Moreover, there is a lack of data regarding the patterns of psychiatric admissions and the factors leading to long psychiatric hospitalization in this region. The results of the study will be useful for the staff members when they want to devise a treatment plan or give discharge to a patient. Objectives: To assess the length of stay and associated factors with the psychiatry inpatient at SPHMMC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1- Oct 2019- 31 Dec 2024 GC. Methods: Retrospective chart reviewing a cross-sectional study of 5 years duration was conducted at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Psychiatric inpatient acute and recovery ward. All eligible and accessed chart records of admitted patients in the study period of 240 were reviewed. For the factors associated with the length of stay, the patients’ clinical documents were the source of data regarding. The data was coded, entered and then analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. The demographic and clinical data of patents were computed using descriptive statistics in percentages and frequencies. The associated factors with the outcome variable were done in bivariate and multivariable logistic regression and presented in tables. Results: The mean age of participants was 30 ± 9.95 years, with most patients aged 18–29 years (54.2%) and male (65.4%). Schizophrenia (32.1%) was the most common primary diagnosis. The median length of hospital stay was 37 days, with 7.9% a prolonged stay. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, prolonged length of hospital stay was independently associated with female sex (AOR = 4.5; 95% CI: 1.12–18.04, p = 0.034), rural residence (AOR = 7.9; 95% CI: 1.75–36.42, p = 0.007), and having two or more previous psychiatric admissions (AOR = 6.8; 95% CI: 1.45–32.06, p = 0.015). Conclusion: Prolonged psychiatric hospitalization was significantly associated with female sex, rural residence, and having multiple prior psychiatric admissions. These findings underscore the importance of considering patients’ sociodemographic characteristics and pre admission history, rather than focusing solely on primary diagnoses at the time of admission, when analysing inpatient length of stay. Keywords: Length of Stay, Prolonged length of hospital stay, Psychiatric inpatient.