Associated Factors with Prolonged Stay in Pediatric Observation Ward of Urban University Hospital in Thailand

摘要

Background: Pediatric observation ward (OW) is the area where the patient can be monitored or have early investigation/management and observe part of emergency department (ED);patients are admitted to this area with an expectation of discharge within 24 hours. Observation ward was beneficial in preventing avoidable hospitalizations, due to the high volume of patients in ED, OW increasing demands, overcrowding, and prolonged stay. Objective: This study aimed to examine the characteristics and factors associated with prolonged length of stay (LOS) more than 24 hours in the pediatric observation ward. General demographic data were recorded including age, sex, LOS, diagnosis and disposition. Results: This is a retrospective study of children 15 years old or younger who admit to Pediatric OW at urban university hospital and prolonged stay more than 24 hours during January 2014 to June 2015. There were 670 patients admitted at OW during the study period (median age of 5 years;53% were male). Mean length of stay in OW was 61 hours. The most common top 5 diagnoses were respiratory problem (32%), gastrointestinal problem (29%), infectious disease (11%), neurological (7%), and dental problem (6%). The majority of patients were discharge home 602/670 cases (90%), and 10% (68/670 cases) were admitted to inpatient ward. There were 552 patients (82%) who had prolonged OW more than 24 hours. Compared with the factors in both group, we found that the associated factor for prolonged OW stay was the age of patient, which seems to be younger in the prolonged stay group (median age of 4 years 3 months vs 3 years 5 months, p = 0.04). Younger children had significant factors for prolonged stay in OW (p Conclusion: This was the study for report of pediatric observation ward utilization. The younger patient was the associated factor for prolonged stay in OW. Understanding this related issue will be the starting points for assessing patients carefully before admitting to OW for improving efficiency and quality of care in pediatric OW.