[The length of stay in hospital emergency medical care]

The length of stay in emergency services has been considered as a quality control and evaluation index of emergency care. The impact of several factors on its magnitude is analyzed. The age of the patient, the time of admission, the performance of complementary explorations (simple radiology, analytic tests, abdominal echography), as well as the disease group including the diagnosis of the emergency service, significantly modify the length of stay. The age and performance of such tests seem to be the most relevant factors, although they may not be independent. The length of stay of the patients in the emergency service may be shortened by reducing the complementary explorations just to the ones mentioned above. The adequacy of the functional organization, the material and human resources, as well as the adequate staff skills and attitudes, may also reduce the length of stay of these patients in the hospital emergency care.