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Impact of Collateral on Emergency Department Length of Stay in College-Aged Patients

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Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of a collaborative intervention between hospitals and universities to decrease the length of stay (LOS) in the Emergency Department (ED) for college students. The hypothesis was that university collateral would decrease LOS in the ED. A retrospective chart review was performed for 834 consults in patients aged 18–25 regarding presence of collateral, disposition, and LOS. Of those hospitalized, LOS in the ED was 15.7 h for students with collateral, 14.6 h for students without collateral, and 19.5 h for unenrolled peers. There was a statistically significant difference in LOS for patients hospitalized in enrolled versus unenrolled patients (t = 2.17, p = 0.031). Of those discharged home, students with collateral, students without collateral, and unenrolled peers spent 9.7 h, 11.6 h, and 13.6 h in the ED respectively. LOS of enrolled versus unenrolled patients discharged home trended towards significance (t = 1.80, p = 0.073), but no significance was found in relation to collateral (t = 1.21,p = 0.23). This study found that college students had decreased LOS in the ED regardless of collateral when compared to unenrolled peers.

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Funding

This manuscript has not been published previously. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Rabb 2, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Varsha Radhakrishnan & Sumita Sharma

  2. Psychiatry Department, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Ave., Rabb 2, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Christopher Baca & John Torous

  3. Psychiatric Consultation Liaison Service, Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 185 Pilgrim Road, Deaconess 1, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Elizabeth Dunn

Authors
  1. Varsha Radhakrishnan
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  2. Sumita Sharma
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  4. John Torous
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Contributions

Varsha Radhakrishnan: Writing-Original draft preparation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing, Formal Analysis.

Sumita Sharma: Writing-Original draft preparation, Writing-Reviewing and Editing, Formal Analysis.

Christopher Baca: Methodology, Conceptualization, Investigation, Project Administration.

John Torous: Supervision, Writing-Review and Editing.

Elizabeth Dunn: Supervision, Project Administration.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Varsha Radhakrishnan.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.

Ethics Review and Data Transparency

This retrospective study was approved by the BIDMC Institutional Review Board.

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Radhakrishnan, V., Sharma, S., Baca, C. et al. Impact of Collateral on Emergency Department Length of Stay in College-Aged Patients. Psychiatr Q 91, 761–768 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09741-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09741-6

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