Relationship between SOFA score and length of hospitalization for sepsis patients in the intensive care unit of a single institution

Introduction: The SOFA score is used to assess the severity of the disease and describe sepsis complications in terms of organ failure in septic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Sepsis complications affect the length of stay, causing concern for the family of the patient and increased treatment costs. Therefore, an assessment of organ dysfunction using the SOFA score can predict a prognosis based on the description of complications that occur in patients in the ICU. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between SOFA score and length of stay for sepsis patients at our institution.

Methods: This study used an analytical observational research method with a cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of sepsis patients who were treated in the ICU, with a total sampling technique based on the form of medical records. The data collected in this study included age, SOFA score, and length of stay. The data was analyzed using the Spearman correlation test.

Results: This study evaluated 180 samples and found that 96 sepsis patients (53.3 %) had SOFA scores greater than 11. The length of stay was highest in the 3 to 7-day group, with a total of 108 patients (60.0 %). The analysis of the relationship between the SOFA score and the length of stay of sepsis patients in the ICU resulted in a significance value of p = 0.012 and a correlation coefficient of 0.628.

Conclusion: A significant positive correlation existed with a moderate association between the SOFA score and the length of stay in sepsis patients in the ICU.