title: Predictors of cumulative length of psychiatric inpatient stay over one year: a national case register study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prior studies have shown inconsistent results regarding predictors of length of stay (LOS) and of readmission in psychiatric hospitals. “Cumulative LOS” over a given period, which reflects both LOS and readmission, has not been examined so far in a systematic way. The Israel Psychiatric Case Register in Israel made it possible to examine predictors of Cumulative LOS in a nationwide, representative sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  All hospitalization admissions during a six-month period in Israel were recorded and followed-up for one year. The variables predicting Cumulative LOS over one year were identified through a Cox regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median Cumulative LOS during one year was 43.0 days, and only 1.7% of the patients remained hospitalized for more than one year after admission. The variables significantly predicting longer Cumulative LOS were: Jewish ethnicity, a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other functional psychosis, prior hospitalization, compulsory admission and Northern and Jerusalem districts of hospitalization (which have a lower admission rate).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lack of information on severity of pathology and type of treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cumulative LOS, which reflects both the length of each inpatient episode and the rate of readmission, is affected not only by clinical factors,but also by the cultural background of the patient population and by administrative factors such as bed pressure.
authors.affiliation: The Falk Institute for Mental Health Studies, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaacov
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zilber
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003469:Culture; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*