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

Erin Sullivan; Jordin Shelley; Evan Rainey; Monica Bennett; Purvi Prajapati; Mark B Powers; Michael Foreman; Ann Marie Warren

doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.03.004

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

Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2017 May:46:49-54. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.03.004. Epub 2017 Mar 9.

Authors

Erin Sullivan¹, Jordin Shelley², Evan Rainey³, Monica Bennett⁴, Purvi Prajapati⁵, Mark B Powers⁶, Michael Foreman⁷, Ann Marie Warren⁸

Affiliations

¹ University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX 76203, United States. Electronic address: ErinSullivan2@my.unt.edu.
² Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: Jordinks9@aol.com.
³ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: EvanElizabeth.Rainey@bswhealth.org.
⁴ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: Monica.Bennett@bswhealth.org.
⁵ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: Purvi.Prajapati@bswhealth.org.
⁶ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: Mark.Powers1@bswhealth.org.
⁷ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: Michael.Foreman@bswhealth.org.
⁸ Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, United States. Electronic address: AnnMarie.Warren@bswhealth.org.

PMID: 28622816
DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.03.004

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 24h. 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=44years, 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.

Keywords: Depression; Hospital; Length of stay; PTSD; Trauma.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Depression* / diagnosis
Depression* / epidemiology
Depression* / psychology
Female
Humans
Length of Stay / statistics & numerical data*
Male
Middle Aged
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / psychology
Trauma Centers / statistics & numerical data
Wounds and Injuries* / epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries* / psychology
Wounds and Injuries* / therapy