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The following is a summary of “Predictors of the length of stay in psychiatric inpatient units: a retrospective study for the Paris Psychiatry Hospital Group,” published in the September 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Barruel et al.

Reducing the length of hospital stays is a big focus for psychiatric hospitals to cut costs and improve patient healthcare experience. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study evaluating the main factors correlated to longer stays in psychiatric hospitals. 

They reviewed 8,870 full-time psychiatric stays involving 6,216 patients discharged in 2022 from the Paris Psychaitry Hospital Group. Using machine learning, alongside univariate and multivariate methods, the impact of demographic, clinical, and pathway-related factors on length of stay (LOS) was analyzed. 

The results showed that more extended hospital stays (over 30 days) were linked to being over 55 years old (OR=2 [95% CI: 1.7-2.3]), admissions outside the sector (OR=1.2 [1.1-1.3]), psychiatric emergencies (OR=1.2 [1.1-1.4]), psychotic disorders (OR=1.5 [1.3-1.7]), mandatory care, somatic comorbidities in women (OR=1.4 [1.2-1.7]) and treatment resistance (OR 1.4 [1.2-1.6]). Shorter stays (30 days or less) were associated with being in a relationship (OR=0.6 [0.5-0.8]), travel-related psychiatric issues (OR=0.5 [0.3-0.6]), and personality or behavior disorders (OR=0.7 [0.6-0.9]). No significant link was found for sex or lack of treatment compliance. 

Investigators concluded that this study is the first to examine how illness severity, medication adherence, and patient journeys affect psychiatric hospital stays. Understanding these long-stay risk factors could help improve resource allocation and create personalized treatment plans.

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1463415/full