title: Length of stay in a general hospital psychiatric unit.
abstract: Fifty psychiatric inpatients with a prolonged length of stay were compared to 50 control admissions for factors associated with prolonged hospitalizations in a general hospital. Seven variables were found to be significantly overrepresented among the long stayers, including treatment with electroconvulsive therapy, medical consultations, underemployment, dementia, disposition to a place other than home, absence of alcohol or drug abuse, and presence of psychosis without affective symptoms. The clinical and policy implications of these finding are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Elizabeth's Hospital of Boston, Massachusetts 02135.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Herr
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation