Prolonged hospital stay in internal medicine services: Definition, risk factors, and strategies for its management

Vásquez Kunze S. · Revista Medica Herediana (2026) · DOI: 10.20453/rmh.v37i2.6885

Resumen

Prolonged hospital stay (PHS) is a major public health issue, particularly in internal medicine departments due to the complexity of their patients. The timeframe used to define PHS in internal medicine or general wards is heterogeneous, with cut-off points ranging from 10, 21, and 30 days of hospitalization to higher values corresponding to the 95th or 99th percentiles of the length of stay. Factors associated with PHS are diverse and vary by country. These may include patient-dependent factors, such as complex illnesses or functional decline, or patient-independent factors, such as delays in scheduling diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The latter are of significant interest for hospital management. Therefore, intervention strategies exist to optimize the length of hospital stays, including clinical interventions, organizational innovations, and technological tools. The implementation of these strategies will depend on local data and the primary factors associated with PHS within the local context. © El autor. Artículo de acceso abierto, distribuido bajo los términos de la Licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia