Patient Factors Associated with Extended Length of Stay in the Psychiatric Inpatient Units of a Large Urban County Hospital

This case–control study identified patient-specific factors associated with the longest psychiatric inpatient lengths of stay (LOS) at a large urban county hospital. Subjects with LOS ≥ 60 days comprised the extended LOS (ELOS) case cohort. An equally-sized control cohort consisted of a random sample of inpatients with LOS ≤ 30 days. Chi square tests and t tests were conducted to determine differences between groups. Factors associated with ELOS included older age, cognitive impairment, higher number of medical conditions requiring medication, and violence during hospital stay. Initiatives focused on community placement of patients with these characteristics may reduce prolonged LOS at safety-net hospitals.