Length of Stay in the Emergency Department and Its Associated Factors at Jimma Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Patients Who Visited The Adult ED of JMC, Jimma Town, Oromia Region, SouthWest of Ethiopia, 2018 (n = 422)

Characteristics	Number (No.)	Percentage (%)
Total visits	422	100
Age
18–29 years	240	56.9
30–39 years	62	14.7
40–59 years	71	16.8
60–69 years	26	6.2
70+ years	23	5.5
Sex
Female	189	44.8
Male	233	55.2
Address
Rural	142	33.6
Urban	280	66.4
Marital status
Married	218	51.7
Single	194	46.0
Other^a	10	2.4
Religion
Muslim	257	60.9
Orthodox	106	25.1
Protestant	58	13.7
Catholic	1	0.2
Ethnicity
Oromo	304	72.0
Amhara	63	14.9
Dawaro	26	6.2
Other^b	29	6.9
Literacy status
Illiterate	95	22.5
Read and write	30	7.1
Secondary school	94	22.3
University/college	84	19.9
Primary school	119	28.2
Occupation
Farmer	120	28.4
Daily labor	32	7.6
Employees	44	10.4
Merchant	66	15.6
Student	135	32.0
Other^c	25	5.9

Notes: ^aDivorced, widowed, separated; ^bGurage, Gambela, Kefa, Kambata, Silte, Tigre; ^cHousewife, unemployed.

Table 2 Presenting Characteristics of Patients Who Visited The Adult ED of JMC, Jimma Town, Oromia Region, Southwest of Ethiopia, 2018 (n = 422)

Factors	Number	Percent
Mode of arrival
By taxi	153	36.3
By ambulance	94	22.3
By public car/track	94	22.3
By foot	75	17.8
Other^a	6	1.4
Main primary diagnosis category
Medical conditions	183	43.4
Infectious illness	103	24.4
Injuries	136	32.2
Presence of Comorbid Illness
Yes	72	17.1
No	350	82.9
Triage Category
Red^b	17	4.0
Orange^c	43	10.2
Yellow^d	190	45.0
Green^e	172	40.8
Mental status
Fully alert	374	88.6
Comatose	9	2.1
Confused	39	9.2

Notes: ^aMotor cycle, carried. ^bRed: Emergent; ^cOrange: urgent; ^dYellow: less urgent; ^eGreen: non-urgent.

Table 3 Presentation Time and ED-Related Factors Among Patients Who Visited The Adult ED of JMC, Jimma Town, Oromia Region, Southwest of Ethiopia, 2018 (n = 422)

Factors	Number	Percent
Time of the day
Morning	181	42.9
Evening	171	40.5
Night	70	16.6
Day of the week
Weekday	340	80.6
Weekend	82	19.4
Received any intervention in the ED
Yes	357	84.6
No	65	15.4
Having at least one diagnostic investigation
Yes	329	78.0
No	93	22.0
Laboratory tests
Yes	293	69.4
No	129	30.6
Imaging studies
Yes	147	34.8
No	275	65.2
Shift change experience
Yes	183	43.4
No	239	56.6
Discharge from ED
Admitted	105	24.9
Discharged	315	74.6
Transferred	2	0.5

Table 4 Multivariable Analysis of Factors Associated with ED Length of Stay Among Patients Who Visited The Adult ED of JMC, Jimma Town, Oromia Region, Southwest of Ethiopia, 2018

Factors	ED Length of Stay No. (%)		COR (95% CI)	AOR (95% CI)
	Prolonged	Not Prolonged
Age
18–29 years	73 (17.3)	167 (39.6)	1	1
30–39 years	22 (5.2)	40 (9.5)	1.26 (0.70–2.27)	0.55 (0.20–1.53)
40–59 years	39 (9.2)	32 (7.6)	2.79 (1.62–4.78)	5.38 (1.81–15.87)^b
60–69 years	18 (4.3)	8 (1.9)	5.15 (2.14–12.35)	4.52 (0.82–25.00)
70+ years	10 (2.4)	13 (3.1)	1.76 (0.74–4.20)	0.97 (0.24–3.97)
Address
Rural	71 (16.8)	71 (16.8)	2.08 (1.37–3.14)	3.0 (1.28–7.04)^b
Urban	91 (21.6)	189 (44.8)	1	1
Mental status
Fully alert	134 (31.8)	240 (56.9)	1	1
Confused	5 (1.2)	4 (0.9)	2.24 (0.59–8.47)	8.20 (2.05–32.26)^b
Comatose	23 (5.5)	16 (3.8)	2.58 (1.31–5.05)	3.38 (0.32–35.71)
Time of the day
Morning	57 (13.5)	124 (29.4)	1	1
Evening	74 (17.5)	97 (23.0)	1.66 (1.07–2.56)	4.26 (1.74–10.42)^c
Night	31 (7.3)	39 (9.2)	1.73 (0.98–3.05)	14.93 (4.22–52.63)^c
Day of the week
Weekday	136 (32.2)	204 (48.3)	1.44 (0.86–2.40)	2.59 (1.01–6.64)^a
Weekend	26 (6.2)	56 (13.3)	1	1
Diagnostic investigation
Yes	144 (34.1)	185 (43.8)	3.24 (1.86–5.67)	4.48 (1.69–11.88)^b
No	18 (4.3)	75 (17.8)	1	1
Shift change
Yes	150 (35.5)	33 (7.8)	1	1
No	12 (2.8)	227 (53.8)	0.01 (0.01–0.02)	0.003 (0.001–0.010)^c

Notes: ^aP-value < 0.05; ^bP-value < 0.03; ^cP-value < 0.001.

Abbreviations: COR, crude odds ratio; AOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.