Admission Morbidity Characteristics as Predictors of Hospital Length of Stay in Diabetic Patients: A Retrospective Study from Ghana

Abstract

Background: Length of hospital stay (LOS) is a critical indicator of healthcare quality, and predicting it can help identify high-risk patients and inform early interventions to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between admission morbidity characteristics and LOS in diabetic patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records from January 2022 to January 2023 was conducted at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A sampling method was employed to select 247 diabetic patient records, which were included in the final analysis. Quantitative data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.

Results: The study included 247 diabetic patients, with 56.2% males and a mean age of 50.89 ± 5.09 years. The average length of stay (LOS) was 3.34 ± 0.5 days. Bivariate analysis showed that HbA1C levels (r = 0.320, p < 0.001) and the presence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) complications (r = 0.253, p < 0.001) were significant positive predictors of LOS. A multiple linear regression model confirmed that HbA1C (r = 0.320, p < 0.001) and DM complications (Standardized beta = 0.215, p < 0.001) were the only independent predictors of LOS, explaining 18.5% of the variance. Other factors, including gender, age, type of diabetes, BMI, and comorbidities, showed no significant impact on LOS.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that healthcare providers can use admission morbidity characteristics to identify high-risk diabetic patients and allocate resources effectively to improve patient care and hospital management. Further research is needed to validate these findings across diverse patient populations and healthcare settings.