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Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Determinants of Length of Stay in Geropsychiatry
Paul S Aisen1, Kathleen E Giblin1, Linda S Packer1
1Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center; the Department of Social Work, Mount Sinai Medical Center; and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract:
To examine factors associated with prolonged length of stay (LOS) on an inpatient, acute geropsychiatry service, the authors reviewed electronic medical records and social work files for patients discharged during a 12-month period. There was no significant correlation between LOS and age, medical comorbidity, or the presence of dementia, depression, or psychosis. Patients transferred to adult homes or nursing homes stayed twice as long as patients who returned to their own homes (84 vs. 41 days; P= 0.002). Discharge disposition (rather than clinical factors) is associated with prolonged LOS in geropsychiatry and should be the focus of efforts to shorten hospital stays.
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