Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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It has been reported that emergency department length of stay (ED-LOS) for older patients is longer than average. Our objective was to determine the effect of age, patient's clinical acuity and complexity, and care pathways on ED-LOS and ED plus observation unit (EDOU) LOS (EDOU-LOS). ⋯ Whereas ED-LOS and EDOU-LOS seem to be directly related to patients' acuity and complexity, notably the need for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, only EDOU-LOS was significantly associated with age and proposed care pathways. We propose that EDOU-LOS measurement should be made in EDs with an OU.