Predicting Hospital Length of Stay among Pediatric Patients in University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Hospital Length of Stay (LOS) is a critical metric in healthcare management, reflectingtheduration a patient spends in a hospital facility. In pediatric trauma cases, the length of stay(LOS)is a crucial measure that reflects the complicated relationship between the severity of the injury, the effectiveness of treatment, and the overall healthcare journey. Understanding and predictingthe factors influencing LOS in this specific population are crucial for optimizing patient care, resource allocation, and healthcare system planning. This study investigates Hospital LengthofStay (LOS) among Pediatric Trauma Patients with the primary goal of understandingandpredicting the factors influencing the duration of hospitalization for this demographic. The cross-sectional study is based on pediatric trauma patients admitted to the Emergency Department ofthe University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno State, Nigeria, in 2023. Data encompass demographic characteristics, injury details, and LOS for patients under 17 years, derivedfromhospital records. The RTS scoring system, incorporating Glasgow Coma Scale, Systolic Blood Pressure, and Respiratory Rate, is used to predict pediatric trauma patients' LOS. Multipleregression analysis is employed to identify factors influencing LOS. Results of the study outlines the scoring criteria for RTS parameters and presents regression analyses highlighting significant predictors of LOS, such as Injury Type and Breath/Minute. The model's robustness is confirmedby the Coefficient of Determination (R Square = 0.960), signifying its effectiveness in explainingand predicting LOS variability