Time To Discharge and Its Predictors Among Admitted Patients in Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital North-West Ethiopia, a Prospective Cohort Study

Background Hospital long stay is a serious social and economic problem, leading to elevated medical expenses, increased workload, and financial burden. Patients’ discharge time was different in admitted patients in hospitals. In Ethiopia, there was limited evidence why the patients' length of stay is different in roughly the same condition. Objective This study aimed to determine a time to discharge and its predictors among admissions in Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020 G.C Methods Prospective cohort study was conducted among 812 systematically selected study participants. The data collected using standardized questionary was entered into EPI DATA and exported into STATA for analysis. Appropriate descriptive statistics were stated. Incidence density to estimate time to discharge, and life table and Kaplan Meier curve to determine the cumulative survival of patients in the wards were used. Cox proportional hazard (Weibull) model was used to examine predictors of discharge. Variables from bivariate analysis with p<0.25 were a candidate for the final model. Adjusted Hazard Ratio with their 95% CI at p<0.05 was used to predict discharge. Model fitness was checked. Results A total of 812 admitted patients participated in the study giving a total response rate of 95%. Fifty-five presents were females; the median age was 32. The total times at admission wards in medical were 1827and in surgical 2050 days. The incidence densities of discharge in medical and surgical wards were 361/1827 and 359/2050-person days respectively. The median time to discharge of all participant admission was four days. Predictors of discharge were age (AHR 1.04(95% CI 1,02-1.06)), family care (AHR .69(.51-.94)), admission source (AHR 2.07(1.39-2.90)), admission time (AHR .57(.49-.67)). Lab.-result delay (AHR .67(.55-.81)), radiological result delay (AHR .78 (.64-.95)), presence of comorbidity (AHR.50(.42-.60)), disease burden group (AHR 2.15(1.84-2.66)), specialty (AHR 0.66 (0.56-0.78)), nurse-to-patient ratio (AHR 1.95 (1.57-2.43)), and medication adherence (AHR 2.83(2.29-3.51). Conclusion Surgical admitted patients discharged in longer time than medical. It is important to emphasize good communication of respective specialties on the lab. and radiology result test waiting time and also teaching the benefit of medication adherence to the patients.

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