[Assessment of the Life Skills Profile and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale as predictors of the length of psychiatric hospitalization].
BACKGROUND
Length of hospital stay is generally used as an indirect indicator of effectiveness and efficiency of treatment programs, but it is uncommon that other factors related with hospital stay are also contemplated. The aims of this study are to analyse the relationship between illness severity and adaptative behavior and to assess the predictive power of both constructs on the length of hospital stay.


METHODS
Multicenter prospective study (n = 132). The outcome variable is the length of hospital stay cut off at 90 days. The illness severity (BPRS) and the adaptative behavior (LSP) of psychiatric patients are explanatory variables.


RESULTS
After adjusting for age, gender and psychiatric diagnosis, negative symptoms (OR = 2.3; 95%CI = 1.3 4.1), self-competence (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.78 0.93), and the total LSP score (OR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.93 0.98), were significantly associated to the length of hospital stay. These three variables shared a similar predictive power (chi2 = 1.9 on 2 d.f.; P = 0.4).


CONCLUSIONS
Deficits in adaptative behaviour are as relevant as negative symptoms to explain the length of hospital stay. Both assessment domains should be included in the administrative information at discharge.
Ballesteros Rodríguez
J
J
Fundación M feminine Josefa Recio-Instituto de Investigaciones Psiquiátricas, Bilbao, Universidad del País Vasco, Leioa. Bilbao, Spain. asesoria@fundacion-iip.org
Martínez Peña
L
L
Martín Carrasco
M
M
Ibarra Gandiaga
N
N
Bulbena Vilarrasa
A
A
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires