%0 Journal Article
%T Emergency Department Waiting Times and Determinants of Prolonged Length of Stay  in a Botswana Referral Hospital
%A Keatlaretse Siamisang
%A John Thato Tlhakanelo
%A Bonolo Bonnie Mhaladi
%J Open Journal of Emergency Medicine
%P 59-70
%@ 2332-1814
%D 2020
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojem.2020.83007
%X <b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Introduction: </span></b><span style=\"font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Emergency medicine is a critical component of quality public health
service. In fact length of stay and waiting times in the Emergency department
are key indicators of quality. The aim of this study was to determine </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">waiting times and determinants of prolonged length
of stay (LOS) in the</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> Princess Marina Hospital Emergency Department. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Methods: </span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">This was a retrospective observational study. It was done at Princess
Marina, a referral hospital </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">in Gaborone,
Botswana. Triage forms of patients who presented between</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 19/11/</span></span><span style=\"font-family:;\" \"=\"\"> </span><span style=\"font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">2018 and 18/12/2018 were
reviewed. Data from patient files was used to determine time duration from
triage to being reviewed by a doctor, time duration from review by emergency
doctor to patients¡¯ disposition and the time </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">duration
from patient¡¯s triage to disposition (length of stay). Prolonged</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> length </span><span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">of stay was defined as duration &gt; 6 hours. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Results: </span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">A total of 1052 files</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> repre</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">- </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">senting patients seen over a 1-month period were
reviewed. 72.5% of the patients had a prolonged length of stay. The median
emergency doctor waiting time was 4.5 hours (IQR 1.6 - 8.3 hours) and the
maximum was 27.1 hours. The median length of stay in the emergency department
was 9.6 hours (IQR 5.8 - 14.6 hours</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">)</span><span style=\"font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> and the maximum was 45.9 hours. Patient¡¯s age (AOR 1.01), mental status
(AOR 0.61), admission to internal medicine service (AOR 5.12) </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">and pediatrics admissions (AOR 0.11) were
significant predictors of pro</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">longed </span><span><span
%K Emergency Department
%K Waiting Times
%K Prolonged Length of Stay
%K Determinants
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=101690