Factors Associated with Length of Stay in a Swiss Mental Hospital.

The aim of this study was to identify factors which are associated with the length of stay in a Swiss mental hospital. Demographical and clinical data of all patients who were admitted to the adult inpatient psychiatric service of the Federal State of Aargau in 2016 were examined regarding their association with the length of stay. The study sample included N = 1479 patients. Mean length of stay was 33 days and the median equalled 26 days. Higher age and a primary diagnosis of psychotic or affective disorder were associated with increased length of stay. In contrast, foreign nationality and compulsory admission were associated with reduced length of stay. While some of our findings were in line with recent findings from Italy and the United Kingdom, others could not be replicated.