Two factors that can increase the length of hospital stay of patients with dementia

Abstract

Objectives: Patients with dementia are at greater risk of a long hospital stay and this is associated with adverse outcomes. The aim of this service evaluation was to identify variables most predictive of increased length of hospital stay amongst patients with dementia. Methods/Design: We conducted a retrospective analysis on a cross-sectional hospital dataset for the period January–December 2016. Excluding length of stay less than 24 h and readmissions, the sample comprised of 1133 patients who had a dementia diagnosis on record. Results: The highest incidence rate ratio for length of stay in the dementia sample was: (a) discharge to a care home (IRR: 2.443, 95% CI 1.778–3.357), (b) falls without harm (IRR: 2.486, 95% CI 2.029–3.045). Conclusions: Based on this dataset, we conclude that improvements made to falls prevention strategies in hospitals and discharge planning procedures can help to reduce the length of stay for patients with dementia.