Authors : M.A. Ghoreishizadeh , M. Salimi Namin and S.A. Moosavi Torshizi
Abstract: Depression is believed to complicate the care of general hospital patients on medical and surgical wards. This study was carried out to demonstrate the prevalence of depressive disorders in patients undergoing elective surgical operations and to investigate its effects on the length of hospital stay. One hundred inpatients of surgical wards of Emam and Sina general hospitals of Tabriz were selected through convenient sampling. The patients were evaluated by Beck depressive inventory. According to Beck scores, the patients were assigned to two groups, depressed and non-depressed. The mean length of hospital stay was determined in each group. The data were analyzed through t-test Out of 100 patients, 91 (50 males and 41 females) completed the study. According to Beck scores, 31 patients (34.07%) were evaluated as depressed and 60 (65.93%) as non-depressed. The depressed group had a mean length of stay of about 9.02 days versus 6.92 days in non-depressed group. A significant difference was noted between the 2 groups (p<0.001). The prevalence of depression on surgical patients was higher than general population and depression affects the length of hospital stay.
M.A. Ghoreishizadeh , M. Salimi Namin and S.A. Moosavi Torshizi , 2008. Depression among General Hospital Surgical Inpatients and its Effect on the Length of Hospital Stay. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 1018-1021.