Efficacy of the rehabilitation of elderly primary health care patients after short-stay hospital treatment.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a primary home care intervention program on patient outcomes after selected patients were discharged from a short-stay hospital. Random assignment of 249 frail, elderly patients was made to a group provided with physician-led primary home care, and home assistance service on a 24-hour basis, or to a control group given standard care. At randomization, patients were considerably disabled, had a mean age of 80.5 years, and had a high likelihood of long-stay hospital care. Medical and functional data were essentially the same at baseline for both groups. At 6-months follow-up, significant improvement in instrumental activities of daily living (P = 0.04) and outdoor walking (P = 0.03), and medical condition was found in the primary care intervention group compared with the controls and less utilization of long-stay hospital facilities was displayed in the team patients (P < 0.001) than in the controls. A selection of elderly, dependent patients can be cared for in their homes after short-stay hospital discharge and benefit from this primary home care intervention program in terms of improved medical and functional outcomes and less long-stay hospitalization.
Melin
A L
AL
Department of Social Medicine, University of Umea, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bygren
L O
LO
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome