Aims. According to the current resource limitation and the high economic burden of the psychiatric prolonged hospital stay, length of stay and costs of that in different settings, it has been recommended to evaluate this variable in any country. This study was conducted to evaluate the pattern of Length of stay and its correlated variables at a psychiatric ward of a general hospital in Tehran, Iran.

Methods. In this retrospective study, the chart of 830 military personnel who had been admitted in psychiatric ward of Baqiyatallah hospital between 2002 and 2003 were randomly selected. L ength of hospital stay, demographic and clinical variables were assessed.

Results. Length of hospital stay was ranged between 1 and 51 with a mean (SD) of 10.80 ± 7.69. Length of hospital stay was less than 5 days in 220 patients (26.5%), 6-10 days in 271 patients (32.7%), 11-15 days (20.7%), over than 16 days in 167 patients (20.1%). A correlation between higher length of hospital stay and higher educational level, psychotic disorders and using ECT was seen. A correlation between lower length of hospital stay and history of suicide and drug use was seen. Length of stay at hospital had not statistically significant correlation with job or marital status (p>0.05).

Conclusion. In the present study, over 20% of patients admitted to psychiatric ward of Baqiyatallah hospital stayed more than 16 days. High cost of prolonged stay and limitation in free hospital beds highlights the need for further study to decrease the length of stay. With this aim, paying attention to the educational level, drug addiction, suicide, and some psychiatric disorders are essential.