Patterns and Factors Associated with the Length of Hospital Stay in the Psychiatry Department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Nepal: An Observational Study

TL;DR

This study examines factors affecting hospital stay length in a Nepalese psychiatric hospital, finding that psychotic disorders and electroconvulsive therapy are linked to longer stays.

Contribution

The study identifies specific clinical and demographic factors associated with hospital stay duration in a resource-limited psychiatric setting.

Findings

The median hospital stay was 8 days, with psychotic disorders linked to a 30% longer stay.

Patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy had a 146% longer hospital stay.

Limited bed availability and resource challenges impact inpatient psychiatric care in Nepal.

Abstract

Inpatient treatment in psychiatry is important due to several reasons, including stigma, cost, family support, admission indication, as well as availability of beds and other resources. In our setting, limited bed availability and challenges in inpatient services hinder the delivery of quality patient care. Therefore, information on the awareness, functionality, and needs of the inpatient services at our centre is imperative. This study aims to explore the clinicodemographic profile of psychiatric inpatients and examine their association with the length of hospital stay.

This was a retrospective cohort study of all inpatients from June 2013 to May 2017. The clinicodemographic variables were recorded as per the developed proforma. We summarized the sociodemographic and other characteristics using median and proportions. To identify the factors with a significant impact on the length of stay, we performed multiple linear regression analyses.

Of 1085 psychiatric inpatient records available, 1034 were included. The median length of stay was 8 days (Interquartile Range, 5 to 12 days). The patients with psychotic disorders and those receiving electroconvulsive therapy were more likely to have a longer length of stay by 30% and 146%, respectively.

The overall length of stay was relatively short. However, the presence of psychotic disorders and the use of electroconvulsive therapy were associated with prolonged hospitalization.

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