Predictors of Length of Hospitalization and Impact on Early Readmission for Mental Disorders

Lia Gentil, Guy Grenier, Helen-Maria Vasiliadis and Marie-Josée Fleury ()
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Lia Gentil: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033, Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
Guy Grenier: Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
Helen-Maria Vasiliadis: Département Des Sciences de la Santé Communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC J4K 0A8, Canada
Marie-Josée Fleury: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033, Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: Length of hospitalization, if inappropriate to patient needs, may be associated with early readmission, reflecting sub-optimal hospital treatment, and translating difficulties to access outpatient care after discharge. This study identified predictors of brief-stay (1–6 days), mid-stay (7–30 days) or long-stay (≥31 days) hospitalization, and evaluated how lengths of hospital stay impacted on early readmission (within 30 days) among 3729 patients with mental disorders (MD) or substance-related disorders (SRD). This five-year cohort study used medical administrative databases and multinomial logistic regression. Compared to patients with brief-stay or mid-stay hospitalization, more long-stay patients were 65+ years old, had serious MD, and had a usual psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner (GP). Predictors of early readmission were brief-stay hospitalization, residence in more materially deprived areas, more diagnoses of MD/SRD or chronic physical illnesses, and having a usual psychiatrist with or without a GP. Patients with long-stay hospitalization (≥31 days) and early readmission had more complex conditions, especially more co-occurring chronic physical illnesses, and more serious MD, while they tended to have a usual psychiatrist with or without a GP. For patients with more complex conditions, programs such as assertive community treatment, intensive case management or home treatment would be advisable, particularly for those living in materially deprived areas.

Keywords: length of hospitalization; early readmission; emergency departments; mental disorders; predictors; brief-stay hospitalization; long-stay hospitalization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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