title: Hospital-acquired complications in a randomized controlled clinical trial of a geriatric consultation team.
abstract: As part of a controlled clinical trial of a geriatric consultation team (GCT), we investigated whether a GCT could affect the incidence of hospital-acquired complications in elderly patients. One hundred eighty-five patients, aged 75 years and older, were randomized into an intervention (N = 92) and a control (N = 93) group. Members of the intervention group received a GCT consultation and were routinely followed up throughout their hospitalization. The incidence of hospital-acquired complications for the entire study population was 38%. The type and rate of hospital-acquired complications in the intervention and control groups were not significantly different. Functional status on admission and admission to the psychiatry service were predictive for the occurrence of a hospital-acquired complication. In a broadly selected population such as this, the intensity of care available through a GCT was unable to reduce the occurrence of hospital-acquired complications. However, since this is only one aspect of a GCT function, and others may be of great importance, such aspects, and more targeted populations, must be evaluated before final conclusions can be reached about GCT efficiency.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006760:Hospitalization; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011897:Random Allocation; D012017:Referral and Consultation