Prolonged hospital stays and associated factors among hyperglycemic crisis patients admitted to public hospitals in Ethiopia: A prospective observational study

Yadeta Babu Bayane, Yonas Abebe Abebe, Daniel Mitiku Yigazu, Fekede Bekele Daba and Ahmed Abdela Usman

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Background: A hyperglycemic crisis represents a critical metabolic emergency with potentially fatal consequences and significant health complications. These crises account for approximately 1% of hospital admissions for individuals with diabetes. While hospital admission is essential for providing the intensive care and inpatient services necessary to sustain life, prolonged hospital stays are a major risk factor for increased morbidity and in-hospital mortality among patients admitted for hyperglycemic crises. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of prolonged hospital stays and associated factors among hyperglycemic crisis patients admitted to public hospitals in Ethiopia between July and November 2022. Methods: This research utilized a hospital-based multicenter prospective observational study design over a period of five months. Patient data were gathered through interviews and chart reviews. The duration of hospital stay was assessed by following the patients from admission to discharge. The collected data were systematically cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi Data Manager version 4.6, subsequently exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Multiple step-wise backward logistic regression was employed to identify factors influencing the length of hospital stay. The strength of associations between dependent and independent variables was examined using a 95% confidence interval (CI), adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and a p-value of less than 0.05. Results: This study included a total of 213 patients with hyperglycemic crisis. A mean age of participants was 40.37 ± 16.87 SD. About 58.2% (95% CI: 51.3–64.9%) of admitted patients were hospitalized for longer than a week, and the mean of hospital stay was 7.21 days. Age of older than 45 years [AOR:6.0,95%CI:2.27–15.93], female gender [AOR:2.76,95%CI:1.4–5.42], type 2 diabetes [AOR: 3.78,95%CI:1.36–10.48], and hypernatremia [AOR:4.31,95%CI: 1.1–16.98] were factors associated with prolonged hospital stays. Conclusions: The findings from this study underscore significant factors contributing to prolonged hospitalization in patients experiencing hyperglycemic crises. These group of patients need more emphasize and tailored management strategies to potentially mitigate the duration of hospitalizations and improve overall healthcare outcomes.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0342164

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