Length of stay, short stay units and psychiatric emergency admissions.

Length of stay information was collected from 1,364 individuals over a one year period for five general hospitals in a major metropolitan area. The current set of data represents homogeneity in the nature of admissions and the type of facilities examined. Three of the hospitals operated short stay units. Significant differences in the total length of stay were observed according to age, sex and presence of psychosis but there were no unequivocal distinctions between short stay and conventional hospitals.