Is E mergency D epartment length of stay associated with inpatient mortality?

• Published in: Australasian journal on ageing Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 122 - 124
• Main Authors: Chong, Carol P, Haywood, Cilla, Barker, Anna, Lim, Wen Kwang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.2013
• ISSN: 1440-6381; 1741-6612
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2012.00651.x

Aims To determine whether E mergency D epartment length of stay ( EDLOS ) greater than 8 hours ( EDLOS   > 8 hours) and less than 4 hours ( EDLOS   < 4 hours) were independently associated with inpatient mortality taking into account patient comorbidities and age; and to determine the impact of EDLOS on inpatient length of stay ( IPLOS ). Methods This was a retrospective data analysis of emergency presentations and inpatient admissions during 2007 at T he N orthern H ospital, V ictoria. Results Taking into account age and disease states, EDLOS   > 8 hours was not associated with inpatient mortality (odds ratio 1.1; 95% confidence interval ( CI ) 0.9–1.4, P = 0.4), nor was EDLOS   < 4 hours (odds ratio 0.9; 95% CI 0.6–1.4, P = 0.6) associated with reduced mortality. EDLOS   > 8 hours was significantly associated with longer inpatient length of stay ( IPLOS ) ( P < 0.001) adjusting for medical comorbidities. Mean EDLOS and IPLOS were significantly longer for patients over 75 years of age. Conclusion EDLOS   > 8 hours and EDLOS   < 4 hours are not independently associated with mortality. A longer EDLOS is independently associated with longer IPLOS .