The association between posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, and length of hospital stay following traumatic injury

Abstract Objective The present study examined the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms with hospital outcome measures to explore how psychiatric factors relate to hospital length of stay (LOS). Method Participants were adults admitted to a large Level I T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:General hospital psychiatry 2017-05, Vol.46, p.49-54
Main Authors: Sullivan, Erin, Shelley, Jordin, Rainey, Evan, Bennett, Monica, Prajapati, Purvi, Powers, Mark B, Foreman, Michael, Warren, Ann Marie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Depression
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - epidemiology
Depression - psychology
Female
Hospital
Humans
Length of stay
Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Psychiatry
PTSD
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Trauma
Trauma Centers - statistics & numerical data
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries - psychology
Wounds and Injuries - therapy
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Summary:Abstract Objective The present study examined the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms with hospital outcome measures to explore how psychiatric factors relate to hospital length of stay (LOS). Method Participants were adults admitted to a large Level I Trauma Center for longer than 24 h. Depression was assessed at hospitalization using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), and PTSS was measured by the Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD). Hospital outcome information was collected from the hospital's trauma registry. Pearson correlations were performed. Results 460 participants (mean age = 44 years, SD = 16.8; 65.4% male) completed the study. Baseline PTSS and depression were significantly correlated with longer hospital LOS while controlling for demographics and injury severity ( p = 0.026; p = 0.023). Both PTSS-positive and depression-positive groups had an average increased hospital LOS of two days. Conclusions A significant proportion of individuals who are admitted to the hospital following trauma may be at risk for depression and PTSS, which may then increase hospital LOS. As national attention turns to reducing healthcare costs, early screenings and interventions may aid in minimizing psychiatric symptoms in trauma patients, in turn reducing the cost and outcomes associated with total hospital LOS.
ISSN:0163-8343
1873-7714
DOI:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.03.004