Factors Affecting Length of Stay in Patients Referred to Emergency Department in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Background: The increase in demand for emergency services causes overcrowding in emergency departments. Length of stay in emergency departments also influences overcrowding in emergency departments and is a key factor for monitoring the performance in emergency departments. This study investigated the factors affecting length of stay in patients referred to emergency department in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 and February 2019 by investigating 234 eligible patients referred to Emergency Department of Shahid Mohammadi. Demographic characteristics were also recorded, which included gender, age, type of disease, triage level, the time for entry to emergency specialist visit, specialist visit to order time, entry to imaging/lab assay, entry to other specialist consultants, and time for entry to final decision. Results: The results did not indicate any significant difference in both genders and all age groups (P>0.05), but entry time to lab/imaging assays was significantly lower in patients under 40 years old (P=0.001). Moreover, specialist visit to order time (P=0.001), entry to lab/imaging assays (P=0.003), and entry to final decision time (P=0.013) were significantly shorter in the patients with cardiac diseases. Furthermore, entry to specialist visit time (P=0.001), entry to lab/imaging assays time (P=0.0212), and entry to final decision time (P=0.004) were significantly lower in the patients with lower levels of triage. Conclusions: Triage levels are contributing factors for lengths of stay in emergency department, and these factors can be used for decreasing emergency department lengths of stay.