SynthesisBMC emergency medicine2024
Prolonged length of stay and associated factors among emergency department patients in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC emergency medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Emergency Department length of stay: a mixed-methods study in four Ethiopian public hospitals.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2026Article
- Emergency medicine in Ethiopia: key updated statistics and insights.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2026Article
- Analysis of road traffic injuries and length of stay at the emergency department among patients in a trauma hospital in Ethiopia.Trauma surgery & acute care open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe duration between a patient's arrival at the Emergency Department (ED) and their actual departure, known as the Emergency Department Length of Stay (EDLOS), can have significant implications for a patient's health. In Ethiopia, various studies have investigated EDLOS, but a comprehensive nationwide pooled prevalence of prolonged EDLOS, which varies across different locations, is currently lacking. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide nationally representative pooled prevalence of prolonged EDLOS and identify associated factors.
methodsIn this study, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 checklist. We conducted a thorough search of numerous international databases, including PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The primary outcome was the prevalence of prolonged EDLOS. The secondary outcome was factors affecting the EDLOS. Random-effects model was used to since there was high heterogeneity. We also conducted subgroup analysis and meta-regression to investigate heterogeneity within the included studies. To assess publication bias, we used Egger's regression test and funnel plots. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 17.0 software to ensure accurate and reliable findings.
resultWe have identified eight articles that met our inclusion criteria with a total sample size of 8,612 participants. The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that the pooled estimate for the prevalence of prolonged EDLOS is 63.67% (95% CI = 45.18, 82.16, I
conclusionIn this review, the EDLOS was found to be very high. Overcrowding, delays in laboratory test findings, and delays in radiology test results make up the factors that have a statistically significant association with prolonged EDLOS. Given the high prevalence of prolonged EDLOS in this review, stakeholders should work to increase the timeliness of ED services in Ethiopia by proper disposition of non-emergency palliative patients to the appropriate destination, and implementing point-of-care testing and imaging.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.