Biopsychosocial factors related to the length of hospital stay in older people.

This study aimed to know what variables influence increased length of hospital stay. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted through an integrated geriatric assessment of 81 people over 65 years of age, admitted to a tertiary acute care hospital. Data were collected through the Pfeiffer Scale, Barthel Index, Goldberg Questionnaire, Family APGAR and Gijón Scale. The length of hospital stay increased in people over 80 years, people living alone or in a retirement home, patients with great physical dependence and those with a risk or problem of social exclusion. The most influential variable for longer hospitalization was cognitive impairment (p<0.05), due to greater collaboration or desire to overcome the acute stage of the pathology that led to the hospital admission among patients without this condition.