title: Length of Stay of Orthopaedic Inpatients at a Teaching Hospital in Eastern Part of Nepal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to analyze the average length of stay of all inpatients in the department of Orthopaedics and to compare the variations in hospital stay between age, gender, traumatic and non-traumatic co-morbidities and modality of payment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This hospital based retrospective descriptive epidemiological study was based on patients discharged from a tertiary level health care center of eastern Nepal. Registry data of 1 year was used to calculate length of stay and analyze the variations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average length of stay was 10.5 days. It was 10.7 days for males and 10.1 days for females. It was 10.12 days for patients paying themselves for their treatment whereas 14.98 days for patients receiving reimbursement (third party payment).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Average length of stay was more in elderly and patients of trauma (longest in pelvis injury). It was 1.5 times longer for patients receiving reimbursement for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maharjan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Limbu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sah
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sitoula
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001850:Bone Diseases, Infectious; D001859:Bone Neoplasms; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014947:Wounds and Injuries; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: length of stay; non-traumatic co-morbidities; trauma; third party payment.