Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry · Published 2025-09-30 · DOI 10.47626/1516-4446-2025-4406
Objective: This study examines discharge location as a predictor for prolonged length of stay (LOS) in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Methods: Retrospective study of 2,717 adult patients in an inpatient psychiatric hospital in New York. The outcome variable of LOS was < 25 days vs. ≥ 25 days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. We adjusted for demographics, psychiatric diagnosis, medical history, and psychiatric history. Results: Discharge to supportive housing (OR: 2.34, 95%CI 1.89-2.89, p < 0.001), a long-term psychiatric facility (OR: 44.48, 95%CI 17.70-111.78, p < 0.001), nursing home/assisted living facility (OR: 10.38, 95%CI 4.49-24.01, p < 0.001), and substance abuse rehabilitation center (OR: 2.16, 95%CI 1.31-3.58, p = 0.003) were each significantly associated with increased odds for LOS ≥ 25 days. Discharge to a jail/correctional facility (OR: 0.43, 95%CI 0.19-0.93, p = 0.032) was significantly associated with decreased odds for LOS ≥ 25 days. No significant associations were found for medical/surgical floors and short-term psychiatric facilities. These significant findings for discharge locations persisted even adjusting for often-studied variables. Conclusion: As discharge location is associated with LOS, we recommend that mental health care providers begin safe discharge planning from the day of admission and involve a multidisciplinary team with the goal of stabilizing the patient as soon as possible.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →