European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2014
Multicenter Study Observational StudyPredictors of length of hospital stay among older adults admitted to acute care wards: a multicentre observational study.
Reduction in length of hospital stay (LOS) is considered as a potential strategy to optimize resource consumption and reduce health care costs. We analysed predictors of increased LOS among older patients admitted to acute care wards according to type of admission (through the Emergency Room [ER] or elective). ⋯ LOS differed between patients admitted through emergency and through elective admission. Demographic and clinical parameters can affect LOS and polypharmacy was the strongest and the only common risk factor in both groups.