Predictors of the Length of Hospital Stay for Elderly-Onset Patients in the Psychiatry Department of University Hospital

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated how predictors such as older onset affected the length of hospital stay in elderly psychiatric inpatients, excluding those suffering from organic diseases.
Methods: The study included 101 patients aged 65 and older hospitalized at St. Marianna University Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019. We performed a retrospective clinical chart review that examined medical information such as the patient’s social background and symptomatological factors, including older onset.
Results: A univariate analysis found that the length of hospital stay was significantly longer among those with an onset age of 60 years or older than among those under 60 years old. Other factors associated with an extended length of stay included compulsory hospitalization, gender, psychotic symptoms and suicidal ideation, and lack of insight. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that older onset and suicidal ideation at admission were predictors of a longer hospital stay.
Discussion: Suicidal ideation at admission reflects the severity of illness and may affect the length of hospital stay. Patients and their families may find it difficult to accept a mental illness diagnosis in the case of elderly onset, and they may be reluctant to consent to a discharge. Therefore, it is important to properly evaluate patients’ psychiatric symptoms and medical information at the time of admission and intervene early with an eye to making environmental adjustments.