An Analysis of Length of Hospital Stay of COVID-19 Patients Admitted in a Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital

Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain on Indian healthcare systems, with rapidly increasing demand for life-saving equipment and intensive care unit beds. The present study presents an analysis of average length of stay (LOS) as per different demographic and clinical factors in a dedicated COVID hospital. As the pandemic escalates, average LOS in COVID hospital will form the basis of determining the optimum requirement for healthcare resources (beds, staff, and equipment), which is a key priority for bolstering a strong public health response against COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Using the medical records at a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, the demographic details and select clinical characteristics of 342 admitted patients (from July 13, 2020, to August 30, 2020) were abstracted. Hospital LOS, calculated from the actual admission and discharge dates, was compared within the categories of demographic and clinical characteristics using Student's test and analysis of variance. SPSS version 20 was used for descriptive as well as inferential statistics. Results: The mean LOS was 9.93 +/- 4.45 days with a range of 3-37 days. LOS increased with increasing age, with maximum being for >61 years (12.69 +/- 7.14) and minimum for the younger age category of <40 years (8.88 +/- 1.95) (P = 0.001). As COVID-19 severity increased, LOS increased, with longest being for severe patients (25.59 +/- 7.30) and shortest being for Mild patients (8.74 +/- 1.80) (P = 0.001). LOS was also longer for patients having multiple comorbidities (13.00 +/- 7.96) and shortest for those with no comorbidities (9.33 +/- 2.96) (P = 0.001). Conclusion: LOS is significantly affected by age, severity, and comorbidities. The actual duration and factors influencing LOS are crucial for health administrators and policymakers to better allocate the already scarce health resources.