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PILLAY, Stephanie C. et al. Factors affecting length of hospital stay in stroke survivors in South Africa: A call for a stroke unit. Afr. j. disabil.(Online)[online]. 2022, vol. 11, pp. 1-7. ISSN 2226-7220. http://dx. doi. org/10.4102/ajod. v11i0. 1065.

BACKGROUND: Stroke in Africa is a growing and neglected crisis with the incidence more than doubling in low-to middle-income countries in the last four decades. Despite this growing threat, implementation of stroke models of care in hospitals is lacking. Stroke units as a model of care have been shown to decrease mortality, reduce length of hospital stay (LOS) and improve outcomes in stroke survivors. OBJECTIVES: To determine the profile of stroke survivors and identify factors contributing to LOS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in South Africa to support stroke unit implementation. METHOD: This study involved a retrospective record review of stroke survivors admitted to CHBAH between September 2018 and May 2019. Factors associated with LOS were determined using linear regression models; univariate and multiple regression models were fitted RESULTS: A total of 567 participants' data were included. Overall, 51.85% of the participants required services from all rehabilitation disciplines. The median LOS was 9 days (interquartile ranges [IQR]: 5-11 days) with each discipline providing an average of six sessions. Participants who were referred to the rehabilitation team 3 days after admission to hospital stayed 6 days longer compared with those participants who were referred earlier (p< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Delayed referral to the rehabilitation team resulted in increased …