scholarly journals Use of WhatsApp for Polyclinic Consultation of Suspected Patients With COVID-19: Retrospective Case Control Study

10.2196/22874 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e22874
Author(s):  
Ramazan Sabırlı ◽  
Emre Karsli ◽  
Omer Canacik ◽  
Dogan Ercin ◽  
Handan Çiftçi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Outpatient Clinic ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Test ◽  
Median Length ◽  
Physician Contact ◽  
Video Consultation ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
Risk Of Disease

Background Telephones, internet-connected devices (phablets, personal computers), chat platforms, and mobile apps (eg, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp) can be exploited for telemedicine applications. WhatsApp and similar apps are also widely used to facilitate clinical communication between physicians. Moreover, WhatsApp is used by emergency department (ED) physicians and consulting physicians to exchange medical information during ED consultations. This platform is regarded as a useful app in the consultation of dermatological and orthopedic cases. Preventing overcrowding in the ED is key to reducing the risk of disease transmission, and teleconsulting practice is thought to be effective in the diagnosis, treatment, and reduction of transmission risk of disease, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video consultation is highly recommended in some countries on the grounds that it is likely to reduce the risk of transmission. WhatsApp-like apps are among the video consultation platforms that are assumed to reduce the risk of contamination by minimizing patient-physician contact. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of WhatsApp video consultation on patient admission and discharge times in comparison to bedside consultation in the evaluation of potential patients with COVID-19 visiting a COVID-19 outpatient clinic during the pandemic. Methods Patients who presented to the ED COVID-19 outpatient clinic between March 11 and May 31, 2020, and for whom an infectious disease specialist was consulted (via WhatsApp or at bedside) were included in the study in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eventually, 54 patients whose consultations were performed via WhatsApp and 90 patients whose consultations were performed at bedside were included in our study. Results The median length of stay in the ED of discharged patients amounted to 103 minutes (IQR 85-147.75) in the WhatsApp group and 196 minutes (IQR 141-215) in the bedside group. In this regard, the length of stay in the ED was found to be significantly shorter in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (P<.001). Among the consulted and discharged patients, 1 patient in each group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction test and thus was readmitted and hospitalized (P=.62). The median length of stay of the inpatients in the ED was found to be 116.5 minutes (IQR 85.5-145.5) in the WhatsApp group and 132 minutes (IQR 102-168) in the bedside group. The statistical analysis of this time difference revealed that the length of stay in the ED was significantly shorter for patients in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (P=.04). Conclusions Consultation via WhatsApp reduces both contact time with patients with COVID-19 and the number of medical staff contacting the patients, which contributes greatly to reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. WhatsApp consultation may prove useful in clinical decision making as well as in shortening process times. Moreover, it does not result in a decreased accuracy rate. The shortened discharge and hospitalization timespans also decreased the length of stay in the ED, which can have an impact on minimizing ED crowding. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04645563; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04645563.

scholarly journals Use of WhatsApp for Polyclinic Consultation of Suspected Patients With COVID-19: Retrospective Case Control Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramazan Sabırlı ◽  
Emre Karsli ◽  
Omer Canacik ◽  
Dogan Ercin ◽  
Handan Çiftçi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Outpatient Clinic ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Test ◽  
Median Length ◽  
Physician Contact ◽  
Video Consultation ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
Risk Of Disease

BACKGROUND Telephones, internet-connected devices (phablets, personal computers), chat platforms, and mobile apps (eg, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp) can be exploited for telemedicine applications. WhatsApp and similar apps are also widely used to facilitate clinical communication between physicians. Moreover, WhatsApp is used by emergency department (ED) physicians and consulting physicians to exchange medical information during ED consultations. This platform is regarded as a useful app in the consultation of dermatological and orthopedic cases. Preventing overcrowding in the ED is key to reducing the risk of disease transmission, and teleconsulting practice is thought to be effective in the diagnosis, treatment, and reduction of transmission risk of disease, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video consultation is highly recommended in some countries on the grounds that it is likely to reduce the risk of transmission. WhatsApp-like apps are among the video consultation platforms that are assumed to reduce the risk of contamination by minimizing patient-physician contact. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of WhatsApp video consultation on patient admission and discharge times in comparison to bedside consultation in the evaluation of potential patients with COVID-19 visiting a COVID-19 outpatient clinic during the pandemic. METHODS Patients who presented to the ED COVID-19 outpatient clinic between March 11 and May 31, 2020, and for whom an infectious disease specialist was consulted (via WhatsApp or at bedside) were included in the study in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eventually, 54 patients whose consultations were performed via WhatsApp and 90 patients whose consultations were performed at bedside were included in our study. RESULTS The median length of stay in the ED of discharged patients amounted to 103 minutes (IQR 85-147.75) in the WhatsApp group and 196 minutes (IQR 141-215) in the bedside group. In this regard, the length of stay in the ED was found to be significantly shorter in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). Among the consulted and discharged patients, 1 patient in each group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction test and thus was readmitted and hospitalized (<i>P</i>=.62). The median length of stay of the inpatients in the ED was found to be 116.5 minutes (IQR 85.5-145.5) in the WhatsApp group and 132 minutes (IQR 102-168) in the bedside group. The statistical analysis of this time difference revealed that the length of stay in the ED was significantly shorter for patients in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (<i>P</i>=.04). CONCLUSIONS Consultation via WhatsApp reduces both contact time with patients with COVID-19 and the number of medical staff contacting the patients, which contributes greatly to reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. WhatsApp consultation may prove useful in clinical decision making as well as in shortening process times. Moreover, it does not result in a decreased accuracy rate. The shortened discharge and hospitalization timespans also decreased the length of stay in the ED, which can have an impact on minimizing ED crowding. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04645563; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04645563.

scholarly journals Association of Emergency Department Waiting Times With Patient Experience in Admitted and Discharged Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352110114
Author(s):  
Andrew Nyce ◽  
Snehal Gandhi ◽  
Brian Freeze ◽  
Joshua Bosire ◽  
Terry Ricca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Hospital Length ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Patient’S Experience ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
The Impact

Prolonged waiting times are associated with worse patient experience in patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). However, it is unclear which component of the waiting times is most impactful to the patient experience and the impact on hospitalized patients. We performed a retrospective analysis of ED patients between July 2018 and March 30, 2020. In all, 3278 patients were included: 1477 patients were discharged from the ED, and 1680 were admitted. Discharged patients had a longer door-to-first provider and door-to-doctor time, but a shorter doctor-to-disposition, disposition-to-departure, and total ED time when compared to admitted patients. Some, but not all, components of waiting times were significantly higher in patients with suboptimal experience (<100th percentile). Prolonged door-to-doctor time was significantly associated with worse patient experience in discharged patients and in patients with hospital length of stay ≤4 days. Prolonged ED waiting times were significantly associated with worse patient experience in patients who were discharged from the ED and in inpatients with short length of stay. Door-to-doctor time seems to have the highest impact on the patient’s experience of these 2 groups.

scholarly journals Livestock movement informs the risk of disease spread in traditional production systems in East Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Divine Ekwem ◽  
Thomas A. Morrison ◽  
Richard Reeve ◽  
Jessica Enright ◽  
Joram Buza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Transmission Distance ◽  
Risk Of Disease

AbstractIn Africa, livestock are important to local and national economies, but their productivity is constrained by infectious diseases. Comprehensive information on livestock movements and contacts is required to devise appropriate disease control strategies; yet, understanding contact risk in systems where herds mix extensively, and where different pathogens can be transmitted at different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge. We deployed Global Positioning System collars on cattle in 52 herds in a traditional agropastoral system in western Serengeti, Tanzania, to understand fine-scale movements and between-herd contacts, and to identify locations of greatest interaction between herds. We examined contact across spatiotemporal scales relevant to different disease transmission scenarios. Daily cattle movements increased with herd size and rainfall. Generally, contact between herds was greatest away from households, during periods with low rainfall and in locations close to dipping points. We demonstrate how movements and contacts affect the risk of disease spread. For example, transmission risk is relatively sensitive to the survival time of different pathogens in the environment, and less sensitive to transmission distance, at least over the range of the spatiotemporal definitions of contacts that we explored. We identify times and locations of greatest disease transmission potential and that could be targeted through tailored control strategies.

scholarly journals Biased and unbiased estimation of the average length of stay in intensive care units in the Covid-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathanael Lapidus ◽  
Xianlong Zhou ◽  
Fabrice Carrat ◽  
Bruno Riou ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Parametric Method ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Unbiased Estimation ◽  
Bed Occupancy ◽  
Average Length Of Stay ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
First Admission

Abstract Background The average length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU_ALOS) is a helpful parameter summarizing critical bed occupancy. During the outbreak of a novel virus, estimating early a reliable ICU_ALOS estimate of infected patients is critical to accurately parameterize models examining mitigation and preparedness scenarios. Methods Two estimation methods of ICU_ALOS were compared: the average LOS of already discharged patients at the date of estimation (DPE), and a standard parametric method used for analyzing time-to-event data which fits a given distribution to observed data and includes the censored stays of patients still treated in the ICU at the date of estimation (CPE). Methods were compared on a series of all COVID-19 consecutive cases (n = 59) admitted in an ICU devoted to such patients. At the last follow-up date, 99 days after the first admission, all patients but one had been discharged. A simulation study investigated the generalizability of the methods' patterns. CPE and DPE estimates were also compared to COVID-19 estimates reported to date. Results LOS ≥ 30 days concerned 14 out of the 59 patients (24%), including 8 of the 21 deaths observed. Two months after the first admission, 38 (64%) patients had been discharged, with corresponding DPE and CPE estimates of ICU_ALOS (95% CI) at 13.0 days (10.4–15.6) and 23.1 days (18.1–29.7), respectively. Series' true ICU_ALOS was greater than 21 days, well above reported estimates to date. Conclusions Discharges of short stays are more likely observed earlier during the course of an outbreak. Cautious unbiased ICU_ALOS estimates suggest parameterizing a higher burden of ICU bed occupancy than that adopted to date in COVID-19 forecasting models. Funding Support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81900097 to Dr. Zhou) and the Emergency Response Project of Hubei Science and Technology Department (2020FCA023 to Pr. Zhao).

scholarly journals Time trends in hospital discharges in patients aged 85 years and older in Spain: data from the Spanish National Discharge Database (2000–2015)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Palacios-Fernandez ◽  
Mario Salcedo ◽  
Gregorio Gonzalez-Alcaide ◽  
Jose-Manuel Ramos-Rincon
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Percentage Increase ◽  
Very Elderly ◽  
Hospital Discharges ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
Hospital Systems

Abstract Background The aging population is an increasing concern in Western hospital systems. The aim of this study was to describe the main characteristics and hospitalization patterns in inpatients aged 85 years or more in Spain from 2000 to 2015. Methods Retrospective observational study analyzing data from the minimum basic data set, an administrative registry recording each hospital discharge in Spain since 1997. We collected administrative, economic and clinical data for all discharges between 2000 and 2015 in patients aged 85 years and older, reporting results in three age groups and four time periods to assess differences and compare trends. Results There were 4,387,326 discharges in very elderly patients in Spain from 2000 to 2015, representing 5.32% of total discharges in 2000–2003 and 10.42% in 2012–2015. The pace of growth was faster in older age groups, with an annual percentage increase of 6% in patients aged 85–89 years, 7.79% in those aged 90–94 years, and 8.06% in those aged 95 and older. The proportion of men also rose (37.30 to 39.70%, p < 0.001). The proportion of patients that died during hospital admission decreased from 14.64% in 2000–2003 to 13.83% in 2012–2015 (p < 0.001), and mean length of stay from 9.98 days in 2000–2003 to 8.34 days in 2012–2015. Some of the most frequent primary diagnoses became even more frequent relative to the total number of primary diagnoses, such as heart failure (7.84 to 10.62%), pneumonia (6.36 to 7.36%), other respiratory diseases (3.87 to 8.49%) or other alterations of urinary tract (3.08 to 5.20%). However, there was a relative decrease in the proportion of femoral neck fractures (8.07 to 6.77%), neoplasms (7.65 to 7.34%), ischemic encephalopathy (6.97 to 5.85%), COPD (4.23 to 3.15%), ischemic cardiomyopathy (4.20 to 8.49%) and cholelithiasis (3.07 to 3.28%). Conclusions Discharges in the very elderly population are increasing in both relative and absolute terms in Spanish hospitals. Within this group, discharged patients are getting older and more frequently male. The mean length of stay and the proportion of patients that died during hospital admission are decreasing. Acute-on-chronic organ diseases, neoplasms, acute cardiovascular diseases, and infections are the most common causes of discharge.

scholarly journals Laparoscopic splenectomy: how minimal can we make it?

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adetokunbo Fadipe ◽  
David Wilkinson ◽  
Robert Peters ◽  
Catherine Doherty ◽  
Nick Lansdale
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Laparoscopic Splenectomy ◽  
Operative Time ◽  
Hereditary Spherocytosis ◽  
Surgical Trauma ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Median Length ◽  
Post Operative Pain ◽  
Age At Surgery ◽  
Splenic Size

Abstract Aims Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) is routinely performed in children, however, a large spleen in a small child can pose significant operative challenges. We instigated a highly standardised surgical and anaesthetic approach to LS to minimise surgical trauma and enhance recovery. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of this programme. Methods Prospective study of all LS’s performed 2018–2021. Surgical approach was via one 10 mm and three 5 mm ports. Early hilar control was accomplished with Hem-o-loks. Splenic retrieval via the 10 mm incision used finger morcellation within an Espiner EcoSac. Anaesthesia utilised a standardised regime of agents and bupivacaine was infiltrated to the splenic bed and wound sites. Post-operative opiates were minimised. Data are presented as median [IQR]. Results Twenty consecutive children were included. Indications for LS were hereditary spherocytosis (n = 12), sickle cell disease (n = 6), beta-thalassaemia (n = 1) and splenic haemangiomatosis (n = 1). Age at surgery was 101 months [75–117] and weight 30 kg [21–37]. Splenic size was 13.4 cm [12–14.4]. Operative time was 178 min [156–185]. There were no open conversions and no significant intra or post-operative bleeding. One patient developed pancreatitis. Median post-operative pain score was 1 [1–3]. Median length of stay was 2 days [2–3]. Conclusion LS is feasible, safe and efficient in smaller children with large spleens. This standardised programme of anaesthesia and surgery based around a core team reliably results in few complications, good analgesia and short length of stay.

scholarly journals Decreasing hospital burden of COVID-19 during the first wave in Regione Lombardia: an emergency measures context

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grosso Francesca Maria ◽  
Presanis Anne Margaret ◽  
Kunzmann Kevin ◽  
Jackson Chris ◽  
Corbella Alice ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Median Length ◽  
Calendar Time ◽  
Fatality Risk ◽  
Lengths Of Stay ◽  
Hospital Beds ◽  
Hospital Patients ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
Emergency Measures

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to quantify the hospital burden of COVID-19 during the first wave and how it changed over calendar time; to interpret the results in light of the emergency measures introduced to manage the strain on secondary healthcare. Methods This is a cohort study of hospitalised confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted from February–June 2020 and followed up till 17th July 2020, analysed using a mixture multi-state model. All hospital patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease in Regione Lombardia were involved, admitted from February–June 2020, with non-missing hospital of admission and non-missing admission date. Results The cohort consists of 40,550 patients hospitalised during the first wave. These patients had a median age of 69 (interquartile range 56–80) and were more likely to be men (60%) than women (40%). The hospital-fatality risk, averaged over all pathways through hospital, was 27.5% (95% CI 27.1–28.0%); and steadily decreased from 34.6% (32.5–36.6%) in February to 7.6% (6.3–10.6%) in June. Among surviving patients, median length of stay in hospital was 11.8 (11.6–12.3) days, compared to 8.1 (7.8–8.5) days in non-survivors. Averaged over final outcomes, median length of stay in hospital decreased from 21.4 (20.5–22.8) days in February to 5.2 (4.7–5.8) days in June. Conclusions The hospital burden, in terms of both risks of poor outcomes and lengths of stay in hospital, has been demonstrated to have decreased over the months of the first wave, perhaps reflecting improved treatment and management of COVID-19 cases, as well as reduced burden as the first wave waned. The quantified burden allows for planning of hospital beds needed for current and future waves of SARS-CoV-2 i.

Abstract 322: Optimizing Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Utilization

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William E Lawson ◽  
Lisa Wilbert ◽  
Lisa Sokoloff ◽  
Allen Jeremias ◽  
Anil Mani
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Limited Resource ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Median Length ◽  
Case Volume ◽  
Catheterization Laboratory ◽  
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory ◽  
Cardiac Catheterizations ◽  
Effective Use

Background: Optimizing efficient utilization of the catheterization lab is an important concern. Inefficient use of this limited resource increases costs and can compromise patient care. At times of high hospital and specialty care unit census, cath lab throughput is also limited by the availability of recovery beds which may further compromise efficient throughput. At SBUH the cardiac cath lab is staffed from 0630-2300 daily Monday-Friday with an on-call team to provide 7 x 24 hour coverage for STEMI’s. Lab usage was evaluated to determine if this was an efficient and effective use of this limited resource. Methods: All cardiac catheterizations during the period of 10/1/12-12/31/12 were reviewed. The distribution of daily cases, mean and median hours to catheterization by day of the week and median length of stay (ALOS) were determined. Elective outpatient, inpatient, and emergent cases were included. Results: There were a total of 997 cases during this quarter. Average weekday case volume ranged from 13-17 cases/day with the greatest average number of cases performed on Mondays (24% of the weeks cases). Median hours to the cath lab averaged 4.2 hours with the greatest delay on Mondays (5.4 hrs) and Fridays (5.7 hrs). The median number of hours to the cath lab was 31.3 hours with the greatest delay on Fridays (38.5 hrs) and gradually decreasing times from Monday through Thursday with the lowest time delay being on Thursdays (18.9 hrs). The median length of stay averaged 1.11 days, with Mondays patients averaging the longest stays at 1.26 days. There were 45 emergent STEMI cases (5% of the total) during the reviewed period. Conclusions: The marked disparity in mean and median hours reflects a skewed distribution, with many inpatients delayed in going to the CCL. Both median and mean hours were prolonged on Mondays and Fridays along with median length of stay. Further drill down suggested hand-offs, inter-hospital transfer delays, high bed occupancy, and high patient volume contributed to delays on these days. Operator availability, procedure variance, and case mix also contributed to distortions in scheduling and the effective use of lab time. Mid week, Wednesday, was the most efficient day. Block scheduling has since been implemented to better accomodate operators and procedure types within the current staffing constraints. Also as a result of this analysis fewer outpatients are being scheduled on Mondays, changes have been made in ACS protocols, hand-offs, rounding and transfers, and opening the cath lab on a weekend day for inpatients is planned.

scholarly journals Which role for chest x-ray score in predicting the outcome in COVID-19 pneumonia?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Maroldi ◽  
Paolo Rondi ◽  
Giorgio Maria Agazzi ◽  
Marco Ravanelli ◽  
Andrea Borghesi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcome ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Lung Involvement ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Entire Cohort ◽  
Discharged Patients ◽  
Chest X Ray

Abstract Objective We aim to demonstrate that a chest X-ray (CXR) scoring system for COVID-19 patients correlates with patient outcome and has a prognostic value. Methods This retrospective study included CXRs of COVID-19 patients that reported the Brixia score, a semi-quantitative scoring system rating lung involvement from 0 to 18. The highest (H) and lowest (L) values were registered along with scores on admission (A) and end of hospitalization (E). The Brixia score was correlated with the outcome (death or discharge). Results A total of 953 patients met inclusion criteria. In total, 677/953 were discharged and 276/953 died during hospitalization. A total of 524/953 had one CXR and 429/953 had more than one CXR. H-score was significantly higher in deceased (median, 12; IQR 9–14) compared to that in discharged patients (median, 8; IQR 5–11) (p < 0.0001). In 429/953 patients with multiple CXR, A-score, L-score, and E-score were higher in deceased than in discharged patients (A-score 9 vs 8; p = 0.039; L-score 7 vs 5; p < 0.0003; E-score 12 vs 7; p < 0.0001). In the entire cohort, logistic regression showed a significant predictive value for age (p < 0.0001, OR 1.13), H-score (p < 0.0001, OR 1.25), and gender (p = 0.01, male OR 1.67). AUC was 0.863. In patients with ≥ 2 CXR, A-, L-, and E-scores correlated significantly with the outcome. Cox proportional hazards regression indicated age (p < 0.0001, HR 4.17), H-score (< 9, HR 0.36, p = 0.0012), and worsening of H-score vs A score > 3 (HR 1.57, p = 0.0227) as associated with worse outcome. Conclusions The Brixia score correlates strongly with disease severity and outcome; it may support the clinical decision-making, particularly in patients with moderate-to-severe signs and symptoms. The Brixia score should be incorporated in a prognostic model, which would be desirable, particularly in resource-constraint scenarios. Key Points • To demonstrate the importance of the Brixia score in assessing and monitoring COVID-19 lung involvement. • The Brixia score strongly correlates with patient outcome and can be easily implemented in the routine reporting of CXR.

scholarly journals Comparison of Outcome Data for Shelter Dogs and Cats in the Czech Republic

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Veronika Vojtkovská ◽  
Eva Voslářová ◽  
Vladimír Večerek
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Median Length ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Animal Protection ◽  
Shelter Dogs ◽  
The Subject

Animal protection, which also comprises the subject of abandoned and stray animals, has become a pressing and widely discussed topic. The aim of this study was to compare dogs and cats from two shelters in a selected region of the Czech Republic, based on factors that affect the length of stay. The following factors were analyzed: outcome, sex, age, and purebred status. A total of 419 cats and 2580 dogs housed in the monitored shelters from 2013 to 2016 were included in the analysis. The results show that dogs (n = 1343; 52.1%) are returned to their owners significantly more often (p < 0.001) than cats (n = 10; 2.4%). Dogs stayed in the shelter significantly (p < 0.001) less time than cats regardless of the outcome (the median length of stay of dogs were 3 days, while that of cats was 51 days). Also the length of stay in the shelter until adoption is shorter in dogs than in cats (dogs: median 27 days; cats: median 53 days). Median length of stay tended to increase with the increasing age in both species. Monitored age categories of dogs and cats differed significantly (p < 0.05) in their median length of stay (LOS) until adoption. We found that purebred status does not affect the length of stay in the shelter until adoption, either in dogs or in cats. Overall, our results suggest that dogs are preferred over cats in the Czech Republic. Shelter operators should take into account this aspect affecting animal adoption. By targeted efforts and education of public, it is possible to mitigate the negative effects of favoring a certain category of animals over others.

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